Review of No Enmity, Only Solution Books I & II – Gaudiya Matha Attacks

by bhakta Eric Johanson

 

The world was inundated by many cubic miles of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ocean of love of Krishna as a result of the preaching of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Due to this tsunami Hare Krishna became household words all over the world. Millions of books and magazines on the subject of the Lord’s devotional service were distributed and read. Billions of human beings and untold numbers of other living beings became purified by hearing the holy Names, all because of the decision of this one soul to obey the order of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada, an order to preach Krishna consciousness outside of India. Because of these achievements he will always be known as the sampradaya acarya, whose name will forever follow his guru’s in the Brahma Madhava Gaudiya sampradaya guru parampara. He is also widely acclaimed as that great mahabhagavata predicted to spread the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to every town and village on earth, the senapati bhakta (devotee who is a great general). In the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself from Sri Caitanya Mangala, Sutra-Khanda:

 

ebe nama sankirtana tikshna khadaga laiya
antara asura jivera phelibe katiya
“Taking the sharp sword of the congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, (nama-sankirtana) I will root out & destroy the demoniac mentality in the hearts of all the conditioned souls.”

 

yadi papi chadi dharma dure dese yaya
mora senapati-bhakta yaibe tathaya
“If some sinful people escape and giving up religious principles go to far off countries, then my senapati bhakta will come at that time to give them Krsna consciousness.”

 

This Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has endorsed Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada by virtue of all he was able to achieve in just twelve short years at the very end of his life. There is nothing that anyone can do or say to take away from any of this.

 

Solutions

 

The prime focus of No Enmity, Only Solution is relieving disharmony between the Gaudiya Matha followers of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada and those of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada). Many quotes by Srila Prabhupada are cited that criticize some of his fellow disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada (Godbrothers affiliated with Gaudiya Matha).

 

In this regard, one of the prerequisites of successful conflict resolution is mutual acknowledgement of the historical events that may have caused contention. Unfortunately No Enmity, Only Solution makes little to no attempt to describe or determine the actual events that involved the remarks in question. It is as if the remarks had no real cause or justification; apparently one is supposed to take away the impression that the Godbrothers or their followers were completely innocent and pure and did nothing to contribute to the contention.

 

This is belied, however, by numerous witnesses from among Srila Prabhupada’s disciples who saw and heard numerous Godbrothers and their followers, both alone and in meetings with Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was often denigrated by them as “the guru of the melecchas (meat eaters),” because his Western disciples almost all came from outcaste meat eating backgrounds, thus implying that he wasn’t on the Godbrother’s level of being able to attract braminically inclined, vegetarian Indians. They also often railed against his acceptance of the “Prabhupada” title, something they felt was reserved for great souls like Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada.

 

On the whole, No Enmity, Only Solution makes no real attempt at objectivity regarding the history. This even extends to the legal disputes and disagreement among the Godbrothers that didn’t involve Srila Prabhupada. Here Sri Srila Shyam dasa Babaji Maharaja, the main author, compares objectively understanding these disputes to seeing Lord Krishna’s departure as indication that He was an ordinary man:

 

“Śrīmān Mahāprabhu said to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmīpad (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Sanātana śikṣā) that: ‘The destruction of Yadu Vamsa or the abduction of those Maharishis and the disappearance līlā of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa are all arranged by Yogamāyā just like an illusion, they are not at all true.’ Similarly, your (Srila Prabhupada’s) conception about the apparent division of Gauḍīya mission was also done by Yogamāyā to deceive envious people. . . .” No Enmity, Only Solution Book I, p 120-1, An Unique Darsanik Vichar (or Analytical Observation) About the Apparent Breakup of the Gaudiya Matha

 

Such a perspective on historical events seems somewhat illogical. If two parties disagree, then at most one of them can be right, or in the realm of Krishna consciousness, at most one of them is not in maya or disobeying the guru, who in this case is Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada. Of course, both could be wrong or disobeying the guru. Logically, both parties can’t be right or acting in such a way that the spiritual master is being followed. Attempting to apply the absolute standard of divine lila to such events appears to be misplaced.

 

This sort of double-standard is unfortunately all too common in No Enmity, Only Solution. Discrimination is amply applied to Srila Prabhupada but completely ignored in regard to all the words and actions of all the Godbrothers. They are all portrayed as completely pure and spotless, on the highest level of devotional service.

 

“We have not seen anywhere a single offense directed toward Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāja. (Srila Prabhupada)” No Enmity, Only Solution Book II, p 325, Question 11: Did Swāmī Mahārāja Speak Harshly Because He Was Attacked?

 

Forgiveness and Justification

 

In their effort to refute any possible justification for Srila Prabhupada’s remarks about his Godbrothers the authors, Sri Srila Shyam dasa Babaji Maharaja and his followers, go so far as to largely dismiss even Srila Prabhupada’s request to his Godbrothers for forgiveness for speaking in these ways. Again, the same double standard is applied with obvious bias because there is no admission of the lack of the Godbrothers’ likewise begging forgiveness for their words and actions in regard to Srila Prabhupada’s worldwide preaching mission. One once more takes away the impression that they were all innocent victims.

 

Although a number of the common justifications for Srila Prabhupada’s remarks about his Godbrothers are discussed, one is left to wonder as to why there is omission of the obvious and real cause – that the Godbrothers and their followers were attempting to interfere in the relationship of Srila Prabhupada with his neophyte and impressionable disciples in the manners described previously. Their demeaning remarks and criticism of Srila Prabhupada were eroding his disciples’ faith in him, the faith meant to be nourished and cultivated to the point that it becomes pure and absolute, thus enabling ones realization of the supreme absolute truth, Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Why wouldn’t Srila Prabhupada act and speak strongly so as to prevent such loss of faith in his disciples? Also in this regard, Srila Sridhara Maharaja, the friendliest of the Godbrothers, once remarked that attempting to come between a guru and his disciples in these manners was a ”death blow” to the relationship.

 

Tradition of What?

 

Sadly there doesn’t appear to be any imminent solution to this conflict; in fact it is developing into a kind of dysfunctional tradition. This isn’t hard to follow – first Srila Prabhupada makes some modifications to Gaudiya Vaishnava practice to accommodate Westerners. Then when his followers come in touch with some of the Godbrothers and their followers, they are told that they aren’t following properly, and that Srila Prabhupada is therefore not a real guru or only a “guru for the melecchas.” This apparently leads Srila Prabhupada to criticize the Godbrothers and tell his disciples to avoid them. Then the Godbrothers and their followers find out about the critical remarks and label them as Vaishnava aparadha, because when they pointed out the differences in Srila Prabhupada’s Western accommodations, they felt they were only doing devotional service by advocating the real practices. Finally Srila Prabhupada’s followers respond with anger because their guru is also being criticized, going on to further criticize the Godbrothers and their followers. And so on and on. Everyone at all times is convinced that they are righteously responding to criticism of their guru(s).

 

Anyway, such differences of opinion between Godbrothers are inevitable when there is preaching, especially if one devotee makes some, even minor, changes to the practices of bhakti yoga. These are the risks of trying to spread Krishna consciousness far and wide and going so far as to accept new disciples. Criticism between Godbrothers seems unavoidable in such cases, whereas this is mostly eliminated when devotees largely contain themselves to a temple and their individual spiritual practices. And when there is criticism between Godbrothers there is every chance of accusations of deadly vaishnava aparadha.

 

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā
upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi’ yāya pātā
“If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up.” Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.156

 

So is the solution to the likelihood of committing vaishnava aparadha to stop preaching? No! That is why Srila Prabhupada begged the forgiveness of his Godbrothers in his last days.

 

Will the Real Gaudiya Matha Please Stand Up?

 

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi

“For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” Bhagavad-gita 18.68-69

 

Although the questions can be asked – “Who truly pleased Krishna and Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Swami Prabhupada?” and “Who really offended?”, as well as “Who was the empowered eternal associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?” – the answers have already been given.

 

Srila Prabhupada’s achievements rank among the greatest in the history of world religion.