A Response
to Kalakantha Pr’s Query
...asked on 4 December 2019
My humble pranams to all the devotees.
Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah.
Following is the first para of Kalakantha Prabhu’s query
email after which he ended quoting CC Madhya 23.105 with purport:
In light of Srila
Prabhupada's purport, below, can you kindly explain why the learned devotees in
the Indian Bureau are insisting on trying to override the GBC and ram down the
throats of North American preachers approaches to preaching that do not work in
this part of the world?
Ys, Kalakantha das ACBSP
Practical Point: Either
Bureau is Ramming down the throats of North American preachers or GBC is
ramming down the throats of Indian preachers, it’s one and the same thing. World
today is not big and isolated. Thus, the regional isolation of some ISKCON law
that is related to persons who travel globally is not possible. If we would
have ISKCON follow the policy of gurus not allowed to travel around and
devotees not allowed to have gurus from regions other than their residence,
then regional isolation would have been somewhat possible. Thus, if ISKCON
wants to be not divided then, in this issue, the resolution has to be global
and not with regional allowances.
Back to the main issue and discussion
I would like to first request all the readers to carefully read
CC Madhya 23.105 (click here) that
Kalakantha Prabhu has quoted in his email, and then readon with this
explanation.
My first query would be: Does Srila Prabhupada want to say here that whatever approach works for “preaching” in a particular part of the world can be or should be adopted in order to expand?
If your opinion is “Yes, Srila
Prabhupada wants to say this,” then I would question:
·
Why Srila Prabhupada did not compromise on the four
regulative principles, especially the fourth one?
·
Why did he say so many times that he has never
compromised and his Guru Maharaja also did not ever compromise?
·
Why did he openly speak against women’s liberation
which was not at all flying in the West?
·
Why did he speak against homosexual marriages that
churches started accepting? After all, church was influenced to do so because
of contemporary culture being favorable to homosexual marriages.
·
Would Srila Prabhupada now want Gay, Lesbians etc. priests and gurus in ISKCON
because that is what will be favorable for “preaching”[1] in some Western cultures,
because if you do not give “equal rights” to them then people get turn off and
not come to ISKCON? Would he allow Gay Monogamy (or why just monogamy just say
gay partnerships, as marriage is just a forgotten idea in the West)? Why speak
only about gay, there are now more than 50 genders, transgenders, etc.[2] would they all be allowed
in ISKCON?
You may want to answer that Srila
Prabhupada said we can adjust details for preaching but not principles. Then
this brings us to the famous “Principle Detail Argument.”
My question would be “Who will
decide what is principle (that cannot be adjusted), what is detail (that can be
adjusted), and to what extent can a detail be adjusted?” Let us analyze this
crucial issue based on guru-sadhu-sastra. (For the detailed exposition to the
science of identifying principles and details based on sastras dealing with
Vedic Hermeneutics, please visit https://tinyurl.com/principle-detail )
In the purport (as quoted by Kalakantha
Pr) Srila Prabhupada says (emphasis mine):
The teacher (acarya) has to consider time, candidate
and country. He must avoid the principle of niyamagraha —that is, he should not
try to perform the impossible. What is possible in one country may not be
possible in another. The acarya’s duty is to accept the essence of devotional
service. There may be a little change here and there as far as
yukta-vairagya (proper renunciation) is concerned.
What is that “little change” that
Srila Prabhupada is talking about? How are we going to decide whether our
change is little or more than little? What Kalakantha Prabhu considers “little”
may be considered “very big” by others. Thus, these are some of the fundamental
questions we need to answer based on bona fide sources of guru-sadhu-sastra.
Srila Prabhupada continues
(emphasis mine):
A Vaisnava is immediately purified, provided he
follows the rules and regulations of his bona fide spiritual master. It is not
necessary that the rules and regulations followed in India be exactly the same
as those in Europe, America and other Western countries. Simply imitating
without effect is called niyamagraha. Not following the regulative principles
but instead living extravagantly is also called niyamagraha. The word niyama means
“regulative principles,” and agraha means “eagerness.” The word agraha means
“not to accept.” We should not follow regulative principles without an
effect, nor should we fail to accept the regulative principles.
Why some people fail to read “nor
should we fail to accept the regulative principles?”
So how to understand that we are
not falling into the trap of “failing to accept the regulative principles”
by adjusting a particular principle? On the other hand, how to understand that
we are not following “regulative principles without an effect” if we are
not adjusting?
Srila Prabhupada continues
(emphasis mine):
What is required is a special technique
according to country, time and candidate. Without the sanction of the
spiritual master, we should not try to imitate. This principle is
recommended here: suska-vairagya-jñana saba nisedhila. This is Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu’s liberal demonstration of the bhakti cult. We should not
introduce anything whimsically, without the sanction of the bona fide spiritual
master.
Please note the following in the
above excerpt:
·
Srila Prabhupada calls TPC adjustment a “special
technique.”
·
He qualifies speciality by saying that it should be
judged by the sanction of the bonafide spiritual master
·
And he warns twice to “not introduce anything
whimsically wihtout the sanction of the
bona fide spiritual master.”
·
He also says that one “should not try to imitate”
the spiritual master; which means that we should not try to adjust things
imitating what Srila Prabhupada adjusted. He adjusted women’s roles in society
to some extent so we go on adjusting their roles and make them TPs, GBCs, and
now Diksa-gurus, none of which SP did himself, but we just imitate his
adjustment.
Instituting Female Diksa-gurus is
not sanctioned by the spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, sadhus, and sastra. I
am not going to discuss about its details here as that is not the question
asked by Kalakantha Prabhu. Anyone who wants to know more can visit https://tinyurl.com/FDG-ICC-2019 where a
lot of researched material is available for study.
Some words are required here in
order to clarify why we use the word “female” and not “vaisnavi.” Srila
Prabhupada freely used the word female and women to address or mention devotee
women; he did not desist nor did he forbid anyone to use word “women” or
“female” for female devotees. Similarly he freely used the word “man” for male
devotees. He uses word “women” for great purest devotees like Suniti, Devahuti,
Devaki, etc. (see SB 3.22.15 purport, 3.22.25, purport—here SP even applies
Manu-samhita teachings on Devahuti, SB 3.23.1, etc). Similarly sastras freely
describe women devotees as “women.” Thus, using this convention is not at all a
fault. However, to be against the usage of such a convention is like saying
that the acaryas and sastras “are seeing Vaishnavi’s as women, not devotees.”[3]
One may
argue:
GBC’s sanction is Srila Prabhupada’s sanction, because he authorized GBC
Srila Prabhupada says (SB 1.13.15, Geneva,
June 4, 1974), emphasis mine:
Therefore we have created these GBC. So they
should be very responsible men. Otherwise, they will be punished. They will be
punished to become a sudra. Although Yamaraja is
a GBC, but he made a little mistake. He was punished to become a sudra. So
those who are GBC's, they should be very, very careful to administer the
business of ISKCON. Otherwise they will be punished. As the post is very great,
similarly, the punishment is also very great. That is the difficulty. You
can see from this example, Vidura. He was immediately punished. He did little
mistake at Manduka... Because the rsis, the munis, they will curse. Dealing is
very... Even Yamaraja is not taking.
Srila Prabhupada’s authorization to
GBC is only as long as they follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions,
instructions of the sadhus and the sastras (as also emphasized by Srila
Prabhupada in Cc Madhya 20.352 purport).
Now, what does Srila Prabhupada instruct GBC about position of women in ISKCON?
Therefore I am instructing our GBC's that "Let
our little girls be educated to become faithful and chaste." That is
their qualification. No education required. (SB 6.1.31, San Francisco,
July 16, 1975)
Did Srila Prabhupada not want women in ISKCON to be preachers etc.?
Everything will be satisfied. Just like our women, Kṛṣṇa
conscious, they are working. They don’t want equal rights with men. It is due
to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are cleansing the temple, they are cooking very
nicely. They are satisfied. They never say that "I have to go to Japan
for preaching like Prabhupāda." They never say. This is artificial.
(MW, May 27, 1974, Rome)
But then why did Prabhupada engage ISKCON women in preaching activities?
Srila Prabhupada said that in the
beginning, because of the great difficulties he had to sometimes do things he
should not have done just to get things started.
They must be all ideal acarya-like. In the
beginning we have done for working. Now we should be very cautious. Anyone
who is deviating, he can be replaced.
(GBC Meets with Srila Prabhupada--May 28, 1977, Vrindavana)
And:
Prabhupada: In a, in the Western countries, I had
to sometimes do something which I should not have done. But I've done it to
bring so many souls to Krsna.
Brahmananda: The preaching necessitates that.
Prabhupada: Yes. . . .
Rules and regulations can be violated when there is
urgent necessity of service, not whimsically or for one's sense gratification.
And that is, of course, in our present...,with the permission of the
spiritual master, not one should think, “Oh, I have become so much great
devotee, I can violate all the rules and regulations.” No, you cannot. If
there is need of violating rules and regulations, you must take
permission. (Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura)
This is totally understandable and
this is what happens in many pioneering or startup venture, that because of
lack of resources or trained personnel corners have to be cut and sacrifices
are made to just get the job done so that they get to the point where proper
standards can be followed.
Thus, Srila Prabhupada wanted traditional roles for women in ISKCON but he had to engage them in non-traditional roles and also tolerate men-women mixing in ISKCON.
In our society the girls and boys mix, intermingle
together and this is practically impossible to stop because you Western people
are accustomed to the habit. Sometimes my Godbrothers criticize me for
intermingling of girls and boys. But there is no way out of it—you girls and
boys will mix even if I say so they cannot avoid it. They sit separately
in the temple and then outside mix again. So this was not possible from the
beginning. Therefore I get the boys and girls married. But nature is so
strong that in spite of being married they are attracted to the opposite sex.
(Letter to Govinda, Bombay, 30 Apr 1974)
And:
Not knowing that boys and girls in countries like
Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and rascals criticize the
boys and girls in Krsna consciousness for intermingling. But these rascals
should consider that one cannot suddenly change a community’s social customs.
(Cc Adi, 7.31-32, purport)
Of course this is a famous quote
for those who try to establish that we have to change ISKCON with changing
times, and thus allow women’s liberation. However, they forget to see the word
“suddenly change.” Prabhupada did not say “cannot change” or “should not
change.” This means that he wanted to change social customs back to the Vedic
Varnasrama norms but that he could not do it overnight. It required a step by
step plan. Srila Prabhupada had the plan of re-establishing varnasrama in order
to do this.
...if the process of varnasrama-dharma is
introduced, even in this age of Kali, the situation of Satya-yuga can be
invoked. The Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna consciousness movement, is meant
for this purpose. (SB 9.10.51, purport)
SP
did This
|
SP
Wanted This
|
Established Brahmacarini Ashramas
|
All women disciples to get married and
live KC life[4]
|
Awarded Sannyasa diksa liberally to
very young men
|
Wanted to be strict in awarding
sannyasa
|
Awarded Brahminical diksa liberally
|
Wanted that only strict brahmanas
passing Bhakti-sastri be awarded Brahmin diksa
|
Engaged Female disciples in going out
and preaching
|
Wanted that his female disciples
follow traditional women roles of not going out
|
Managed ISKCON himself
|
Wanted that his disciples take up all
management to free up his time for writing books
|
Even though a sannyasi, he performed
marriages of his disciples himself
|
Wanted that Grihastha disciples take
responsibility of marriages etc
|
Himself taught women to wear Saree
etc.
|
Wanted that women teach to women
|
Started deity worship of Jagannath with
just candles, making Him sit on floor
|
Wanted to have full fledged
traditional type deity worship based on pancaratras
|
And Many more could be listed . . .
|
·
As a sincere follower of Srila Prabhupada (and also a
disciple) what is our duty: should we try our best to establish what Srila
Prabhupada wanted or to imitate what he did?
·
He started with what he could and wanted to establish
varnasrama which comes with all detailed rules and resulting social stability
·
If you see the column of what SP wanted, all the items
are strictly according to sastras and tradition. However, he had to compromise
out of emergency. If we take these adjustments as permanent for next 10,000
years then we are to suffer only the bad consequences of them.
·
In this regard one good example was cited by a
Sanskrit teacher of Nyaya-sastra:
There is a fire in the house and a young lady is getting
burned into it. A sannyasi is nearby the house and sees her. In this situation
a sannyasi has to rescue her even if it requires to embrace her and pull. But,
if after the lady is rescued, the sannyasi goes on to regularly embrace her
then he is certainly going to fall down.
Adjustments made according to TPC are to be reverted back to normal
A few verses after the famous
purport to Cc Adi 7.31-32, Srila Prabhupada clarifies the meaning of finding
“the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread”:
An ācārya should devise a means by which
people may somehow or other come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First they should
become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and all the prescribed rules and regulations may later
gradually be introduced. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we follow this
policy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in
the the Western countries freely intermingle, special concessions regarding
their customs and habits are necessary to bring them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The ācārya must devise a means to bring them to devotional service. (Cc
Adi 7.37, purport)
Prabhupada doesn’t say that rules
and regulations should never be introduced, but that they be introduced later. This
shows that adjustments made according to TPC are to be gradually reverted back
to normal.
This also means that in the
beginning in the Western countries boys and girls may not be told to separate
themselves but be given Krsna consciousness, the most important thing. But as
they make some advancement they should be introduced to Vedic culture and be
convinced to follow it. For instance Srila Prabhupada did introduce them to
marriage, which is a Vedic Institution, to wearing Vedic dress like dhoti and
saree, etc.
Now, in case of becoming
diksa-gurus, whose work is it of becoming diksa-guru? Of a neophyte devotee who
is just introduced to Krsna Consciousness or an advanced devotee? Of course it
is a work of an advanced devotee. So if an advanced devotee woman cannot
understand that women are not allowed to become diksa-guru in Krishna’s Vedic
culture then what kind of preaching we have done in the name of finding “the
ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread”. It shows that
we have failed to either understand or implement the process of adjustment as
taught by Srila Prabhupada in the above quote, that of introducing the detailed
rules and regulations later.
Appendix 1:
CC Madhya 23.105
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then told
Sanatana Gosvami about proper renunciation according to a particular situation,
and the Lord forbade dry renunciation and speculative knowledge in all
respects.
PURPORT
This is the technique for
understanding suska-vairagya and yukta-vairagya. In the Bhagavad-gita (6.17) it
is said: “He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and
work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.” To
broadcast the cult of Krsna consciousness, one has to learn the possibility of renunciation
in terms of country, time and candidate. A candidate for Krsna consciousness in
the Western countries should be taught about the renunciation of material
existence, but one would teach candidates from a country like India in a
different way. The teacher (acarya) has to consider time, candidate and
country. He must avoid the principle of niyamagraha —that is, he should not try
to perform the impossible. What is possible in one country may not be possible in
another. The acarya’s duty is to accept the essence of devotional service.
There may be a little change here and there as far as yukta-vairagya (proper
renunciation) is concerned. Dry renunciation is forbidden by Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, and we have also learned this from our spiritual master, His Divine
Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja. The essence of
devotional service must be taken into consideration, and not the outward
paraphernalia.
Sanatana Gosvami wrote his Vaisnava
smrti, Hari-bhakti-vilasa, which was specifically meant for India. In those
days, India was more or less following the principle of smarta-vidhi. Srila
Sanatana Gosvami had to keep pace with this, and his Hari-bhakti-vilasa was
compiled with this in mind. According to smarta-brahmanas, a person not born in
a brahmana family could not be elevated to the position of a brahmana. Sanatana
Gosvami, however, says in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (2.12) that anyone can be
elevated to the position of a brahmana by the process of initiation.
“As bell metal is turned to gold
when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly
trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a
brahmana.”
There is a difference between the
smarta process and the gosvami process. According to the smarta process, one
cannot be accepted as a brahmana unless he is born in a brahmana family.
According to the gosvami process, the Hari-bhakti-vilasa and the
Narada-pañcaratra, anyone can be a brahmana if he is properly initiated by a
bona fide spiritual master. This is also the verdict of Sukadeva Gosvami in
Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.18):
“Kiratas, Hunas, Andhras, Pulindas,
Pulkasas, Abhiras, Sumbhas, Yavanas and members of the Khasa races, and even
others who are addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of
the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my
respectful obeisances unto Him.”
A Vaisnava is immediately purified,
provided he follows the rules and regulations of his bona fide spiritual
master. It is not necessary that the rules and regulations followed in India be
exactly the same as those in Europe, America and other Western countries.
Simply imitating without effect is called niyamagraha. Not following the
regulative principles but instead living extravagantly is also called
niyamagraha. The word niyama means “regulative principles,” and agraha means
“eagerness.” The word agraha means “not to accept.” We should not follow
regulative principles without an effect, nor should we fail to accept the
regulative principles. What is required is a special technique according to
country, time and candidate. Without the sanction of the spiritual master, we
should not try to imitate. This principle is recommended here: suska-vairagya-jñana
saba nisedhila. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s liberal demonstration of the
bhakti cult. We should not introduce anything whimsically, without the sanction
of the bona fide spiritual master. In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura comments on these points by quoting two verses by Sri Rupa Gosvami
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.255-256).
“When one is not attached to
anything but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krsna, one is
rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects
everything without knowledge of its relationship to Krsna is not as complete in
his renunciation.” To preach the bhakti cult, one should seriously consider these
verses.
[1] Preaching is different
from becoming popular thus for sarcasm I
have put the word preaching in quotes. If an Institution’s aim is to be popular
then this idea is correct that
[3] A Contention from a recent
email by one Vaisnavi
[4] That the Brahmacarini
ashram is a good success is very good news. But the best thing will be if the
grown-up Brahmacarinis get married. According to Vedic culture, woman is never
to remain independent. I shall be glad if the Brahmacarinis can have nice
husbands, and live as Grhasthas. (Letter to Satsvarupa, Montreal, 8 Aug 1968)
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