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Selection From Amrita Vani, The Spiritual Master
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa 60. Who can act as our spiritual master? Only that great personality who has been sent by the Lord from the spiritual world into this world to deliver fallen souls like us, who delivers people who are afflicted with the threefold miseries and sends them back to Godhead, who is most dear to the Supreme Lord and who represents Him, and who is the messenger of transcendental subject matter, is capable of acting as our spiritual master. He is an actual devotee and an actual spiritual master whose ax-like words remain always sharpened to sacrifice our propensities for material…
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Perfect Discretion Part 3 of 3
by Nitya Krishna dasa Srila Prabhupada, Can a Sudra Be Guru? The GBC’s journey from being the 1978 rubber stamp for the autocratic zonal acaryas acting in the tradition of guru’s supreme authority to being the ecclesiastical and absolute masters of all affairs “ISKCON” is now largely complete. In recent years the ISKCON Law Book has even contained a number of mandatory vows that their apparent gurus have to agree to and sign. In keeping with the body’s priority of maintaining political control of the assets and personnel of the movement, these vows are quite specific to the institution governed by them, as opposed to Krishna consciousness…
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Perfect Discretion Part 2 of 3
by Nitya Krishna dasa On the Killing of Brahminical Culture Having apparent gurus serve at the pleasure of the GBC puts them in a dependent, employee-like relationship with the body. In real Vedic culture a bona fide spiritual master is in the highest social position. Such a Vaishnava is above even the intellectual brahmanas. This is because he has all those qualifications but has advanced still further to performing devotional service to Krishna. The genuine spiritual master thus never has to serve any institution of the material world, such as the GBC, because he is freely distributing love of Krishna to everyone. “And servant, when one becomes…
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The Question Science Doesn’t Ask (or Answer)
Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, April 26, 1973 Devotee: (introducing recording) Prabhupāda’s morning walk. Los Angeles, April 26, 1973. Prabhupāda: . . . about animals not willing to die. Why? What is the psychology? Nobody wants to die. Svarūpa Dāmodara: They will ask, “How do I know that animals do not want to die?” Prabhupāda: That is another foolishness. As soon as you want to kill, it cries. Man or animal, anyone. Even the trees, they feel pain. That is also . . . you do not know that? Svarūpa Dāmodara: They’re conscious. Prabhupāda: No. They feel pain. You know Jagadisha Bose’s pulsitation . . .? What is called? Svarūpa Dāmodara:…
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Perfect Discretion Part 1 of 3
(On Accepting the GBC as Spiritual Authority) by Nitya Krishna dasa “Devotees may be divided into three classes. The devotee in the first or uppermost class is described as follows: one is very expert in the study of relevant scriptures, and he is also expert in putting forward arguments in terms of those scriptures. He can very nicely present conclusions with perfect discretion and can consider the ways of devotional service in a decisive way. . . . . . The first-class devotee never deviates from the principles of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures by understanding with all reason and arguments. When we…
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Review of Peacock TV’s Krishnas: Gurus, Karma, Murder
by bhakta Eric Johanson Journalism? This three part documentary series depicts perhaps the most sordid events in the history of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna movement, the murders of Chakradari dasa and Sulocana dasa at the hands of New Vrindavana enforcer Tirtha dasa. Unfortunately, and like so many other attempts by academia and journalists to depict the movement, this also suffers from undue influence by the leadership of the ISKCON institution (International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the corporate representation of the movement). As such, it is much like allowing a criminal to write their own news story. In short, the three part series, despite its professionalism, is more…
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What Is Not Sahajiya
Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 01.10.14 – Mayapura, June 27, 1973 Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) nyarundhann udgalad bāṣpam autkaṇṭhyād devakī-sute niryāty agārān no ‘bhadram iti syād bāndhava-striyaḥ (SB 1.10.14) Prabhupāda: (interrupting chanting) You can practice this diacritic mark. English transliteration is there. It is not very difficult. Simply to practice twice, thrice, four times, it will come exactly, the pronunciation. You have to learn the diacritic mark. Then it will be all right. Word meaning. Pradyumna: nyarundhan—checking with great difficulty; udgalat—overflowing; bāṣpam—tears; autkaṇṭhyāt—because of great anxiety; devakī-sute—unto the son of Devakī; niryāti—having come out; agārāt—from the palace; naḥ—not; abhadram—inauspiciousness; iti—thus; syāt—may happen; bāndhava—relative;…
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“When Our Men Will Be Sahajiyas” Part 4 of 4
by bhakta Eric Johanson Return to As-It-Is “Sacrifice means nothing to be sacrificed. But sacrifice the sense of ‘I am the Lord,’ that’s all. What you have got you can sacrifice? This is simply a bluff, sacrifice. We cannot sacrifice. What we have got we can sacrifice? There is no question of sacrifice, but sacrifice means this doggish mentality that ‘I am Lord, I am God, I am enjoyer.’” Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.3.20-21 in Los Angeles on June 17, 1972 The bona fide spiritual master is the personification of the sastras; he is the person bhagavat: “The word guru means ‘heavy,’ heavy with knowledge. And what…
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“When Our Men Will Be Sahajiyas” Part 3 of 4
by bhakta Eric Johanson Continuing the Wrong Tradition “We will establish hundreds of temples, and they will all be very opulent. But if we do not follow the instruction of the Spiritual Master, they will just be show-bottle. Do you know what show-bottle means? It means colored water in a bottle which looks just like medicine, but which, when you take it, does not work.” Room conversation, NY, July, 1970 It is not difficult to look at the current state of the ISKCON institution and conclude that it is practicing a form of sahajiyism. Some temples are run by skeleton crews and many others by are run…
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“When Our Men Will Be Sahajiyas” Part 2 of 4
by bhakta Eric Johanson Roots of Sahajiya siddhanta-alasa jana anartha to’ chade na “One who is lazy in properly understanding the Vaishnava philosophical conclusions can never become free from anarthas, the unwanted bad habits and philosophical misconceptions that impede devotional service.” Prakrta Rasa Sata Dusini 28, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, “It is not so easy. That is called sahajiya. Why you want such exalted things so easily?” Room Conversation, July 8, 1976 Who Gets Misled? Like anything, cognitive dissonance is not, in and of itself, completely opposed to Krishna consciousness; many devotees surrendered because of a type of cognitive dissonance (the distressed). Many of us…
