SRI GURU-TATTVA

SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA JAYATAH!

SRI GURU-TATTVA Bhaktivedanta Suddhadvaiti Swami

This book is compiled on the basis of many excerpts, statements and quotations that have come to us in guru-parampara, and which describe the nature of the bona fide spiritual master. Â The aim of this book is to clarify the most important subject of guru-tattva as well as to provide a clear conception of the qualities of a sad-guru, which is very much needed to choose a spiritual guide.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE GURU-TATTVA CH 1. INTRODUCTION …………………………………………….4 CH 2. SIKSA-GURU-TATTVA…………………………………….23 CH 3. HISTORY OF THE GURU IN ISKCON...…………………..43 CH 4. THE PATH OF THE MAHAJANAS………………………..49 CH 5. 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS……..……………………..58 APPENDIX 1: THE QUALITIES OF A SAD-GURU…………….102 APPENDIX 2: ANARTHAS……………………………………….104 PART TWO SRILA BV BHAKTIVEDANTA NARAYANA MAHARAJA ON GURU-TATTVA…………………….110 CH 1. LET SRILA GURUDEVA SPEAK FOR HIMSELF…………….114 CH 2. THE THREE ADHIKARAS OF BHAKTI……………………....132 CH 3. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………..151

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PART ONE GURU-TATTVA CH 1 INTRODUCTION It is necessary to approach a spiritual master In the Vedic tradition, knowledge based on sense perception and on deductive reasoning is considered unreliable because of the four inherent defects of all conditioned sou ls: being subject to illusion, being prone to make mistakes, propensity to cheat, and imperfect sense perception. Indeed, the senses have a limited range of perception in the material realm, what to speak of the spiritual or metaphysical one, the plane of the Absolute Truth.

That domain is lying beyond the grasp of both the senses and the mind; the latter is just another material element, albeit more subtle, and therefore it is unable to conceive what is beyond the governing principles of matter such as time, space and the law of cause and effect. The Vedic sages have declared that their thoughts and words couldn’t pierce the coverings of the universe and reach beyond it but return to them. (Taittirya Upanisad 2.4.1) The Absolute Truth, in its ultimate personal feature, holds the intiative to reveal Himself how He pleases. The Vedic literature is how He chooses to reveal knowledge about Himself: sastrayonitvat, states the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.3). However, the spiritual part of the Vedic literature doesn’t contain academic knowledge acquired for a simple informative purpose; rather, it aims at transforming the consciousness of its student and enabling him to ultimately achieve spiritual emancipation from the bondage of matter, or self-realization. In other words, it is knowledge which must be applied and lived from within. Its essence is loving devotion to God, or bhakti. An academic approach is therefore not appropriate and will give only incomplete and deficient knowledge, not yield the fruit of self-realization, culminating in pure love of God, Â

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which is the avowed purpose of these teachings. As such, one must approach it according to the method stipulated in the Vedic tradition itself, which is to receive it from a genuine spiritual guide, a self-realised soul, to the service of whom one should dedicate himself: “The most important of all spiritual practices is guru-seva. It bestows easily, quickly and joyfully bhakti for the Supreme Lord.� (Narada pancaratra 4.57): Thus, the relationship between guru and disciple is fundamental to assimilating the Vedic revelation.

The Lord, who is the ultimate subject of Vedic knowledge and love of whom is the ultimate goal of that knowledge, chooses to whom he reveals Himself, as per the Mundaka Upanisad (3.2.3) and He states to whom he is likely to do so: to one who faithfully serves his guru: guru-susrusaya yatha (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.80.34)

A Faithful Understanding Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the FounderAcarya of ISKCON and the foremost exponent of the science of bhakti yoga of the modern age, gave at times a broad definition of "guru" as meaning "preacher". However, the main thrust of his teachings on the subject of guru-tattva is to emphasize the very exalted qualifications required of a bona-fide spiritual master, or sad-guru. He must be a pure devotee, a self-realized, liberated soul, an uttama-adhikari, a maha-bhagavata.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja taught the same.

This being said, although there's no doubt that the mahabhagavata, the uttama-adhikari, is the ideal type of guru, it's also a rare type. So there is a need for madhyama-adhikari gurus. In this first part, I am stressing a lot the importance of the mahabhagavata guru, so it may seem that I am minimizing the value of the madhyama-adhikari gurus. Actually, I mean to point at the limitations of the low-level madhyama-adhikari gurus, and furthermore of the kanistha-adhikari gurus. Â

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Let us read Krishna's instruction in the Bhagavad Gita.

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively, and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you, because he has seen the Truth." (Bg 4.34) In this verse, the proper understanding of the qualifications of the sad-guru is given. He must be self-realized, and have seen the Truth, so that he can impart transcendental knowledge to his disciple.

What is the Truth? Tattva-vastu Krishna. Krishna is the Absolute Truth, so a seer of the Truth must have seen Krishna.

If we take another angle of approach, the Tattva, the Absolute Truth, the Advaya Jnana, the Non-dual Substance, has three aspects; Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. (SB 1.2.11) Therefore, one must be at least on the Brahman or brahma-bhuta stage in order to be a bona-fide guru. This comes at the nisthabordering-ruci stage of the madhyama-adhikara level.

"One has to raise himself at least to the stage of a second-class devotee, and thus become eligible to know the Absolute Truth."

(SB 1.2.12, purport) "With nistha comes freedom from rajas and tamas, and sattvaguna comes. From this platform of purity or brahma-bhuta, we can realize ourselves and God."(SP) Srila Prabhupada repeatedly indicated this stage to be the minimum level to be achieved before one could become an initiating spiritual master, or diksa guru. Srila Narayana Maharaja also indicated that the minimum level is the madhyama level, and preferably madhyama-madhyama (ruci up to asakti) Guru Tattva There are different grades of spiritual masters, such as: kanisthaadhikari, not acceptable, nistha coming to ruci, barely acceptable, ruci, minimum, asakti, better, bhava, even better and nitya-siddha, topmost. There is great need for education in guru-tattva. The most urgent reason to provide this education presently is to help the spiritual aspirants comprehend the desirability of approaching a maha-bhagavata guru and the limiting implications of accepting a guru who is not so qualified. Â

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The subject of guru-tattva is very vast. There is no subject matter that Srila Prabhupada or our acaryas spoke more about. They have never encouraged blind faith and acceptance but always taught the high criteria set in the sastras. It is crucial that the guru be highly qualified. Countless people have been cheated by unqualified gurus greedy for wealth, women and prestige and exploited financially, emotionally and even sexually by swindlers. If someone does not fit the sastric criteria of what is a sad-guru, then his initiation doesn't have the same power at all and the disciple will need to approach later a higher siksa-guru to complete that initiation. This point is most important and needs to be seriously considered.

The three levels of devotees are first class (uttama), second class (madhyma), and third class (kanistha) adkikaris. We have to base our understanding on the overall teachings of Srila Prabhupada and Srila BV Narayana Maharaja, and the sastras they teach from, which state that the diksa-guru should undoubtedly be a pure devotee, a tattva-darsi, or one who has seen the Truth. He should be a self-realized, liberated soul, or uttama adhikari. Such an exalted devotee comes down, or rather adjusts his vision, to the top level of the madhyama platform to preach Krishna consciousness.

The kanistha-adhikara stage is not acceptable to be a diksa-guru.

It is stated in the Harinama Cintamani by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura that one must take diksa from a Vaisnava, but that the "madhyama stage marks the beginning of Vaisnavism. A kanistha-adhikari is called vaisnava-abhasa, or near Vaisnava." (Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Dasa-mula tattva, chapter 10) Qualifications of a Sad-Guru There is only one guru, the adi-guru, the original preceptor, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, who, as Sri Guru, is assuming different forms. The guru is ideally a svarupa-shakti-pushta parikara, an eternal associate of the Lord. He is invested and imbued with the Lord's delegation of guru-shakti. Svarupa means oneself. Krishna invests himself in the proper person. Srila Prabhupada says that the guru is not the body of the guru, but the guru is the principle embodied in the spiritual master, Â

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"Krishna and His representative are the same. The spiritual master is the principle, not the body." (SP, Letter 28.4.68) So, in the guru, there's him, a perfect devotee, and there's Krishna's delegation. He is guru because Krishna has chosen him due to his pure love for Him and invested him with the power to represent Him. "The Lord gives His pure devotee the power to distribute His own mercy (sva-kripa-sakti) as he likes," (Madhurya Kadambini, Ch1) The Lord makes Himself known to us through the form of Sri Guru. It is said that, "Although I know my spiritual master as a devotee of the Lord, I also know him to be a plenary manifestation of the Lord."(CC Adi 1.44) “All the sastras state that the guru is the form of the Lord. It is in the form of the spiritual master that Krishna bestows mercy upon the devotees.” (CC Adi 1.45) That is what a sad-guru is, and that should be taught and learned.

"Generally a guru's symptom is that he's a perfect devotee, that's all." (Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers).

A guru of theoretical knowledge can only partially help us. He must be established in the Absolute Truth.

Lord Siva told Parvati devi, « Ô Devi, there are many gurus who exploit and plunder their disciples. It’s a rare guru who can free his disciples from all miseries.” (Skanda Purana.Guru-gita 1.269) "Unless one is a pure devotee, how can he be guru? Spiritual master means representative of God, so who can become so? He is Krishna's representative because he is his most confidential servant." (SP, Letter 23.10.72).

Krishna appears as Sri Gurudeva.

The scriptures clearly state the qualifications of a bona fide guru:

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“sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upamasrayam. A genuine guru is fully conversant with all Vedic scriptures. He has direct realization of the Supreme Lord. He is therefore completely detached from material life.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21) The Mundaka Upanisad (1.2.12) states the same: “srotriyam brahma-nistham: he has complete knowledge of the Vedic literature and is completeky fixed in the Absolute.”

He is a tattva-darsi or tattva-acarya, a seer of the Truth. He has direct experience of it (Gita 4.34) He must provide the Transcendental Necessities A less than liberated soul shouldn't attempt the impossible task of trying to become the eternal spiritual master of another conditioned soul.

If someone cannot deliver the necessities as mentioned by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to CC Madhya 24.330 and listed below yet pretends he can, he is actually cheating.

Absorption of Karma What is diksa? The guru gives divya-jnana and takes the sinful reactions of the disciple: Diyate, ksiyate, something is given, something is taken; that is diksa. According to what? According to the guru's capacity. One is a sad-guru only if he can both give this divya-jnana and deliver from material bondage. A madhyama-adhikari guru, even of high level, cannot fully do that.

How is the karma taken? Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a fan being switched off, so the guru has to be a properly authorized agent of the Lord to be able to turn off the switch Krishna invests his pure devotees with the bhakti-shakti and kripa-shakti, the mercy potency. By the strength of the empowered guru, the sincere disciple is blessed. Then by practicing according to the divya-jnana received by the authorized guru and by chanting, sinful reactions are vanquished. The disciple is protected by the guru and that counteracts all sinful reactions.

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There is also obviously the consideration of the disciple's surrender: "Diksa tends to confer spiritual enlightenment by abrogating sinfulness. Its actual effect depends on the degree of willing cooperation on the part of the disciple and is therefore not the same in all cases... It imparts an initial impulse, the nature of which varies in accordance with the condition of the recipient." (Srila Sarasvati Thakura ) When the disciple surrenders fully, he is relieved from his sinful reactions. Since the surrender is usually partial, artificial, conditional, there's only partial relief on the disciple's part. Diksa is not a one-time affair. It is an on-going process. One is admitted in the school of diksa. It is considered complete upon achieving bhavabhakti.

Srila Prabhupada mentions that one may even receive the seeds of material desires, karma, fruitive action, and jnana, cultivation of knowledge aiming at liberation, instead of the bhakti-lata bija, the seed of the plant of devotion, if the guru is not pleased: (see CC Madhya 19.152, purport) Srila Prabhupada deals with this point of karma in Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers: Syamasundara das: “One time you said that sometimes you feel sickness or pain due to the sinful activities of your devotees. Can sometimes disease be due to that?”

Srila Prabhupada: “Krishna says: ‘I will deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.’ So Krishna is so powerful that He can immediately take up all the sins of others and make them right. But when a living entity plays the part on behalf of Krishna, he also takes the responsibility for the sinful activities of his devotees. Therefore to become a guru is not an easy task. He has to take all the poisons and absorb them. So sometimes, because he is not Krishna, there is some trouble. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has forbidden: ‘Don't make many disciples.’ That's a fact. The spiritual master has to take the responsibility for all the sinful activities of his disciples. Therefore to make many disciples is a risky job unless one is able to assimilate all the sins. That idea is also in the Bible. Jesus Christ took all the sinful reactions of the people and sacrificed his life. That is the responsibility of a spiri

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tual master. Because Krishna is Krishna, he is apapa-viddha. He cannot be attacked by sinful reactions. But a living entity is sometimes subjected to their influence because he is so small. Big fire, small fire. If you put some big thing in a small fire, the fire itself may be extinguished. But in a big fire, whatever you put in is all right. When the spiritual master is in suffering, Krishna saves him. Krishna thinks: 'Oh, he has taken so much responsibility for delivering a fallen person.' So Krishna is there... because the spiritual master takes the risk on account of Krishna.... The pain is there sometimes so that the disciples may know, 'Due to our sinful activities our spiritual master is suffering.' "(Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers) The sad-guru has so much love for Krishna that he wants that all give their love to Him, so that the Lord may not be deprived of the love of his parts and parcels or jiva-amsa. At the same time, because he loves Krishna and sees everyone as part and parcel of Krishna, his heart bleeds out of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls. That is guru. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja said, "Guru means to suffer on behalf of the conditioned souls." That's another reason why he is so dear to Krishna. Srila Prabhupada also mentions in the Srimad Bhagavatam (8.4.15, purport) that the guru has to see a nightmare due to the disciples' sinful reactions.

And: "When a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he naturally accepts the disciple's sinful activities and their reactions. Unless he is very powerful, he cannot assimilate all the sinful reactions of his disciples. Thus if he is not powerful, he has to suffer the consequence, for one is forbidden to accept many disciples." (CC Madhya 22.118, purport) Srila Prabhupada also says in a letter, "He is not a liberated person. He cannot initiate one in Krishna Consciousness. It requires special benediction from higher authorities."

Who are the higher authorities? Guru and Krishna.

"Self-appointed man cannot be guru. He must be authorized by the bona fide guru, then he is guru. He must be authorized by a superior, not be self-made." (SP, Lecture 10.31.72) "Nobody can become guru unless he carries the order of the Supreme."(SP, Lecture 7.12.75) Â

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Some say that a guru may fall down because he takes the disciple's karma. But Srila Prabhupada explains the falldowns of such "gurus" differently: "If one follows the order of his guru, there's no question of falling down. As soon as a foolish disciple tries to overtake his guru and becomes anxious to occupy his post, then he immediately falls down." (SB 5.12.14, purport) "A bona fide guru will never become fallen." (BG 9.13, purport) and "The contamination of material qualities can't even touch them." “There is no possibility that a first class devotee will fall down even though he may be mixing with non-devotees to preach." (CC Madhya 22.71, purport) "One shouldn't imitate the behavior of the uttama-adhikari for he will eventually become degraded." (Upadesamrita 5, purport) Srila Narayana Maharaja also says that the karma is burned by the guru's powerful mercy and by the Holy Name.

Giving of Suddha-Nama "Chanting doesn't depend on initiation." "One doesn't have to undergo initiation, one has simply to vibrate the Holy name."

These quotes from the Caitanya Caritamrta seem to indicate that the personal level of the guru has no bearing on the mantra he gives. But other quotes give further indications that this is not the case at all. The famous quote: "sampradaya vihina ye..." clearly indicates that the mantra's potency does have something to do with the one who gives it. The point is that the Holy Name can take one up to at most liberation without initiation, but it will not give prema.

"The offenseless chanting of the holy name does not depend on the initiation process. But that name must be the pure name – and how will it become so? It can only be revealed as pure through that diksa process; otherwise it is not possible. It is not that the holy name is not pure, but if a person is not a pure devotee, he cannot chant the pure name. He can only chant syllables that sound like the name. He can only chant offenses to the name (nama-aparadha) or a semblance of the name (nama-abhasa)".

(Gurudevatatma ) Â

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"One who chants under the guidance of a highly qualified guru or Vaisnava will develop a high-class, superlative quality of chanting. Otherwise, this name will fulfill your material desires, but bhakti will not come"(Pinnacle of devotion, p47) When it is said that by chanting once one can go back to Godhead, it refers to pure chanting. In Harinama cintamani it is explained that namaparadha chanting will give dharma, religiosity, artha, material wealth, and kama, sense pleasure; namabhasa chanting will give mukti, liberation from bondage, which means that it creates a platform for achieving liberation, as in the case of Ajamila, but only suddha-nama will deliver prema, love, the ultimate goal. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays in his Siksastakam: "Oh, my Lord, You have made approach to You easy through Your Holy Name." That approach can be bridged through His pure and favored representative.

"If one is careful not to commit offenses, he can achieve suddha-nama simply by hearing the sound vibration of the holy name only if he receives the unconditional mercy of guru, or any realized devotee, or Gauranga, or Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. With such mercy suddha-nama is easily realized. Otherwise, attaining it is very difficult. For us to receive the mercy to chant suddhanama, the bhakta must be fully-realized"(Pinnacle of devotion p210) So accordingly, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati writes: "One must take shelter at the feet of a spiritual guide who has realized and does see the form (svarupa) of the Name. The mere letters forming the Name, namaksara, may be had at any place and from anybody, but the profound and unknown Truth behind those letters can only be exposed by the grace of a true guru, a pure devotee of Krishna. Only such a guru's grace can protect from the ten offenses, carry across from the early twilight of Nama, namabhasa, to the pure light of Nama." (Nama-Bhajan) "Otherwise, simply the alphabets are coming out, but that's not the Name: namaksara bahir haya nama nahi haya." (Conversation 2.25.77) Srila Prabhupada explains: "This chanting, don't make it cheap.

It has got a science.... In the beginning you may be very liberal, and I have done it. The thing is that some way or other if you're near the fire you'll get some heat, but there is a process how to Â

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take heat. That you cannot reject: 'Because I'm getting little heat, it is sufficient.' That is sahajiya.... And if it is done by a pure Vaisnava, then they get the full benefit." (Conversation 2.25.77) "The mantra must be received through the proper channel otherwise it will not act." (Letters Book, p 17) "The chanting, however, must be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord." “ "Everyone should be given a chance to hear the name chanted by a pure Vaisnava." (CC Madhya 22.105, purport) "Following in the footsteps of liberated souls who are able to vibrate real transcendental sound can lead one to the highest stage of devotion." (CC Adi 2.117, purport) The pure Name is the asset, the property of the pure Vaisnava guru only: The Holy Name proper comes only through the agent authorized by the Absolute. From that merciful saint's heart it enters the ear then it comes to the heart. From the heart, after proper cultivation of devotional sentiment under that saint's guidance, with his blessings it will appear on the tongue. The tongue cannot produce the Name (atah sri krishna nama adi...), it comes itself from the heart (svayam eva sphuraty adah). The mantra chanted with namaparadhas is not Krishna.

So a guru who has not yet himself surpassed the level of namabhasa cannot give more than mukti, what to speak of one who has not yet freed himself from namaparadhas. Indeed, ideally one should not give diksa but only siksa until one meets the standard. If the prospective disciple has not met yet anyone who is fit, then he should wait.

Identification with the body and mind slackens at nistha, and real attraction to Krishna begins. Nistha is the end of kanistha and the beginning of madhyama. They border on each other The madhyama adhikara starts at nistha. Until then, one is a kanistha adhikari, with no eligibility or right (adhikara) to be a diksa guru.

Only at full nistha, or the brahma-bhuta stage, does one enter the world of bhakti proper (mad-bhaktim labhate param). (Some spiritual authorities place the stage of liberation, brahma-bhuta, or jivan-mukta, even higher.) One only begins to develop love for Krishna in madhyam-adhikara, as it is said that at nistha comes the first trace of love, nistha haile upajaya premera taranga. (CC

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Madhya 22.134) The anarthas of kama and lobha must be fully gone (tada-rajas-tamo bhava kama lobhadayas ca ye) and one fully established in goodness (sthitam sattve prasidati).

The guru must be factually guru. The disciple accepts the guru as good as God, so the guru must be as good as God. Bringing His Disciples to the Lotus Feet of Krishna The reason the guru must be liberated is that only such a perfected devotee can introduce one to Krishna. "The devotee is accepted in the confidential entourage of the Lord through the agency of the guru." (SB1.5.39, purport) Entrance in Krishna's entourage can only be attained through the mercy of a genuine spiritual master. Not "AII I can do is take you to Srila Prabhupada."

Give his Disciples Krishna Since Krishna and His Name are non-different, this can be seen as redundant with the previous point, but since our realization of the non-difference between Nama and Nami is more theoretical than factual it has also been explained differently.

"A pure devotee is one who has attracted the Lord by his love so that the Lord cannot give up the devotee's heart." (SB 11.2.55) “ And from his heart, the pure devotee guru can transfer Krishna and make Him appear in the heart of his disciple when it has been cleansed of all contamination. So, one who knows Krishna, sees Krishna, has Krishna bound up with the ropes of love, can make Krishna appear, that person is a sad-guru.”(Srila Gour Govinda Swami) "Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the actual connection with Krishna is never established."(Nectar of Devotion, Intro.) This statement doesn't only refer to initiation from non-bona fide sampradayas. It can refer to any unqualified person.

Give His Disciples Realized Divya-jnana "He must understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only then can one become a spiritual master. Diksa actually means ini

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tiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge." (CC Madhya 4.111, purport) Giving divya-jnana doesn't mean making sure the disciple reads and understands Srila Prabhupada's books. Srila Jiva Goswami explains: "Divya-jnana comprises knowledge of the original form of the Lord. It is conveyed in seed form within the mantra given by the guru, along with specific knowledge of the disciple's particular relationship with the Lord." (Bhakti Sandarbha) If there's no realization on the guru's side, there's no transmission of divya-jnana.

Also, the transmission of theoretical knowledge, knowledge given without realization, cannot be effective. There must first be realization (bhagavata tattva vijnana) (SB 1.2.20) on the guru's side. Then this transcendental knowledge is instilled in the heart of the sincere disciple (divya-jnana hrde prokasita).

Whatever the acaryas and the sastras teach has to be understood in truth (tattva). But neophyte devotees mostly only hover on the intellectual or mental plane, (apara-vicara). It is said that Lord Balarama's plow is guru-vakya, the guru's instructions, to cultivate the barren field of the heart. Balarama, or Lord Nityananda, is the original principle of guru, akhanda-guru-tattva; the Gurudeva is the incarnation of Nityananda Rama's mercy potency, so one must be a qualified, empowered representative of the Lord to fulfill that role, and be able to cultivate the disciple's heart and make it fertile for bhakti and real attraction to Krishna to be planted and cultivated. One must oneself have that real attraction, ruci, to transmit it. Before attraction, karsana, which is the root of the name Krishna, there must be cultivation, akarsana.

"To give this laulyam, the guru must be able to. He must be an elevated rasika-tattva-jna Vaisnava..." (Walking with a saint) Destroy His Disciples' Doubts The purport to the famous verse "tasmad gurum prapadyetam" says: “The bona fide guru must be nisnatam, deeply experienced in Vedic literature and in practical understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A so-called guru will be unable to dissipate the doubts of his disciples and therefore unable to execute Â

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the function of bringing the sincere student back to Godhead."

(SB 11.3.21) According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, "If the guru is not deeply versed in the sastras and is insufficiently skilled in explaining their inner meaning (tattva-vicara), the doubts of the disciple will not be dissipated. The disciple will thus become dejected and suffer assuredly a loss of faith If the guru is not capable of direct spiritual perception (aparoksaanubhava), whatever mercy he bestows will not properly fructify" (Commentary on the same verse, SB 11.3.21) If One Is Not Qualified As Sad-Guru He can initiate if he is at least on the madhyama platform.And he should encourage his followers to pray for a higher siksa-guru.

Until then, one can limit himself to the role of instructor. If there is someone of a higher caliber there is no need to give initiation.

Krishna inspires different devotees of different mentalities, levels of sukriti, accumulated piety, etc., to approach different gurus.

If it is said about the madhyama-adhikari's disciples that they cannot progress well due to insufficient guidance, then what can be said about a kanistha guru's disciples? Because Srila Prabhupada gave so many warnings, when we read in the Upadesamrita, purport to verse 5, that a kanistha may also accept disciples, it can be understood that it indicates siksa and not diksa.

“That doesn't mean that just to be able to continue a mission gurus can be artificially fabricated if we don't have qualified ones, neither that we have to manufacture a new philosophy.” (The guru and what Prabhupada said, p39 by Virabahu dasa) Now, of course, it is up to the disciple's demand. But what is advised? "If my mind takes the direction of the service of any other entity than that of the best of Krishna's servants, it would be impossible to find such another fool as myself." (Srila Sarasvati Thakura). The same thing is advised by Srila Prabhupada: "A devotee should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as spiritual master." (Upadesamrita 5, purport).

Such guru is always available. It's an eternal process. It is not that it existed in the past but it does no longer now. And one should further understand that one cannot progress very well towards the ultimate goal due to insufficient guidance without such

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a guru. A less than fully self-realized guru can only partially deliver the Lord's message due to his own lack of knowledge and realization. He cannot transmit divya-jnana. Satam prasangam mama-virya samvido: "Only in the association of pure devotees can the words of Lord Krishna be fully potent." (SB 3.25.25).

A madhyma-adhikari cannot really give the seed of bhakti; and a kanistha-adhikari can only give komala sraddha, very weak faith.

Krishna se tomara krishna dite para, tomara sakati ache: Because the guru does not have Krishna yet, the disciple should know that he does not have the power to give Him. Such a guru should mercifully encourage his disciples to look for a selfrealized siksa-guru, thus giving them a chance to receive what they are entitled to as members of this sampradaya. A spiritual master unable to take his disciples back to Godhead should responsibly advise them to take shelter under someone who can.

"According to sastra, the duty of the guru is to take the disciple back to Godhead. If he is unable to do so, he shouldn't be a guru."

(SB.5.5.18) Srila Prabhupada writes in purport to Antya-lila of Caitanyacaritamrita: "If one is not factually detached from material attachment but still proclaims himself advanced in devotional service, he is cheating. No one will be happy to see such behavior."

The guru must give Krishna. The prema-bhakti sutra (rope of pure love) is tied at Krishna's lotus feet and handed over to the disciple by the sad-guru. Unless one can hand it over, he should connect his disciples with someone who can.

What Should a Disciple or Aspiring Disciple Do? a) He should learn guru-tattva, including siksa-guru-tattva, and what is pure devotion.

Education: Studying systematically guru-tattva will hopefully dissipate misconceptions. One will have the weighty task of applying the formula himself, but at least with a good basis of prior knowledge. Â

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If one becomes conversant with Srila Prabhupada's books and Srila Narayana Maharaja's, he'll be less likely to be confused.

"Before accepting a guru one should be assured of the spiritual master's position." (Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya 24.330) One must not accept his spiritual guide out of mere sentiment Attachment to the guru will develop not just according to the disciple's devotional surrender, but according to the worthiness of the recipient. The disciple's genuine faith has the chance to develop insofar as the guru is truly qualified to represent the Lord and the disciplic succession. He should choose someone whom he has full faith is fully competent to connect him to Krishna by instruction, personal behavior, and realization Srila Prabhupada's books and Srila BV Narayana Maharaja's all say the same thing about the qualifications of a bona fide guru.

If one is properly educated and has already taken initiation, there's no reason to panic if there something he sees in his guru which is not supposed to be there.So, if one sees things in the guru that he thinks are not supposed to be there, he is entitled to approach him, with great humility, and express his heart, his doubts, and if necessary ask his permission to approach someone more advanced for siksa.

There is no question traditionally of rejecting a guru for a lack of knowledge or spiritual advancement. The Vaisnava process is to approach a siksa-guru. Rejection is only applicable in cases such as a fall-down, or one's guide being envious of higher Vaisnavas. If one has been educated and warned then if, for instance, the so-called "guru" falls down, the trauma is minimized. The disciple can reason: "I have to admit that when I accepted him as guru I was a young fool, and I couldn't properly distinguish. I also have to admit that there's no such thing as spiritual injustice.

Somehow it is my lack of sukriti which has earned me this; now let me sincerely pray to the Lord for sending me his true representative."

It's not so much a question of pointing out to the devotees who the qualified gurus are, as it is of teaching what the sastras and Srila Prabhupada and Srila BV Narayana Maharaja said are the qualifications. Properly knowledgeable devotees will be able to make wise choices and will less run the risk of making a mistake.

A bona fide guru is not some cheap commodity. The term "bona Â

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fide guru" shouldn't be misunderstood. The-spiritual master must be self-realized according to sastra. Otherwise he is not really a guru in the strict sense of the term. It is by the Lord's grace that one gets a bona fide guru. A guru is an absolute necessity. He must be a pure devotee. Krishna will make an arrangement in due time for the meeting of such a guru if one is very sincere and eager to get the real thing, and an aspiring disciple should therefore become sincere and eager and petition the Lord.

One should also know that when many people speak of guru, they don't know or consider what is guru-tattva, and that there are spiritual masters on different levels. What applies to a selfrealized maha-bhagavata doesn't necessarily apply to any diksa guru.

On the other hand, we have to promote the faith if the guru is truly qualified, not suppress it. Some disciples may become overzealous, but that can be tolerated (mat guru, sei jagat guru: the famous disciples' complex). Every disciple thinks his guru is best and naturally tends to glorify him. It is up to the guru himself to correct his disciples if in the name of glorifying their guru they offend others.

Initiation is not a light thing: There is no rush. Real initiation is in the heart, it's not just the formal yajna. First initiation in the Gaudiya Math is not taken as diksa per se. It is considered an encouragement, an admission into the school. Real diksa is considered initiation through gayatri mantras.The Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa recommends mutual study between guru and aspiring sisya for one year minimum. Jiva Goswami advises not to accept a guru out of customary convention. One should wait until he is 100% convinced, with full faith that the guru is a pure representative of God. If you don't have such faith, don't take initiation. Wait and watch. Don't follow the flock of sheep logic. By sastric knowledge one can have an idea of who is qualified, but a new devotee has little such knowledge, so he must wait and develop some knowledge and experience, not act out of blind faith or sentiment and anxiety to have a name and be like the rest of his peers. Great precaution should be taken before accepting someone as guru.

There are many sincere and dedicated preachers, but those qualities don't automatically qualify them as sad-gurus. Â

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About Pure Devotional Service: Anyabhilasita-sunyam, service rendered without motive other than Krishna's satisfaction, sarvopadhi vinirmuktam, free from false designations, is pure service. The guru must be a pure devotee, that's in all sastras. The adhikaras (qualifications) are according to the degree of eligibility to practice pure devotional service.

It is said that pure service unmixed with karma or jnana truly begins in the full nistha stage. "To attain the platform of pure devotional service one has to become spiritually pure and attain the platform of brahma-bhuta." (CC Madhya 24.111, purport) and "One who is free from the bodily concept of life, he is an eligible candidate for pure devotional service." (Nectar of Devotion p32) and “When one has no material desires but acts spontaneously out of love of God, such a person must be accepted as a pure devotee.� (p95) and "Pure devotees are of two types: the personal associates, parisads, factual devotees, and the neophytes, sadhakas, prospective devotees. Perfect servitors of the Lord are considered His personal associates, whereas devotees endeavoring to reach perfection are called neophytes". (CC Adi 1.64) Faith determines the adhikara to perform pure bhakti. Accordingly, one whose faith is stronger is considered more eligible than one whose faith is komala, still tender. Faith here doesn't mean belief. It is defined as the firm conviction that Krishna-bhakti will fulfill all duties, needs and desires Firm faith, or paramarthika sraddha, can only come after anarthas are gone, which means on the nistha stage. b) He should pray to Krishna to send him a self-realized guru.

One's sincere crying out to Krishna to mercifully appear as a bona fide self-realized spiritual master is the best option. The Lord reveals himself to the serious student in the form of a teacher who can rescue him. In Science of Self Realization Srila Prabhupada answered to a Mr. O'Grady's question on this point: "The problem is to find this [bona fide] spiritual master" "That is not the problem. The problem is whether you are sincere. You have problems, but God is within your heart.... If you are sincere, God sends you a spiritual master." Â

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So, one should study guru-tattva, become very sincere, and especially cry to the Lord, admitting one's blindness, one's full dependence on Krishna to inspire him from within the heart to recognize a real guru."You have to select a guru not by seeing but by your ear, by hearing". (SP, Lecture 8.12.66) And you'll feel a spontaneous attraction in your heart, Krishna's inner confirmation.

One symptom of a bona fide spiritual master is that he can destroy all your doubts.

One should learn what is guru, and simultaneously pray to Krishna to send His representative. He may start by testing your determination and not send you one right away. Then he may also test your depth of desire by sending you an ordinary kind of guru.

But if you cry, "Oh, no, Krishna, I want a real one, not just a good fixed-up devotee. I want an ocean of mercy, a kalpa-vriksa, one like it says in the books!", then Krishna will send you someone who can deliver you the transcendental necessities.

An uninitiated devotee should wait until his faith is 100%. The newcomers, or those in need of re-initiation, should not rush before accepting anyone as guru, but build their faith.

It is said that just as the spiritual master will have to suffer if he takes unsuitable persons as disciples, if a disciple takes an unqualified guru he will accordingly suffer. It is a source of great anxiety and great misery to see one's spiritual guide fall down, so in order to avoid these misfortunes one should be very cautious.

One should only accept as guru someone from whom one can obtain Krishna by the process of surrender.

"You have to find out such an exalted person where you can willingly surrender." (Lecture 22.8.73) and “You should check whether he is guru or not. That is allowed. Guru and sisya should meet for one year. The sisya will hear and study whether he is actually fit for becoming guru... (and vice-versa]. Before, study the guru, whether you can surrender. Don't accept a guru all of a sudden like a fanatic. Acceptance of guru must be selected after careful examination... One has to select a guru, whose order-carrying you'll not commit a mistake.... If you accept the wrong person as guru and if he guides you wrongly then your whole life is spoiled.

So one should accept a guru whose guidance will make one's life perfect.... The disciple must be sure that the guru can deliver all the transcendental necessities." (CC Madhya 24.330, purport) Â

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"Before the student accepts a guru he should examine him for one year. Without examination, the teacher-student relationship is only a disturbance.... The seriously inquisitive student must approach a guru who has attained shelter and faith in the Vedas and God, and surrender to him: tasmad gurum prapadyeta”. (Panca Samskara, Bhaktivinoda Thakura) One should not take diksa unless he has complete faith that his guru is able to take him to Krishna, that he has the qualifications required Until that faith is there, he should take siksa, study gurutattva, and not sentimentally think that whatever he reads about the guru automatically applies to just any guru. At the same time, as mentioned above, one should be fully dependent upon Krishna to inspire him, not thinking that by one's own power one will recognize Sri Guru.

"How do we choose? We surrender ourselves at the lotus feet of the caitya-guru (Krishna in the heart), and pray to Him. Residing in our heart, He will hear our plea. He will always hear. If one prays, ‘O Krishna, I sincerely desire to become your servant.

Please direct me to the lotus feet of a qualified guru,’ He will surely arrange this. One who neglects such prayer, and has confidence in his own ability to select and examine his guru, will be disturbed in his spiritual life. Krishna says: sarva-dharman parityajya...Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

[Bg.18.66] Krishna will arrange a guru for one who surrenders sincerely, without desire for material gain. So be like that. Then we can easily receive the mercy of that rare guru. Everything depends on Krishna." (Srila Narayana Maharaja, Pinnacle of devotion p9) c) He should qualify himself as a true disciple.

So much is being spoken about the guru's qualifications, but what about the disciple's? One must make sure he obtains the best type of guru available, but he must also worry if he is himself a qualified disciple.

An aspiring disciple shouldn’t be whimsical nor impulsive.

Once one has found a proper recipient for one's faith and surrender, one should fully surrender, not artificially, conditionally or partially. The Gita says pranipat, very humbly approach a guru.

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One's approach should be wholesome. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had coined a phrase: "Don’t come to the guru with a return ticket to material life in your pocket."

The empowered Vaisnava guru sends you a rope from above to pull you out of Maya's web, the prison-house of Durga. You have to hold that rope very tightly, not slackening, then you'll get mercy.

One must not lack the faith that one's best interest is represented in his master.. It is not enough to have a real guru. One must be a real disciple: Sad-guru, sad-sisya.

One should develop a bond of strong affection for the spiritual master. Krishna says that he is most pleased with one who is always engaged in trying to serve his guru with affection and love.

A real disciple thinks that Krishna has mercifully placed him in the hands of His dear servant. He should think that he has no better friend in this world than his guru. "I am his servant, He is my master. He is my dear-most friend, parent, relative. He is my father, he is my mother. He is Krishna's dear friend, he must be served life after life." Such a disciple can understand all tattvas, he gets all auspiciousness, all mercy, by gradual installments up to final promotion to the highest perfection of love of God. The lotus feet of a real sadhu-guru, a true representative of Krishna should be served in this way. The dust of such a guru's feet is so powerful that it goes up to the spiritual world. Therefore we pray that we may become a speck of dust at the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava.

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CH 2 SIKSA-GURU TATTVA In the Introduction to the first chapter of the Caitanya Caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada writes: "The spiritual master appears in two plenary parts, called the diksa-guru and the siksa-guru. They are identical because both of them are phenomenal manifestations of the Absolute Truth.... Anyone who gives instructions based on the sastras is accepted as a guru. Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the guru who first initiates one with the maha-mantra is to be known as the diksa-guru, and the saints who give instructions for progressive advancement in Krishna consciousness are called siksa-gurus." (CC Adi 1.34) And in the opening verses of his Kalyana Kalpataru, Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda writes: "The diksa guru shows his causeless mercy by giving his disciples instructions in chanting Harinama.

By spiritual instructions he points the disciples in the direction of the truths pertaining to Krishna. But I consider the numerous siksa gurus to be more important, for they bestow mercy unlimitedly by training the neophytes in all the essential aspects of practical sadhana bhakti." (Sadhana-bhakti runs from sraddha through asakti).

Srila Jiva Goswami defines the siksa-guru in Bhakti-sandharba: "After hearing about the Lord one may desire to serve Him. He who teaches how to render that service, bhajan, is the siksa-guru."

Srila Prabhupada mentions that the siksa guru often becomes the diksa guru. He also explains that there is no limit to the number of siksa gurus one can accept. Since all devotees, including gurus, are disciples, siksa-guru-tattva is most relevant for all. Our great Acaryas all approached siksa gurus. "Even when one's dormant love for Krishna awakens, association with advanced devotees is still most essential." (CC Madhya 22.83) Association with advanced devotees means to take siksa from them.

In Iskcon, for a long time there was a problem that nobody was looking for a qualified siksa-guru. Then some top leaders approached Srila Narayana Maharaja and studied under him for years, until the official leadership reined them in with threats of taking away their status of guru if they continued. They have this Â

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unfortunate institutional misconception that one cannot approach a saint for siksa, or diksa, if he is not part of Iskcon. On the other hand, in Srila Narayana Maharaja's sanga, even when he was present, many devotees were in such a craze about siksa-gurus that they were ready to put a crown on anybody's head without thinking enough. One must study properly this tattva.

Whatever I write about Srila Prabhupada and his disciples applies to Srila Narayana Maharaja and his sanga.

Srila Prabhupada on the siksa guru.

During his embodied presence, Srila Prabhupada made it clear to his disciples that he was both their diksa guru and their siksa guru. Although "siksa-guru" is a term we usually use to designate anyone giving some spiritual instruction_ just like we use the term "vartma-pradarshaka guru" to designate anyone who first convinces someone about Krishna consciousness_ that is not the traditional meaning. This can be seen from the following quotes: "The diksa and siksa gurus are equal and identical manifestations of Krishna although they have different dealings. Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back to Godhead.

Therefore, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami accepted Lord Nityananda and the six Goswamis in the category of guru." (CC Adi 1.34) "My siksa-gurus are the six Goswamis." (CC Adi 1.37) and," One should know the siksa-guru as the Personality of Krishna....

Lord Krishna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest devotee...The siksa-guru is a bona fide representative of Krishna. Sri Krishna Himself teaches us as the siksa-guru from within and without. There's no difference between the sheltergiving Supreme Lord and the diksa and siksa gurus. If one foolishly discriminates between them, he commits an offense in the discharge of devotional service.... Govindaji acts exactly like the siksa-guru by teaching Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita. He is the original preceptor because He gives us instructions and the opportunity to serve Him.... The siksa-guru is a personal representative of Govindadeva vigraha." (CC Adi 1.47).

Srila Prabhupada didn't speak very elaborately on the topic of the siksa guru. From this we shouldn't jump to the conclusion that Â

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therefore he didn't consider acceptance of a siksa guru very important. The few quotes that are there in his books are unequivocal and clear on this point. Perhaps he didn't speak about it more often because he didn't want to encourage all his neophyte disciples to seek a siksa guru from amongst the Gaudiya Math while he was physically present among us, _although he did send a wayward disciple to one of his Godbrothers_or from bogus babajis.

Since he had written that there is no difference between diksa and siksa gurus, he perhaps also didn't want to give an opportunity to his senior disciples to make offenses by starting to equate their position with his just because they were teaching younger godbrothers. They could have started to consider themselves siksa-gurus and not necessarily understand the subtleties of what he had written in the Caitanya Caritamrita.

Later in this section I'll present my understanding that the statement that there's no difference between diksa and siksa gurus specifically means there's no difference on the absolute platform of both the diksa and the siksa gurus being liberated souls. I will also develop the point that, as Prabhupada said, "There are two kinds of siksa-gurus. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions." (CC Adi 1.47) Srila BV Narayana Maharaja on the siksa-guru: "Sri Guru destroys the four stages of sin: prarabdha, kuta bija, aprarabdha,avidya. If our diksa-guru is not of such a caliber that he is capable of doing this for us, then we should accept a siksaguru who is more advanced" (Pinnacle of devotion, p 10) "Diksa-guru is the rupa (form) of Krishna and siksa-guru is the svarupa (personal nature) of Krishna. Which is superior, rupa or svarupa? There is no difference between them. Sva means 'mine', and so svarupa may even be more dear than rupa, though essentially they are the same. Our diksa-guru is our worshipable superior for whom we have reverence. We pray to him and take the dust of his lotus feet. But siksa-guru is like a brother, a friend.

Sometimes we can embrace him and speak with him frankly. We Â

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can reveal our heart to him... We may hesitate expressing this to our diksa-guru, and therefore we need the siksa-guru. He is like a bosom friend (laukika bandhu). With the siksa-guru there is a mood of fraternity—no aisvarya bhava (mood of awe and reverence in opulence).Due to the open-hearted nature of the relationship, a siksa-guru is needed. We can reveal everything to him. (p19, 20) Everyone needs a siksa guru.

Prabhupada speaks about "saints" and also mentions the six Goswamis. This means that there are siksa-gurus who are physically embodied and therefore visible (they may or may not be eternally liberated souls), and there are siksa-gurus who are eternally liberated souls no longer physically embodied and visible, such as the six Goswamis and the other great acaryas whose teachings guide our devotional life.

Even if someone has accepted a madhyama guru, he still needs a connection with a living uttama-adhikari. The topic of siksa guru is mentioned in the very first chapter of the Caitanya Caritamrta. In some cases, the relationship with an advanced devotee who gives one instruction may be so profound that it practically equals or even surpasses in depth one's relationship with one's diksa guru.

And also, even if one had a bona fide guru, Bhaktivinode Thakura writes: “The vastu-prabha, or illumination of one's eternal identity arising from the diksa-mantra received from one's diksaguru won't appear until one receives the svarupa-jnana (intrinsic knowledge concerning the sadhaka, sadhana and sadhya) by the mercy of a siksa-guru”.(Bhakti-tattva-viveka 2) Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON: The fact that ISKCON diksa gurus are not all up to the standard of self-realization and its unfortunate consequences in the form of a rate of 50% of fall-downs in their ranks has not only produced as an extreme reaction to an extreme situation the rittvik-vada of the VVR then of the IRM, but also "covert-rittvik-vada". Covert rittvik-vada includes the idea that since Srila Prabhupada is the

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Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, every member should focus on developing his relationship with Prabhupada, and that whatever a diksa-guru cannot give to his disciples will come magically from Prabhupada.

But consider the following: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta is the Founder-Acarya of the Gaudiya-Math. Did Prabhupada ever say that his godbrothers failed to connect their own disciples to the Founder-Acarya? Isn't the Society called ISKCON and not Gaudiya Math simply because of the narrow vision (at least at one time) of some of Prabhupada's godbrothers? Does the fact that Prabhupada registered ISKCON as a separate society and not as a branch of the Gaudiya Math make it a new sampradaya? Srila Prabhupada has never said anywhere that the guru's duty is to connect his disciples to his own guru. The main objective of the disciple of a genuinely qualified guru is to develop his devotion to his guru and through him to Krishna. That everything goes through the parampara is a technicality. It's not the disciple's meditation. One should learn to identify rittvik-vada wherever it appears, even in well-meaning devotional sentiment towards Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada is automatically the siksa guru of his granddisciples and of everyone who accepts and follows his teachings.

He is the Maha Siksa guru Of course, in the natural course of spiritual development every ISKCON member will come to the stage of developing great attachment on the transcendental platform towards this most magnanimous personality who flooded the world with Krishna consciousness, just as it is said that at one stage one develops a loving relationship with the six Goswamis. It is not that one didn't have any relationship at all with them before that stage. We are Rupanugas and the other Goswamis are all our revered masters. But Srila Prabhupada said that "The six Goswamis are represented by one's spiritual master."

This means that until one reaches a sufficiently elevated stage one doesn't have direct access to these great souls. The same thing applies to Srila Prabhupada. It doesn't preclude, of course, that one can pray to him and take shelter of his instructions.

But doesn't Narottama das Thakura sing about Rupa Goswami?

It can be understood that Narottama das doesn't approach Rupa Goswami as an ordinary siksa guru. He addresses him as Sri Rupa Manjari. That means he approaches him as the Rasa-Acarya al Â

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lowing one to enter the manjari-bhava of madhurya-rasa. One should also consider the most exalted level of Narottama das Thakura.

What about Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura? Doesn't he appear in our guru-parampara as a disciple of Narottama dasa Thakura, although he lived almost a century after him? He actually never claimed to be the disciple of Narottama, but sometimes only the names of the prominent acaryas have been mentioned in the parampara. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura was a disciple of Sri Radharaman Cakravarti. Srila Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati writes that Narottama das Thakura's lotus feet were desired by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

Srila Prabhupada's disciples need a living siksa guru?

Srila BV Narayana Maharaja’s disciples need one?

Srila Prabhupada,although he is already de facto the "Maha Siksa Guru" of everyone in ISKCON through his teachings, and he is already one kind of siksa guru for his disciples, is not the only siksa guru needed by all the members of ISKCON, including his disciples, who have not yet achieved perfection. Even when one has reached perfection he still receives guidance or siksa from a superior.

When one's guru falls down, the devotee no longer has the opportunity to inquire from him or to receive from him guidance, correction and confirmation in his spiritual life. If you think about it, this point could also be applied to Srila Prabhupada's disciples, who can still of course receive guidance, but not as easily correction and confirmation directly from His Divine Grace. A siksaguru is needed not only by the devotees who lost their master but by disciples of Prabhupada who may say they have Prabhupada but don't have Prabhupada. Everyone has to look for this shelter otherwise people develop the attitude that 'I don't need it'.

Srila Prabhupada said that just reading the Bhagavatam is not enough, even with his purports, because who will explain what he means? I may say what he said in the purport and you may say, “No, no, Srila Prabhupada meant this." The writer William Blake said: "Both you and I read the Bible day and night, but you read black and I read white." This need for further guidance is con

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firmed by the Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 7.53, "If one wants to learn the meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam, one must take lessons from a realized soul. One shouldn't proudly think that one can understand transcendental loving service simply by reading books.

One must become the servant of a Vaisnava."

It doesn't mean just to serve directly Prabhupada, as we all know the mood of our line is dasanudasa, to be the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. "If we become arrogant after having adopted the path of devotion, if we worship only God and disregard the worship of His devotees, we could be put in many difficulties for our offense at the feet of His servants.... It is necessary to fully establish oneself in the state of guileless humility.

If this is not done, one's prayer doesn't reach Krishna. If we cherish any plan of gaining the goal by means of any ability or merit of our own, then we're no longer in the condition to call upon God." (Srila Sarasvati Thakura) When one's guru leaves, preferably one will inquire from an advanced Vaisnava siksa guru what Krishna specifically wants from him. Even if one has received precise direct instructions from his guru, he can certainly benefit from further guidance. We have to be careful of pride and realize that we are working simply on our master's capital, his extended grant, and we have nothing we can call ours (Tomara karuna-sara). And the Eleventh Canto of the Bhagavatam (11.9.31) confirms,"na hy ekasmad guror jnanam susthiram yat: Certainly not from one single master can one get complete knowledge." It is not that one master cannot give everything, but that one has to receive it from different perspective viewpoints.

One should be humble enough to admit that he needs to approach a tattva-vit sadhu who will reveal to him something that his own reading of all sastras won’t give him. Such association is glorified through all sastras: mahatpada rajobhisekam. "To learn the transcendental science it is imperative that one always seek the company of saints and sages who are able to impart lessons of transcendental knowledge. The potents words of such realized souls penetrate the heart."(CC Adi 1.59) Our whole vaisnava tradition rests on this principle: Suddhabhakta carana renu bhajana anukula. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said: "It is necessary to have the constant help of a spiri Â

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tual teacher to show us the way. It is necessary to be constantly advised regarding the method of seeking the protection of the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva... If the spiritual teacher doesn't constantly teach us all these matters, we're bound to lose in no time even the treasure that we may have received." That clearly refers to a siksa guru.

To understand divya-jnana, one must approach a tattva-darshi: One should hear Krishna-katha from the right source, from a selfrealized lover of Krishna. Beg for mercy, admit you are blind and fully dependent on Krishna's and the Vaisnavas' mercy and you'll be able to understand tattva from a real sadhu. Krishna will come down as sabda-brahman through his words in your ear and down to your heart. "If one becomes a sincere devotee and seriously engages in devotional service Krishna sends a siksa-guru to show him favor"(CC Adi 1.58) Only such a sadhu can make Krishna appear, as Krishna has no other business than to fulfill his devotee's desires. Then tattvajnana will be revealed. Tattva-jnana doesn't mean general knowledge of our vaisnava philosophy. It is a question of revelation.

Who can claim that by mere reading of books one can understand? Reading doesn't preclude the need for a siksa-guru who will help one to nurture one's creeper of devotion up to complete blossoming and production of the coveted fruit of love of God. One can only benefit from that connection. And even if one is in illusion and thinks he is a sadhu himself, which a real sadhu never does, still, "it's the nature of a sadhu to inquire." (CC Madhya 20.105) Srila Prabhupada's vani, instructions, are available through his books, tapes, etc. This however is in a passive sense. One can pray to Srila Prabhupada and may receive some answer from his books or from the Supersoul. There is indeed a great correlation between the guru and the Supersoul. Consider however that it can be called highly subjective. One may misunderstand, so a confirmation is welcome. Therefore, "Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee." (CC Adi 1.58) The "passive" siksa guru, the book, may help to remind you of the reality of Prabhupada's teachings, but if you misunderstand, or read only on the surface (apara-vicara), the book will not become alive and come out to Â

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speak to you to remove your misconception or reveal its inner meaning {tattva-vicara).Kavairaja Goswami writes in the explanation of the atmarama verse that there are bhinna artha, different meanings,"There are gross meanings and subtle meanings, sthule and suksme"(CC Madhya 24.284). Also, "Srimad Bhagavatam is as good as Krishna. In each and every verse and syllable there are various meanings."(CC Madhya 24.318) Therefore, in all Prabhupada's books one finds the advice to associate with a living saint. A living siksa guru will point out and explain your misunderstandings. Sadhu and sastra are necessary, but living sadhu, (the embodied scripture), is the principal. Of course, without the embodied scripture, the bhagavata-bhakta, the "passive" scripture, the bhagavata-sastra, is there to give you help.

But of the two, more importance has been ascribed to the sadhu.

Prabhupada writes, "In this age, hearing is more important than thinking, because one's thinking may be disturbed by mental agitation, but if one concentrates on hearing, he'll be forced to associate with the sound vibration of Krishna." (SB 3.24.35, purport) Srila Prabhupada taught and groomed his disciples as much as he could and left it to their sincerity to approach another embodied form of Sri Guru, in addition to his loving care and blessings and availability through prayer, to be able to dive deeper into his teachings and thereby keep on progressing on the path towards the ultimate goal. He asked his friend and siksa-sisciple, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, to help them, us. His books are there, and one can always pray to him, but, as the example of the fire given before, "Don't make it cheap. It has got a science.

'Because I'm getting a little heat, it's sufficient'. That is sahajiya."

Sahajiya doesn't mean automatically a pretender faking ecstasy.

Sahaja means "easy". It refers to the tendency to complacently think one has it made, has no need to cultivate laulyam, hankering for more. One should not develop the mentality that he is saved because he is Prabhupada's disciple or he is in Iskcon, or he's doing so much service, so much preaching. Prabhupada said that one should always teach but also always learn, in a parallel process.

So, more will be supplied to one who is crying for it, realizing he needs all the help he can grab for, and one way help comes is by the agency of a siksa guru. And if one can approach a liberated siksa-guru, that's all the best of course. Â

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"A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the instructions of devotional service from the authoritative sources of Bhagavata.

The number one Bhagavata is the established personality of devotee, and the other Bhagavatam is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee has therefore, to go to the personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional service." (SB 1.2.12, purport) A little above, I have quoted Srila Prabhupada saying in a purport to the CC, Adi-lila, that "one should know the siksa guru as the personality of Krishna". This obviously refers to a liberated pure devotee.

Illusions cultivated and reinforced by the passing of time are hard to give up. Habit is a second nature. So this idea of Srila Prabhupada's disciples needing to take shelter of a siksa guru may make one feel uneasy and may be very difficult for many to accept, especially if they had a lot of direct association with His Divine Grace. The reasons for this are manifold: First, often when we think of siksa guru we think of it in the casual meaning of the term. We may thoughtlessly assume it is needed for Srila Prabhupada's grand-disciples who lost their "guru" before they find another one, or perhaps for disciples of less-advanced gurus, or exceptionally for Prabhupada's disciples who had little or no contact with His-Divine Grace. Second, we usually think that it means accepting Srila Prabhupada himself as siksa guru. Third, let's face it, siksa-guru tattva is not a well-known nor well-researched topic.

Here I am sharing the research I have made as well as my understanding and realizations based on the fact that I happen to have had the good fortune to have accepted saints as siksa-gurus for the last 24 years, and thus have had some direct experience.

I can't get it all from Prabhupada? Prabhupada didn't give everything?

Yes. Srila Prabhupada gave everything, but did we receive it all? It takes time to assimilate: "We can't understand the mysteries of the Lord by our mundane endeavors. They are only revealed by His grace to the proper devotees. These mysteries are gradually disclosed to the various grades of devotees in proportion to the gradual development of their service attitude." (CC Adi 1.52) Â

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Humility is essential: "Nistha, steady progression in devotional service, can be attained only in the association of pure devotees." (Nectar of Devotion p141) "Asakti can be invoked by association of pure devotees." (Nectar of Devotion p 141) and: "Bhava is achieved by association of pure devotees." (Nectar of Devotion p 132) One should always consider and understand that he is in need of help. If someone thinks he doesn't need help from a superior living Vaisnava, he is going against the very spirit of Vaisnavism. It shows that he may know the general philosophy of atma-jnana, but he has not really entered the realm of Vaisnavism per se. No matter how much an intellectual genius one may be, no matter how much an expert preacher, manager or leader of men, the essential truths or tattvas of Vaisnavism can only be learned and realized by humbly approaching a Vaisnava sadhu for guidance and deeper training. If one has missed this point his activities lack in depth and potency, just like when one fires blank cartridges.

So, one should think about it and ask himself: "Who do you accept as a spiritual authority in your life that you can turn to for spiritual instruction or at least confirmation of your understanding?â€? That's what siksa-guru is all about. One may say that he is going to his godbrothers, but one has to consider the level of whom he approaches. One may also say that he is getting or will get instruction directly from Prabhupada or the Supersoul within his heart, but the acaryas have said that only after one reaches the platform of full nistha can one take direction from the Caityaguru, and even on that platform one still needs to get confirmation from a realized soul. There are so many examples of most exalted Vaisnava acaryas who repeatedly sought confirmation from other such great personalities. They were never so proud that they relied only on their own spiritual abilities. Even bhakti-sakti-avesa avatara Srila Prabhupada referred to his siksa-gurus. This is acknowledged by all the Acaryas. In Caitanya Caritamrta, Antya 5.131, one reads the injunction, "Yaha bhagavata-pada vaisnavera sthane: Approach a pure Vaisnava and learn the Bhagavata-tattva from him." Srila Prabhupada repeatedly stresses the constant need for association with a pure living sadhu. One therefore must at all Â

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costs find a valid and holy Vaisnava, confirm with him one's understanding, and learn from him.

I have to go and find another sadhu?

Yes, but please, why are you seeing a duality? Krishna says, "Acarya mam vijaniyam: I am the Gurudeva." Sri Guru appears in different forms. He is not limited to Prabhupada's body or to any guru's body. Wherever you find real siksa, which is truly the essence, there you find the guru. Parampara doesn't mean bodies but teachings, siksa, so sadhu-sanga is needed. We should always aspire for such connection. We should always hanker for more. It is said that greed should be rechanneled toward sadhu-sanga. That sort of greed should be cultivated, not renounced. Srila Prabhupada can teach you through a sadhu. The siksa-guru doesn't replace Prabhupada. He helps to go deeper into his teachings and into one's relationship with him. lt is said that Guru is one. What does that mean? By taking a siksa-guru one realizes the unity of the guru principle, Sri Guru.

Who? Which sadhu?

First one has to realize the need, then become knowledgeable, and then apply the formula oneself. But the most important is to pray. Pray to Prabhupada, and cry for the Lord to mercifully appear as one who is capable of dissipating all doubts, fears and sins and teach the path of real Saranagati, by which pure love can be developed.

Without Nitai's mercy one cannot give up material enjoyment, gross or subtle. So we need his mercy, a strong kick of Nitai through the pure sadhu, his authorized representative. Without that merciful kick one is not really receiving mercy. He'll only get the kicks of Maha-Maya. Only the association of a pure sadhu can give prema. We require this at every moment. We should search in our heart for that desire and nourish it. Find a person bhagavata, cry to find one. A kanistha or madhyama guru shouldn't be satisfied with his position but should aspire for the association of higher saints to progress and to be protected. Â

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And the disciples of kanistha or madhyama gurus need a mahabhagavata siksa-guru to give them what their diksa-guru cannot give them: the "transcendental necessities" such as suddha-nama, divya-jnana, etc. Srila Narayana Maharaja has repeated it again and again. Actually, the system he has put in place for after his disappearance is based on that very principle: Madhyamaadhikaris can give initiation even if not so qualified, but they should encourage their followers to pray for and approach a selfrealized siksa-guru to complete their initiation.

Such sadhus are rare indeed, but always available to one who so desires. It is not a question of my saying "this sadhu" or "that sadhu". That is a matter of personal realization. One must speak of the philosophy of guru-tattva. The meeting between guru and disciple takes place according to subtle laws. You can bring a horse to water but you can't make him drink. One can enthusiastically glorify a particular spiritual master in whom one sees all the exalted qualities described in the sastras, but that doesn't mean that one automatically thinks or should think that everyone should surrender to that sadhu. Fortunately, Krishna takes care that it doesn't happen that way: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead can be seen or unseen according to his own transcendental desire. Similarly, a devotee, being jivan-mukta, can be seen or not, as he chooses." (SB 9.13.11) and Srila Gaura Kishora das Babaji said, "Vaisnavas sometimes appear to exhibit mundane characteristics. When an exalted Vaisnava attracts people by his love and devotion and teaches them devotion to Krishna, the Lord considers: 'It will be difficult for me to repay the debt to those who have surrendered to such Vaisnavas who are as dear to me as my life. I will become the servant of those who are too much affectionate to my pure devotees, and thus easily come under their control.' With this fear, Krishna occasionally conceals the spiritual qualities of great souls from the public eye. The characteristics of genuine Vaisnavas are concealed from those who have interests contrary to pure devotional service. Thus they appear to the materialistic to have materialistic characters. In this mood, Krishna examines the living entity to see how much he is actually attracted to the Absolute Truth, and if he is He reveals the spiritual characteristics of the great souls. Hence, without the exercise of the independent Â

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will of a Vaisnava no one can know him, even after having seen in him all of the characteristics described by the scriptures."

This is a very deep topic. It was just touched earlier when it was mentioned that a new devotee shouldn't think that he can recognize Sri Guru. In the temple we come to present ourselves before the Deities. We are praying to be bathed in their merciful glance.

We are begging them to reveal themselves. Nayana patha gami bhava tume. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja explained that just as Krishna is Adhoksaja, beyond the range of sense-perception, similarly Sri Guru. One cannot see the guru. If one tries to see him with his defective senses then he'll be cheated. When one thinks that he is the seer, then he commits a mistake. One is not the seer, he is the seen, just the opposite thing. The sadhu-guru is the seer. Everyone is boasting of his eyes, but what has he seen?

When one thinks that he is the seer and that he will see, it means he wants to measure the guru through his defective senses. So how can he be his guru?

In a train, for instance, we see the trees running very fast backwards, and we are attached to our vision. "Seeing is believing."

Trees are standing still, but we see them running backwards, aren't we? But we're not prepared to admit that we have defective vision, that we are blind. When one tries to see guru with these eyes, one will be cheated. Sri Guru is the seer, not us. We are to be seen, but we do the opposite. This is the conditioned nature.

That defect lies with us. We cannot see the guru with this type of vision. How can we see him? If the guru will cast his merciful glance on me, then I will be seen, I will get his mercy. That is his merciful casting of glance on me, mercifully seeing me, then I'll get some mercy, I'll develop that vision, then I'll be able one day to see his real form, otherwise not.

One can see the guru by the vision mercifully given by the guru, otherwise one only sees his external form and considers him a mortal being. Thereby he commits guru-aparadha, the third namaparadha, and Nama is not coming out from his mouth, only alphabet letters, because he wants to measure the guru, to see him through his defective senses.

"Do not try to know about spiritual life only from books. Everything is in Vedanta, Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, and in the books of Swamiji, but the knowledge is under a very Â

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powerful lock and key. Because we are not so qualified, we will not understand the meaning simply by reading. yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane...“If you want to understand Srimad Bhagavatam, you must approach a self-realized Vaisnava and hear from him..." [Cc. Antya 5.131] There are two types of bhagavata—grantha-bhagavata, the sastra, and bhakta-bhagavata, the Vaisnava. The grantha-bhagavata is under lock and key, and the realized soul, bhakta-bhagavata, will reveal its meanings. By reading Caitanya-caritamrta, Srimad Bhagavatam and Swami Maharaja’s books in the association of superior devotees, we can know their meaning and experience the ocean of rasa contained within them. Without the help of an advanced Vaisnava, one may read these books many times and, as we have seen, still fall down.

Why? Without proper association, one is unable to take the essence. Go to a bhakta-bhagavata. They are more merciful than Srimad Bhagavatam, and under their guidance we can realize the mercy of Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Krishna. Otherwise, it is not possible." (Pinnacle, p 44) It is said that guru has these two things, vancana and kripa, cheating and mercy. One who has kapatya, duplicity, outwardly poses as a great servitor of his guru, but he is pretending, he's serving himself, forwarding his own interest in the name of guruseva, not serving the guru. Duplicity is gradually removed by hearing, by striving to hear with a simple heart. Our heart is like a stone. It needs the incessant rain of the mercy of a Vaisnava sadhu. One must consciously try to uproot that duplicity from the heart, otherwise one cannot hear, it doesn't go down to the heart, only stays on the intellectual or mental platform. So one's service is not bhakti, it is bhakti-unmukhi-sukriti. So it may take many lives. Maharaja Bharata took three lives, and Prabhupada mentions that part of the reason why is that he didn't accept a siksaguru. . "Despite a very rigid life of devotional service, Bharata Maharaja didn't consult a spiritual master. He became overly attached to the deer: Consequently he fell down."'(SB 5.12.14) Lack of chastity?

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The argument often given is that one is unchaste to one's diksa guru if one accepts another siksa guru. But where is this stated in sastra? It is said that one can only have one diksa guru, but unlimited siksa gurus. We are warned not to see the guru in mortal relativity (na mrityu buddha, gurusu nara matir). Again, one should deeply ponder on guru-tattva. What is guru? The flesh and bones?

So, if one deepens his understanding and appreciation of what Sri Guru is, of what his Gurudeva gave him, won't the Gurudeva be satisfied? Where is the harm? Are you betraying your guru by approaching Sri Guru in another form? Did the disciples of Srila Prabhupada who took siksa from Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja, or from Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja betray Prabhupada? Did the disciples of Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja who took siksa from Srila Narayana Maharaja (more than 85% of the Westerners) betray him? And will the disciples of Srila Narayana Maharaja who will take siksa from another saint within or without the institution betray him?

How to approach a siksa guru?

According to the level of advancement of the siksa-guru, one will give faith, and surrender. Great respect no matter what his level is, but greater respect of course if he is a very exalted Vaisnava. If one's diksa-guru is not very advanced, among different devotees from whom one may take siksa, one of them may become very prominent and be seen on a par level with the diksaguru. He may even take a much more important place and be treated as the main guru, or mahanta guru. In that case, the niti, the proper behavior in dealing with one’s siksa-guru, is the same as with the diksa-guru. If such mahanta siksa-guru is a liberated soul, one doesn't discriminate. Forms of address such as Gurudeva or Guru Maharaja are standard. This may be surprising for one who doesn't have such experience, but as one realizes as mentioned earlier the unity of Sri Guru, that becomes understood and appreciated.

When one's guru departs from this world, if one is not yet a paramahamsa ready to initiate disciples or to give siksa to less advanced god-brothers, he should pray to his guru and to Krishna to send him help in the form of a siksa-guru. One should lament Â

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that he has not been able to assimilate all his guru's teachings, that he has not been able to serve him properly and thus pray. One should never proudly think that he has understood everything. Sri Guru will appear in the form of a sadhu who will dissipate all doubts and teach one how to go deeper into the teachings. Krishna and SriIa Prabhupada will send a sadhu to one who humbly cries for help. And one will be able to perceive that beyond the apparent duality it is one's guru who speaks in this way, having sent a bona fide sadhu to represent him.

One should not just approach a sadhu for jnana, specific knowledge, but approach him in the prescribed way: pranipat, pariprasna, and seva, and accept his discipline if one wants at all to progress further. The search for knowledge means that one, albeit unconsciously, thinks that Krishna is not unlimited and can be captured through finding out everything about Him. One should approach the siksa-guru in search of Krishna, not for knowledge of Krishna.

When Arjuna became despondent he was eager to receive enlightenment. He begged at Krishna's feet to stop the friendly talking and to accept him as sisya. Then Krishna started his upadesa.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati wrote: "The real sadhu makes us speak out what we keep concealed in our hearts. He then applies the knife. The sensuous desires of men are like goats. The sadhu stands with the sacrificial knife in the form of unpleasant language.... The only duty of the sadhus is to cut away all the accumulated wicked propensities of every individual. This alone is the causeless natural desire of all the sadhus." (Sri Caitanya’s teachings) The problem is that many may have installed themselves in some kind of Krishna consciousness with greater or lesser degrees of accommodation with maya, grossly or subtly, a fact one may not easily admit, and find very unpalatable the idea of undergoing further training. That is why Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura has insisted, sada-sisya-taki, takiya sarvada, and guru-anugati-bhajan: One should always consider himself a student, and service should always be under a guru's guidance (whether diksa or siksa guru).

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati called himself a monitor, the leader of the students. One should always consider himself a disciple in discipleship under a senior Vaisnaya. Srila Gaura Kishora das Babaji has explained the need for discipleship as follows: Â

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"Those sadhus who speak sharp words to drive away the witch of illusory energy are actually the only real devotees of Krishna and friends of the 'living entities.... If you want to perform devotional service properly, then you must accept the harsh language of the sadhu as the medicine by which Maya can be given up. By this one can obtain the necessary spiritual advancement to successfully chant the Holy Name."

If, in spite of lip service to trinad api sunicena and na dhanam na janam, one is too proud and thinks that one doesn’t need any help, that one had so much personal association and training with the Gurudeva, and that one is an advanced devotee, one may advance in jnana and expertise, but one's spiritual progress is checked. One stagnates. One can maintain a certain level due to sadhana and preaching activities and gain some recognition, but without the association of an uttama-adhikari Vaisnava, one cannot make much further progress.

"The second class devotee can gradually become a first class devotee by studying the sastras and by associating with a first class devotee. However, if the second class devotee doesn't advance himself by association with a first class devotee, he makes no progress." (CC Madhya 22.71, purport) and, "A neophyte and intermediate devotee should always be eager to hear the mahabhagavata and serve him in all respects." (CC Madhya 16.74, purport) This is confirmed in a purport by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati of the Eleventh Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam: "A mahabhagavata, being empowered by the Lord, is endowed with the supernatural power to inspire and give success to the madhyama-adhikari who follows in his footsteps and to elevate kanisthas gradually to the intermediate platform. Such devotional power springs automatically from the ocean of mercy found within the heart of such a mahabhagavata." Srila Prabhupada also said, "Those who are eka-guru-vadis will have difficulty making advancement in Krishna consciousness."

The need for further training even of madhyama-adhikaris is expressed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati: "It is the duty of the madhyama-adhikari to extend himself as right hand of the uttamaadhikari." (Commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2 ) But, typically, the kanisthas are reluctant. "A neophyte devotee has very Â

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little taste for hearing from the authorities... but a sincere devotee must be prepared to hear." (SB, 1.2.12, purport). So, one can diagnose reluctance to approach someone for siksa as a mark of the kanistha-adhikara.

All sastras enjoin us to associate with sadhus (sadhu-sanga, sadhu-sanga, sarva-sastre kaya). Most devotees, maybe because there are so few genuinely qualified sadhus around, usually assume this to mean association with devotees. But when the sastras speak about "devotee", it always means pure devotee; when they speak about "guru", it always means a self-realized lover of God, not a sadhaka, a baddha-jiva; similarly, "sadhu" means one who is decorated with the six angas of saranagati.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati has defined sadhu-sanga in three ways: First, sadhu-sanga means to associate with a devotee much higher than oneself. Second, how much higher, and in which way should one associate? He should be a pure devotee, a mahabhagavata. One should provide him with facilities for service to the Lord, practice under his guidance, and learn from him the inner meaning of sastra. Third, sadhu-sanga means that one must imbibe the mood of the sadhu; that means to accept his instructions and practice them, without adding one's speculation, consideration, etc. to follow as it is. The priti-laksana, loving dealings, described in Upadesamrita apply specifically to a sadhu: offer him raw new things, and accept them from him as prasadi once he has used them, reveal your mind to him, and inquire from him how to develop yourself as he did, serve him prasadam and honor his remnants.

Siksa and diksa are not opposed but complementary Some say that to take a siksa-guru necessarily means you minimize your guru, and that it is the duty of the siksa-guru to bring back the disciple to the diksa-guru, otherwise it's offensive to your diksa-guru. But there is no sastric basis for this conclusion unless one wants to read something not really there into the Krishna Bhajanamrita of Narahari Sarkar (46) where it is said that the disciple should share with his diksa-guru what he has learned from his siksa-guru, otherwise he is comparable to an ungrateful son who doesn't bring back his earnings to his parents. That's the Â

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closest one can get to this idea. Of course, to accept a siksa-guru shouldn't become a fad nor a cheap way out of surrender.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says in Jaiva Dharma (Ch. 20) that if someone in a neophyte condition has accepted a guru thinking that the guru was a self-realized soul, and subsequently he has the realization that the guru is not going to bring him back to Godhead, then one should not reject him but, very humbly and with his permission, serve another advanced devotee. One may genuinely benefit from serving an advanced devotee and get some nourishment that one is not getting elsewhere.

Both are needed Some say that a siksa-guru is only needed in rare and exceptional cases. Again, sastra differs from this opinion. In the invocation to Gitar Gan, Srila Prabhupada writes: "I also bow down in honor to all of my siksa-gurus." It is explained that the diksa-guru sets your feet in Vrindavana and reestablishes your relationship with Krishna and that the siksa-guru allows you to move in the land of Vrindavana and teaches you how to serve Krishna. There is also mention of the diksa-guru as the representative of Madan Mohan Vigraha, teaching sambandha, and of the siksa-guru as the representative of Sri Govindaji, teaching abhideya, as quoted earlier. (CC Adi 1.47) Harinama establishes the relation with Krishna, sambandha, and it is kept and developed under the siksaguru. Our parampara is also characterized by the fact that it is mainly a succession of siksa disciples more than of diksa disciples.

There are two kinds of siksa gurus There is no sastric evidence supporting the idea of a nonliberated diksa-guru, except a family priest, or kula-guru. But there are quotes describing two kinds of siksa-gurus: liberated and not. There are thus non-liberated gurus who can help by directing others on the path towards Krishna. Let everyone give siksa, teach, but diksa is ideally the prerogative of the self-realized, pure devotee. One can teach without initiating. One can impart relevant instructions and act as the mouthpiece of the sad-guru. This is Â

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done by the power of the sad-guru, not by the limited power of one who still has anarthas. Thus one can teach a limited number of students with the clear understanding that he can thus assist the true preceptor; that is the proper understanding of a "monitorguru".

"The Vaisnava acaryas have opined that it was not exactly Cintamani who instructed Bilvamangala but rather his self-realized diksa-guru, Somagiri, who spoke to him through her." (Path of perfection p 118) Preachers should ideally give siksa until self-realized, then give diksa. The purports following the "amara ajnaya guru hanam verse (CC Madhya 7.128) say: "One has to learn humility and meekness.... One shouldn't try to be an artificially advanced devotee.... It is best not to accept any disciples...." One can be a guru in the sense of teaching about Krishna, and should work on qualifying himself to develop the exalted attributes of a sad-guru. Once they are achieved one will know what is what and be capable of truly helping others.

Just as the position of diksa-guru has been misunderstood, the understanding of siksa-guru is also muddled. It is said in CC Adi 1.47, purport that the diksa and siksa gurus are of equal status, and that it is offensive to consider them of different importance.

But there are two kinds of siksa-gurus: liberated and not liberated.

When it says that there is no difference between them, it only makes sense if both are of the same caliber, liberated. You cannot equate a non-liberated guru with a liberated one, a kanistha and an uttama, just because they are both called gurus. One may object to this by the argument that Bilvamangala Thakura paid respects to all his gurus equally, but this was because, as we just saw, it was his diksa-guru, Somagiri, who was speaking through the mouth of Cintamani, the first person who turned his consciousness towards Krishna. He was very grateful to her, who, in spite of her low condition had awakened his dormant God consciousness.

«Krishnadasa Kaviraja has explained that diksa-guru is the rupa of Krishna and siksa-guru is the svarupa of Krishna. Although both are equal, sometimes siksa-guru may be superior, sometimes diksa-guru may be; but all are liberated—uttama-adhikari». (Pinnacle of devotion p 41)

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It is not that one shouldn't give great respect to a guru even of a lesser degree. In Vedic culture, and one can still see this in India, the children touch the feet of their parents as one does with a guru. The natural superiors, such as elders, parents, brahmanas, teachers, are called guru-janas. They are always to be respected.

Only if they prove unworthy can one reject them (Gita, 1st chapter), and that usually translates by avoiding rather than disrespecting.

We spoke earlier of non-physically embodied siksa-gurus, the past acaryas, including Srila Prabhupada, and of physically embodied siksa-gurus. Out of the second category, one kind of siksaguru is not liberated. He can give guidance and specific knowledge in his field of expertise and guide his followers towards a more qualified guru for diksa. He should he highly respected by those he teaches. The other kind of siksa-guru is a liberated soul.

Less qualified gurus send him their disciples for higher guidance that they cannot provide themselves. He also gives guidance on the path to less advanced god-brothers who had not reached the high level of paramahamsa when their common guru departed. He should be treated as guru, without discriminating if he is a godbrother or not. If someone has difficulty taking siksa from his self-realized god-brother, he should meditate on the meaning of dasanudasa. He should also remember that all our acaryas presented themselves as most fallen and in need of mercy.

One can renounce konaka, wealth, and kamini, attraction to the opposite sex, but the desire for pratistha is very tenacious. And duplicity is the lover of the desire for pratistha; they are inseparable. Pratistha makes one intolerant and envious. What is envy, matsara? It has been defined as the incapacity to tolerate the superiority of someone else. When someone advances on the path, a real Vaisnava rejoices, but one afflicted by duplicity and desire for pratistha has difficulty to tolerate or appreciate. But without being freed from duplicity and pratistha one cannot understand Bhagavat-tattva.

"Only one who has developed pure Krishna Consciousness and served a pure devotee can understand Srimad Bhagavatam. Others cannot' (CC Madhya 24.313, purport) Srila Gaura Kishora das Babaji also said that "Krishna doesn't happily accept the service Â

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of those who are not attached to serving the pure Vaisnavas, however pure they may try to be themselves." (Two beyond duality) And in Hari-Bhakti-Sudhodaya: "By associating with a person, one develops his qualities... therefore one should associate with more advanced devotees from one's own line." And, of course, in the Bhagavatam (1.2.18): "Nityam bhagavata sevaya" One must remember that Sri Guru is not the body of the guru.

When the Bhagavatam compares to an animal one who identifies the body with the self (sa eva gokharah), it doesn't refer only to one who identifies himself with his body but also to a devotee who, because he identifies with the body, fails to recognize the Mahabhagavata Vaisnava, thinking he also moves in a body and is therefore in the same condition of bondage.

Without falling into impersonalism and seeing the guru as just a receptacle of an impersonal principle of descending saving grace, one should look for the embodiment of Sri Guru, for the same current of pure Gaudiya Vaisnavism that flowed through Srila Prabhupada (or one's own guru). Find someone who is going to teach you practically what it means to cry for Krishna, as Prabhupada said we should. Mahaprabhu taught this, so find a gaurapriya-jana, one dear devotee of Mahaprabhu, someone who will push you, as Prabhupada (or your guru) did, to the point of full surrender.

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CH 3 HISTORY OF THE GURU IN ISKCON He who, by the Lord's mercy or by the shower of the Lord's mercy through the mercy of a great saint, is completely free from all anarthas and firmly established in the realized knowledge of the Scriptures and in the realization of the Absolute Truth, who is directly united with God and constantly engaged in His bhajan or service, he alone is definable as guru." (Srila Sarasvati Thakura) In the person of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we had the opportunity to observe the above qualities. Once His Divine Grace physically departed from this world, the question of the continuation of the parampara arose: From whom would one receive initiation in the line of devotion he had introduced to the whole world?

Can one initiate on behalf of a past acarya?

After Prabhupada's disappearance, the rittvik system he had established to give initiation on his behalf while he was physically incapacitated met its natural death. One cannot initiate on a guru's behalf after his physical disappearance. Of course, a genuine guru always feels that he is not guru and that he is training junior devotees for the service of his own spiritual master, and therefore he gives them initiation with the inner feeling, that he may sometimes express outwardly out of humility, that he is doing so on his guru's behalf. This, however, is his inner bhava or devotional sentiment towards the lotus feet of his guru and shouldn't be officialized as a philosophy. And it would be offensive for the disciple to see his spiritual master as just a priest, just a connecting link with his grand spiritual master. A bona fide disciple doesn't see like that. That is not the guru-pranali, or the bona fide Gaudiya Vaisnava system of disciplic succession. Only in apasampradayas, non-bona fide disciplic lines, is this system seen to be instituted.

No bona fide vaisnava line of disciplic succession accepts this system of "Rittvik-vada."

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A Little History A few months before his physical departure, on May 28, 1977, leading members of the ISKCON Society approached Srila Prabhupada with questions, among which: "Our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you are no longer with us." This question, if you analyze it, contains actually two questions: The first one was: What was to be done about initiation now (that Prabhupada was physically very ill and incapacitated to perform his regular activities) and in the near future until he would leave the world? His Divine Grace answered that he would name some rittviks or priests to initiate on his behalf with full discretion to decide who could take diksa, choose the person's spiritual name and chant on his beads, that's to say, full power of attorney as he had never given so far. The second question, asked in the same sentence than the first, was also pertaining to initiation, but after Prabhupada's disappearance.

His Divine Grace answered that one could initiate when he would receive his order "When I order 'you become guru', he becomes regular guru."

Upon studying the transcription of the entire conversation, one can see that, although very clear, it could indeed lend itself to many possible interpretations. Unfortunately, a wrong interpretation was unanimously accepted. Knowing the heart of his leading disciples, who didn't really ask for any clarification, Srila Prabhupada didn’t elaborate, as it is said "Just as sometimes in autumn water flows down from the hills and sometimes doesn't, similarly, great saintly persons sometimes distribute clear knowledge and sometimes are silent." (SB 10.20.36) There have been different 'original versions' of the tape, which is strange...Another explanation is that this so-called 'appointment tape ' has been 'doctored', as suggested by a professional analysis of it, but I am not going that way...

The next month, June 1977, Srila Prabhupada gave the list of those who could be the rittviks. He said that any senior sannyasi, whoever was nearest, could perform that function. Then he gave the actual list of names. This list was based on obvious geographical distribution, for the sake of practicality only. Srila Prabhupada also said that if necessary others could be added to Â

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that list of rittviks. But that list was mistaken to be not only a list of rittviks but a list of gurus as well: The eleven rittviks wrongly assumed that they were to automatically become gurus after Srila Prabhupada's departure.

So, who could initiate? Didn't Srila Prabhupada appoint gurus?

Srila Prabhupada had appointed 11 rittviks up to the point of his departure, but he had not given any one of these eleven disciples the order to become a diksa-guru. He had already said many times that his own Guru Maharaja had not appointed anyone as a guru nor Acarya. The so-called guru-appointment was nothing more than a rittvik-appointment misunderstood or willingly twisted and presented as a guru-appointment. Only by qualification can one be a bona fide guru. However, ISKCON's leading secretaries unfortunately misconstrued that this appointment automatically bestowed upon them the fitness not only to be gurus but select acaryas ruling over the institution.

Srila Prabhupada wanted all his disciples to carry on the parampara by becoming qualified first. The qualifications he had always stressed are found in all his books and other Vedic literatures. He never intended to restrict it to a select few, but it was misinterpreted as such. Thus, the Exclusive Successor Acarya theory erroneously became the basis of the continuation of the parampara in ISKCON. In addition to their becoming diksa-gurus, each "acarya" was allocated by the GBC a specific geographical zone in which he was the exclusive diksa-guru.

Srila Prabhupada gave the order to initiate their own disciples to Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja and to HH Radha Govinda Maharaja.

Bhakti caru Swami has admitted in private that he heard Srila Prabhupada order Tamal Krishna Goswami to make a GBC meeting and decide who would initiate after him. As TKG didn't obey, Prabhupada asked him if he should suggest a couple of names, and TKG admitted then to a third party that he was afraid it wouldn't be him but Kirtanananda prabhu and Satsvarupa prabhu.

Then Prabhupada mentioned the two names quoted a little above. Â

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But TKG, who would later claim he was the only acarya, never obeyed the order...

Siksa from the Gaudiya Math?

Srila Prabhupada had said before he departed that, although everything needed was in his books, if one had philosophical or technical questions he couldn't answer by reading his books, he could go and consult Srila Narayana Maharaja, or his god-brother Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja, both belonging to different branches of the Gaudiya Matha.

The repetition of a mistake After the departure of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, as it usually happens after the departure of a great Acarya, a great confusion had arisen. Srila Sarasvati Thakura had not appointed anyone as the Acarya or head of his Mission to be his successor.

He had advised his disciples to keep on preaching co-jointly. He told them to form a Governing Body Commission until a selfeffulgent acarya would manifest and would be put at the head of the Mission. The idea was that the Acarya would be the spiritual head and leader of the Mission, and the GBC would remain as the managerial body. (The same system was set up by Srila Prabhupada and we had the same experience in ISKCON during Prabhupada's times.) They did form a GBC, but his leading secretaries were arguing about who would occupy the seat of the Acarya.

There were two parties, each one backing a particular devotee.

(Some other disciples, including Srila Prabhupada, didn't get involved and later on established their own separate missions and temples, but Srila Prabhupada always tried to persuade his godbrothers to reunite to preach conjointly.)

The GBC voted in their "acarya" and the other party walked out.

That "acarya" later fell down; the other party came back and wanted to install their "acarya"; litigation dragged on for years; it was finally settled by civil court judgment and the two parties shared the Maths among themselves. Srila Prabhupada commented,"Both the Bhag Bazaar party and the Mayapura party Â

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have unlawfully usurped the missionary institution of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati." (Conv 30.9.69) Srila Prabhupada had narrated that story to his disciples and he had warned not to make the same mistake in his ISKCON movement. Unfortunately, a similar thing happened, with eleven acaryas instead of one Not knowing how to install themselves in their new position, the eleven 'acaryas' went to inquire from Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja and told him that Srila Prabhupada had appointed them as acaryas.Srila BR Sridhar Maharaja then advised them that the major temples should be kept neutral as places of worship for all the members to come together, managed by noninitiating devotees, and that the new gurus should go and open new temples. Thus each of them would have a place where their relationship with their disciples could go on unchallenged, in the proper mood of holiness needed for it to develop. He gave the example of a man who gets married and who needs at least one room for his family. As this was not at all the mood prevailing in Iskcon that they had always known, but the mood of the Gaudiya Matha that had practically exploded in various branches, each with its exclusive acarya, after the order of its founder had been disobeyed, the idea, as it was presented to them didn't appeal to the eleven at all. They kept the concept, though, but in a completely different dimension: They divided the world among themselves, and the one room became a big territory, a 'guru-zone'.

The zonal acarya system revisited Ravindra Svarupa dasa has given a very good account of the unfolding of the events, published in the Iskcon Journal N° 1 (1990) partly reproduced here. Comments between [ ] are mine. "The conviction soon grew up that these eleven had been especially selected by Srila Prabhupada to be his spiritual and material successors... They viewed their private zones as their patrimony from Prabhupada...In other words, the idea of acarya as initiating guru had become fused with the idea of acarya as the head of a spiritual institution, and under that misunderstanding, each of the eleven took the same relation to his zone that Prabhupada had held in relation to ISKCON... Â

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As each initiating guru was thought to require his exclusive territory, increasing the number of diksa-gurus became very difficult. In effect, a property requirement was added to the qualifications of guru. At least one of the existing gurus would have to sacrifice territory for a new guru to be authorized. So the number of diksa-gurus remained very small [no other devotees took up that position before 1982, and even then only 3, then 5 more only three years later, in 1985] and each guru soon bore the burden of a very large number of disciples. All those who joined in a particular zone were considered providentially intended to be disciples of that local acarya. They "chose" their guru automatically when they moved in.. .An increasing number of Prabhupada's disciples began to feel spiritually disenfranchised. With the passage of time, ISKCON filled more and more with the acaryas' disciples, and each zone became increasingly centered on the person of the local acarya.

The movement began to take on the aspect of a dozen or so separate societies. It began to fragment... It is no wonder that very soon a number of them found themselves in spiritual difficulties.... It took [many dark years] and the deviation or falldowns of six "acaryas" before the unauthorized zonal acarya system was finally dismantled."

No proper focus There had been complaints right from the beginning against the phenomenon of successor acaryas. As other devotees were seen to be a least as advanced or more than the selected few, there were legitimate complaints that only the eleven could be gurus, and not just gurus, but that they had become exclusive heirs of the mission of the common father, Srila Prabhupada. The focus was on that point, and unfortunately not on the actual qualifications required before one can assume the weighty responsibility of becoming the representative of God and deliver his disciples. So, more gurus were gradually added, but the basis on which they were added was only the comparison with other devotees already in the position of guru. And the unlawful basis on which the original eleven were in that position was never seriously reconsidered. Â

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The dissenters that did challenge the system were unfortunately dismissed as envious faultfinders and ostracized. Even during the "reform" of the mid-80s, the focus was still on a comparative basis and not on the adhikara or eligibility according to qualifications. The "guru reform" turned out to be only concerned with managerial issues: how individual GBC members should improve, who should be added to the body. Even though much of the fuel for reform came from concerns that the guru system was not at all proper, when the long anticipated 50 Man Committee met, there was no discussion of the qualifications of guru. The gangrene of misconception kept on spreading.

Srila Prabhupada never appointed gurus. He only appointed temporary rittviks, and that should be clearly understood. I deal more on this point in chapter 5, question 34.

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CH 4 THE PATH OF THE MAHAJANAS In the Mahabharata, King Yudhistira was asked different questions by a Yaksa. One of them was: "What is most amazing in this world?" To which he answered that although one has seen so many people die before him, still he acts as if he was thinking that this will never happen to him personally.

So, how amazing it is, that although the Gaudiya Math had tried to artificially create an acarya and Srila Prabhupada had warned against the same thing happening in ISKCON, as soon as he disappeared the GBC Body officially endorsed eleven devotees as acaryas! The Gaudiya Math had started with making one "acarya" and we were "blessed" with eleven!

How amazing it is that, although Srila Prabhupada warned not to become a diksa-guru prematurely, many devotees became diksa gurus without any consideration of their aptitude on the basis of sastric injunctions!

And how amazing that in spite of many "gurus" falling down, more kept on taking that position, and others act as if they're thinking it can't happen to them!

Another question of the Yaksa was: "What is the path?" To which Yudhisthira Maharaja gave the famous answer "Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: The path of dharma is to follow the Mahajanas."

So, how amazing it is that although Srila Prabhupada Mahajana has spoken at length and with an amazing wealth of detail on the topic of the spiritual master, still, in the name of practicality, the path of diligently accepting all his instructions was not strictly followed!

How amazing it is that, although from the very beginning of the institutionalization of successor zonal acaryas there were legitimate protests against it, including in the Pyramid House Talks in 1980, where the fallacies of the acarya-appointment and zonal acarya theories were rightfully denounced, and this time by one of the eleven, we had to go through 6 more years of the worse before it was officially abolished!

Misconception is poison Â

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The first misconception surfaced as the so-called appointment of successor acaryas by Srila Prabhupada. As all devotees knew that a conditioned soul cannot be a sad-guru, a prerogative of the selfrealized souls, the devotees were told that the eleven were very advanced and, the second misconception, that Srila Prabhupada gave them by kripa whatever they were missing to achieve the perfect stage, making them kripa-siddhas.

The third misconception was that each of these so-called kripasiddha acaryas had an exclusive prabhu-datta-desa as their territory. As the devotees refused to follow blindly and listened to the intelligence (guru-sastra-sadhu), protests came one after another, countered by more misconceptions such as the Mahajanas themselves losing occasionally sight of Krishna. When more and more devotees started to see the situation for what it was and refused to listen any longer, they insisted on reform. But the reform didn't go deeply into the philosophy, and new misconceptions surfaced, such as: A sad-guru doesn't have to be a self-realized liberated pure lover of Krishna, or: Anyone who is about on the same level than those already in place can also become a guru.

But we have to understand that these are all adjustments. When Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that spiritual life means constant adjustment, fine tuning, he means adjusting oneself to the philosophy, not adjusting the philosophy! The original standard for guruship has been put aside; the obvious has become obscured, and the problems are patched up with concocted adjustments. And, as all these misconceptions have, in the ultimate issue, only a semblance of truth, they do not work.

What is the root cause of this poison? The misconception that one doesn't need to be under anyone, that one doesn't need to approach a sadhu and accept him as siksa guru, oneself being advanced enough.

After the departure of a great acarya there usually is a cloudy period during which the teachings become obscured, witness what happened to the Gaudiya Math after the departure of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. In Sajjana Tosani, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also wrote that, "If one tries to establish the truth, Â

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so many lies will crop up in attempting to cover it. It is the will of the Lord, for, without darkness, how will the light be appreciated?

Without opposition, how will the truth be glorified?" Trying to see the bright side, let's take it that this dark period of our history has simply been Krishna's plan to teach us valuable lessons, that this is all for the glory of pure devotion, which is not a cheap thing, and of the pure devotees, which are rare, and not a dime a dozen.

Everyone in 1978 still understood that the guru could only be on the topmost level, on the basis of the tad viddhi pranipatena verse of the Gita. It was a strict teaching in ISKCON that a guru is never subjected to the illusions of the common man. That is why, when the eleven rittviks Srila Prabhupada had named to initiate on his behalf, and this only for the remaining period of his physical presence with us, were presented as his exclusive appointed successors, they had to be rubber-stamped as "pure devotees", "uttama-adhikaris", "kripa-siddhas", etc.

A new conception is introduced The first inkling of a different understanding of the necessary qualifications to be recognized as a bona fide diksa-guru after Srila Prabhupada physically left, can be traced again to the Pyramid House Talks. There it was correctly mentioned about "opening up this point of initiation, the guru, to whoever is qualified."

Unfortunately there was no mention of the definition of "qualified". Although a bona fide spiritual master is a rare thing ("durlabha sadgurur devi" says the Padma Purana), we read: "There would be 79 or 122 gurus instead of eleven where you have to show some super-excellent qualifications".

During the attempt for reform of the mid-eighties, this new idea that after all the guru doesn't have to be highly qualified surfaced again, this time in full force, to adjust to the situation, instead of adjusting ourselves to the scriptures. Thus unfortunately this new idea became officially accepted: the "Non-liberated Guru Theory".

Yes, one can be a kind of guru without showing "superexcellent qualifications": a vartma-pradarshaka-guru, (in the sense we usually use this word, meaning the first devotee who preached Â

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to someone and convinced him of Krishna Consciousness), or a siksa-guru of sorts (also in the casual sense of the term). But even if in an exceptional circumstance one has become a diksa guru, clearly one should not automatically be considered the sole guru nor the eternal spiritual master of those one initiates unless one has achieved those qualifications that are the hallmark of an uttama adhikari (coming down to the madhyam platform), since it is said that even a madhyam-adhikari can only give insufficient guidance. There is no sastric evidence that no matter what is the guru's level of advancement, he is supposed to be given absolute faith and surrender.

This "new philosophy" has different variations, therefore different devotees under this misconception have distinctly different understandings of the philosophical basis of the qualifications for guruship, unfortunately not based on sastra. The following five categories, representing different variations of the same misconception, delineate the most common understandings, and, while sometimes more than one of these theories are held in combination, they are not all mutually compatible: 1- The ‘Rittvik-to-Guru-Appointment’ Theory: Srila Prabhupada appointed eleven rittviks who were to become automatically diksa-gurus upon his disappearance. (This is not a new philosophy, but a surprising remnant of the infamous, erroneous Successor-Acarya Theory.)

2-The ‘Whoever-Initiates-is-a-Paramahamsa’ Theory: All ISKCON diksa-gurus are uttama-adhikaris (according to certain liberal definitions of given in Srila Prabhupada's books read superficially, apara-vicara).

3. The ‘Nistha-Bhakta’ Theory: The ISKCON diksa-gurus are pretty much all nicely qualified as madhyama-adhikaris. In any case, no one can really tell for sure. They may fall down but the risk of it is small. Because there are so many, the overall risk is minimized.

4. The ‘As-good-as-liberated-guru’ Theory: Any good preacher can serve as diksa guru, as he is as good as liberated. He

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doesn't have to be factually liberated or otherwise specifically qualified. No one is truly qualified according to the sastric definitions anyway.

5. The ‘Monitor-guru’ Theory: Whatever is necessary for the disciples to receive somehow or other comes from Srila Prabhupada through him. If the guru falls down, never mind, ISKCON is giving everything, it's a family affair, take another one.

Although having some apparent validity with its seemingly practical solutions to the problems of how to deal with reality in the post-zonal-acarya world, this N°5 theory, upon close scrutiny, could be called "covered rittvik-vada". The ISKCON leaders dutifully hammered down the VVR and IRM brands of rittvik-vada, which erroneously claim that Srila Prabhupada being the only bona fide guru one can be sure of, he is therefore the only guru of ISKCON, and everyone giving diksa is just a priest. But the new philosophy contains very similar ideas, such as the idea that the diksa-guru connects one with Prabhupada, who is therefore the most important factor in the disciple's ultimate success, or the concept that one initiates on Prabhupada's behalf, or on the GBC's behalf. However, Srila Prabhupada never taught any of these conceptions. He clearly defined the guru's qualifications, and not in these terms at all.

Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja told me that Prabhupada had asked him to "cooperate, cooperate, tolerate, tolerate". When I asked him in late 1995, “When does it become intolerable?” he answered with sadness, "When the Vaisnava siddhanta is baffled.

This is the case now. Their view on jiva-tattva is wrong as they say we fell from Krisna-lila out of envy, and the most holy gurutattva is reduced to "prachanna rittvik-vada", covert rittvik-vada."

The consequences: Great damage, the spiritual ruination of the Society was made by the bogus Successor-Acarya theory when a few devotees appointed themselves after a mere ten years of sadhana bhakti to the lofty position of guru; not only of gurus, but of exclusive successors; not only of exclusive successors, but of uttama-adhikaris!

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They didn't consider that there could be other devotees as advanced, or more advanced than themselves, in the Society or outside of it. They took prematurely the position of diksa-gurus, instead of petitioning Krishna and Prabhupada for help and submitting themselves for humble tutelage under a siksa-guru, and thereby failed to show a good example. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura teaches:"sada-sisya-taki, always remain under discipline," as expressed in his Krpa koro vaisnava thakura bhajan, verse 4.

But shouldn't there have been gurus after Srila Prabhupada?

Yes, but not a rush to take his place. That's what Prabhupada called "killing the guru"!

It should be clearly understood that to initiate while one is only on a low level of madhyama-adhikara is not the regular norm, and that many kanistha-adhikaris have become diksa-gurus by error.

However one shouldn't disrespect a guru even if he happens not to be on a very high level. According to the advice given in sastra, his disciples should pray and look for a self-realized pure devotee to take siksa from. They should never be discouraged or intimidated from doing so. It is not sastric that "guru is guru, so he deserves absolute faith and worship whatever his level."

But wasn't it right to fill the void after Srila Prabhupada left?

The void was there but it was to be taken advantage of by developing service-in-separation and crying to Krishna to help us.

Aren't there genuine gurus within ISKCON? The qualification to be guru has nothing to do with an appointment by Srila Prabhupada, as there never was such appointment.

Appointments or votes have no jurisdiction on Transcendence.

One is guru by qualifications only. One should apply the formula himself to evaluate, fully dependent on Krishna for His confirma Â

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tion. There was at least one fully qualified one, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, whom Krishna finally took away, not tolerating his pure devotee being harassed year after year by so-called godbrothers envious of his obvious superiority.

The guru is the most holy Vaisnava institution, said Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. Guru-tattva is one of the deepest tattvas. By keeping the issue of the actual position of the guru unclear, by not giving later the necessary explanation that the original eleven had become diksa-gurus out of a misunderstanding, and by eventually allowing so many more devotees to take similar positions, the institution has become nearly unrecognizable. A sad-guru is rare, but since there are so many gurus in ISKCON, some explanation of this phenomenon had to be found. The words "pure devotee", "liberated", and "guru" have been redefined by culling quotations from Srila Prabhupada's most broad statements on the subject, (and even that is shallow if these so-called liberal quotes are thoroughly analyzed). In 1987, instead of going to the root, the allopathic medicine path of dealing with symptoms was followed, not the Ayurvedic path of going for the root cause. And it was a question of time only before the untreated cause produced new symptoms.

If ISKCON wants to really apply the sastric teachings and its own law, to be accepted as a bona fide guru one must be free from all anarthas such as kamini, kancana, nisiddhacara, puja, kutinati, lobha, and especially pratistha. The fact that 50% of their diksagurus have fallen down (and that's the official rate) speaks by itself...

What about the faith of the disciples?

A situation has been created without deeply considering the consequences. But all the members, especially the initiated disciples, have the right to know the history of their Movement. Srila Prabhupada never made a mystery of what had happened in the Gaudiya Math, nor why he had to disassociate himself from most of his god-brothers at a certain time. The disciple's genuine faith shouldn't be shattered. To know the truth will reinforce their faith.

It will create real faith. If one loses faith, it means it was artificial or sentimental. Srila Prabhupada didn't teach us anything imprac Â

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tical that we can alter and adjust for the sake of practicality. By cheapening the position of guru, one risks killing the very spirit of authority in its most sacred form. We should always make sure that the guiding force in our life is guru-sastra-sadhu. One will benefit from being warned against philosophical deviations. There is siddhanta, proper conclusive understanding of sastra and there is always apasiddhanta, wrong understanding. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura even said that the preacher's first duty is to expose apa-siddhantas. Srila Prabhupada also said that the Acarya's first business is ‘sampradaya raksana’, to save the sampradaya from apasiddhantas. (Bhubaneswara 1977) Prabhupada obviously wanted all his disciples to become guru but only when qualified to be so. What is implied by becoming a diksa-guru before being fully qualified? What are the limitations implied by accepting such a devotee as one's spiritual master?

This is a current case in the present-day ISKCON. Observation Although there are indications that Srila Prabhupada envisioned his disciples initiating after his departure even before having reached the required level of uttama adhikara, still, he certainly gave stem warnings, such as: "Anyone, if he is a pure devotee, he can deliver others, he can become spiritual master. But unless he is on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will go to hell, like blind men leading the blind." (Letter to Tusta Krishna ) Pure devotional service, as it was developed in the Part one, truly begins in the full nistha stage, (when nistha fully matures, it turns into ruci.)

There has been more than one hundred forty devotees initiating in ISKCON, and not all were on the same level. Can one be a diksa-guru if not self-realized? It's not recommended, but it's going on. The disciples of non-self-realized masters can't make much advancement due to insufficient guidance (Upadesamrta 5, end of purport). Srila Prabhupada saw that the world badly needed Vaisnava gurus, but that almost all his disciples were far below the mark of uttama adhikari, the standard level of a guru, so he made an adjustment: madhyama adhikari. Madhyam adhikara, beginning at nistha, is the level where the uttama adhikari Â

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comes down anyway to preach, (although he comes down on the uttama level of madhyam-adhikara, madhyam-uttama, or asakti).

Since Prabhupada didn't write his books just for us but for the next ten thousand years, he indicated the standard of guru: uttama adhikara, beginning at bhava, but he made a concession out of expediency because he wanted things to go on. He gave strong warnings, though, not to venture initiating as a kanistha adhikari.

And even for madhyama-adhikaris he gave many indications that it's risky, that one should not start to initiate just at the threshold of the madhyam adhikara (madhyam-kanistha), barely coming out from anartha nivriti, the end of kanistha adhikara, but should wait to achieve a higher standard (madhyam-madhyam) for giving more than siksa, instruction. Srila Narayana Maharaja has made a similar adjustment and said the very same thing.

It is indeed rare to find a pure liberated guru, a lover of God, but it is always available for a sincere seeker. It is most recommended and you should aspire for that and pray for it.

Food for thought "A preacher's constant function is to directly and frankly oppose anyone who is hurting himself or others by misrepresenting the truth, either due to malice or to genuine misunderstanding, by preaching in the most unambiguous and unequivocal manner....

He shouldn't keep any partiality towards untruth." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in Sri Caitanya’s teachings) "May we ever be ready to brush away from our hearts, by the rough application of hundreds of pointed broomsticks, the wicked design of being honored above other persons by the devotees of God. God will be merciful to us and we shall be blessed with the gift of devotion to His Divine Feet the very day that we are delivered from the evil desire of seeking advantages and honors from others. The ambition to lord it over others, to be great, is brought about when we allow ourselves to fall a victim to the temptations of the deluding energy of God. Those who aspire to be masters of the devotees are indeed most culpably arrogant. The idea that one should be master of God's devotees leads to inferno. 'Let the devotees serve me'. If 'we don’t get deliverance from that bad attitude, there will be no benefit to us. To follow the devotees of God Â

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is the only path that leads to one's real good. Let there be birth after birth for us that we may walk in the path of the followers of Sri Rupa Goswami by being the particles of dust at the feet of the devotees of God. We are nurturing a desire to dedicate this goodfor-nothing body in the Sankirtana sacrifice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates." (Srila Sarasvati Thakura in Sri Caitanya’s teachings)

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CH 5 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 1. Some say that we need many gurus. Didn't Srila Prabhupada say that we need millions of gurus?

Yes, many qualified gurus. But we can have millions of vartmapradarshaka-gurus. It is just a matter of making clear the limitations implied by accepting someone not on a high level as one's guru. Nowhere in Prabhupada's teachings do we find even a remote encouragement to take full shelter from someone who is still battling with anarthas or to take initiation from someone who is not liberated. A more advanced kanistha can be treated with great respect by less advanced juniors but he should not initiate. Srila Prabhupada wanted all his disciples to qualify themselves first and then become 'regular" gurus. He said that "Those who initiate should be qualified otherwise there's no meaning to 'bona fide' guru". He meant preachers, as in: "Thousands of teachers of the science of Krishna are needed." And warned: "You must become guru but you must be qualified first of all. Then you can become.

What is the use of producing some rascal guru. No rubber-stamp, then you'll not be effective. You can cheat but it won't be effective." (Conv.4.22.77) 2. How then was the parampara to be continued?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said that our parampara is the bhagavata-parampara, meaning the parampara of mahabhagavatas, embodiments of the Srimad Bhagavatam's teachings, not a parampara of bodies, of kanisthas. And there may be sometimes an apparent gap. Srila Prabhupada himself didn't start to initiate until nearly thirty years after his guru's departure, except for one Indian disciple after about 15 years. The need to initiate in the name of the continuation of the parampara was artificially created. It didn't come from would-be disciples but from would-be gurus! Srila Prabhupada only told HH Radha Govinda Maharaja to initiate his own disciples, which he started to do very simply without any drums nor trumpets immediately upon Prabhupada's departure. Prabhupada also told the same to Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, but Maharaja waited until 1985, when around 50 Oriya Â

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devotees were lining for initiation and wouldn't accept the then zonal acarya, to humbly request the GBC to be allowed to fulfill his guru's instruction. What a contrast with the eleven rittviks lying to all their Godbrothers and claiming to have been appointed

by Prabhupada and thus hijacking the Mission, and then installing themselves with big pomp, high Vyasasanas and titles!

3. So who is guru?

The guru is where our inner demand and hankering can be fulfilled to the utmost. In the form of guru, guru-rupe, Krishna bestows His mercy. Not just any guru: krishna-kripa murti: One whose heart bleeds for the conditioned soul's suffering, who takes away that suffering, frees one from Maya's fort, creates a mediation between the jiva and Krishna; one who can make Krishna appear in the heart of the disciple, who has that potency because he has made his heart like Vrindavana and has bound up Krishna with his love. There's no question of a bad guru; if he's bad, how can he be guru? Only one who has fully assimilated all his guru's teachings, is self-controlled and firmly established in the Truth can be guru. Guru means perfect servitor. One who is without any desire for himself or anything outside loving service to the Lord.

This is the ideal guru.

4. But where are such sadhus?

The eternal guru-parampara is always present and is still in existence in full purity and potency. One should learn to give up one's doubtful nature to be able to recognize true representatives of Sri Guru. You need to have sadhu-sanga. Hanker for their association. Cry to Krishna! Develop greed for it, laulyam. There are such personalities. If you can come to feel low and destitute, then you can beg for it. If one doesn't feel low and humble, he can't come in connection with higher things. No one ever got mercy from the Lord without crying for it. Have you cried and begged for it? Is Krishna bankrupt? To develop real devotion you need the grace of a pure realized devotee. Everything else is a kind of compromise, even if one can get good help from a madhyamaadhikari guru.

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5. What type of faith should the disciple have towards the guru?

He should consider what kind of guru someone is before accepting initiation from him. He should then have real faith, not sentimental or blind faith. The disciple of a bona fide guru doesn't accept him simply out of sentiment, convention, or ecclesiastical order, but rather because he is so. It is not that simply by faith a conditioned soul becomes his eternal link with Krishna. It is not that because one has taken the position of guru he has all exalted qualities extolled in sastras, but the other way around. So, faith is according to the worthiness of the recipient of that faith.

6. But isn't the disciple supposed to see his guru as good as God? Therefore the guru should be qualified, to be seen as good as God The disciple must find the best available guru to obtain Krishna.

7. But isn't it natural for a disciple to be fixed in the conclusion that his guru can never be subject to criticism?

Therefore one should make sure he takes a 100% Krishna conscious guru. As mentioned by Narahari Sarkar (Krishna Bhajanamrita), one shouldn't be a blind follower. Even a guru can be approached, in the proper way, of course, if he shows signs that are incompatible with his exalted position. And if a disciple hears something disturbing to his mind, he should consult with trustworthy seniors.

8. But I heard that guru simply means to repeat.

Is it really parrot-like repetition Prabhupada had in mind? "That will not act. Not actually penetrating. If you don't act yourself, your words will have no value." (Lecture 12.6.73 ) Basically this type of statement simply indicates to be a guru by preaching, not by initiating. And Prabhupada is also just making a point: Repeat as it is, don't manufacture. "You'll be a guru and everything but don't speak nonsense. That is our request." (Lecture 5.31.76) "Don't adulterate the Krishna-upadesa. You simply present what Krishna says as it is. Don't adulterate'' (Lecture 3.28.75) Â

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9. Does a guru really have to be liberated?

Srila Prabhupada wrote: "Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krishna or his bona fide representative, the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul" (BG 7.14); "The spiritual master must be liberated. It doesn't matter if he has come from Krishnaloka or he's liberated from here. But he must be liberated. Unless one is a resident of Krishnaloka he cannot be a spiritual master. A layman cannot become a spiritual master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance." (Letter 10.6.69) “A spiritual master is always liberated.

This position of spiritual master is achieved by three processes, sadhana-siddha, kripa-siddha, nitya-siddha." (Letter 21.6.70); "Unless one can find one transcendental to the four defects, one shouldn't accept advice." (SB 5.14.86); "If you don't get knowledge from a liberated person, that knowledge is useless. That is cheating...Without being liberated nobody can guide anyone. That is useless." (Morning Walk 1.4.77) 10. Does a guru have to be that qualified?

An unqualified person cannot for long live up to his disciples' expectations. One may guide his followers as a vartmapradarshaka guru until he is firmly established on the nistha platform, or better, ruci. That's what Srila Prabhupada had in mind.

And he warned: "He was given the path of becoming a paramahamsa. If he wants to imitate the uttama-adhikari, then he's a rascal." (Morning Walk 4.2.74) or, "Come on, unfit person, become acarya. Then another man comes, then another and another. As soon as it was announced that Guru Maharaja is dead, 'Now I'm so advanced that I can kill guru and become guru!? Nonsense!"

Prabhupada said clearly: "If you want to know positively without any mistake who is God, then you have to approach a person like Sukadeva Goswami. You should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has understood, who has seen the truth, jnaninas tattvadarsinah: So one must have seen the truth, realized the truth. That is guru: One who has seen the truth. Not that the world has changed and that now we can interpret in this way or that way. It's Â

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all nonsense. You cannot change a single alphabet of the sastras.

They cannot be changed." (Lecture 6.24.72) 11. But I have read In the Bhagavatam about a person not liberated being as good as liberated by following.

That purport of SB 4.18.5, purport should be properly understood. It states: "Presently people are so fallen that they cannot distinguish between a liberated soul and a conditioned soul. A conditioned soul is hampered by four defects." One should note that the overall emphasis of the purport is on taking direction from liberated souls. The very next sentence is: "Consequently we have to take direction from liberated persons." Those who are stated not to be able to distinguish are not neophyte devotees, but rather materialistic persons, as Prabhupada states: "It has become fashionable to disobey the unimpeachable directions given by the acaryas and liberated souls of the past.... Materialistic men are not interested in taking directions from a liberated person, but they are very much interested in their own concocted ideas, which make them repeatedly fail in their attempts. Because the entire world is now following the imperfect directions of conditioned souls, humanity is completely bewildered."

Prabhupada mentions in this purport, "Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of material nature. Lord Caitanya therefore says: 'By My order you may become a spiritual master.' One can immediately become a spiritual master by having full faith in the transcendental words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by following his instructions." Because of this, some have lightly concluded that this is a license for becoming a diksa-guru although one may be a kanistha-adhikari. But you cannot divorce this purport from the bulk of his teachings about what a guru is, especially when the whole point of this purport is that everyone must take instructions from liberated souls!

What Prabhupada is actually saying is: "Don't worry, you may not be liberated yet, but if you follow me you are as good as liberated and you will be promoted to the liberated stage." As far as 'strict following' and full faith' are concerned, that indicates the nistha stage, without a doubt. "Nistha" also translates as "strict". Â

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And if following is the only qualification required, then a new devotee is also following. Can he be a guru? Yes, as Narahari Sarkar said that in kali-yuga all Vaisnavas are guru. But that means that he can teach someone less advanced, not that he should become a diksa-guru!

12. There is also an early letter from Prabhupada to one Janardana dasa.

Yes, but again, the whole point of the letter is that the guru must be liberated. And when Prabhupada says at the end that one who is less qualified or not liberated may act as a guru by strictly following the disciplic succession,you have to consider again that this strict following is only truly possible on the nistha platform, a little below liberation. Again you have to see that it is an encouragement letter from Prabhupada: 'Don't worry about perfection, just follow strictly and that is your perfection. Don't worry if you're not a pure devotee yet, it's not that one can become a pure devotee overnight, but if you follow your guru strictly, then you'll become completely purified.'

Finally, you can give this letter and the Bhagavatam quote above a completely different reading. It can be taken as Prabhupada speaking about himself out of humility, nothing more, as he always humbly said that his only credit was that he was strictly following his Guru Maharaja. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja personally confirmed this point to me.

13. Some say that all the ISKCON or Gaudiya Math gurus are liberated.

There are gurus on different levels. Not all gurus are equal. Why blur distinctions? Why do the sastras speak of siksa guru then?

Just for some specific jnana? Prabhupada: "Who is liberated? One who knows Krishna, in truth." (Letter 69 ) "Mere theoretical academic understanding that Krishna is everything doesn't qualify one as a first-class devotee. One must have actually developed love for Krishna." (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura) Prabhupada also mentions that some people imagine themselves to be liberated. And if they're liberated, how come so many ISKCON gurus fall down? Â

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14. I heard someone say that "If one insists on finding an uttama-adhikari, he will end up in Radha-kunda where jackals, wolves and hyenas are waiting to devour his spiritual life."

Then why did he stress in his teachings that uttama-adhikara is the standard? The standard should be preached. And then there may be emergency adjustments.

15. I heard that Srila Prabhupada wrote in one letter that "if one discriminates that this one is a pure devotee and that one is not a pure devotee, that means he’s a nonsense."

The second part of the same letter should also be quoted, where it is written: "Anyone, if he is a pure devotee, can deliver others; he can become spiritual master. But unless he is on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will go to hell, like blind men leading the blind." In many letters quoted out of context Prabhupada is just making a point like, "Guru means to repeat and to follow�. But that is not exclusive of the other necessary qualifications. Or when he says that the guru is like a postman: "I don't have to be perfect as long as I follow my perfect master."

Such statements are made out of humility and to make the point that if someone presents Krishna's message without adulteration his audience will greatly benefit. Again, is parrot-like repetition what he meant? No, the repetition must be from realization.

Therefore he writes: "The conclusion is that a spiritual master who is 100% Krishna conscious is the bona fide spiritual master."

(BG 2.18) Another point is that letters are highly personal stuff and therefore subjective, plus dependent on time, place and circumstance.

If you take Prabhupada's statements about the guru in a chronological order, as for vamasrama-dharma for instance, you get a better perspective. He obviously wanted all his disciples to become gurus when qualified to be so. He wanted to flood the world with Krishna consciousness and many gurus are needed for that, granted, it's just a question of keeping clear and not blurring the issue.

16. In Easy Journey, there's mention of monitor guru, and Srila Prabhupada writes that one can take a limited number of disciples when he has completed the first twelve steps. Â

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Yes, but step eleven says specifically that there shouldn't be any more namaparadhas. So that means minimum nistha stage, namabhasa. And it also mentions a limited number of disciples.

17. I heard that Srila Prabhupada said in 1968 that maybe by 1975 all his disciples could initiate. What does that mean?

I understand that Srila Prabhupada didn't expect to be still with us by that time. He had such an immense faith in the purifying power of the Holy name and in Mahaprabhu's mercy. He thought that his disciples could advance very quickly. And they did, given their background; in the same spirit he spoke at first denigrating of vamasrama-dharma, praised his disciples like anything, how they were pure devotees, how they had become completely purified by the power of the name. But after a few years of experience, he started, around 1974, to speak about varnasrama-dharma in a completely different way; and when he was asked by a puzzled disciple, "Isn't it an offense to refer to a Vaisnava according to varna?" he replied, "If they're Vaisnavas; why are so many going? Vaisnava is not so cheap." So he spoke in 1968 in a particular way, but never spoke about it again. He had also said "maybe".

18. I heard that Prabhupada wrote that in the absence of the guru you can accept disciples without limitation, that it's the law of the disciplic succession? Isn't that like an explicit right?

Yes, of course, but don't omit the first part of that letter (TustaKrishna 12.2.75 ) where Prabhupada first gives both the qualification and the process to become qualified as a guru, and expresses his hope that he will qualify himself, as well as the later part where he says: "Keep trained up very rigidly and then you can be a bona fide guru." One shouldn't try to establish a new siddhanta upon some isolated fragment of the sastras that is taken completely out of context.

19. Can we conclude that these few quotes of Srila Prabhupada that seemingly authorize a liberal guru policy contradict the sastra?

Srila Prabhupada is an ideal acarya. He would never contradict the sastra. We say that guru, sastra and sadhu are saying the same: That a guru may only be considered as such if his teachings are Â

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confirmed by sadhu and sastra, and that a sadhu may only be accepted as such if what he says is confirmed by guru and sastra; so the answer must be "No." Only a misinterpretation is at work here. At the same time, as mentioned earlier, there may be adjustments made in emergency situations. But one shouldn't change the philosophy and the standard.

20. Some say that Prabhupada said that one should take risks for Krishna and that's how one becomes recognized.

The risk mentioned by Prabhupada is of a qualified guru taking the risk of accepting an unqualified disciple, not the risk taken by becoming guru before being qualified: "One who doesn't like to take the risk [of accepting as a disciple someone who is not qualified] he doesn't take the risk of preaching. But one who takes the risk, he's recognized by Krishna immediately.... But he must know where to take risk and where it is to act foolishly." (Conversation 7.8.75) 21. Sometimes I wonder who is really qualified.

You may say that you don't recognize anyone, but are you praying and begging to see one. Where is your faith? Is Krishna bankrupt? He only had one mahabhagavata left in his pocket, and now he's broke? Indeed, pure devotional service is most rare, not durlabha but sudurlabha. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati has defined a pure devotee as a Vaisnava who has transcended all desires for enjoying wealth, women and distinction (Vaisnava Ke 11 ) but Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura says that this is an eternal process and that mahabhagavatas are always available. We had the good fortune to have one in ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, then another one, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. Do you mean to say that all the new disciples in ISKCON are condemned to settle for second or third class? We had Srila Narayana Maharaja. There are always unalloyed devotees on this planet. Just as there is no purpose to the universe without sun and moon, there's no purpose to this earth planet without pure devotees. They are verily the ornaments of the Earth. This is what the acaryas have taught.

22. Others say that there are many uttama-adhikaris in ISKCON or in Gaudiya Math. Â

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They might be referring here to the broadest statements of Srila Prabhupada, like in the Nectar of Instruction, but even these socalled broad statements, if you analyze them, are not cheap definitions, as mentioned before. What about the other qualifications and symptoms mentioned in sastras? Uttama-adhikara begins at bhava. If you read the descriptions of the asakti-bhakta, which is even the stage below bhava, in the Madhurya-Kadambini, you will be amazed. Anyway, an uttama-Vaisnava doesn't care to be recognized as such. His humility is not theoretical. It is coming from the soul, which is humble by nature. He genuinely feels the most fallen. And yes, there are uttama-adhikaris in the GaudiyaMath.

23. Doesn’t it take an uttama-adhikari to recognize one?

We accepted Srila Prabhupada as one. How? Are we such? No, but we accepted because he was decorated with the signs of a mahabhagavata. It's not that there are no symptoms. Why does Srila Rupa Goswami advise to evaluate the Vaisnavas to deal properly with the three levels of adhikara? Why does Srila Prabhupada write that a disciple, specifically a new devotee, what to speak of a 20-plus year one, should be intelligent enough to recognize and accept an uttama-adhikari as guru? Why does Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati say that one must distinguish guru from laghu?

(Guru means heavy, laghu means light.) Why does Srila Jiva Goswami say that since one should accept an uttama-adhikari as guru, many additional symptoms have been given so that one will not make mistakes in choosing a guru? (SB,11.2.48) True, one cannot see the inner bhava or sentiment, but symptoms are also there.

24. Some tell their disciples “ I'm only a madhyamaadhikari.".

That is proper if that is the case. But first, generally the disciples think it is out of humility. Second, madhyama-adhikara is vast and vague, but also not cheap. Tattva-bhrama, philosophical misconceptions, and namaparadhas, to name only two, are anarthas.

Unless one is free from them, he is still in kanistha-adhikara, somewhere in anartha-nivritti stage, or enjoying the waves (taranga- rangini) of bhajana-kriya. Third, if one truly believes he's

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unqualified or not very qualified, then he should send his disciples to someone more advanced for siksa. Maybe he doesn't see anyone more advanced? So where is his humility? Last, but not least, we should not even consider ourselves as Vaisnavas, much less as madhyamas. Bhaktivinode Thakura sings: “ami to vaisnava, e buddhi haile: I should never let the thought that 'I am a Vaisnava' enter my heart and pollute it with false pride, and thereby glide down to hell." We should always consider ourselves as aspiring Vaisnavas.

25. Some say that we have to be practical, that, "Utility is the principle."

Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja were not practical? Practical means that one accepts the guru's words even though he may not have the vision of how it will happen. Practical doesn't mean to alter the process and jettison the siddhanta It should be made clear that Srila Prabhupada's departure and Srila Narayana Maharaja's departure created an emergency and that in an emergency you may do something wrong. To err is human.

Both Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja clearly formulated the practical adjustments they envisioned. We should remain within these. The high standard both preached about the qualifications of a sad-guru should still be preached and the adjustments they mentioned can be made and seen for what they are and not made the standard. “Practical” adjustments contrary to the siddhanta are not bona fide. Also, we have seen the result in the past. Zonal gurus seemed practical too. Devotees were united around one single master and they had much association with him, but it was not bona fide and it created a lot of difficulties for many devotees, to say the least.

26. But it is said that even at ruci there are still anarthas, even up to prema.

Granted! But only a faint trace, like an odor. For instance, in Jaiva Dharma one Vaisnava inquires what is his level or adhikara.

He then describes that when he chants the name, tears of ecstasy fill his eyes, and he is entranced, and rolls on the ground, but that he likes when the Vaisnavas see him like that. So he is told, "You are a madhyama-adhikari." One may say, "See, he still has pratis

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tha." Yes, a faint aroma of it. But he is crying out of ecstasy as soon as he chants! Granted, Prabhupada didn't do like that and, given the tendency for sahajiya-ism, he never talked much about it for obvious reasons, but he wrote about it in the Caitanya Caritamrta, which he called the postgraduate study.

27. I read that a disciple may go beyond his diksa-guru and elevate him.

Yes, that's possible, if the guru is of a lower category, but only by a connection with a living uttama adhikari, as child Dhruva with Narada Muni could elevate his mother Suniti, who was considered his vartma-pradarshaka-guru since she had first shown him the path.

28. What does transparent via medium mean?

To consult a bona fide spiritual master means to consult Krishna. You cannot see Svayam Bhagavan Krishna directly, but you can see Him in his Guru-rupa. That's a form of God you can see and consult. Ideally the guru should be a Bhagavan-realized soul.

Then he is transparent. "A bona fide spiritual master who is fully cognizant of the methods of spiritual science learned in the spiritual scriptures and who is also a realized soul who has made a tangible connection with the Supreme Lord, is the transparent medium by which the willing candidate is led to the path of the Vaikunthas." (Easy Journey pp.32-33) and "Transparent means that the must be free of contamination. If it is transparent, one can see through it." (Science of Self Realization p.283) That's the standard, and full-fledged nistha is more or less tantamount to liberated, brahma-bhuta. That's the beginning of self-realization.

29. Srila Prabhupada said not to be amazed who goes but to be amazed who stays. So some say that those who have stayed have shown they are sincere and those who have left have shown they were not sincere.

Srila Prabhupada was always concerned about those who had left. He was inquiring about them even years after. He wanted them to come back. The guru is filled with affection for his childrenlike disciples. His heart is soft, not hard like ours, so insensitive and prone to reject without considering our share of responsi Â

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bility for their departure from our ranks. It's a little too simplistic to write off those who leave us as too insincere or too attached to maya. Some may have become so. I don't mean to be a lawyer for nonsense devotees. But we have to see that many devotees left due to mistreatment, poor example, etc., and we have to be willing to try to help them. If after treating them with kindness they prove to be hopeless cases, then we may consider some other course of action, but only then.

30. How much should one accept the official version given by the authorities?

You may have a misunderstanding about who is a spiritual authority. The GBC Body, for instance, was made the ultimate managerial authority by Srila Prabhupada, not the ultimate spiritual authority. Its role was defined by Prabhupada as making sure everything going on in his Society is on the basis of the triple authority, guru-sastra-sadhu. Prabhupada called it the watchdog of ISKCON. It is a fact that you have to confirm your understanding with your authorities, but make sure you accept the right persons as authorities. Everyone is advised to study the Vaisnava philosophy from all angles of vision. Srila Prabhupada said to surrender with one's intelligence, not to surrender one's intelligence. He never encouraged blind faith, blind following. Pariprasna, asking questions, is part of the process of acceptance of authority. Philosophical debate is healthy. Srila Prabhupada recommended it to strengthen one's mind and faith, mature one's understanding, etc.

To discuss guru-tattva is of paramount importance. Of course, we have to try to do it in the most detached and dispassionate way possible, but if some people get empassioned while speaking about it, passion shouldn't be a reason to reject the whole thing.

You have to be careful, though, of being offensive, or too skeptical, or to fall into faultfinding. This process is eternal, and a qualified guru, although rare, is always available. Pray and cry for it.

31. Some say that as the guru advances, his disciples advance, and the disciples seem healthy.

Of course they make advancement. But kanistha disciples making advancement within kanistha is not necessarily an indication Â

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that the guru is bona fide or a liberated soul. What about those who haven't found a guru yet or whose 'guru' has fallen down?

They also advance. All our congregation members who are following the path are also advancing. But it's all relative: "Unless the guru is God-realized one cannot make progress in the transcendental science of the Lord." (SB.2.4.10, purport) and, "Only a pure devotee can convert others to pure devotional service. It's therefore important for all the preachers in our movement to first become pure devotees." (CC Madhya 24.98, purport) Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that disciples of gurus who are not selfrealized will ultimately become dejected and lose faith. It's not so simple to dismiss such statements because some devotees are doing nicely. How nicely and for how long? And, as far as the guru is concerned, if one is not ready, it's very risky to take on a big load. It will be difficult to progress. The sastras advise to study the eligibility of the guru. And lower gurus need an uttama siksaguru to keep on advancing. That's the way it works.

32. What does it mean that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered everyone to become a guru?

How has Srila Prabhupada commented on this verse? The order is to preach to everyone. To preach to everyone does not automatically mean to become their diksa guru. "It is better not to accept any disciples." It is said that in the presence of better qualified gurus one should not venture to accept disciples. (Hari Bhakti Vilas) And even when the order to become a guru is given, it doesn't mean it must be immediately taken up. Look at Srila Prabhupada's example. Look at Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. It's not an appointment but an order to qualify oneself. Develop the qualifications first: "One has to become purified by chanting."

So, if one preaches, achieves the platform of offenseless chanting and pure bhakti, he can then be a diksa guru. Not that because he preaches he is automatically a bona fide guru. Mostly this means give siksa, like when Srila Prabhupada quoted the amara ajnaya verse (CC, Madhya, 7.128) during a sannyasa initiation lecture (3.16.76): "Present as it is Bhagavad Gita. Then you become a guru. You can become a guru in your family... wherever you are."

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33. What did it mean when Srila Prabhupada said to do as he did?

There's a difference between following and imitating. "One shouldn't try to imitate the powerful." (Gita Lecture 30.12.68); "You cannot imitate, then you'll fall down." (Conversation 4.6.74) The same is repeated in Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 17.185. One has first to be a consummate follower before he can even think of becoming one whom disciples will look up to as their lord and master. Prabhupada never appointed non-liberated disciples to occupy the seat of guru. Didn't he stress so much the qualifications of guru?

34. But are you sure that Srila Prabhupada didn't appoint gurus?

He didn't. He said, "On my order. He is actually guru. But by my order." And a little further,"When I order 'you become guru' he becomes regular guru". (May 77 tape) So, when did he give that order? In July, right? Wrong! That's the time he gave the list of rittviks. The best proof of this conclusion is that when TKG asked him during this July conversation,"But they are your disciples?" Srila Prabhupada answered, "Yes." and when he was giving the list of names, when he was asked, "What about India?"

Srila Prabhupada incredulously answered, "In India? I am here."

So he was obviously referring only to rittviks (and only during his lifetime). A year before in an interview he had said, "I am training each one of them as leader." (7.14.76) Just like he had said one month earlier in April, "Yes, I shall say who is guru, 'Now you become acarya. You become authorized.' I am waiting for that.

You become, ALL, acarya.... But the training must be complete."

You see, he didn't specify eleven people. He said, "ALL". And when TKG said, “The process of purification must be there,” Srila Prabhupada said, "Oh yes, must be there! Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants that. Amara ajnaya guru hana. You become guru! But be qualified. Little thing, (chuckles) ‘strictly follower’." TKG, "Not rubber stamp." Srila Prabhupada, “Then you'll not be effective.

You can cheat, but it will not be effective." You see, again "strict follower", indicating full nistha. Srila Prabhupada chuckled because a sadhu can read the heart and he knew that many wanted to be guru at that time. Some had been contemplating the idea for

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years. So, in April he says this and in May, the next month, he appoints them as gurus? Just think a bit about it!

Later on, in October, Srila Prabhupada was told that a Bengali gentleman came for initiation, and Prabhupada said, "I have deputed some of you to initiate.... I have stopped for the time being... this initiation. I have deputed my disciples. Is it clear or not?

You have got the list of names? And if by Krishna's grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again or I may not, but in this condition to initiate is not good." So, it is clear again he had only named rittviks, not gurus, and that it was just because he was physically unable. He seemed not to remember exactly who was on the list, proof that it was rittviks, nothing more, otherwise, as mentioned by TKG, "You can bet your bottom dollar that if it had been more than that, Prabhupada would have spoken for days and hours and weeks on end about how to set up this thing with the gurus, but he didn't because he already had said it a million times. He said 'My Guru Maharaja did not appoint anyone. It's by qualification.’ "(Pyramid House Talks) Srila Prabhupada had also said, "It's not that I'll give an order, 'Here is the next leader.' Anyone who follows the previous leadership is a leader. All my disciples are leaders as much as they follow purely. Leader means one who is a first class disciple. One who is perfectly following�

(Back to Godhead Vol 1977) So, one must be qualified, strict follower (nistha) minimum AND receive the order. How is that order perceived? Prabhupada writes: "It requires special benedictions from higher authorities." and, "By His order only one should become a spiritual master and cooperate with the Lord." (SB. 1.13.48, purport) and, "One who is not authorized by the Lord cannot become a spiritual master." (SB 1.19.36, purport) When one achieves higher stages of realization, in madhyam adhikara, he may receive the indication from his guru and Krishna to take that role. Until then he should work on qualifying himself, and that is best done if one has the backing or an advanced bona fide siksa-guru.

In a late conversation with Srila Prabhupada, his Godbrother, HH Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja asked Prabhupada why he had made eleven gurus instead of one and Srila Prabhupada answered that he had not made gurus but rittviks. Puri Maharaja then said that they will become gurus after Prabhupada leaves and Â

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Prabhupada answered,"What can I do now? It is not in my power anymore."

Most of the original eleven, beginning with TKG in 1980, have already themselves admitted that they were not appointed. Srila Prabhupada did not appoint anyone and he did not forbid anyone.

He gave the qualifications of a guru and issued warnings. He gave some encouragement, maybe even some license for less experienced gurus in madhyama-adhikara, but not for presenting themselves as recipients of absolute surrender and faith. By the way, there, are five different interpretations of that May 1977 "appointment" tape! Only one can be correct though. And I am not speaking about the different "original versions" and of the apparent doctoring of that conversation...

If Prabhupada had appointed diksa gurus, then why did they fall down? Srila Prabhupada lacked the spiritual intelligence to determine that the eleven were not immune to falldowns? The only possible conclusion is that some disciples misunderstood and disobeyed his orders. Is it reasonable to think that Prabhupada would order unqualified persons to take up the duties of liberated souls, including a couple of known gay devotees? Why would Prabhupada suddenly contradict by an appointment what he had said all these years? Those who still accept that dubious theory have a problem in their relationship with him.

Another way to look at it is that Srila Prabhupada was well aware of the mentality and intentions of some of his disciples. He manifested his compassion by not giving a direct stern order, disobedience of which would be guru-avajna, big offense to his lotus feet. He didn't appoint any number of devotees as gurus, nor did he forbid anyone. He had given profusely detailed information on the subject and had issued severe warnings against imitationguruship using terms such as "rascal", "cheater", "hell-bound", etc. He expected all his disciples to become gurus, but not by rubber stamp.

35. It seems like you are saying that Srila Prabhupada was cheating some of his ambitious disciples?

He said himself on different occasions that he was cheating. In Bombay, in 1975, when the devotees approached him complaining about being cheated by the Indians, Srila Prabhupada first answered that he was also Indian; when the devotees protested that Â

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he was not cheating them, he replied that he had actually cheated all of us because we would have never come to that path if we had known what was in store. The saintly persons cheat, but in that cheating transaction the cheated party still benefits.

Srila Prabhupada said so many things people wanted to hear, and sometimes he would speak in a way because they were not ready to hear more. But that doesn't mean that it was automatically the tattva or siddhanta on that subject. Sometimes, for teaching or preaching, the siddhanta may not be completely or clearly given.

Also, the spiritual master may give instructions according to the personal motivations of the disciples: We already said that the guru has two things: kripa, mercy, and vanchana, cheating. Srila Gour Kishora das Babaji said: "Our guru, Lord Nityananda, cheats pseudo-devotees by supplying their material wants but depriving them of love of Godhead." (Two beyond duality) In Brhad Bhagavatamrita, Sanatana Goswami writes that many devotees express that they didn't receive mercy but cheating. So, not only does one need a qualified guru but one needs to be a qualified disciple. As sat-guru is rare, so is sat-sisya. Srila Prabhupada wanted every one of his followers to become gurus when they were qualified. And he clearly taught what these qualifications were, what was acceptable in an emergency and what wasn't.

Prabhupada did not appoint gurus and that should be clearly understood and broadcasted.

36 How can one rectify a situation?

One should act in such a way that Mahaprabhu will rectify. One shouldn't think that he himself can rectify. One can act with the hope that if Krishna will be pleased with the attempt then He may rectify. Dependence on Krishna is certainly the way to go. However that doesn't preclude adressing controversial issues. It is actually the duty of a disciple to protest against deviation from the guru's teachings.

37. Should there have been a World-Acarya in Iskcon after Srila Prabhupada? (BACK IN 1994, I HAD PRESENTED THE GBC WITH A LIST OF SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING Â

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THE SITUATION. ONE OF THEM WAS TO HAVE SRILA GOUR GOVINDA SWAMI AS WORLD-ACARYA.) An uttama-adhikari, who alone is qualified to take the position of World-Acarya, could have stayed in the Society without taking the position of Acarya, provided he was not driven out by the politics of neophytes, whether Godbrothers or nephews.

Ravindra Svarupa dasa in Serving Srila Prabhupada's Will wrote: "One can be a great acarya on the topmost platform as a diksa-guru without taking the seat at the head of the institution."

That is perfectly correct, but we shouldn't underestimate the importance of having a recognized really fully qualified sadhu from whom to get the proper siddhantas on different tattvas, to strengthen the Mission, and to prevent more deviations such as sahajiya-ism from creeping in. An aspiring disciple could refer to the standards he set as a sort of yardstick in order to ascertain the bonafides of his chosen guru. Whether he should have been put at the head of the institution is another thing.

Personal considerations should have been sacrificed for the sake of the mission. This can be seen as a test of humility and dedication. To give up one's false pride that "I am a senior Srila Prabhupada disciple personally trained by His Divine Grace. I had so much personal association with him. I'm a big preacher and I made so many devotees. I'm a big GBC man and I control so many countries. I'm a big guru and I have so many disciples." or, "It can only be my Guru."

Given the narrow, competitive and envious nature of the Westerners, Srila Prabhupada had to devise a trick to give sannyasa to Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja: He made him the priest of his own sannyasa ceremony! There was 2 dandas and sets of sannyasa clothes, but only one candidate sitting at the yajna, Tripurari prabhu. Prabhupada asked the sannyasa candidates to come forward. He did first and received his danda and clothes. Everyone was looking around, not knowing who was the second candidate.

Then, from behind the fire, Gour Govinda prabhu got up and came forward, at everyone's great surprise. Then, for about 20 minutes he glorified Prabhupada, who sat back, reclining in his Vyasasana and then said, with tears in his eyes and a chocked voice,"This is how one should glorify the spiritual master." After, the "senior devotees" approached Prabhupada, reproaching him, Â

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"Why did you give him sannyasa? He is a new man!" , to which Prabhupada reparted, "You are the new men! He is a pure Vaisnava from birth!" So, imagine if Prabhupada has made him the acarya. They would have probably killed him!

38. Some say it could and can only be Prabhupada.

He was the Acarya during his physical presence, and, as the Founder-Acarya, he will always occupy a prominent position in the Movement. Everyone feels the need for an Acarya, a perfect sadhu. Guru-sastra-sadhu can't all be the same person: If Srila Prabhupada is the guru, his books the sastra, then what about the sadhu? Acarya is natural. Some were presented as chosen Successor-Acaryas, each with his own private zone. Some went and go about it in an extreme way and it gives rittvik-vada. Some went to Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja. Some turned to his appointed Successor-Acarya, HH Govinda Maharaja. Some became Acaryas of their own separate missions. Some went to other Acaryas of the Gaudiya Math.

39. Isn't there traditionally a head in any institution?

Naturally! The Gaudiya Math broke down into different Societies, which all have a head. That it broke down is bad, not that each Society has a head. Unity gives great strength to a preaching mission: United we stand, divided we fall. Due to a misunderstanding some have, given a very bad name to the concept of Acarya, which is a completely bona fide option, thereby causing the famous pendulum effect: eleven "acaryas" to no Acarya: thesis to antithesis. The proper synthesis was one Acarya with gurus at least on the full nistha stage. Everyone would have benefitted from this. When you see the disasters that followed the so-called appointment, the erroneous zonal guru system, and the other concocted theories, yeah, definitely an acarya of the caliber of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja would have been a pure blessing!

The story could have been quite different if Srila Prabhupada's instructions and vision had only been understood. There should have been a waiting period, with the GBC doing its regular job and the preaching going on. Without the whole concoction about so-called appointments, those who would have reached the qualification of perfect followers, full-nistha, would have emerged Â

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quite naturally and would have quietly started to initiate without taking any specific position in our Society. Not being weighed down by all the trappings surrounding their false "acarya" position, the eleven could have more readily advanced, and some of those who unfortunately left maybe would still be there. In such a non-envious atmosphere of love and trust, a self-effulgent Acarya would have easily been accepted and recognized.

Srila Prabhupada explained us the mind of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and gave us a stern warning not to try to create artificially gurus.

It is a pity that it was not heeded: "If Guru Maharaja would have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be Acarya, he would have mentioned.... His idea was Acarya was not to be nominated amongst the Governing Body. He said openly,’You make a GBC and conduct the mission.' So his idea was that amongst the GBC, who would come out successfully and self-effulgent, acarya would be selected. [One "acarya" was unauthorizedly selected who later fell down.].... The result is that now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha-adhikari.

Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp." (Letter 28.4.74) By telling us about his Guru Maharaja's mind in this way, he was giving a hint that this is what we were supposed to do ourselves. Vaisnavas are simple like a child, not crooked. They don't think themselves the controller. They feel like an instrument in the Lord's hand. Having danced as Krishna made them dance, they leave it up to Him how He wants things to go on and whom He wants next to dance on the stage. Srila Prabhupada said about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta: "His idea was 'Let them manage; then whoever will be qualified for becoming Acarya, he’ll manifest. Why should I enforce it upon them?' That was his plan. Let them manage by strong governing body, as it is going on. Then Acarya will come by his qualifications.” (Letter 21.9.73) The completely pure devotee belongs to the intimate entourage of Srimati Radharani (nikunjayuno ratikeli siddhyai). He doesn't try to take Her position, but leaves it up to Her to pick up whom She wants. She is in charge of the mercy-department, the source of saving grace, svarupa-sakti.

40. Didn't Srila Prabhupada warn against making an Acarya?

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Against "making" one, yes, but not against recognizing one.

What Srila Prabhupada warned against was "self-appointed acaryas," to "artificially create a perfect man," to "unauthorizedly appoint a successor-acarya," to "fight over who would be the next acarya." He never said that there wouldn't or shouldn't be an Acarya or there couldn't be a perfect man. Srila Prabhupada warns, "One should not be unnecessarily envious of his godbrothers. Rather, if a godbrother is more enlightened and advanced in Krishna Consciousness, one should accept him as almost equal to the spiritual master, and one should be happy to see such godbrothers advance in Krishna Consciousness." (SB 3.32.42, purport) 41. Isn't it incompatible with the GBC? Why? Since Srila Prabhupada wrote in his Will that "the system of management will continue as it is now, and there is no need of any change", the GBC system could continue in parallel with an Acarya. It is not that the Acarya is automatically the authority for all material affairs, although all can benefit from his higher vision and connections, and he can be consulted. He is the authority for spiritual affairs, and the management is done locally by the local leaders under the supervision of the GBC. Elsewhere, Srila Prabhupada said the same: "My spiritual master left advice that 'You should work combinedly, and who is acarya, he will come out."

(Lecture 19.4.67) An Acarya was never ruled out by Srila Prabhupada. He did as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had done and established a GBC. In an interview he said, "The committee may elect a person as chief... so it maybe. I may or they can nominate."

(6.4.76) Fighting against the unauthorized system of "SuccessorAcaryas", Ravindra Svarupa dasa strongly objected that there could not be a Successor-Acarya to Srila Prabhupada. There shouldn't be a self-appointed, unauthorized one, granted, but that didn't rule out the eventuality of a genuine, recognized one. In response to Ravindra Svarupa dasa, HH Hridayananda Swami rightfully wrote:"There is no evidence that the Acarya position necessarily automatically contradicts the authority of a central GBC." and further "Srila Prabhupada never indicated that we should reserve the grand title of Acarya for him, but rather that we should qualify his Acarya-title as "Founder-Acarya", clearly to Â

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distinguish himself from other Acaryas who would act within his ISKCON." 42. Some say that we didn't and don't need an Acarya. We have Srila Prabhupada.

I don't want to obscure Srila Prabhupada's position in any way, especially for his initiated disciples. Srila Prabhupada is always there in vani for those who follow him strictly. His instructions on the guru are clear: take a living, bona fide guru. And he clearly defined what he meant by that. So, "He lives forever and the follower lives with him." Yes, so now it's time to study more closely his instructions. And go back to following them as it is. If you don't follow his instructions, you cannot perceive how he is always there.

43. By whom and how could an Acarya be recognized?

First, we had to change our outlook. We had to understand the need for one and keep in the forefront the desire for the association of such an exalted soul, not try to suppress him, envy him, be afraid of him, or slander him. And pray. Then Krishna would have revealed who it was at the appropriate time. Srila Prabhupada mentions about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's idea that the GBC will elect the Acarya. I dont know if that means automatically by voting, as Prabhupada said that votes have no jurisdiction in that realm, although in the interview I quoted above he mentions the word 'elect', and 'nominate’; or by simply begging and petitioning him to kindly accept the heavy weight of leading our prestigiously named Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya. An uttama Vaisnava doesn't feel anyone's competitor nor superior, but rather a servant of all.

44. What makes you think that there was necessarily someone qualified as Acarya?

Ravindra Svarupa dasa again: "Couldn't Prabhupada have produced one such fit disciple?" (ISKCON Journal N 1 1990) And Virabahu dasa, in his book, "Are we saying that Prabhupada was successful in everything, except in making even one disciple who could represent the parampara?" Â

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45. You spoke a lot on the siksa guru. Why? As far as Prabhupada's disciples are concerned, it can be said that they need help to make them recognize mercy when it comes.

That help can come in the form of a siksa-guru. The moment one thinks, "I have my guru, I don't need anyone else." his progress stops and he stagnates. This process is a living thing, and it's always available for one who cries for spiritual progress toward the lotus feet of guru-Krishna."It is our duty to associate with a sadhu who is better than ourselves." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur) "If one doesn't surrender to a living Bhagavata, he cannot understand the Srimad Bhagavatam." (Lecture 20.6.72) "One has to take lessons from a live Bhagavata." (Lecture 20.11.75) "The more one makes progress under the guidance of the Bhagavatas, the more one becomes fixed up in the transcendental loving service of the Lord." (SB 1.2.18, purport) There are so many instructions in Prabhupada's books, so how can one know which one apply to his particular case and level of advancement? “The student must enquire from a guru. He must be very inquisitive, jijnasuh, otherwise, how he'll progress? If he remains dumb, what can the guru do?" (Lecture 23.9.69) "You're doing your service. How will you know if you're doing it properly or not? This you'll know from a guru." (Lecture 69)"Bhagavatasevaya doesn't mean just to read Gita and Bhagavatam, but we have to study from the person Bhagavata. That is required. Go to the person Bhagavata who is a realized soul. You just associate with the person Bhagavata who is realized soul and hear from him the same book, the same knowledge." (Lecture 25.2.75) "Not only should we read Srimad Bhagavatam, but we should also serve the person Bhagavata." (Teachings of Lord Kapila, ch9)" This is the secret. Unless one is self-realized, svanubhavana, his life is Bhagavata, he cannot preach Bhagavatam. That will not be effective.

And a gramophone will not help. Therefore, if you want to read Srimad Bhagavatam, you must approach a person whose life is living Bhagavatam. Otherwise there's no question of Bhagavata realization." (Lecture 27.5.74) "As you take help from a lawyer to utilize the lawbook, you have to utilize the sastra by accepting a guru who can guide you. He is like a lawyer. If you don't accept, then go on suffering." (Lecture 1966 ) Â

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As far as disciples of present gurus are concerned, the point is that we have put too much emphasis on initiation. Gurus should be seen according to their spiritual stature. Whereas the initiating guru is not necessarily the foremost instructing guru, we have almost always taken it for granted that such should be the case. But pure and potent siksa is utterly essential for deliverance. There are gurus whose power of deliverance is limited, as explained in Nectar of Instruction (verse 5, end of purport.)

As long as one is afflicted by anarthas and can't guarantee his own deliverance, will the process of deliverance of his disciples be a mysterious thing on which his lack of advancement and concomitant qualifications have no bearing? "For knowledge you have to go to the right person, a tattva-darshi, which means one who has actually seen or experienced the Absolute Truth. Unless you find such a person, there is very little chance of spiritual advancement." (Lecture 17.8 66).

Another point is that the siksa guru helps one to understand the teachings of one's diksa guru and to go deeper into them. It is not that he teaches something different, something one's guru never advised, another path. Prabhupada wrote that it's not that one calls guru someone who teaches something different from one's bona fide guru. The same thing applies to the sanga of Srila Narayana Maharaja 46. But didn't Prabhupada say that there was no question of separation between the guru and the disciple? Why then speak of a siksa-guru?

"There is no question of ever separation as long as the disciple follows the instruction of guru." (Conversation 21.7.75) That's one thing. Next, a siksa-guru doesn't conflict with the diksa-guru.

To take shelter and instruction from a siksa-guru will help even his disciples increase their appreciation of Srila Prabhupada's and Srila BV Narayana Maharaja's wonderful qualities and contributions.

47. Some say that the leaders had a lot of association with Srila Prabhupada or Srila Narayana Maharaja.

Yes, but consider "Unless one is enlightened by the knowledge given by the spiritual master, he cannot see things as they are, Â

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even though he remains constantly with the guru." (CC Madhya 18.99, purport) Prabhupada's limited physical association with his guru, and Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja's are proofs that physical association with the guru is not the be-all.

48. But his leaders seemed to be so faithful to him.

Yes, but Srila Prabhupada wrote about one of his godbrothers that "he was doing very nicely during his Guru Maharaja's presence, but after his disappearance he became a party man. It may always happen". Also, his leaders had faithfully served him, but some wanted so much a position. So maybe to encourage them he gave them a position. He was engaging everyone, and at the same time, due to his presence and immense spiritual strength, he could ensure a certain cooperative spirit.

49. But they seemed very sincere.

Yes, but they were not the only sincere devotees. And sincerity is not everything. Isn't it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions? One can be sincerely mistaken, sincerely misled.

Also, the trappings surrounding the position into which some have set themselves prevent them from having a very objective vision. No amount of sincerity can save one from the overwhelming dangers of assuming a position way beyond his realization; without such practical realization sincerity is mere sentiment, wishful thinking.

50. Some say that the leaders are advanced devotees who are recipients of Srila Prabhupada's mercy.

Mercy comes by installment. And if one claims he has gotten it, he is a self-deceiver. All our acaryas have lamented that they couldn't develop real devotion and couldn't receive mercy. Also, mercy may come in different ways: "When childish people think themselves mahabhagavatas and act in defiance of the Vaisnava guru, such behavior simply holds them back from receiving the mercy of the Vaisnava guru. Bewildered by false ego, such selfacclaimed devotees gradually become fit to be ignored by pure devotees on the intermediate platform and are cheated of the mercy that comes from the devotee's satisfaction....Pure devotees display indifference to those who falsely imagine themselves to Â

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be visuddha-bhaktas or pure devotees. This indifference is an excellent manifestation of their mercy.� (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, quoted in SB 11.2) 51. But those leading devotees seem to do so much service.

Yes, but still you may consider the following: "Typically the kanistha-adhikari is eager to engage his materialistic qualifications in the service of the Lord, mistaking such material expertise to be the sign of advanced devotion." (SB 11.2). Don't just see externally. Some of those who left had so much sakti to spread this movement, but they were not bona fide gurus. It was material expertise. Also, preaching success based on misconceptions is shallow. Srila Prabhupada called his god-brothers kanisthas, although they had been practicing for 40 or 50 years. Another thing is that even if one has supposedly progressed to the madhyama platform, he may later on regress due to aparadhas, especially guruaparadha and Vaisnava-aparadha.

52. Do the sastras mention about the possibility of a guru falling down?

Again, there's no question of a bad guru. "Gurus" of a lower standard may fall down but they are only gurus by name. In our tradition no one was so irresponsible to take the position of guru without being qualified. It may have happened, but it is so rare that the acaryas themselves don't deal with it very extensively. It is not a topic that comes up again and again. Also, fall-down may not be gross sensual falldown. It may mean remaining stuck on the platform of misra-bhakti and being denied access to pure bhakti. Ramacandra Puri was considered fallen even though he didn't grossly fall down. Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami also mentioned that his brother "fell down" by disrespecting Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

53. What about reinitiation?

First, it is not a question of reinitiation but of initiation. The first one never took place. Take it as a dream. Diksa, initiation, is not a ceremony. As we said it earlier, it actually means the transmission of divya-jnana and the deliverance from material bondage. That is diksa. If one is unable to do these two things, he doesn't fully de Â

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serve the title of diksa-guru. One should see people as they are, rather than as they imagine themselves or their disciples imagine them to be.

When a "guru" falls, he proves thereby that he was not a guru to begin with. He was not on the platform of self-realization. He was simply propagating the false idea that he was capable of delivering his disciples from birth and death, that he was senior and advanced, that he had high realizations, that his siksa had the potency of that of uttama-adhikaris, and that his disciples should depend exclusively on him for deliverance. So, all his utterings or mantras are unfruitful and invalidated. Srila Jiva Goswami mentions that if the guru is fallen or an avaisnava he should be rejected and one should receive the mantra from a qualified Vaisvava guru.

One may object that one can only have one diksa guru but Srila Jiva Goswami explains that when the previous guru is rejected and a new guru is accepted, that rejection indicates that the new guru becomes the singular diksa guru for that person. (Bhaktisandarbha 207) The main idea of "reinitiation" is that one develops a relationship with a genuine sadhu and takes guidance from him. Whether this is formalized by some ceremony is up to the concerned parties. The entire stress in the process of diksa is not on the externals but on the substance. One should make sure that the person he approaches is not another quack. Srila Prabhupada has advised, "Unless one is personally a realized soul in the science of Krishna consciousness, a neophyte should not approach him to hear about the Lord. Such a person is supposed to be released from lust or material activities." (SB 10.1.4, purport) A qualified guru is also described in the Bhagavatam: "Only saintly persons can cut off the excessive attachment of the mind by their words." (SB 11) 54. Is there any benefit in serving under a guru who is not fully qualified?

Of course there is benefit. But also there's a gradation. It may be sukriti, or it may be more, it's a matter of the heart. According to the demand of one's heart one will approach different types of gurus, and accordingly one will get different benefits. Â

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55. But isn't the service of the devotees accepted by Krishna?

There are different considerations here. First, Krishna is not bound to accept anything from anyone. Krishna is bhava-grahi, one who appreciates the inner sentiment, as well as bhaktivinoda, one who relishes the devotional feeling. He is not in any need of our service. Bhaktivinode Thakura even says that Krishna in His capacity as Nandakumara doesn't accept the prayers of one who is not decorated with the six angas of saranagati. In that case, what we think is bhakti may only be sukriti, which will help one to develop Bhakti. It is all according to our surrender or lack of surrender. Sripad Madhvacarya says that without saranagati all the nine activities of bhakti are like an empty shell. Second, if we want a guarantee that Krishna will be pleased with our service, we have to make sure we contact a good agent to transmit it, otherwise, as the example of the authorized and unauthorized mailbox, there's a risk that the whole thing remains unfruitful. It is said : "Unless one is favored by a pure devotee, one cannot attain the platform of devotional service. To say nothing of Krishna-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from the bondage of material existence." (CC Madhya 22.51) 56. What about someone whose guru fell down?

Guru doesn't fall down. Self-appointed master may. The service performed belongs to bhakti- unmukhi sukriti. It will promote one to bhakti. There is benefit. But one must still have a genuine guru to get the full benefit.

57. You said that one should be minimum a full nisthabhakta to initiate, and that it was not cheap since it means no more anarthas‌?

To be freed from the four sinful propensities is a feature of anartha-nivritti. But nistha means complete freedom from all other material contamination. If one is a nistha-bhakta, rajas and tamas gunas are absent and it shows by the absence of the characteristics associated with these gunas. At full nistha one is more or less liberated, at least from the lower modes. Initiation is a very serious matter. One must have the power to transmit Krishna. He must Â

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have Krishna, otherwise of what value is his diksa? You cannot give what you don't have.

58. You also spoke of the uttama-adhikari coming down to the madhyama level...?

He is the tattva-darshi of the Bhagavad Gita. He has seen the Truth, Krishna. A madhyama-adhikari has heard about the Truth, but has not seen Him yet. And he may have misheard. He is not exactly as good as the uttama-bhakta, although he certainly gives very valuable help and guidance.

59. Some say it is up to the disciple to evaluate.

It certainly is. It is his life he has to surrender. But it is the duty of his well-wishing seniors to educate him. Do you have the right to let younger devotees take absolute shelter and surrender themselves to devotees whose spiritual whereabouts are doubtful? If you see someone in a dangerous position, shouldn't you help?

60. It is said that one shouldn't judge.

It means one shouldn't condemn. But the sastras advise to evaluate according to the symptoms described. Because there are symptoms, and the symptoms are given in sastras, Bhagavad Gita, Caitanya Caritamrta. Nectar of Instruction, Bhagavatam 3rd canto (bhakti in gunas), 11th canto (symptoms of uttama) But if you say that no one can judge and say anything, then you are inviting fraud. We may not know absolutely for sure what someone's level exactly is, but we have to make some discrimination based on inference. External activities may not be the only criteria. Also, when you have a sample of the real thing, you can measure by comparison, like a yardstick.

61. But many of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers could not recognize him.

That is not because they were his god-brothers, but because some were neophytes (kanisthas) and didn't have the proper vision. Envy covered the eyes of some.

62. How many qualified gurus were there during Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's or Srila Prabhupada's times? Â

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I'll answer ironically: Oh, very few, they didn't have the mercy.

But now we're so advanced that we have more than our sampradaya has produced for centuries. We can even afford to lose a few, we have so many.

63. If one criticizes someone or something going wrong, is that Vaisnava-aparadha?

It is difficult to make Vaisnava-aparadha. First you have to find a genuine vaisnava. When you are pointing out an anartha in someone, the fact that the devotee is enraged doesn't qualify you as an aparadhi. Vaisnava-aparadha means that you disrespect, enviously blaspheme or slander a sadhu, not when you call a spade a spade. Sadhu-ninda, the first namaparadha, specifically means this. One should be careful not to offend, but not be obsessed about Vaisnava-aparadha and create a mental prison. Vaisnava etiquette was never meant to be a tool for the suppression of the truth.

64. Some speak of useless disciples?

Yes, Prabhupada said that when some disciples don't stick to the guru's order and manufacture something else by infiltrating materially concocted ideas, it is considered deviation. "Persons who deviate from the strict order of the guru are useless." and "Anyone who disobeys the order of the guru immediately becomes useless." and "Both factions were asara, useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master." (C. C. Adi 12.8 & 10, purport) Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Prabhupada also speak of kali-celas, disciples of Kali, pseudo-disciples. Mahaprabhu has bolted the doors of Kali; he has crushed the dog of Kaliyuga, so Kali had to become a vaisnava in order to survive. He entered the sankirtana movement. Therefore we see so many apa-sampradayas, all dressed as Vaisnavas, but full of kali-celas. And even in Gaudiya Matha as well as within ISKCON, Prabhupada has said that there were many kali-celas. Politics, power trips, quarreling for position, posing as what one is not, these are all signs that we have allowed Kali to enter. Prabhupada spoke about it in no uncertain terms. Â

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65. Can a guru reject a disciple?

The guru is an ocean of mercy. Hari Bhakti Vilasa says: Kripasindhu sa sampurnah. We sing Sri guru karuna sindhu. Prabhupada said once that he was 80% lenient. But in certain circumstance the guru may reject a disciple. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta says: "A good preceptor doesn't accept anyone who is not prepared to submit himself freely. He is duty bound to renounce a disciple who is not sincerely willing to follow his instructions fully. If he accepts as a disciple one who refuses to be wholly guided by him, he is doomed to fall from his spiritual status." He was so strict, so much that Prabhupada once said that he would have never accepted any of us as his disciples. One may also imagine himself to be the disciple of a particular guru, but one may have never been accepted by such guru, or may have been rejected due to one's offenses.

There may also be a temporary rejection like in the case of Jiva Goswami having been rejected by Rupa Goswami for having slightly disrespected Vallabhacarya. It is said that it was his duty as a guru. However, after a short while he accepted him again.

And Jiva Goswami is never criticized for having done his duty as a disciple and having stood up to defend his guru’s dignity. Another point is that Sanatana Goswami played a part in Rupa Goswami's reacceptance of Jiva Goswami. A similar case is Chota Haridasa. When Mahaprabhu rejected him, all the Vaisnavas gave him support and pleaded the Lord on his behalf.The same thing happened with Kala Krishna dasa, Mahaprabhu's servant, who had fallen down in South India with a Bhattahari woman.

Mahaprabhu said he didn't want to deal with him anymore, but the devotees gave him shelter and service. Only envious nonVaisnavas rejoice when someone is rejected.

66. If the guru is on a lower platform of devotional service can he still plant the seed of bhakti, or since he's immature he cannot?

That seed will not have the same potency at all. A kanistha adhikari can only give weak faith, komala sraddha. Srila BR Sridhar Maharaja said,"An ordinary guru may give the same mantra to his disciple, but what is the potency within the sound? What quality of conception or divine will is contained in that sound? That is Â

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all-important...Within the mantra the important thing is the type of thought or sentiment which is imparted through that sound...We have to follow the spirit; otherwise after Jahnava devi, the wife of Lord Nityananda, up to Vipina Goswami, from whom Bhaktivinoda Thakura took initiation, there are so many unknown lady gurus.Through them, the mantra came to Vipina Goswami, and from him Bhaktivinoda Thakura received the mantra. We accept Bhaktivinoda Thakura, but should we count all those ladies in our disciplic succession? What was their realization?"

67. But Prabhupada or Gurudeva can do it through him, can't he?

That's called covert rittvik-vada. Furthermore, if one has disobeyed his guru, how can he be a bona fide guru? He should connect his disciples with someone more advanced, so they may have a chance to get the transcendental necessities.

68. How does one understand that he is liberated?

In Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks that question twice: In 2.54, which was answered in verses 2.55-59, 61, 65, 68, 70 and in 14.21 which was answered in verses 14.22-26.

69. When does one know that he can accept disciples?

One invites downfall by desiring to be guru. One should always consider that Mahaprabhu's order has not come to him but to his guru. That's the proper attitude. The moment one thinks he is guru, he wants to enjoy. Only when you consider that your spiritual master is the one who is heavy, guru, can you be freed from the unhealthy desire to enjoy, whether grossly or subtly. He must receive the order from higher authorities, guru and Krishna. Here again we see the importance of having a siksa-guru to confirm.

70 Is the absolute necessity of the spiritual master conforming to the highest transcendantal standard confirmed by all sastras?

Yes, they sing the glories of the guru (ebe yasa ghusuk tribhuvana), but we are now facing a proposal in Iskcon that Prabhupada has authorized a sort of guru who doesn't have to have more than basic spiritual qualifications, and not only that, but that Â

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but that he should nonetheless be offered the same faith as the topmost saint. Where is the evidence? It may seem to exist at first glance, but should our whole siddhanta be changed by putting forward a few quotes which are highly subjective for interpretation?

71. How does the guru accept prayers or offerings to his picture?

The guru and the Supersoul are intimately connected. Indeed, a bona fide guru is the external manifestation of the Supersoul.

When he accepts disciples, the guru expands, as Krishna expands as the caitya-guru. That is how he is aware and accepts prayers.

He is a transparent via medium, so prayers properly offered through him go to Krishna. He has to be an authorized agent, a bona fide spiritual master to be empowered to do that. Guru is not cheap.

72. How much worship should be given to the guru?

It should be according to his level. If he is truly qualified, then the sky is the limit. If he is not and he is worshipped as such, it is an offense, and Prabhupada wrote: "No one will be happy to see it, and he will eventually become degraded."

73. Can there be women gurus?

Why not? We are not the body. If they transcend their body designation, they can be guru. There are examples in our line. But if they have as little transcended their background as most men, maybe they'd better not.

74. If someone is a guru and speaks very highly of the exalted qualities of guru, how can one not think he speaks about himself?

You could level the same charge against Prabhupada, or any of our great acaryas. A real guru never speaks about himself. He never considers himself a guru. He doesn't see his disciples as his.

He sees them as an expansion of his own guru. He feels himself as their servant. His service is to train them. He sees them as so many masters. Of course, many will speak like that, but that's a very high vision, the vision of the maha-bhagavata. And one Â

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thing: One shouldn't display his envy by trying to find fault in the language or presentation of a pure vaisnava, for he is inspired by the Lord. The acts and expressions of the great vaisnavas cannot be easily understood. Of course, on the other hand, someone may not be qualified and speak about himself. In Kali-vuga hypocrites are rampant. And so many kapatha-panthas are there, wrong paths based on false logic. That's why you have to be very knowledgeable, and pray to Krishna to guide you, to send you His bona fide representative. But shouldn't one, whether he is guru or not, present guru-tattva according to the Vaisnava philosophy?

75. But why insist? Why stress so much the highest standard?

The guru is supposed to be a most qualified devotee. That's the standard. Something less should be clearly exposed as what it is, that is, second-best. No taboos, there has been too much confusion and pain, too much excess on the other side. The disciple has a great responsibility to follow his guru's instructions as it is, but to accept disciples is also very serious. A guru has a very heavy responsibility towards the disciples. Guru na sa syat. (SB 5th canto) If someone cannot deliver his dependents, why has he taken that position? The guru must be able to transmit bhakti-shakti to his disciples, which will enliven the soul and engage him in Krishna-seva.

76. I am a little confused. What kind of guru should one approach?

Then just stick to the sastric recommendation given to one searching for the truth: "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a bona fide spiritual master, inquire from him submissively, and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." (BG 4.34) And also the Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12 Tad-vijnanartam sa gurum... brahma nistham: One should approach a spiritual master who is firmly established in the realization of the Absolute Truth and enquire from him about the highest good.

77. What about the verse that says that one who knows the science of Krishna can be a guru: Kiba vipra kiba nyasi...? Â

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You can give this verse two readings. It can be taken to indicate one who knows the theoretical science or one who has realized the object of the science. The word tattva is used, yei krishna tattva vetta as in the Gita (4.9) verse janma-karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. Commenting on this verse, Prabhupada says that one who knows Krishna in tattva is a perfect devotee: "As far as the perfect devotee is concerned, the siddha, the Gita says that 'After leaving this body he comes to Me.' “(CC Madhya 20.397, purport) He doesn't say that about one who knows the theory. And what level is that? Again minimum the full nistha stage; actually, the level where one attains Bhagavata-tattvavijnana is much higher.(SB 1.2.20, purport) Also, "This is the science of Krishna, this Gita. If anyone knows perfectly, then he becomes the guru." (Lecture 17.8.66). He must know the science of Krishna perfectly. One may still argue that scholarship constitutes perfect understanding, but the Bhagavatam says: "Mere acquisition and excellency of the superficial meaning of the sacred Vedic words without being conscious of the inner essence of the teachings is as good as keeping a cow without milking capacity." (SB 11.11.18) So the second reading of the verse is to be accepted. The first reading is based on apara-vicara, apparent consideration, and the second on absolute consideration. Moreover, Mahaprabhu has specifically spoken this verse because of the smarta brahmanas' predominant influence on society during His advent, to establish the fact that a Vaisnava can be the guru of a brahmana, whatever his caste may be, which was opposed by the smartas, and the fact that he doesn’t have to be a grhasta, whereas they insisted he had to. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's purport on this verse that, "One can thus become a guru, whether vartma-pradarshaka, siksa or diksa." is to be understood in this sense. He ascribes to the word vartma-pradarshaka another meaning than the one commonly ascribed to in our society. For him, there is no question of a guru being anything less than a pure, full-fledged self-realized soul. For him "Sri Gurudeva is the eternal associated counterpart of Nanda-kumara Krishna."

78. Why has ISKCON changed so much since Prabhupada left? Â

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The devotees didn't have an example of a bona fide guru except Prabhupada. He said to do as he did, but that was misunderstood.

Instead of following in his footsteps, they imitated him. Neophyte means big false ego, and although the leaders were the most senior, they were still very immature. False ego prevents one from accepting authority. And therefore one doesn't know how to give compassion towards one's subordinates. Coupled with a sense of insecurity as to how to discharge one's self-imposed duty, it gives rise to absolutism. It becomes imposing respect instead of commanding it. We are in favor of absolute authority, as Krishna is an autocrat. But if the person in charge is not qualified it creates havoc. And we can see the results. Sriman Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada, although certainly taking care of their movement are somewhat withholding Their mercy and blessings. That may sound odd to say since books are going out and temples are being built or opened, but these aren't the only things to look for in order to determine progress. Srila Prabhupada said that when his Guru Maharaja saw that the number of his neophyte disciples augmented and they were fighting over facilities, he left this world disgusted.

During the Acarya's physical presence, the shortcomings are somewhat compensated by his extraordinary potency, but when he withdraws, that influence by which he did also withdraws. As we wrote earlier, when the acarya departs, there's a cloudy period.

During Prabhupada's presence, devotees seemed to be more advanced that they actually were. Devotees couldn't really understand their own position. Prabhupada carried everyone, held everyone up. That could be clearly seen whenever he would be in a particular temple. The whole place would change due to his potency. When Prabhupada left, many lost a lot of their devotional temperament. Many were self-seeking and that was aggravated after he left. He was not there any longer to compensate it and correct them.

79. What about if someone falls down after initiation?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati says that "Initiation doesn't preclude the possibility of reversion to the non-spiritual state. If the disciple sins after initiation, he may fall into greater depths of degradation than the uninitiated. But initiation changes the out Â

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look of the disciple on life. Although even after initiation temporary setbacks may occur, they don't ordinarily prevent the final deliverance. The faintest glimmering of the real knowledge of the Absolute has sufficient power to change radically and good the whole of our mental and physical constitution, and this glimmering is incapable of being totally extinguished except in extraordinarily unfortunate cases."

80. Can we blame someone who hesitates to submit unconditionally to a guru, whether he is good or bad?

Srila Sarasvati Thakura also answers that, "It is of course necessary to be quite sure of the bona fides of a person before we accept him even tentatively as our spiritual guide. A preceptor should be a person who appears likely to possess those qualities that will enable him to improve our spiritual condition. The bad preceptor is a familiar character...

But the good preceptor claims our sincere and complete allegiance. He asks the struggling soul to submit not to the laws of this world that will only rivet his chains but to the higher laws of the spiritual realm. The good disciple makes a complete surrender of himself at the feet of the preceptor. It is by unreserved submission to a good preceptor that one can be helped to enter into the realm that is our real home. But the submission of the disciple is neither irrational nor blind. It is complete on the condition that the preceptor himself continues to be altogether good. The disciple retains his right to renounce his allegiance the moment he realizes that the preceptor is afallible creature like himself.

"Nor does a good preceptor accept anyone as his disciple unless the latter is prepared to submit himself freely.... Submission to the Absolute is not real unless it is also itself absolute. When we reserve the right of choice to follow or not to follow the guru, we actually follow ourselves, because even if we seem to agree to follow the guru, it is because he appears to be in agreement with ourselves."

81. I have heard that the guru should be a nitya-siddha.

That is the topmost category, the ideal guru. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta writes:"The good preceptor belongs to the spiritual realm. Although he appears to belong to this world, he's not really Â

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of this world. No one who belongs to this world can deliver us from wordliness. The good preceptor is a denizen of the spiritual world who has been enabled by the will of God to appear in this world in order to enable us to realize the spiritual existence."

Prabhupada also mentions in a few places that the ideal guru descends from the spiritual world, that he has nothing to do with this world and comes down only out of compassion to reclaim the fallen conditioned souls. But although he stressed that there's no question of a non-liberated guru, he said that he could be a kripasiddha or sadhana-siddha, not only a nitya-siddha.

82. What is guru-daksina?

It is a token of thanks to the spiritual master for his mercy. What the guru wants, you should give, unhesitatingly. And what does he want? That we give up our enjoying mood, that from gurubhogi we become guru-sevi. Actually, preaching is real gurudaksina. The only thing the guru asks from his disciple is that he practices himself and also teaches others. And one shouldn't lose enthusiasm and become discouraged because the majority of people are not accepting the message of Godhead.

In fact, even when it is apparently the disciple who gives something to the guru, it is still the guru's mercy which manifests itself in his instruction that one should preach. The six enemies headed by lust don't desert the heart even if one is externally away from bad association. The type of opportunity to give up the bad association of these six enemies that comes by preaching and practicing in allegiance to a Vaisnava is not to be had by any other method. And by preaching linked with practice, not only one's benefit is achieved, but others are benefitted also, and that pleases the Lord.

83. Does the guru always know what the disciple think?

Srila Prabhupada: "Krishna knows your inner thoughts. Nothing is secret for him. Do you think your guru cannot tell which disciple is cheating and which is not? How do you think you can avoid Paramatma witnessing all your activities and thoughts?" Don’t worry if your guru knows or doesn't know everything about you, your thoughts, your deeds; you are supposed to express them, reveal them. If you cannot see him regularly, send him a regular re Â

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port. Some devotees complain that they don't have much association with their guru, but writing provides the opportunity to deeply meditate on the Gurudeva and one's commitment to him, in addition to receiving direct instructions in answer.

84. What type of question should one ask a guru?

When you approach a sadhu, you should be in a disciple's mood, that's the proper way to approach, not a challenging mood, or a mood to just check out the person. The proper attitude is to think that unless proven to the contrary he is a bona fide devotee. And if he is very elevated, if he is actually a sadhu, then one should behave practically like a disciple. That is the way recommended in sastra. Then one can benefit from sadhu-sanga. Real sadhusanga means to imbibe the mood of a sadhu, to surrender to his teaching in the sense of throwing oneself toward Krishna according to the method of surrender described by the sadhu-guru. You have to ask questions mainly pertaining to the level you're on.

That is called relevant inquiry, pertinent questions. You may ask questions to satisfy your desire to understand things properly, clarify your understanding and confirm it, clear misconceptions and doubts. In fact there is only one question: How can we surrender and give up our mundane attraction? How can we attain the Absolute Good, who alone will make us fully happy?

But only a surrendered disciple has the right to ask questions.

Without surrendering to the guru, Krishna-katha doesn't really enter the ears. One cannot understand nor get Krishna. No one gets direct mercy from Krishna. Only by full surrender in full faith to a worthy spiritual preceptor can one receive mercy. It is undoubtedly Krishna's mercy: the mercy comes from Him. But that mercy is received through the sad-guru. In the form of guru, Krishna bestows His mercy. Guru, sad-guru, not imitation, self-made guru, is Krishna kripa Murti, the very embodiment of Krishna's mercy.

His mercy is very powerful. But one has to be very eager. One has to cry in his heart, begging Krishna to appear as such a sadhu.

One has to approach in the proper way. Then he gets protection from Maya and receives the real benefit of sadhu-sanga, which is Krishna sanga.

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85. What is the proper attitude of a disciple if his "guru" falls down?

To see one's guide going down is undoubtedly a big trial. As mentioned earlier, in the section or the duty of the disciple, one must understand that there is no spiritual injustice. A bad workman quarrels with his tools. One has to accept that one's karma has come to face him, and it cannot be avoided, or one's lack of sukriti. It has come from within oneself. One must do the proper thing, scrutinize oneself and find out one's status, how much one is hankering for the real thing. Then one must cry to Krishna, beg Him to be accepted as His servant, petition Him for mercy, and admit that one is blind and utterly dependent upon Him as one's well-wishing, eternal friend to make all arrangements for one's deliverance. Then Krishna will understand from one's heart that one is crying for Him, that one wants to go back to Him, so He will arrange for one to meet a genuine guru.

Paramatma assumes a body and appears as the guru who is therefore said to be His external manifestation. Different temperaments, natures, moods, levels of sukriti are there, so the allknowing Krishna will send a guru accordingly. A simple, nonduplicitous person who just wants to serve, who accepts what Krishna says without twisting it, without speculation, Krishna appears to him as guru. A duplicitous person, who is not really serious, Krishna sends him a cheater. But someone will say that it is not his fault, that he was sincere and had only noble thoughts and desires, that he has no fault, but Krishna is at fault, ISKCON is at fault. He is not prepared to admit his fault. Krishna doesn't send a guru to the crooked. Maya does. Krishna directs her to send him a cheater. So, one must approach the guru in utter simplicity.

86. What should one do when one’s guru leaves this world?

Srila Prabhupada says that the guru's order should become the life and soul of the disciple. One should pray, "From now on, I am living on your orders. Let this be a true statement at all times."

And one should take that opportunity to examine oneself, like one whose "guru" has fallen down: “My guide and support in life has withdrawn. This is a test of my sincerity, my determination, my commitment. What I have received from my guru, how well did I receive it and understand it? Am I a real disciple or by name on Â

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only? How much mundane contamination is there, mixed with the real thing? How much selfishness is there in me? How much do anarthas still plague me? What is to be eliminated, and what will be the best way to go about it?�

When asked by a devotee how should the disciples continue the mission after the disappearance of the spiritual master, Srila Sridhara Maharaja answered,"You must not neglect your conscience...There may be disturbances. Rather we say there should be, there may even be fighting amongst devotees, but we should not leave the preaching of Mahaprabhu, despite all differences.

Disturbance must come, because our most beloved guru has withdrawn from amongst us. Such a great curse has been thrown on our heads; should we like to live peacefully? In its wake, disturbances must come, and we must undergo them. Still, we must remain sincere; we must face the difficulty in a proper way. It has come to train us to go in the right direction.What we received from our spiritual master, we understood only in a rough estimation... The time has come to purify us, to test whether we are real students, real disciples, or his disciples only in face and confession. What is the position of a real disciple? If we live in the society, what is the depth of our creed? In what attitude have we accepted his teachings? How deep-rooted is it within us? The fire has come to test whether we can stand. Is our acceptance real? Or is it a sham, an imitation? This fire will prove that." And then one must not think that he can do it alone. Prabhupada said that when the guru leaves, the disciple cries. He must cry for help. And Krishna will supply help, in one form or another. Help will come as a person 87. What prevents one from full surrender to the guru's feet?

Past sukriti enables one to surrender more fully; otherwise it takes longer, it's more gradual. But the sadhu creates sukriti.

Prabhupada said he had created his disciples' good fortune or piety. By hearing from a sadhu, you earn sukriti, even if you didn't have much previously. Hearing, sravanam, is service. Then you can surrender more, then you develop more faith, then more surrender, doubts are eradicated. One doesn't surrender because one clings to material attachments, which are deeply rooted in the Â

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heart. Material desires keep one from fully surrendering. That's duplicity, the deep-rooted desire to enjoy separately from Krishna. That means one's faith is still tender, komala sraddha, not very strong. So keep on hearing the most potent medicine of Harikatha from the right source.

You have to understand and accept that Sri Guru is very dear to Krishna. Everything belongs to Krishna and Krishna's property is entrusted to His dear servants as they alone know how to fully engage it in their master's service without tampering with it.

Without realizing that, it is not possible to surrender. You cannot become Krishna-das without becoming guru-das, and you cannot become real guru-das if you don't see and accept that everything should be offered to him for utilization in Krishna-seva.

88. Some say that it is not important whether the guru has seen or is seeing Krishna.

The Gita doesn't say that: Tattva darshinah, he has seen the Truth, Krishna. The sastra explains that the pure devotee sees Krishna everywhere, wherever he casts his glance. The Brahmasamhita's Premanjana curita verse says the same. And Prabhupada answered very directly to that question: "Have you seen Krishna?" �Yes, daily, at every moment." (Perfect questions, perfect answers).

89. What about the Gaudiya Matha?

Let us be careful of offenses, both towards Prabhupada and towards the Gaudiya Matha devotees. Srila Prabhupada wrote: "After Srila Bhaktisiddhanta disappeared, one party strictly followed his instructions but another group created their own concoction.

His leading secretaries made plans to occupy the post of Acarya and split in two factions. Both factions became useless." (CC Adi 12.8, purport) Srila Prabhupada clearly says here that one party strictly followed, and that another group, which split in two, became useless. He doesn't say they were all useless. So one can research who was in which group...

90. Srila Prabhupada mentioned that Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja and two others were responsible, as leading secretaries, for the downfall of the Gaudiya Matha. Â

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Srila Prabhupada said different things at different times. He spoke both words of caution and words of praise. So it would be advisable not to needlessly strain our brains trying to understand and interpret what Srila Prabhupada or, for that matter, Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja, might or might not have said or meant, but rather concentrate on the practice of the devotional path they both glorified.

We can't blame devotees who took shelter at Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s feet when their own brothers denied them one in their father's house. He himself never canvassed from ISKCON members. He spoke of "relief work", meaning by this that he didn't want to interfere in our inner affairs but would only offer some help to those who were leaving ISKCON hopelessly and were in danger of falling back into the material world.

91. Some say it was alright to take some philosophical knowledge, but it was a lack of chastity to leave ISKCON and go to his camp.

It was alright to go to Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja for philosophical advice, as Srila Prabhupada had indicated that one could approach him with such queries. In any case, the situation was created by the leaders. And when the leaders rejected Maharaja for political considerations, some devotees who had got attached to him chose to stay with him, having lost faith in the leaders.

92. Srila Sridhara Maharaja's followers want to dismiss anything negative Srila Prabhupada may have said about him.

And his detractors want to dismiss anything positive. As his godbrother, Srila Prabhupada could speak, but given our position as nephews or grand-nephews, we shouldn't take sides and thereby venture on the path of offense. We should keep always the perspective that one must give proper respect to advanced devotees.

Part of Vaisnava etiquette is to offer the same respect to the Godbrother of one's guru as one offers to one's own guru.

93. But didn't Srila Prabhupada warn against the Gaudiya Math's influence? Â

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Whatever Srila Prabhupada spoke about the Gaudiya Math was said more than thirty years ago, and it had a lot to do with events happening more than half of a century ago. His last statements were of a conciliatory nature, "The war is over." He even named some of his God-brothers, that he had strongly addressed in no uncertain terms, as members of the Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust.

He apologized in his last days for having used strong words against some of his Godbrothers to keep his own disciples in the fire of preaching and not let complacency and easy-going enter his mission. We shouldn't think that our uncles, cousins or nephews have stagnated for decades. Prabhupada's concern was mainly for his very young disciples when he said "If they say one thing different from me it will cause great confusion." It is true that he also said, "Don't go to my Godbrothers, they cannot help us, rather they are quite competent to harm us." but that should also be qualified and not taken as a blanket statement against associating with ALL of the Gaudiya Math. It was his reaction to isolated acts of disrespect from some Godbrothers who opposed him, or had reinitiated some of his disciples, or couldn't understand why he had accepted the title "Prabhupada" that all the sannyasis had agreed in a meeting (to which Prabhupada wasn't invited as he was then a householder), never to use themselves and keep reserved for Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. He repeatedly tried to reunite his Godbrothers to strengthen the preaching.

94. What about the Iskcon gurus who went to Srila BV Narayana Maharaja in the late eighties and until ninety five?

By going to him while Srila Gour Govinda Swami was still on the planet, the ISKCON gurus who went sent two messages: One is that they didn't really know Krishna-tattva. The second is that they believed no one in ISKCON did. Other ISKCON members could then reason, "Why should I take from someone who doesn't really know? Let me go to someone who knows. And since they go to this sadhu, he obviously knows more than them. Yei krsnatattva vetta sei guru haya (CC, Madhya, 8.128), one who knows the science of Krishna can be a guru. And if he doesn't know, how can he be a guru? Why should I take from him?"

When asked about this point, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja answered by saying that there were two considerations: He said that Â

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from the institutional point of view it was not so good, because you need discipline to run a society; but that from the transcendental point of view there was no problem as Maharaja is a mahabhagavata.

95 Some of these ISKCON devotees apparently approached Srila BV Narayana Maharaja as a raganuga-guru or rasaguru?

It is not at all what these devotees said. They said they were studying sastra under him. Anyway, Srila BV Narayana Maharaja is highly qualified to be a bona fide teacher of raganuga-bhakti and if those devotees had been at a sufficient level of advancement to take instruction on that domain from him, (and since they were gurus they were supposed to be), one can ask where was the problem? The fact that they were flagged down by the GBC is in itself an admission by the GBC that they were not qualified.

By the way, if they went to Srila Maharaja and he was not bona fide, it means that they could not discriminate who is who and are therefore not qualified as spiritual guides. And since he is bona fide and they rejected him, it says the same. Catch 22!

96. Others say they only took siksa from Srila BV Narayana Maharaja.

The principle of taking siksa is completely bona fide. Srila Prabhupada specifically asked Srila BV Narayana Maharaja just prior to leaving this world to help him by continue training his disciples. The GBC later on concocted the idea that Srila Prabhupada did say that at that time, but if it was now he wouldn't say it!? They have tried lately to minimize their transcendental relationship in a very unpalatable and offensive way...

Srila Maharaja doesn't disagree with Prabhupada on anything.

He just has a different style and mood. Srila Prabhupada said many things to protect his mission from some Godbrothers or nephews who were envious, and also from disciples who were immature, unchaste, unsurrendered, and lacking a sense of discrimination. Given the fact that he had precisely warned not to take certain ideas from the Gaudiya Math and that these were pre Â

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cisely the ideas that were taken, one can understand why he had repeatedly issued warnings about his Godbrothers. General statements always make room for exceptions, though, and again, we should be extremely careful not to commit Vaisnava-aparadha.

97 In the quest for spiritual truth, one may join a religious mission to advance towards the ultimate goal of life. After some time, however, sectarian policies may appear to bar the path of progress. He may see that within the society, pragmatic concerns take precedence over spiritual ideals. If one feels the necessity to look elsewhere, his authorities may tell him that there are no higher truths to be found. One may also be warned that if he leaves the society, he will suffer serious repercussions. He may become an outcast, branded as a heretic for pursuing what he sincerely feels to be the ideal upon which the society was founded. Should he risk leaving the society, ignoring the advice of his immediate authorities, or should he try to remain within the society?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: “Progress means elimination and new acceptance. So, when there is a clash between the relative and the absolute standpoint, the relative must be left aside, and the absolute should be accepted...We must be sincere to our own creed...The form is necessary to help me in a general way to maintain my present position. At the same time, my conception of the higher ideal will always goad me to advance, to go forward...Spiritual life is progressive, not stagnant...The search for Sri Krsna is dynamic and living, so adjustment and readjustment is always going on...Our most precious gem is our ideal...Krsna's final instruction is sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: 'If it is necessary, to maintain the highest ideal you must give up your friends. Surrender to me! I am the real purport of the scriptures.'

The highest kind of idealists give up their country, their family, their friends, and everything else, but they can't give up their ideal...God consciousness is absolute. If society consciousness hinders the development of God consciousness, it should be left behind... 'Even a spiritual master, relative, parent, husband, or demigod who cannot save us from the repetition of birth and death should be abandoned at once.' What to speak of ordinary Â

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things, even the guru may have to be abandoned...We need society only to help us. If our affinity to the society keeps us down, then that should be given up, and we must march on. There is the absolute consideration and the relative consideration. When they come into clash, the relative must be given up, and the absolute should be accepted. If my inner voice, my spiritual conscience decides that this sort of company cannot really help me, then I will be under painful necessity to give them up, and to run towards my destination, wherever my spiritual conscience guides me. Any other course will be hypocrisy, and it will check my real progress...We must be true to our own selves, and true to the Supreme Lord. We must be sincere.� (Sri Guru and his grace) 98 Should one venture to initiate before self-realization?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja deals also with this point:"We should think,'I am fallible, but I am confident that what my guru has given to me is an uncommon, vital, and nectarine thing. And he has asked me to give it to others. It does not matter. I shall take the risk. He has ordered me. I am his servant. He will look after me.' With this spirit of risk, the disciple will approach the responsibility thinking, 'I may go to hell, but I must carry out the order of my gurudeva. I may die, but I must carry out the order of my commander.’ With this spirit he is to approach the task, and there will be no danger if this consciousness is maintained; but if he deviates from that connection and goes self-seeking for a mundane purpose, he'll be doomed.

Otherwise, no destruction can touch him. This internal spirit should be maintained, and that is the real qualification of a disciple: 'Yes, I am ready to die to carry out the order of my gurudeva.

I feel that this is nectar, and I must distribute it to others to save them...' If you can take this sort of risk, your guru will bless you, and you cannot be doomed. This sort of risk should be taken by the disciple and only on the force, on the basis of that spiritual inspiration. If he does so, he can never be doomed. The eye of the Lord is there. God is there. Guru is there. He cannot but be saved.They cannot leave him in danger and relish thinking, 'The person who is carrying out our orders is going to hell.' Can they tolerate such a thing? Are our guardians living or are they dead?

We must be so much selfless that we can think, 'I may go to hell, Â

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but I must carry out my guru's order. So, through me, the work may go on.' This sort of conviction in the process, in the mantra, gives us the strength to carry out the work of acarya. If I think, 'This medicine is helping me; I am in the curing process, and this medicine is helping me,' then, if I see a similar case, I may hand the medicine over to him...In good faith, with whatever knowledge we have, we must sincerely help others...

But we must be careful that whenever a guru of superior quality is there, we must help others to accept him.We must not be a trespasser. It is also mentioned in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa that when a greater person is available, those of a lower type should not venture to make disciples. Suppose a farmer has fertile land and two kinds of seed. The good seed should be planted first. If the better seed is not available, then ordinary seeds may be sown. For the sake of the harvest, the better seed should be given the first chance. If we are detached, if we are pure in heart, and if we are selfless, the better seed should always be sown first. The lower kind of seed should be withdrawn. So, when a higher type of guru is available to any circle, the lower type of guru should not interfere."

99 What are the dangers in becoming a guru before being self-realized?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja says that one faces two dangers:"The first is partiality. Partiality means full freedom with his disciples.

This relationship is also more attractive to him. The second danger is deviation. So, deviation and partiality - these two things can take one down. These are the two enemies. And one who takes that position must be particularly careful about these things...This position is dangerous. It is full of temptations. Therefore, a strong, sincere indomitable desire for the upper aspirations of Krsna consciousness is the indispensable necessity. Otherwise, he can't maintain his position. He will go down. He has become master and will think, ‘I am the master of all I survey.’ In a particular circle, he is monarch. And monarchy can bring madness. That is a great temptation. If one is not sufficiently conscious of this fact, he will not be able to maintain his position. For one who has monarchy over men and money, it is very difficult to maintain a Â

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position as a servitor. The ego of mastership which is generally found within all of us comes to attack him...

Generally the symptoms of deviation fall into three different classes: kanaka, kamini, and pratistha: money, women, and reputation. First, a guru loses his attraction for his own guru and sastra-upadesa, the advice of the sastra. Then, what he previously expressed, quoting the scriptures and the words of his own guru, gradually becomes absent in him. His attraction for the higher thing fades. That is pratistha, prestige. Kanaka, kamini, pratistha: money, women, and name and fame - these are the three tests to be put everywhere to see whether one is a sadhu or not, or what degree of sadhu he is. The first thing is deviation from his higher gurus. That should be detected. That is pratistha, pride. Then, he will show more tendency to amass money and not to spend it.

Money may be collected, but that must be distributed for the service of the sampradaya, for the service of the Vaisnavas. But amassing money - this is the second sign of deviation. The third is attraction towards the ladies."

100. If one has received harinama from one guru and diksa from another one, how should he deal with these two gurus?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: "The first importance should be given to the nama guru, or the guru who initiates one into the chanting of the holy name of Krsna, and second to the guru who gives initiation into the gayatri mantra...Jiva Goswami has written that the name of Krsna is the principle thing in the gayatri mantra...We accept the mantra only to help the nama-bhajana, the worship of the holy name...The mantra helps us to do away with the aparadhas, offenses, and the abhasa, or hazy conceptions in our bhajana...An example is given of larger and smaller circles. The holy name of Krsna is the larger circle. It extends from the highest to the lowest. The mantra circle is a smaller circle within the larger circle. The mantra cannot reach to the lowest point. The holy name can extend itself down to the lowest position. The mantra gives us entrance into liberation, and then the name carries us further. This is the nature of our connection with the mantra and the name. The name extends to the lowest position, to the candalas and yavanas... In the CC (Adi.7.73): Â

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'The Krsna gayatri mantra liberates one from repeated birth and death in this world; the holy name of Krsna gives one shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna.' “ APPENDIX 1: THE QUALITIES OF A SAD-GURU Sad-guru, which is what Srila Prabhupada translated as "bona fide spiritual master", means one on the platform of eternity, sat, and therefore it means self-realized. All preachers are gurus, as they deliver the Lord's message under the guidance of the Acaryas. But to deliver another conditioned soul is not possible for a conditioned soul: "Actually a bona fide spiritual master is never a conditioned soul." (Letter 6.10.69.) I have compiled a few more quotes for clarification: He must be self-realized: "Unless one is under the shelter of a self-realized guru, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness." (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, p.201) "The qualification of the guru is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures." (SB 11.3.21, purport) "To become Krishna conscious one must take shelter of a realized soul... a self-realized spiritual master, a niskincana." (SB 7.5.32, purport) "A serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master who is not only well versed in the Vedic literature but is also a great devotee with factual realization of the Lord." (SB 2.4.10, purport) "One must approach a self-realized Krishna conscious person and touch his feet." (SB 4.26.20, purport) "Unless one is self-realized and knows what his relationship is with the Supersoul, he cannot become a bona fide spiritual master." (SB 3.28.2, purport) “The word 'tattva-darshi refers to one has perfectly realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 5.15.4, purport) He must be a pure devotee: "No one can get out of this struggle for existence without accepting a pure devotee of the Lord." (SB 5.14.1, purport)

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"This confidential knowledge is extremely difficult to understand, yet it's very easy if one takes shelter of a pure devotee."

(SB 7.6.27, purport) "One cannot be in a transcendental position unless one serves very faithfully a pure Vaisnava." (CC Antya 7.53, purport) "One's guide must be a spiritual master who is an unalloyed devotee strictly following the instructions of the previous acarya."

(CC Madhya 10.17, purport) "One has to hear from a pure devotee." (SB 4 20.25, purport) "If one desires liberation from the clutches of maya, one must associate with a pure devotee mahatma." (SB 5.5.2) "Unless one is properly trained by a mahatma or unalloyed devotee of the Lord, there is no possibility of one's understanding Krishna and His devotional service." (SB 7.5.30, purport) He must be liberated: “The specific qualification for becoming the representative of the Lord is to be unaffected by the modes of nature.... Since a brahmana is in the mode of goodness, to be a brahmana is not sufficient for becoming a representative of the Lord." (SB 3.4.31, purport) "In the clutches of maya no one can be an authoritative instructor." (Gita 2.13, purport) “The bona fide guru is freed from all material contamination."

(SB 5.14.13, purport) He must be as good as Krishna: "Help can only be given by a spiritual master like Krishna."

(Gita 2.8, purport) "He is on the level of Krishna.... Krishna is worshipable God and the spiritual master is worshiper God." (Letter 9.26 69) He must be Krishna's confidential associate: "He is always considered either one of the associates of Radharani, or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu."

(CC Adi 1.46, purport) "When- a devotee is fully surrendered at the lotus feet of Krishna, Krishna accepts him as one of His confidential associates." (CC Madhya 22.102)

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"A bona fide guru is a most faithful and confidential servant of the Lord." (CC Adi 1.44, purport) He sees Krishna: "In the suddha-sattva or vasudeva state, the Lord is revealed without any covering.... Krishna is revealed in the heart of a devotee.... In pure Krishna Consciousness, the Lord is revealed....

When the senses are purified by the discharge of pure devotional service, the pure senses can see Krishna without covering.... By the bhakti-yoga process, one can clearly see the face of the Lord."

(SB 4.3.23, purport) "In the suddha sattva state one can always see Krishna eye to eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord".(SB 1.2.19, purport) “The spiritual master has actually seen Krishna, therefore he can explain Him properly." (SB 5.12.11, purport) He must be a paramahamsa: (SB 5.5.10, purport) He must be a maha-bhagavata; “There are three classes of devotees... the first class devotee is also called a maha-bhagavata... only he is eligible to occupy the post of guru." (CC Madhya 24.330, purport) "Uttama-adhikari delivers others from material existence." (CC Madhya 22.65) More symptoms of an uttama adhikari are given in the Bhagavatam 1 12.17; 1.18 16; 4.22.16; 7.4.37; 11.2 45-55; Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 8.273; 16.74; 17.32; 24.330, Upadesamrita 5; Perfect Questions Perfect Answers p 55; Isopanisad 6; Madhurya Kadambini.

He must be a resident of Krishnaloka: (Letter 6 10.69) APPENDIX 2: ANARTHAS In the Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila 19.158-159, we read:

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"Sometimes unwanted creepers, such as the creepers of desires for material enjoyment and liberation from the material world, grow along with the creeper of devotional service. The varieties of such unwanted creepers are unlimited." (158) "Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creepers are the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection, nisiddhacara, diplomatic behavior, kutinati, unnecessarily killing animals or the soul, jiva-himsana, profiteering according to material calculations, labha, mundane adoration, puja, and mundane importance, pratistha. All these are unwanted creepers." (159) "Nisiddhacara: There's a certain pattern of behavior prescribed for those actually trying to become perfect. In our Krishna consciousness movement we advise our students not to eat meat, not to gamble, not to engage in illicit sex and not to indulge in intoxication. People who indulge in these activities can never become perfect.

"Kutinati: Diplomatic behavior cannot satisfy the soul. It cannot even satisfy the body or the mind. The culprit mind is always suspicious; therefore our dealings should always be straightforward and approved by Vedic authorities. If we treat people diplomatically or duplicitously, our spiritual advancement is obstructed.

"Jiva-himsana refers to the killing of animals or to envy of other living entities. The killing of poor animals is undoubtedly due to envy of those animals. There are many religious propagandists who do not know how the ultimate problems of life can be solved, and they also try to educate people in a form of sense gratification. This is also jiva-himsana. Real knowledge is not given, and religionists mislead the general populace.

"Labha: As far as material profits are concerned, one should know that whatever material profit one has must be abandoned at the time of death. Ignoring that there is life after death, mundane people waste their time amassing material profit which has to be left behind.

"Puja: Similarly, adoration by mundane people is valueless because after death one has to accept another material body. Material adoration and title are decorations that cannot be carried over to the next body. In the next life, everything is forgotten. Â

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"All these obstructions have been described as unwanted creepers. They simply present obstacles for the real creeper, bhakti-lata One should be very careful to avoid all these unwanted things.

Sometimes these unwanted creepers look exactly like the bhaktilata creeper. They appear to be of the same size and the same species when they are packed together with the bhakti-lata creeper, but in spite of this, these creepers are called upasakha" (CC, Madhya 19.159, purport) "If one doesn't distinguish between the bhakti-lata creeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of water is misused because the other creepers are nourished while the bhakti-lata creeper is curtailed." (CC, Madhya 19.160) "If one chants the Hare Krishna mantra while committing offenses, these unwanted creepers will grow. One shouldn't take advantage of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra for some material profit. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura states that if one hears and chants without trying to give up offenses, one becomes materially attached to sense gratification. One may also desire freedom from material bondage like the mayavadis, or one may become attached to the yoga-siddhis. One may also be victimized by diplomatic or crooked behavior, or one may associate with women for illicit sex. Others may make a show of devotional service like the sahajiyas, or one may try to support his philosophy by joining some caste or identifying himself with a certain dynasty, claiming a monopoly on spiritual advancement. Thus, with the support of family tradition, one may become a pseudoguru or so-called spiritual master. One may become attached to the four sinful activities. One may also try to carry out a professional business while chanting the Hare Krishna mantra or reading Srimad Bhagavatam, or one may try to increase his monetary strenght by illegal means. One may also try to be a cheap Vaisnava by chanting in a secluded place for material adoration, or one may desire mundane reputation by making compromises with nondevotees, compromising one's philosophy or spiritual life, or one may become a supporter of a hereditary caste system. All these are pitfalls of personal sense gratification. Just to cheat some innocent people, one makes a show of advanced spiritual life and becomes known as a sadhu, mahatma or religious person.

All this means that the so-called devotee has become victimized Â

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by all these unwanted creepers and that the real bhakti-lata-bija has been stunted." (CC, Madhya 19.160, purport) "As soon as an intelligent devotee sees an unwanted creeper growing beside the original creeper, he must cut it down instantly.

Then the real creeper of bhakti-lata-bija grows nicely, returns home, back to Godhead, and seeks shelter under the lotus feet of Krishna." (CC, Madhya 19.161) "If one is misled by unwanted creepers and is victimized, he cannot make progress back to Godhead. Rather, he remains within the material world and engages in activities having nothing to do with pure devotional service. Such a person may be elevated to the higher planetary systems, but because he remains within the material world, he is subject to the threefold material miseries."

(CC, Madhya 19.161, purport) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura also explains that the desire for fruitive activities is so strong that one sometimes thinks of conducting business for improving devotional activities. However, the contamination is so strong that it may later degenerate into accepting things forbidden in sastra, diplomatic behavior, stopping the preaching, desire to be recognized as a great devotee, etc. In addition to these, a neophyte devotee risks to become victimized by desires for money and women and his heart will become gradually harder and harder like that of a materialist, or like an alkaline field where nothing can grow.

The cleaning of the Gundica temple is referred to as cleaning the heart from anarthas.

Anyabhilasa, extraneous desires in the form that "as long as in this world I'll merely gratify my senses" are like thorn, pieces of thorny grass piercing the soul's tender inclination toward exclusive devotion.

Endeavors for karma, in the form of sacrifice, austerity, charity, with the desire for heavenly enjoyment or enjoyment in this world, are like dust covering the mirror of the heart with heaps of dust in the form of many desires.

Efforts for the yoga of monism, and jnana-yoga are just like gravel.

When the heart of a sadhaka is completely cleansed of all these, whereas it was like a sun-scorched desert, it becomes devoid of Â

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the heat, of the scorching effect of the three-fold miseries born from material desires.

He whose anarthas have only been slightly destroyed will have punishment prescribed for him in the form of service to Sri HariGuru-Vaisnava.

Krishna has two kinds of lila, pastimes, eternal and occasional.

The lilas of killing demons in Krishna-lila belongs to the category of occasional lila. They are a source of instruction for the sadhakas, and represent the destruction of the anarthas, each lila corresponding to a particular anartha. In the Sri Caitanya Siksamrita of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, we find the list of twenty lilas, among which are the following: The killing of Putana: Putana represents a deceitful guru; The breaking of the cart, Sakatasura, which represents load bearing or attachment to the four principles of dharma, artha, kama and moksa, vanity, and lethargy; The killing of Trinavarta, vain glory from learning resulting in false logic and argumentation; The breaking the Arjuna trees, representing pride and arrogance of aristocratic birth and wealth, giving rise to hatred, debauchery, shamelessness. The killing of Bakasura, hypocrisy, false behavior; The killing of Aghasura, which is removal of sinful mind given to violence and giving troubles to others; The subduing of Kaliya, who represents vanity, malice, crookedness and unkindness; The killing of Pralambha, licentiousness, personal gain, worship and honor; The killing of Sankhacuda, greed for name and fame and morbid desire for the company of females; The killing of Keshi, which represents the vanity of being a great devotee and preceptor, and the pride of richness and worldly attainment; The killing of Vyomasura represents leaving the company of deceitful devotees, etc.

All these obstacles are adverse to pure devotional service. The aspirant devotee in the very beginning should pray to the Lord to drive out these evils. If he does, his heart will be purified. If he cries out most humbly and piteously to Krishna, begging Him to drive out the trouble represented by those asuras whom He had destroyed from the domain of his heart, the Lord Hari Himself will remove those evils.

But it is said that the mystery of Vraja-bhajan is that the devotee will have to drive out himself, with his own efforts, the troubles Â

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of those asuras whom Lord Balarama has killed. Dhenukasura is the evil of load-carrying, prejudice and superstition. This demon represents loss of knowledge of the svarupa of self, of the svarupa of Nama, of the relationship with the svarupa of the adorable Deity, ignorance and avidya. With the greatest care and endeavor the aspirant will have to remove this evil and restore his selfknowledge. Pralambhasura is the evil of licentiousness, lewdness for male or female, greed for wealth, effort for acquiring material prosperity and gain, desire for honor, for increasing one's fame and reputation, and aspiration for selfish ends. These are very pernicious evils and knowing these as strong impediments for Nama-bhajan, the aspirant, with his best care and effort, will remove them. If humility becomes very deep and intense, Krishna will be merciful. In that case, feeling of Baladeva will arise in the devotee's mind and then these obstacles will be destroyed in no time. Then favorable and smooth cultivation of Bhajan will gradually improve. This process is naturally very secret and should be learned from a good preceptor with a clear mind."

In Madhurya Kadambini the whole third chapter deals with anrtha-nivritti, the mitigation of inauspicious elements. The following is an extract from it: "There are four types of anarthas according to their origin: 1) Arising from past sins (duskrtottha): They fall in the category of the five types of klesa, miseries: ignorance, false ego, attachment (the desire to obtain material happiness and to decrease suffering), hatred (aversion to unhappiness or the causes of unhappiness) and fear of death.

2) Arising from previous pious works (sukrtottha): They are the desire for the enjoyments that arise from pious action and the desire for liberation. Some sages also include them within the five types of miseries.

3) Arising from offenses (aparadhotta). This refers to those due to namaparadhas, but not to seva-aparadhas, which are usually ineffective being nullified by chanting the Holy Name, by recitation of stotras and by constant service. If nama-aparadhas, longstanding or recent, have been made unconsciously, but their presence is inferred by the effect, lack of advancement, one should chant the Holy Name constantly. By that chanting, one can attain steadiness in bhakti and thus gradually neutralize his aparadhas. If Â

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committed in full knowledge, however, there are some other procedures for their removal, according to the particular aparadha.

4) Arising from bhakti (bhaktyuttha). These are the unwanted creepers mentioned above.

Anarthas have also been divided into four other categories as follows: Tattva-bhrama: Misconceptions about the Lord, maya, jiva, sadhana. Hridaya daurbalyam: Weakness of heart.

Asat-trsna: Thirst for material enjoyment. Desire for happiness in this life, in heaven, desire for mystic siddhis, desire for liberation. Aparadhas: Namaparadhas, seva-aparadhas, dhamaaparadhas, vaisnava-aparadhas.

Anartha-nivritti According to Madhurya Kadambini, the different categories of anarthas have five different grades of nullification: limited or partial, pervasive, almost complete, complete, and absolute, according to the level of spiritual progress.

The nullification of anarthas arising from past sins is almost complete at bhajana-kriya, complete at nistha, and absolute at asakti.

The nullification of anarthas arising from bhakti is partial at bhajana kriya, complete at nistha, absolute at ruci.

The nullification of anarthas arising from aparadhas is partial at bhajana kriya, pervasive at nistha, almost complete at bhava, complete at prema, absolute with no possibility of their reappearance when one attains the Lord's association.

The Holy Name has an inestimable power of eradication of anarthas, but, being unhappy with offenses made against it (Him), the Holy Name doesn't manifest its (His) full power in the offender. This is indeed the reason sinful tendencies continue in the offender. The case of the offender losing the mercy of the name is similar to a subordinate who is offensive to his vastly wealthy and capable master. The master treats him indifferently and denies him proper care. As a result, that servant comes to suffer poverty and distresses of all sorts. In the same way, the offending devotee at first suffers some miseries. As he does again sincere service to the devotees, sastras and guru, the name gradually manifests mercy and eliminates his evil tendencies. As a fruit-tree bears Â

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fruit only in the proper season, the Holy Name, though pleased with one who has become offenseless, reveals its (His) mercy to him only in due time.

PART TWO SRILA BV NARAYANA MAHARAJA PRESENTATION OF GURU-­‐ TATTVA Purpose Generally, after the physical departure of a great acarya, there may be a cloudy period, in which the branch of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission he headed may go through some difficulties.

The purpose of this section is manifold: 1) To clear the doubts felt by many that Srila Narayana Maharaja (referred to as Srila Gurudeva) had changed drastically his teachings on Guru-tattva in the recent years, and that he has authorized any of his sannyasis to initiate his own disciples whatever his level of spiritual advancement 2) To establish that: a) Srila Gurudeva has actually all along said: - that while an uttama-adhikari is undoubtedly the ideal guru, due to the rarity of such top level gurus, qualified madhyamas are acceptable, - that they are very much needed, - that a madhyama-uttama is the second best choice after an uttama, - that if not available, then a madhyama-madhyama is acceptable, - that if not available, then exceptionally even one on the level just prior to that can be accepted, so it is not a new teaching of his, nor a deviation from his teachings, b) and on the other hand that, - he doesn't condone kanisthas to initiate, even if they're sannyasis, - he has unambiguously stated the limitations of madhyama gurus,

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even if they're qualified, - while authorizing them to initiate even if they're not top-level madhyamas, - while repeatedly presenting the solution consisting in approaching higher siksa-gurus later to complete the diksa process begun by these madhyamas. c) and that he repeatedly expressed his desire that his qualified sannyasis would start initiating their own disciples, and urged them to do so in spite of their reluctance.

1) To thus reassure the doubtful that, while it may seem so, this sanga is not going at all the ISKCON way about guruship.

(Before comparing his sanga and ISKCON, it may be noted that: Even if its sannyasis are not all advanced madhyamas, they nonetheless have had for decades the direct opportunity of toplevel sadhusanga, personal guidance and hari-katha from Srila Gurudeva, and some from various saints, that their Godbrothers and nephews never ever had directly since 1977.

They have been drilled on guru-tattva and the need for highclass association and the limitations of even madhyama gurus and the subsequent need for top-level siksa to complete the diksa process.

Also, that his sanga is not plagued by a dubious guru policy allowing even unqualified devotees to initiate, based on the rittvik-like misconception that the guru, even if not qualified, can nonetheless give everything his disciples are supposed to receive from a sad-guru, because he is connected to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada gives them everything through him, and therefore these disciples don't need to approach a qualified siksaguru to get what they didn't get, as they already are getting everything; nor the subsequent unfortunate legislated idea that neither gurus nor disciples are allowed to receive such much needed higher guidance from anyone outside the walls of the institution.

This being said, the value of the great preaching efforts of our brothers/uncles and nephews/cousins in ISKCON cannot be underestimated nor minimized. Â

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2) To give everyone in the sanga faith that the aftermath of Gurudeva physically leaving doesn't have to be chaotic as is often the case after the departure of such an elevated spiritual master, that he is still guiding, empowering and blessing us all.

3) To provide a systematic body of knowledge on the 3 adhikaras to help recognizing them, - for the newcomers in order to make a proper choice of a qualified guru (all the while praying and depending on Krishna for providing them a qualified guru suitable to their needs, and confirming their choice) - for the general body of devotees, - for preachers.

4) To hopefully clear misconceptions about Srila Gurudeva's teachings on Guru-tattva. For instance, to show that to initiate as a kanistha is not recommended by Srila Gurudeva, but that it is his desire, and he has duly authorized, that qualified madhyamas can/should be gurus, that it is not a deviation but legitimate, while he and we acknowledge their limitations.

7) To stress the need for qualified guidance (ideally minimum madhyama-madhyama diksa-gurus), and further guidance from higher siksa-gurus.

8) To hopefully clarify and reconcile some apparently ambiguous or controversial statements of Srila Gurudeva, such as, -­‐«they should do, who are qualified», - «madhyama-madhyama», -«they can all do it», showing that he didn't make blanket statements endorsing all sannyasis to initiate whatever their level is, and that these statements are not divorced from his other instructions as to what means to be a qualified madhyama guru.

9)To offer some practical guidelines like, How to choose a guru? How does a disciple see his guru? How can the disciples of one guru and the Godbrothers of that guru or other devotees, who may have a very different vision of that guru,

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interact harmoniously?

Introduction Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada consistently preached that a sad-guru is a pure devotee, a self-realized, liberated soul, an uttama-adhikari, a maha-bhagavata. However, in order to continue his mission, he hinted that his disciples could act as gurus even if they had not achieved this standard level, if they became qualified madhyama-adhikaris.

"Yes, I shall say who is guru, 'Now you become acarya. You become authorized.' I am waiting for that. You become, all, acarya. But the training must be complete. The process of purification must be there. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants that.

Amara ajnaya guru hana. You become guru. But be qualified.

Little thing. Strict follower. Not rubber stamp. Then you'll not be effective.” (Bombay 04.77) Srila Prabhupada mentioned the limitations of the guidance of both madhyamas and kanisthas and, given these limitations, he advised one not to settle for less than the best: «A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform [ a kanistha cannot initiate a madhyama] and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master». (Nectar of Instruction, ch5 end of purport) Srila Gurudeva, as a perfect follower of Srila Prabhupada, did exactly the same.

It is appropriate to emphasize the superiority and ultimate necessity of a maha-bhagavata guru. That doesn’t mean that there is no place or validity for qualified madhyama-adhikari gurus, who are empowered by Krishna and their gurus. They are not mutually exclusive but complementary figures.

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The role of madhyama-adhikari gurus is very important in the deliverance of the jivas. This function of the madhyama-adhikari guru cannot be minimized,but rather, it should be greatly appreciated.

Srila Gurudeva did not change philosophy on guru-tattva. In the last few years, when he started to express his desire that his qualified madhyama-adhikari sannyasis should start to initiate their own disciples, he only clarified the limitations of the power of a madhyama-adhikari guru much more than he did earlier.

That being said, madhyama-adhikari gurus, like any empowered preacher, don't just give exactly what they personally have, but are also a medium of mercy of their gurus coming through them.

CH 1 LET SRILA GURUDEVA SPEAK FOR HIMSELF What did Srila Gurudeva say in earlier publications?

We can read in his purport to verse 1 of Manah siksa, “The topmost bhagavata devotee who completely destroys all anarthas and bestows sambandha-­‐jnana or transcendental knowledge of one's relationship with Krishna is known as the dik-­‐ sa-­‐guru...The guru should be a maha-­‐bhagavata, otherwise the disciple will lose faith. Sraddha comes from the heart; it is not a thing of the imagination».

And in Pinnacle of devotion, “A guru who is not realized in sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti, and prema-bhakti cannot give bhakti, although he may appear to do the work of a guru. This is supported by all sastras, including Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Upanisads, and by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Krishna Himself”. (p 3) “Unless he is perfect in his own realization of krsna-prema, he cannot give it.” (p7) “Sri Guru also destroys all our sinful reactions: divyam jnanam yato dadyat kuryat papasya sanksayam...By diksa one gradually becomes disinterested in material enjoyment and gradually

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becomes interested in spiritual life. [Bhakti-sandarbha 283] Gurudeva destroys the four stages of sin: prarabdha, kuta bija, aprarabdha, avidya. If our diksa-guru is not of such a caliber that he is capable of doing this for us, then we should accept a siksaguru who is more advanced. (p10) “There are two kinds of mercy, the mercy of a bhakta and the mercy of Bhagavan. For us to receive the mercy to chant suddhanama, the bhakta must be fully-realized». (p210) And in Gurudevatatma, made from 2003 lectures, “If the seed of bhakti and one’s relationship with Krishna (sambandha-jnana) are not given by a pure guru, there can be no sabda-brahma, experience of transcendental sound (sound coming from the transcendental realm). Acceptance and surrender to a sad-guru is therefore essential.” (p18) (Srila Gurudeva defined a sad-guru as one of the 3 kinds of maha-bhagavatas) “We should know what is guru-tattva. Guru means “heavy”, more so than anyone else in this world –even more than Krishna Himself. Sometimes, Krishna may come to that guru, take his foot-dust – it may be...This is guru-tattva...The subject of gurutattva is the essence of all our bhakti literature. This subject is very heavy, and therefore you should hear it with the core of your hearts.” (Gurudevatatma, p21) “You should realize that the mercy of Krishna first manifests as the mercy of guru. From the bona fide guru, who is Krishna Himself as His manifestation (asraya-vigraha), we can have the seed of bhakti. What is the the seed of bhakti? It is krsna-sevavasana, the desire to serve Krishna ...The seed of the bhakti creeper comes from this high class of gurudeva».

(Gurudevatatma, p24) Srila Gurudeva did not change lately. He only clarified further.

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If we read his statements of the last few years, since around 2007, we can see that Srila Gurudeva did not express a different viewpoint on guru-tattva. He didn't blur the distinction between the different adhikaras. He still clearly expressed the desirability of the uttama-adhikari guru, “...He should take the candidates to the uttama-adhikari”.

“It is better to take them to the uttama-adhikari”. (Italy morning walk 05/07/10) But, as such type of spiritual master is rare, in order to continue his mission, he spoke repeatedly of the need for madhyamaadhikari diksa-gurus and clarified their position. He did not endorse them at all as fully qualified gurus, as sad-gurus.

He repeatedly stressed the need for further guidance from a higher siksa-guru.

When asked, "Can a madhyama-adhikari who has come from the kanistha platform give mercy?” he answered, “He can only give mercy according to the limit of his capacity, not beyond that.

He can give harikatha according to what he knows... He can give harikatha. In this way, bhakti will gradually manifest...How will this come about? The madhyama guides his followers in the right direction. He directs them to the pure devotee. Thus, gradually, by exalted association, pure bhakti will manifest within their followers' hearts." (Walking with a saint 2008, p 49) He said further, "A madhyama can only give the highest mercy when he is an uttama-adhikari in the role of a madhyama." ( p 118) «If a guru doesn't know the svarupa of his disciple, he is not a guru. It means that himself is not situated in suddha-sattva. How can he help his disciple? (p144) "To give this laulyam, the guru must be able to. He must be an elevated rasika-tattva-jna Vaisnava..." (p 159) And, “He must have some realization of Krishna; only then can he give Krishna from his heart to others. Without realizing Krishna, his prayers will not be heard by Krishna. He must also

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be detached from worldly desires and intoxications. Such a person is qualified to be selected as guru. If you have unknowingly chosen a guru who cannot help you, who has no self-realization, and who is not detached from worldly things, then give him up and take shelter of a real guru, a sad-guru.

If your guru is a Vaisnava but he does not know sabda-brahma, if he has insufficient knowledge of sastra-jnana but he is a sincere Vaisnava, then when you finally meet a real guru you can take permission from that sincere Vaisnava: ‘I want to develop my bhakti, so I want to associate with this pure devotee.’ That sincere Vaisnava, your first guru, will happily permit you. If he does not permit you to go, he is not guru; you can reject him. For example, suppose you have bought a cow for milking, but after some time she has stopped giving milk and will never again give milk. You still want milk, so you will have to get another cow.

Devotee: Although some bhaktas have a desire in their heart for a pure guru, still they go to an un-bona-fide guru and don’t realize it. Why is this? Is it due to committing aparadhas?

Srila Gurudeva: That person does not have sufficient sukrti and does not want bhakti in the true sense; otherwise Krishna would not deprive him. If you are sincere and really want krsna-bhakti, Krishna will certainly arrange that you take shelter of a real guru.” (17/05/2009 Las Vegas) Answering doubts about the capacity of madhyama-adhikaris to initiate, Srila Gurudeva answered, «So, if madhyama-adhikari, even he has no realization, they can give [initiation]. No harm... But I want that they should also be qualified.” (29.10.07) When asked, “Only the uttama-adhikari can give the bhaktilata-bija. Is that true, or not true?” he answered, “It is true.”

Devotee: “So a madhyama cannot give?”

Srila Gurudeva: “Madhyama can inspire them for that. If he is sincere, he will tell all these things to him, and inspire him for that krsna-seva-vasana to come.” (29/10/07) Answering doubts about their capacity to give divya-jana, “If the guru is only on the madhyama platform and the understanding of his own and his disciple's svarupa (eternal form)

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is not complete, then what conception can he give?” he answered, “He can give something, even though he does not have that realization. Then, in this life, or in future lives, you will find a perfect guru; and by surrendering to that perfect guru you will be able to realize your relationship with Krsna”.

He also said, “If the guru is not of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami's caliber and is a madhyama-adhikari, then Krishna will fulfill the disciple's desire on behalf of that guru. (Badger 20.6.07) “If he will follow order sincerely, Oh, Krishna realization may come.” (Govardhan 29.10.07) When asked, “What is the power of the diksa-mantras of one who has not reached the level of bhava?” he answered, “If he has reached ruci, if he has ruci in the Holy Name, it will be Krishna's responsibility to arrange for the disciple to get what he is supposed to receive. He will arrange for him to approach a mahabhagavata.” (Morning Walk Govardhan Oct 2008) When asked, ”Below which level would you say that one should not venture to take disciples?” he answered, “It is not written anywhere in scripture, but I think that, at the least, a madhyama-madhyama devotee should be there to give initiation.”

Devotee: “Does his diksa-mantra have the power to give divyajnana?”

Srila Gurudeva: “It is not as powerful as if Narada would give…”

Devotee: “If one is not madhyama-madhyama and he gives diksa, what will be his reaction?”

Srila Gurudeva: “The desire for mana (honor) and summana (respect, the hankering for prestige, will grow more. That unqualified person will think, ‘I am the only guru,’ and then he will fall down.”

Devotee: “What about the disciple of a madhyamamadhyama”?

Srila Gurudeva: “Good destination (gati); so no harm in this.

Krsna will do what is needful for him.”

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Devotee: “What is the result of an unqualified guru giving diksa?”

Srila Gurudeva: “No! He should be qualified!”

Devotee: “The mantra is meant for one to achieve the goal of bhava, and ultimately prema. If a kanistha-adhikari gives this mantra, is there any effect?”

Srila Gurudeva: “A kanistha-adhikari should not do so. He should take that person to be initiated by a high-class Vaisnava.”

Devotee: “So, when a kanistha-adhikari gives the mantra, there is no effect?”

Srila Gurudeva: “The result will be nothing...The kanisthaadhikari should not give diksa. He should take the candidates to the uttama-adhikari...It is better to take them to the uttamaadhikari”. (Italy morning walk 05/07/10) What qualification?

Srila Gurudeva said in the last couple of years that he thought his sannyasis in general and some in particular were qualified to accept disciples. Answering the sannyasis' own doubts about that, he said that their qualification was that he had trained them so much in guru-tattva, so he had faith that if they took disciples even while not being fully qualified, they would send them for siksa to a superior Vaisnava when one would manifest.

So it's not that he changed philosophy and suddenly said all his sannyasis were madhyama-adhikaris fully qualified to become diksa-gurus He made an adjustment based on his faith that his insufficiently qualified sannyasis would defer their followers to more qualified sadhus for diksa or siksa.

During the 2008 Govardhana sannyasis darsana, he said, “About all are qualified…Those who are qualified…You’re not qualified...Others, the madhyama-adhikaris, they can do.”

One sannyasi: “What if someone is not liberated and he gives initiation, what will be his reaction?”

Srila Gurudeva: “He must be madhyama, nistha, ruci, ruci, he is chanting always, preaching.”

The same sannyasi: “And if he is not madhyama and he is giving, what will be his reaction?”

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Srila Gurudeva: “Then he shouldn't do! He will fall down, like PP.” Another argument is given that Srila Gurudeva said in the last morning walk in Italy, “all”...“They can all do.” But we have seen that he always insisted on high-level madhyama gurus, and the day before he specified, “at least madhyama-madhyama.”

One explanation why Srila Gurudeva said “all” and “ They can all do” is that he was repeatedly fed by some devotees the idea that if we were asking so many questions on this guru issue, it indicated that we were eager to become gurus. That can be seen in the last Italy morning walk. It is right after such a remark that he said “They can all do it.”

Devotee: “They are inviting (meaning “They are anxious to start initiating.”)

Devotee to me: “You are raising the question; that means you must have some desire.”

Me: “I am clarifying the issue. I have no desire for it. Clarifying the issue is so important.”

A devotee asked Srila Gurudeva, “We feel that Srila Prabhupada was the first wave of bhakti in our life, and you're coming as the second wave. Will there be many more waves in the future?”

Srila Gurudeva: ”Yes, so many waves. No one is able to count them. (Walking with a saint, 2008, p 159) This means that there will be very highly qualified sadhus who will manifest. Srila Gurudeva always insisted on trying to secure an uttama-adhikari as one's guru and the need for high-class association and this should be taught to new people, along with education on the science of guru-tattva.

So, madhyama-adhikaris initiating is not a new idea Actually, if one scrutinizes earlier publications, he will see that Srila Gurudeva’s stance on madhyama-adhikari gurus initiating is not new, although he usually speaks of high-level madhyamas: “An uttama-adhikari has the same outlook towards everyone.

He doesn't see the difference between a conditioned soul and a liberated soul; he sees that everyone is liberated. Therefore he has

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no duty. But it is the duty of the madhyama Vaisnava to have this partiality. Therefore, who will give the mercy by which bhakti will arise? The madhyama Vaisnava, and especially those that are higher madhyama Vaisnavas will give this mercy. One who is entering the realm of an uttama Vaisnava, who is not there yet, but is qualified to cross the upper limit of the madhyama stage is especially kind and merciful. He wants to distribute to others the wealth which he has stored inside his own heart...A pure guru will thoughtfully determine the sentiment of a prospective disciple, and if the person has a genuine desire for krsna-bhakti, then he will give him the mantra...

Especially if a madhyama-adhikari guru is a little weak, he will keep the prospective disciple in his company for some time, first become convinced about his purity of purpose, and then give him the mantra. The madhyama-adhikari Vaisnava mostly acts as guru, not the uttama-adhikari.” (Going beyond Vaikuntha, ch1) In his classes in 2008, Srila Gurudeva explained, “Bhakti manifests in the heart of a devotee by the mercy of the madhyama-adhikari and not of the uttama-adhikari who sees everyone equally. Which madhyama? An uttama-adhikari in the role of an uttama-madhyama, or a madhyama-madhyama.”

In Gurudevatatma, we can read: “...We must consider that the presence of uttama-adhikaris, madhyama-uttama-adhikaris (those approaching the stage of bhava), and even madhyama-madhyama adhikaris are very rare in this world. It is very rare, therefore, to have a guru of this caliber.

What should we do under these circumstances? We will have to take a guru.

If a guru is not sabde pare ca nisnatam, if he has not realized the established truths delineated in the Vedas, Upanisads and other sastras, but he has very strong faith in his pure guru and is sincerely following him, then, even if he is a madhyama-adhikari, do not reject him. If he is always serving his own mahabhagavata guru and is obedient both internally and externally to him, then do not reject him.

If the guru is a madhyama-adhikari and sincere, if he is very obedient and following the footsteps of his guru, then he will

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gradually become an uttama-adhikari. So we should not reject him.

At the same time, if he is not perfect and thus cannot remove all our doubts about Krishna consciousness, what should we do? We should offer pranama to him and ask his permission to have the association of a maha-bhagavata devotee. A disciple may ask, ‘May I go to a high class Vaisnava?’ If the guru says, ’No, you cannot go,’ then give him up. On the other hand, if he says, ‘Certainly you can go, and I will also come,’ then he is a real guru...”

Commenting on the famous Bhagavatam verse, tasmad gurum prapadyetam (SB 11.3.21),Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura wrote, "If the guru is not nisnatam, deeply versed in the sastras and is insufficiently skilled in explaining their inner meaning (tattva-vicara), he will be unable to cut and dissipate all the doubts of his disciples. The disciple will thus become dejected and suffer assuredly a loss of faith. The guru should have realization of the Divinity. Only by theoretical knowledge of the scriptures, without having practical realization, he cannot give proper advice and direction in accordance to the eligibility of the disciple. By the instruction of a guru possessing the quality of practical realization, the disciple can have actual spiritual progress. If the guru is not in practical understanding of the Lord, not capable of direct spiritual perception (aparoksa-anubhava), whatever mercy he bestows will not properly fructify.”

“Someone may ask, “If a guru is not an uttama-adhikari, how can he help his disciples? He may speak and behave incorrectly.”

The reply to such a doubt is that if a guru is in the final stage of madhyama-adhikari, if he is madhyama-uttama, if he is very sincere and continually serving his uttama-adhikari gurudeva, and if he has no worldly desires, he will very soon become an uttamaadhikari...” (Pinnacle of devotion) “A guru may be madhyama-uttama, a madyama-adhikari in the final stage; he may not yet be siddha (a perfect, self-realized soul)...In that case, if he is a sincere devotee and if a disciple follows him with deep faith, who will give the fruit of the

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disciple’s worship? A madhyama-adhikari cannot give it...

The madhyama-adhikari guru will tell hari-katha and engage his disciples in such a way that they will advance in bhakti. What will be the result? If one has very deep faith in that guru, Krishna Himself will surely give the fruit, and that fruit will be transcendental. Krishna will give that disciple the fruit of the association and shelter of an uttama-adhikari guru. To a devotee initiated by a madhyama-adhikari guru, and who really desires to attain the highest goal, Krishna gives the association and mercy of an uttama guru who can bless the disciple with that goal...Do not have any doubt about this.

Uttama-adhikari gurus are not easily available; they are very rare in this world… If one is madhyama-uttama, he can help so much by his direction. The advanced madhyama-adhikari will very soon come to the stage of rati (bhava)». (Pinnacle of devotion) “A guru must be free from anarthas, then he is thereby able to free others from theirs. He must have his relationship with Krishna, and thereby he can giv to others their relation: the general relation of being krsna-nitya-dasa to neophytes, and a specific relation to more advanced devotees”. (Vraja-mandala parikrama lecture 1999) GUIDELINES 1) How to choose a spiritual master?

What should an aspiring disciple do? By sastric knowledge one can have an idea of who is qualified, but a new devotee has little such knowledge, so he must wait and learn some guru-tattva, including siksa-guru-tattva. That will help dissipate misconceptions. One should ideally have already some good understanding of the qualifications of a bona fide guru before to accept one, not act out of blind faith or sentiment or anxiety to have a spiritual name, or follow the flock of sheep logic.

Newcomers have difficulty evaluating the level of advancement of the sannyasis, and they tend to go by social considerations. It is advisable to observe the sannyasis’ activities, how they are interacting with the other Vaisnavas. Consulting trusted senior

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Vaisnavas is also a good idea.

To be Indian or to give nice harikatha are not in themselves criteria to be a qualified guru. The new devotees have the tendency to idealize the sannyasis or the senior preachers. They also have the tendency to believe that if they speak of their limitations, it is only out of humility, and that they are therefore even more qualified.

Even if one cannot fully recognize who is who, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “In this verse Srila Rupa Goswami advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. “ (Nectar of Instruction, 5, Purport) And «Srila Jiva Goswami says that since one should accept an uttama-adhikari as guru, many additional symptoms have been given so that one will not make mistakes in choosing a guru.”

(Commentary on SB.11.2.48) One should wait until he is fully convinced that the guru is a pure representative of God. This waiting period is important to build and deepen one’s faith.

I am repeating here a few quotes from Part one of this book and giving many new ones .

"Before accepting a guru one should be assured of the spiritual master's position. You should check whether he is guru or not.

That is allowed. Guru and sisya should meet for one year. The sisya will hear and study whether he is actually fit for becoming guru. Before, study the guru, whether you can surrender. Don't accept a guru all of a sudden like a fanatic. Acceptance of guru must be selected after careful examination...So one should accept a guru whose guidance will make one's life perfect...The disciple must be sure that the guru can deliver all the transcendental necessities." (CC Madhya 24.330, purport) "Is he really a guru or not? Is he always chanting and remembering Krishna, or not? Does he have some realization of his relationship with Krishna, or not? He must know all sastras, so that he can remove all his disciples' doubts... Unfortunately, if a devotee has not tested the guru, he may accept a person who will fall down, as so many ISKCON leaders are falling down."

(Walking with a saint, p 119) “It is to be considered that a disciple can have the capacity to

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comprehend the amount of scriptural knowledge possessed by the guru by hearing from Him. But how can a disciple understand whether the guru has realization of Divinity or not? The Supreme Lord is the Transcendental Reality, His Absolute Counterpart, the guru, is also transcendental. Therefore, a neophyte votary cannot understand the guru’s realization of Divinity by his own endeavor.

There are two aspects of the Supreme Lord and His Absolute Counterpart, the guru, the morphological aspect and the ontological aspect. The conditioned souls can by their mind, intellect and sense-organs grasp the morphological, i.e. the external aspect of the thing, the thing as it appears, and not the thing as it is. The thing as it is can be realized only by the grace of the Transcendental Realities, through unconditional complete surrender. As for example, the self-luminous sun can only be known by its own light and not by the help of other lights. We cannot see the sun in the night with the help of other lights, but when the sun rises, by accepting the grace of the sun—its light— we can see the sun and all the things of this world in the proper perspective. The Supreme Lord and His Absolute Counterpart, the guru, are self-effulgent.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in his commentary, has given to the bona fide neophyte aspirants a clue to recognize the guru by one external quality: a bona fide guru is never subjugated by the cardinal passions— anger, greed etc…” (Guru-tattva by Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Goswami) So one must check to see if one’s prospective guru has a high standard of moral conduct. T "Before the student accepts a guru, he should examine him for one year. Without examination, the teacher-student relationship is only a disturbance.” (Panca Samskara, Bhaktivinoda Thakura) "Before accepting the diksa-mantra, one should live near the guru and serve him with body, mind and words. This is called 'guru-pasati'. By this, the guru and disciple can examine each other's nature and temperament. Then the guru-tattva melts with compassion, being satisfied by the non-duplicitous service of the disciple. At that time, the priceless fruit of diksa is attained by the disciple" (Gurudeva commentary on Madhurya-kadambini 2.6)

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Lord Balarama, who is akhanda-guru-tattva, the original guru principle, is in the guru, as guru-tattva. When that guru-tattva is satisfied by a devotee's sincere vaisnava-seva, it manifests from the heart of that Vaisnava in the form of diksa.

If one accepts a guru hastily without observation, and building one’s faith, one may leave him as quickly, or the relationship may remain on a shallow platform.

But more than anything, one should sincerely cry out to Krishna to send him a bona fide, self-realized spiritual master. That is the best option. In Science of Self Realization, Srila Prabhupada answered to a Mr O'Grady's question, “The problem is to find this [bona fide] spiritual master?"

“That is not the problem. The problem is whether you are sincere. You have problems, but God is within your heart. If you are sincere, God sends you a spiritual master."

So, one should study guru-tattva, become very sincere and, moreover, especially cry to the Lord, fully dependent on Krishna's arrangement, asking Him to inspire him from within the heart to recognize a real guru. And one will feel in one's heart, Krishna's inner confirmation.

“How do we choose? We surrender ourselves at the lotus feet of the caitya-guru (Krishna in the heart) and pray to Him. Residing in our heart, He will hear our plea. He will always hear.

If one prays, “O Krishna, I sincerely desire to become your servant. Please direct me to the lotus feet of a qualified guru,” He will surely arrange this. One who neglects such prayer and has confidence in his own ability to select and examine his guru will be disturbed in his spiritual life.”(Pinnacle of devotion p 9) Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja used to say, “You have to cry for mercy, not think that you can recognize a guru by your own power. Those who have not cried, they have not got, those who have cried, they have got. Therefore I have opened a crying school in Bhubanesvara.”

2) How should a disciple see his spiritual master?

The ideal guru is an uttama-adhikari coming down to the madhyama-uttama platform to preach. All what the scriptures say about the guru applies to that kind of guru.

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One should see his diksa-guru as saksad hari, a direct manifestation or representative of God. Srila Gurudeva said that the disciple should see his guru as an uttama-adhikari. He seems to especially refer to a highly elevated kind of guru, as we can see in the following morning walk exchanges: Devotee: “So, is it proper to even consider the possibility that one’s guru was once a baddha-jiva who achieved perfection and then came back to deliver the fallen souls?”

Srila Gurudeva: “A guru may be like that, but we should understand our guru-parampara in this way: saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair. All the scriptures proclaim Sri Gurudeva is saksad-hari, the direct potency of Sri Hari, and he is thus considered by saintly authorities to be His non–different representative. Because Sri Gurudeva is so dear to the Lord, being His confidential servitor (acintya-bhedabheda prakasa vigraha, the inconceivable different and non-different worshipable manifestation of the Lord), I offer prayers unto his lotus feet. We should consider that, ‘My Gurudeva is nitya-mukta.’… Some gurus were baddha-jivas who were liberated and became associates; they are also considered acaryas. And some are directly nitya-mukta krsna-parikaras, eternally perfect associates…Whatever it may be, we should think, ‘My Guru Maharaja is an associate of Krsna, and he has come from Goloka Vrndavana.’ We should not think of him as a baddha-jiva.

(Houston Walk on May 23, 2009) Devotee: “Is there any difference between the siddha-jiva and Your Grace?”

Srila Gurudeva: “As a disciple, you should think I am a perfected soul, but I am not. I don’t want to cheat you. I am not perfect. I am a baddha-jiva (conditioned soul).”

Sripad Padmanabha Maharaja: “This can be compared to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who never wanted to be called Bhagavan, but who actually is Bhagavan.”

Srila Gurudeva: “No, no. I don’t want to cheat you. But it is true; a disciple should think, ‘My Gurudeva is perfect, and he is the associate of Krsna.’ (Morning Walk 2009)

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Devotee: I would like to ask how one can realize that Sri Guru is omniscient?

Srila Gurudeva: Guru is sarvajna (all-knowing), because Krishna is sarvajna. Krishna is present within guru; therefore guru is sarvajna. He knows what will happen to whom.

Devotee: If someone knows that you are sarvajna but he still performs wrong acts and does not speak the truth, can that person get bhakti?

Srila Gurudeva: Is Krishna sarvajna or not? He is. Did Krishna not know whether or not the Mahabharata war would take place?

He did. Similarly, guru knows. Within Krishna is guru, and within guru is Krishna. The Bhagavatam says that guru is a manifestation of Krishna’s intrinsic nature (svarupa). The disciple must consider guru in this way, and follow Him. (Bengalore, Sept. 2009) It seems that this vision doesn’t apply to all gurus, whatever their level, as Srila Gurudeva said: “It is not correct to honor everyone in the exact same way.

Rather, we should consider whether one is kanistha, madhyama or uttama-adhikari, and tender honor accordingly.”

“Suppose a person took initiation from an unqualified guru who was not on the stage of a maha-bhagavata (fully self-realized soul). That guru was not realized in the established truths...Do the verses that glorify the qualifications of guru apply to that guru or not? Should the disciple obey that guru with the attitude of surrender ordered by all the sastras? Should he follow that guru totally or not?”(Gurudevatatma) If a devotee has knowingly settled for a madhyama-adhikari because he couldn’t find an uttama-adhikari, his vision will obviously be different, wouldn’t it?

However a disciple should see his guru as saksad hari, the direct potency of Krishna. Without that faith, one should not take initiation. And without that faith, the disciple won’t progress.

Even if the guru is not very highly qualified, if he is a sincere madhyama-adhikari and if the disciple is sincere, Srila Gurudeva said that Krishna will reciprocate that faith, take the service, and make arrangements to help that sincere disciple by guiding him to

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a higher guru.

The sastras advise the disciple to cultivate the same devotion to his guru than to Krishna (yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tathau guru…Svestavatara Upanisad 6.23) and even more ( bhaktir yatha harau me’sti tadvan nistha gurau yadi…Padma Purana 6.128.269) Krishna tells Uddhava: “Know that the acarya is my very self.

He should never be disrespected nor envied nor considered an ordinary man…” (Bhag 11.17.27) The level of sukrti of someone determines the kind of guru one will approach as well as the vision one will have of one’s guru.

This brings us to another point: 3) How to reconcile the absolute vision a disciple has of his guru and the relative vision those who are not that guru’s disciples may have?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja has discussed this in the 8th chapter of Sri Guru and his grace.

We are now, just like in ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada left, in the beginning of a socio-spiritual dynamic that is going to be increasingly common in the coming years. That dynamic is that devotees will have varying degrees of faith in those who are acting as gurus. Those who are disciples (siksa or diksa) will have a specific faith that requires acknowledgement and support from those they associate with. Bhakti is based on faith, and devotees have to be careful not to damage that tender faith of new disciples in their guru. Their Godbrothers and other devotees can deal with the gurus in private in a certain way, but they should not show lack of respect to them in front of their disciples, nor criticize them, as those will naturally be uncomfortable in any environment or association that does not support their faith. We all have this need. It is the same dynamic that keeps us away from ISKCON, even though we may appreciate many of the aspects of that society. It is the same dynamic that is partly the cause of the Gaudiya Math having different branches.

An institution like the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti with three pure

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devotees acting conjointly and in harmony succeeded because of the demanding insistence by Srila Vamana Maharaja, the initiating guru, that all his disciples accept Srila Gurudeva, and Srila Trivikrama Maharaja as they would him. They were fully appreciative of one another and united in mood and service to their guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaja. They required that all the devotees in their sanga follow their example.

We have to develop the communication channels for dealing with the varied visions and moods between disciples and Godbrothers of guru. Even if the gurus and Godbrothers get along pretty well, the disciples may wish that the Godbrothers have the same mood towards their guru as they do. And if they see that they don’t, they may perceive this as lack of respect or even offense to their guru. And perception is the key word here. If a senior Godbrother of their guru does not exhibit the same kind of faith that they do, they may feel uncomfortable.

Therefore there is a great need to educate the disciples that there are two visions, the absolute vision of the disciple towards his guru, and the relative vision of those who are not disciples of that guru. And the disciples have to be taught that this difference is completely normal and that they cannot expect, what to speak of demand, that those who are not disciples of their guru see him as they see him.

It is also possible that devotees of various new gurus will feel comfortable with each other. But for disciples of Srila Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupada who have not developed a similar mood of attachment, it may be a cause of uneasiness. We have seen this before, where Godbrothers were even gradually pushed away, or felt disenfranchised, and took their distance from an institution quickly filling up with the neophyte disciples of the new gurus.

So, some may have an initial reaction like, “Do we have to put up with this again? Doesn’t it smell like déjà vu? Some of us may not feel like condoning some not so qualified gurus because we saw in the past what happened in ISKCON. But we can consider that Srila Gurudeva said he had faith. And because Krishna sees the disciples’ sincerity, he will help them, so is there really a problem?

Madhyama?

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Srila Prabhupada wanted all his disciples to qualify themselves first and then become 'regular" gurus. He said, "Those who initiate should be qualified otherwise there's no meaning to 'bona fide' guru". He warned: "You must become guru but you must be qualified first of all.

Then you can become. No rubber-stamp, then you'll not be effective.” (Conv.4.22.77) Srila Gurudeva has expressed the same things.

In the next chapter, I will present a study of the three levels or adhikaras of bhakti, based on Jaiva dharma, Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Pinnacle of devotion, Gurudevatatma, with Madhurya-kadambini as the backbone, including excerpts from Srila Gurudeva’s classes in 2008 on this very subject.

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CH 2 THE THREE ADHIKARAS OF BHAKTI Let us examine what are the symptoms and characteristics of a madhyama-adhikari? One may define him both as what he is not (tatastha-laksana, secondary symptoms) and what he is (svarupalaksana, main symptoms). He is not an uttama-adhikari, neither a kanistha-adhikari. Let us see first what are the latter's symptoms.

The madhyama-adhikara begins at the level of nistha. “When, by the influence of sadhu-sanga, one becomes free from anarthas and his sraddha becomes dense and transforms into nistha, one develops the madhyama-adhikara or the intermediate qualification for suddha-bhakti”. (Bhaktivinoda Thakura; Bhaktitattva-viveka 4) Kanistha adhikaris Before nistha one is a kanistha-adhikari, whose general symptoms are given in sastra: yahara komala sraddha, se kanistha-jana: «one whose faith is soft and pliable is called a neophyte». (CC Mad 22, 69) yo bhavet komala-sraddhah sa kanistho nigadyate (BRS 1.2.19) «Kanistha devotees have very little expertise in understanding the scriptures and their sraddha is very delicate and immature.

Their sraddha can be changed by others' logic and arguments».

(Bhakti-tattva-viveka 4) arcayam eva haraye pujam yah sraddhayehate na tad bhaktesu canyesu sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah ”One who worships the Deity form of Sri Hari according to wordly faith, but doesn't know how to respect the devotees, and doesn't show mercy to the living entities in whose heart Sri Hari is

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situated, is a neophyte devotee.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.47) The qualities of kanistha-adhikari are disqualifiers for the madhyama stage. One of them is is that a kanistha-adhikari devotee does not know how to properly behave with others, whether Vaisnavas or persons in general. If a devotee has bad relations with their God-brothers or is always criticizing others or always in dispute with others, political, etc. these are symptoms of a kanistha-adhikari, even though he may be quite learned in sastra or situated in a high social position (such as sannyasa).

Also if a person lies, cheats, or is hypocritical, then he’s a pretender, and at best a Vaisnava-abhasa or kanistha.

«Kanisthas are those who have embarked upon the path of bhakti, but are not yet true bhaktas...Sraddha is the bija, or seed of bhakti. One’s bhakti is only effective when he worships Bhagavan with sraddha, and it is still not suddha-bhakti unless he worships the bhaktas as well. Bhakti does not develop thoroughly as long as he fails to do so...Such materialistic devotees are not suddha-bhaktas...

Such people worship the Deity with laukika sraddha (worldly faith) knowing that Bhagavan possesses personal form and attributes...This is where their Vaisnavism is found. On the strength of this one quality, and by the mercy of sadhus, they will certainly gradually be elevated...

Such a person does not have the characteristics of uttamabhakti (anyabhilasita-sunyam)...

The kanistha Vaisnava is not acquainted with the intrinsic nature of suddha-bhakti, of which hearing, chanting, and so on are angas (limbs). Consequently, his hearing and chanting do not assume their primary identity, but are manifest in a gauna (secondary) form. Furthermore, whatever arises from the three gunas is known as gauna. When these activities become nirguna, free from the influence of the material modes, they are angas of suddha-bhakti, and one has attained the madhyama stage.”

(Jaiva-dharma 8) In Madhurya-kadambini. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has described in great detail the various steps of the development of bhakti from sraddha to prema. As the kanistha-adhikara is a very wide stage, extending from bhajana-kriya to the beginning of nistha, there are therefore kanistha-adhikaris of very different

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levels, and what applies to a beginner kanistha does not apply to a seasoned kanistha; so, in the second and third chapters, he has specifically described the stage of kanistha-adhikara called anisthita-bhajana kriya (unsteady practice of bhakti) and anartha-nivrtti, summarized in the Bhagavatam verse: srnvatam sva-katha krsnah/ punyah sravana kirtanah hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani/vidhunoti suhrt satam “ Sri Krishna, who is affectionate to His devotees and situated in their hearts, cleanses all anarthas from the hearts of those who have developed the urge to hear His messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.17).

“Ahankara has two functions: ahanta, consciousness of I, and mamata, consciousness of mine. Bondage results from directing these two towards body, house, relatives and such. Identifying oneself as a servant of the Lord and making the Lord and His associates the object of one's affection is called prema-bhakti. As one progresses through the stages of bhakti, the material aspect of I and mine gradually reduces and the spiritual aspect increases. At the stage of anisthita-bhajana-kriya, the spiritualization is partial, and the material aspect is full...

Meditation on the Lord is momentary and mixed with mundane topics». (MK 8) Six stages mark the progression of this unsteady devotional service. The last is called taranga-rangini: Taranga-rangini ”It is well-known that the very nature of bhakti is to be attractive, thus many people become attracted by the devotee, the abode of bhakti. And, as the old adage goes, 'By the public's attraction one becomes wealthy.' Bhakti produces much opportunity for material gain, worship and position (labha, puja, pratistha). These are weeds around the creeper of bhakti.

Even when one is overwhelmed by the desire for spiritual advancement and is engaged in spiritual practices, he is drifted away by the powerful forces of the tide of worldly gain, name and fame.

Seeking one's pleasure (ranga) amidst these facilities, which are

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but small waves (taranga) in the ocean of bhakti, is called taranga-rangini, delighting in material facilities.”

“At this stage, he develops some taste, gives nice hari-katha, sings very sweetly; he's given all kinds of offerings and respect, women are attracted and fall at his feet...Many, many devotees fall from this stage due to not giving these things to Hari, guru, Vaisnavas, not understanding it is prasada and enjoying them.

Even sannyasis become vantasis by becoming grhastas again.”

(MK class 2008) It should be noted that both Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja and Srila Gurudeva have said that this is the stage where so many kanistha-adhikaris become prematurely diksa-gurus. «At this stage, money comes, computers, disciples come...». (Nectar sprinkle on Australia) As the process of anartha-nivrtti (cleansing of inauspicious elements in the heart) continues, one approaches the stage of nistha.

«A kanistha is considered to have become a madhyama Vaisnava and a genuine bhakta when bhakti with the symptoms of the anyabhilasita sunyam verse manifests in his heart. Prior to this stage, he is a prakrta-bhakta, which means that he is only a semblance of a bhakta (bhakta-abhasa)...

The word krnanusilana refers to prema, love for Krsna, and it is qualified by the word anukulyena. This refers to those things that are favorable to krsna-prema, namely, friendship with the bhaktas, mercy towards the ignorant,and neglect of those who are inimical. These three items are also symptoms of a madhyama Vaisnava». (Jaiva-dharma 8) It is strongly recommended that one shouldn't initiate disciples as a kanistha- adhikari. Although they are engaged in devotional practices, kanistha gurus are still affected by material desires and they maintain separate interests. Their preaching doesn’t have much power because they’re spiritually weak. Their faith is pliable and weak. They don’t know how to associate properly with other Vaisnavas, and they commit aparadhas. They have little discrimination about with whom to associate or not. They still have a lot of anarthas and therefore cannot deliver their disciples from material entanglement. Advancement under their insufficient guidance is limited. They cannot give suddha-bhakti.

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It is advised not to accept them. They risk to fall down.

The general symptoms of the madhyama-adhikari sastra-yukti nahi jane drdha, sraddhavan madhyama-adhikari sei maha-bhagyavan «One who is not very expert in argument and logic based on the Scriptures but who has firm faith is considered an intermediate devotee; he must also be considered most fortunate». (CC Mad 22.67) «One who is not so expert in understanding the scriptures and yet is faithful is a madhyama-adhikari; in other words, although when presented with difficult arguments he is unable to answer them, within his mind he remains firmly faithful to his own principle. (BRS 1.2.19) «Who can be guru? One who is fighting on the first level cannot be, nor at the beginning of the madhyama-adhikara. At least one should be madhyama-madhyama; better madhyama-uttama, because then one can distinguish really». (Vraja-mandala parikrama lecture 10/99) Srila Gurudeva has discussed the qualifications of the madhyama-adhikari in Pinnacle of devotion: «A vartma-pradarsaka guru is one who says, “Come with me to a realized Vaisnava.” The vartma-pradarsaka guru shows the path. He may be kanistha, that is alright. But the initiating guru should not be less than a madhyama-adhikari. What are the symptoms of madhyama-adhikari? You need to know these symptoms before accepting a diksa or siksa-guru. If you do not see these symptoms, you should not accept a person as guru.

Otherwise, there will be so many difficulties in your devotional life. If that guru falls down, your life will be ruined and you will cry bitterly.

The first symptom is: tasmad gurum prapadyeta/ jijnasuh sreya uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam/ brahmany upasamasrayam 'Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by

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deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken complete shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters.'[Bhag. 11.3.21] In order to achieve real bhakti to Sri Krishna, have real happiness, and realize who you are and how you can progress in this life, go to a self-realized soul and hear his realizations from him. He will surely help you.

There are three symptoms of a bona fide guru. Though all symptoms should be there in full, two are prominent. The first is sabde pare ca nisnatam. The guru has complete knowledge of the scriptures. What is the meaning of sabde? He is perfect in his knowledge of Veda, Upanisads, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc.

However, knowledge of sastra and the ability to argue based on that knowledge is not enough to qualify him as a guru. If one has no realization of Krishna, if he is not absorbed in bhajana, if his bhakti is not very developed, then he is not a guru.

The second symptom is upasamasrayam; he is detached from material desires. He is always so happy serving Sri Krishna. If he is unhappy and feels that his life has so many problems, then he is not qualified to be guru.

These first and second symptoms are external.

The svarupa, or internal symptom, of the bona fide guru, the third symptom, is pare ca nisnatam brahmany, he is realized in krsna-bhakti. Without his having this realization, because he still has material desires, he is bound to fall. Who is Parabrahman?

Krishna Himself‌A guru should have some internal realization of this, otherwise he may fall down. If he only knows sastric arguments, but he is not absorbed in bhajana, it is not sufficient to keep him from falling down.

One may also know all the arguments to support the sastric viewpoint, and sometimes be outwardly performing some kind of devotional practice. Yet, if he is not detached from material desires and objects, he will fall down. If the guru falls, it causes a big problem for the disciple, disturbing his whole life. Therefore we should be very cautious to approach devotees who will not fall.

Besides these three symptoms, a madhyama-adhikari who is Â

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qualified to be guru will have four additional qualities: isvare tad-adhinesu balisesu dvisatsu ca prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyamah 'A madhyama-adhikari is one who has love for Krishna, is friendly towards His bhaktas, shows mercy towards those who are innocent and ignorant in regard to bhakti, and neglects those who are envious of the Lord and His bhaktas.' (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.46) The uttama-adhikari is of course superior and offers a superior result in bhakti but such a guru is rare in this world. In the absence of such an uttama-guru, the madhyama-adhikari can be accepted as a siksa or diksa-guru. But one should see whether or not he has the following four qualities: 1) prema - He has love and affection for Krishna.

2) maitri - He shows friendship towards and offers service to the Vaisnavas. He has three kinds of relations with three kinds of Vaisnavas: he honors and obeys with a mood of friendship one who is more advanced than himself in bhakti. He relates to equals as friends, and he is also friendly to those whose bhakti is less developed. So he has maitri (friendship) with honor for superiors, maitri with mitra (friends on an equal level), and maitri with kripa (compassion) for subordinates.

3) kripa - He shows mercy to those persons who honor and have faith in Vaisnavas. Such a person’s faith may even be worldly—in other words, they may have some material sentiments in relation to the guru and the Deity. It may be that they have more affection for the Deities than for the devotees; and therefore they may not like to meet with devotees and hear their hari-katha. Such persons may understand that they should obey the scriptures, but they cannot act in the four ways that a madhyama-adhikari can act.

Such persons may be ignorant, but they want to learn how to advance in devotional service».

«Madhyamas distribute mercy in the form of bhakti». (MK class 2008) [The third characteristic of the madhyama Vaisnava is that he bestows mercy on the ignorant. The word balisa refers to people who are ignorant of spiritual truth, bewildered, or foolish. It means materialistic people who have not received any genuine guidance in spiritual matters, but have not been contaminated by

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unauthorized doctrines such as Mayavada. They are not envious of bhaktas and bhakti, but their mundane egoism and attachment prevents them from developing faith in Isvara. Learned scholars also belong in this category if they have not attained the highest fruit of study, which is to develop faith in Isvara. The kanisthaadhikari prakrta-bhakta is standing at the doorway to the temple of bhakti, but because of ignorance in the principles of sambandha-jnana, he has not yet attained suddha-bhakti. Such a person is also regarded as balisa until he comes to the platform of suddha-bhakti. When he becomes acquainted with the truth of sambandha-jnana, and awakens taste for suddha-hari-nama in the association of pure bhaktas, his ignorance will be dissipated, and he will attain the status of a madhyama Vaisnava.

It is essential that a madhyama Vaisnava should bestow his mercy upon all the above-mentioned ignorant people. He should treat them as guests and should satisfy their needs as far as he is able, but that is not enough in itself. He should also act in such a way as to awaken their faith in ananya-bhakti and their taste for suddha-nama. That is the real meaning of mercy.

The ignorant may be victimized by bad association and may fall down at any time because they lack expertise in the sastras. The madhyama Vaisnava should always protect such susceptible people from bad association. He should mercifully give them his association and gradually instruct them in spiritual matters and in the glories of suddha-nama. A diseased person must be under the care of a physician because he cannot cure himself. Just as one should pardon the anger of a diseased person, so one should also excuse the improper behavior of the ignorant. This attitude is known as mercy.

The ignorant have many misconceptions, such as faith in karma-kanda, occasional inclination towards jnana, worshiping the Deity with ulterior motives, faith in yoga, indifference towards the association of pure Vaisnavas, attachment to varnasrama, and many other things. However, the kanistha-adhikari can quickly become a madhyama-adhikari when these misconceptions are dispelled by good association, mercy, and good instructions...

The kanistha-bhakta becomes a suddha-bhakta at the madhyama level when his contamination of karma and jnana is dissipated, and he desires nothing other than exclusive bhakti. At Â

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that point, he understands that there is a difference between service to guests and service to bhaktas, and thus he awakens taste for serving the bhaktas, which is favorable to bhakti... When his sambandha-jnana becomes complete, he attains the stage of a madhyama Vaisnava». (Jaiva-dharma 8)] 4) upeksa - He neglects offenders, persons who are against the Vaisnavas or who do not honor them. He is aware that relating or associating with such persons destroys all traces of bhakti».

In Jaiva-dharma, chapter 8, a devotee inquiring about his adhikara describes his condition: «Now my mind is no longer disturbed by mischievous thoughts. I have developed taste for chanting a hundred thousand names of hari-nama every day. I understand that there is no difference between Sri Hari and Srinama, and that both are fully spiritual. I observe the Ekadasi fast according to sastra and offer water to Tulasi. When the Vaisnavas perform kirtana, I also join with rapt attention. I drink the water that washes the feet of pure Vaisnavas. I study the bhakti-sastras every day. I no longer desire to eat palatable food or dress nicely. I have no taste to hear or participate in mundane talks. When I see the Vaisnavas’ ecstatic moods, a desire comes into my mind to roll on the ground at their feet, and sometimes I do so, but it is out a desire for prestige... Even now I have some desire for honor. I think that I may attract others and win tremendous respect if I am seen weeping profusely and displaying ecstatic emotions».

He is answered that he has surpassed the kanistha stage and has entered the madhyama stage and that he must endeavor to give up his desire for pratistha, otherwise there is a serious danger that his bhakti will be eroded and he will have to descend to the kanistha platform again...

Again in Jaiva-dharma: «It is generally observed that madhyama-bhaktas perform harinama, kirtana, and other such activities in the association of bhaktas, free from any offense...The secondary symptom of the madhyama-bhakta is the way in which he lives his life. His life is completely surrendered to the will of Krishna, and is favorable to bhakti.

Some tendency to commit sins or offenses may remain in the beginning stage, but gradually these will disappear. Whatever sins or offenses are still present at the beginning of the

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madhyama stage are like chick-peas that are just about to be ground to a pulp; they are still seen as small lumps, but within a few moments they will be crushed and will cease to exist. Yuktavairagya (appropriate renunciation) is the life and soul of the madhyama-bhakta.

In the initial stages, a faint trace of karma, jnana or extraneous desires may remain, but finally they are uprooted. Whatever vestiges of karma and jnana remain in the beginning of the madhyama stage occasionally make themselves visible, yet these gradually fade into oblivion. These devotees have no desire to live or die, or to attain liberation. They desire to live only to attain consummation of their bhajana. They have no independent desires. All their desires are solely dependent on Krishna’s will, because they are firmly convinced that everything is happening by His will and that whatever happens is only because of His desire.

They have, therefore, no need to aspire for anything independently».

Nistha Again, just like the kanistha-adhikara is wide, so is the madhyama-adhikara, as it extends from nistha to the end of asakti. Its different stages have been described in chapters four, five and six of the Madhurya-kadambini, beginning with nistha.

Srila Gurudeva said that we describe the different adhikaras for the sake of clarity as if they were three definite stages of consciousness but that actually no two devotees are exactly on the same level and everyone is in his own category, so to speak.

«Nistha means nish sthana, fixed in one place, steady, stable.

One attains stability in bhajan (MK class 2008) «Nistha means to have the quality of steadiness, or naiscalyam (non-movement). Though a devotee tries for this steadiness every day, as long as five persistent obstacles are still present, he will not be able to attain it. These are laya, viksepa, apratipatti, kasaya and rasasvada.

Laya means the tendency to feel drowsiness and to sleep during kirtana, sravana and smarana (japa) in order of increasing tendency. It is due to leftover tama-guna.

Viksepa means to maintain mundane association, or to be

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distracted towards mundane topics while doing devotional activities, like being absorbed in other thoughts or gossiping during japa.

Apratipatti, or indifference, feeling uninspired, refers to the occasional inability to do kirtana or other service in spite of the absence of sleepiness or distraction. It's also due to tama-guna.

Kasaya refers to the instinctive or innate tendency towards such qualities as anger, avarice, greed and pride, due to past samskaras.

Rasasvada means to think of sense enjoyment while doing one's bhajana, or the inability to absorb the mind in kirtana and other services if one gets the opportunity for material sense pleasure, or if one remembers past sense enjoyment.

Nisthita-bhakti, or the nistha stage, appears in the absence of these faults».

One can examine if the behavior of a devotee one is inspired by and considers to accept as guru is free from these 5 anarthas or not.

«The Srimad Bhagavatam describes this stage: nasta-prayesv abhadresu/nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty uttama-sloke/bhakti bhavati naisthiki 'By regular hearing of the Bhagavatam and rendering service to pure devotees, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.' (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.18) The words nasta-prayesv-abhadresu (inauspiciousness is almost destroyed) mean that a small portion of anarthas still remains undestroyed.

The next verse describes the effect of nistha on the devotee, tada rajas tamo-bhavah/ kama-lobhadayas ca ye ceta etair anaviddham/sthital sattve prasidati 'As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of the modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust and greed, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness and he becomes completely happy.'(19) Srila Prabhupada writes, «With nistha comes freedom from rajas and tamas and sattva-guna comes. From this platform of purity or brahma-bhuta, we can realize ourselves and God».

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«At the stage of nistha, the spiritualization of I and mine becomes more pervasive while the materialistic influence is almost full...During meditation there is only a trace (abhasa) of other topics». (MK 8) «From nistha-bhakti, one doesn't fall. One is fixed, enthusiastic.

In anisthita-bhakti, one has doubt about what one should do or not; the mind is unsteady». (MK class 2008) At nistha comes the first trace of love of God : nistha haile upajaya premera taranga.(CC Madhya 22.134) Nistha is firmness in the striving for the unfolding of bhakti.

«Rupa Goswami says that nistha means nairantaja, 'continuous connection'. When the covers are removed, then we find that inner continuity of flow with Krishna consciousness within us, and naisthiki-bhakti appears. That is completely clear, cleansed. Then, on the basis of nistha, that continuous flow, further progress can be made on the positive side. In this way, the inner aspect of devotion will gradually come out...When the stage of nistha comes, when all undesirabilities are almost finished, then we can have a real peep into the thing». (Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja) «Nistha is of two types: concerning bhakti directly, in its three basic divisions, bodily services, vocal activities (japa, kirtan) and mental activities (remembering, meditation), and concerning elements favorable to bhakti, which refer to qualities such as humility, tolerance, giving respect to others, not expecting respect, gratitude, friendliness, mercifulness, self-control and mental tranquility.

At times, however, one may see steadiness in such qualities in a self-controlled devotee who has no steadiness in bhakti, while elsewhere one may not perceive steadiness in these qualities in an arrogant devotee who has attained steadiness in bhakti.

In spite of this, by the presence or the absence of steadiness in bhakti itself rather than in these qualities, learned wise devotees understand the actual presence or absence of nistha. Those who are inexperienced are unable to perceive the truth. Although traces of the qualities born of rajas and tamas may be present they don't act as an obstacle to bhakti and no longer affect the devotee».

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises: «From the very time of her appearance in a devotee's heart

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sraddha has to be very carefully kept in a healthy condition...and must be protected from all varieties of inauspiciousness.

Otherwise...she will not eventually develop into bhakti but will merely assume the form of anarthas. The danger of disease remains up until the tender Sraddha-devi becomes free from the influence of anarthas and transforms into nistha from being nurtured by the affectionate mother of the association of genuine devotees and from taking the medicine of bhajana. Once sraddha has reached the stage of nistha, no anartha can easily harm her».

(Bhakti-tattva-viveka 1) «At nistha, a devotee is unable to detect how and when his mind withdraws from topics of the Lord and fixes itself on material affairs». (MK 6) It should be noted that nistha covers also a wide spectrum, from barely graduating from the kanistha-adhikara to the brahmabhuta stage in approaching ruci.

Ruci Nistha is the stage of madhyama-kanistha. Then comes the stage of ruci. Consciousness is not a static but moving, dynamic thing, so there's fluctuation; the various stages overlap. This is a continuum of consciousness, not a black and white thing, so it can be said that madhyama-madhyama goes approximately from being solidly established on the ruci stage «up to asakti» as Gurudeva answered in Italy morning walk 2010. This is ideally the minimum level to initiate disciples that he indicated.

«By the further pursuance of the activities of sadhana-bhakti such as sravana and by the influence of associating with devotees who are more advanced than oneself, one's nistha intensifies and assumes the form of ruci».(Bhakti-tattva-viveka 4) «Ruci is strong, condensed nistha. At ruci there's no more fear, nor more material desires. The brahmacari doesn't get married, nor the sannyasi falls...The two first qualities of bhakti_ klesaghni (freedom from suffering) and subhada (all auspiciousness)_ are very visible. The seeds of material desires are destroyed. At ruci, one chants constantly even without controlling it sometimes.

Some realizations of the Lord's form, qualities and lilas come.

Some of the three tastes of bhava come: great desire, strong thirst

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to obtain, serve favorably and please Him. One's behavior becomes like the Goswamis, one is constantly engaged in hearing and chanting…At ruci there is a touch of the sobha or brilliance of bhava». (MK class 2008) «To reach the Beautiful, who is playing and dancing in His own sweetness and affection, we have to follow that course of ´do or die´ at every moment… If you can adopt this process, then, quickly, anartha-nivrtti. Then nistha, you´ll find a continuous connection with this sort of principle in your life. It will always act continuously in you, and the other fleeting, mean desires will not be able to approach you or touch you. Then you´ll find ruci, a real taste for that most charming substance. Before that continuous connection with Him, whatever taste we think we possess is all treachery. This is not the real taste. We want 24 hours a day continuous connection with that charming substance.

Real taste will come after that continuous 24h connection in divine thought of him. We can rely on that taste. The taste we may find in other positions is not reliable. The taste that comes after 24 h connection, eliminating all other charms of this world, is reliable. That ruci, taste, will guide us...». (Srila BR Sridhara Maharaja) «Before ruci, there is viksepa, distraction; and one cannot understand how to follow the Brajavasis' way of serving». (Srila Jiva Goswami) Ruci is the stage where pure bhakti begins. If one is fortunate and has the appropriate previous samskaras, he may then enter the sacred path of raganuga-bhakti.

«When ruci appears, the spiritualization of I and mine is nearly complete, while the materialistic idea of I and mine is still pervasive...In meditation there is no distraction and the meditation is long lasting». (MK 8) «When the devotee takes into his heart the golden medallion of bhakti, shining brightly by the fire of steady practice and propelled by its own energy, then ruci appears. When a person develops a taste for the activities of bhakti vastly greater than attraction for anything else, that is called ruci. Unlike previous stages, at ruci constant performance of devotional activities like hearing and chanting doesn't cause even the least fatigue. Ruci quickly produces an intense addiction to the activities of bhakti.

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One is like an addict who becomes restless in the absence of the object of his addiction and can't live without it.

Ruci is of two types; the first one depends on excellence of elements (for instance, a devotee may only experience pleasure from kirtana if it's pleasing to the ear and artistically sung. He may only relish hari-katha if it's delivered skillfully with poetic ornaments and qualities. He may only enjoy Deity worship if the place, implements, materials and so on are according to his fancy.) The cause is a taint of impurity in the heart of the devotee, dosabhasa. The second type of ruci doesn't depend on such excellence of elements. ...Then somewhere some time the devotee becomes like a bee tasting the nectar of the fruit of the desire tree, the Srimad Bhagavatam. He remains constantly with the devotees, sitting with them conversing about the nectarean pastimes of the Lord, relishing and glorifying them again and again, to the exclusion of all other topics. He enters the sacred dhama and becomes fixed in the pure, unalloyed service of the Lord (seva-nistha). Ignorant people think he is going crazy.

To begin the new dance step of the devotee's joyful way of meditating on and serving the Lord, ruci, the dance instructress, takes him by the two hands to personally teach him. Thus he begins to experience extraordinary, unimaginable bliss».

«An advanced devotee, madhyama-madhyama at least, does bhajana with sambandha-jnana». (MK class 2008) It is said that a madhyama-adhikari has prema:«The first characteristic of a madhyama Vaisnava is that he has prema for Sri Krishna. The word prema here refers to suddha-bhakti (anyabhilasita sunyam) » (Jaiva dharma) «Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti writes in his Srimad-Bhagavatam commentary that a madhyama-adhikari cannot have real prema.

But by thinking of how the gopis loved Krishna, he may receive a shadow of their prema. Thus he achieves the level of asakti, attachment for Krishna». (Note in Pinnacle of devotion) Asakti Then comes asakti, which is at its beginning partly the madhyama-madhyama stage and at its mature stage partly the

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stage of uttama-madhyama adhikara. Srila Gurudeva indicated many times this stage as the preferable stage to begin taking the role of diksa-guru.

«Next, when the taste for doing bhajana reaches extreme depth and full-grown maturity, and Krishna becomes the sole object of life and the very object of one's devotional service, one attains asakti, or glue-like attachment. Ruci is the immature stage of attachment and asakti is its mature stage».

«When ruci becomes mature, it becomes asakti. At ruci the taste is more for bhajan, at asakti, it's more for Krishna, the bhajaniya». (MK class 2008) «Asakti polishes the mirror of the heart to such a state of transparency that the reflection of the Lord suddenly seems to be almost visible there, as if he had appeared in person before the devotee...

Prior to asakti, on realizing that his mind has been overpowered by material objects, the devotee by his deliberate effort almost withdraws his mind from them and tries to fix it on the Lord. With the appearance of asakti, however, absorption of the mind in the Lord is automatic, without effort. One doesn't know how and when his mind withdraws from material topics, even in the middle of gossip, and spontaneously absorbs itself in topics of the Lord.

One below that level can never experience this. Only a devotee on this level can know what is asakti...

He will engage in drinking nectar in intimate talks or in listening to hari-katha...At times, he'll remain in his house like a wealthy but miserly merchant greedy for treasure, absorbed all day in thoughts, 'where shall I go? What should I do? How will I get my hands on my desired object?' Sometimes he'll act like a mute, sometimes he'll feign normality and hide his inner feelings...Oblivious to honor and dishonor, having fallen into the current of the great river of attachment to the Lord, he'll simply continue in the same way. He begins to relish the supreme sweetness of the incomparable beauties of Krishna. Worldly talks and affairs become boring and unbearable».

«At the stage of asakti, the spiritual aspect of I and mine is complete, and the material aspect becomes partial...Meditation becomes very deep». (MK 8) This is the stage where the uttama-adhikari 'comes down' or

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rather adjusts his vision and operates for the sake of preaching.

When the uttama-adhikari, who has either come down from the spiritual world or achieved perfection from the sadhana platform, is in ardha-bahya-dasa, semi-external consciousness, he 'becomes' a madhyama-uttama. This is the ideal level a guru should be on.

«When suddha-bhakti appears in the heart even in the stage of sadhana, a little of the splendor of the limbs of bhajana begins to blossom. At that time, realisation of the jiva's eternal identity and realisation of the true intrinsic nature of bhagavat-tattva is kindled by the medium of that splendor. Subsequently, a powerful agitation in the form of deep attachment for bhakti develops within the heart of the devotee. Thus, the appearance of this stage of bhajana causes suddha-bhakti-sadhana to quickly unfold into the stage of rati or bhava». (Bhakti-tattva-viveka 3) The symptoms of the uttama-adhikari sastre yuktau ca nipunau sarvatha drdha-niscayah praudha sraddho 'dhikari yah sa bhaktav uttamo matah One who is conversant with the scriptures, expert in all types of logic and possesses unwavering determination is the uttamaadhikari, or one endowed with firm sraddha.(BRS 1.2.17) sastra-yuktye sunipuna drdha-sraddha yanra 'uttama-adikari' sei taraye samsara One who is expert in logic, argument, and the revealed scriptures and who has firm faith in Krishna is a topmost devotee.

He can deliver the whole world. (CC Madhya 22.65) In Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Bhaktivinode Thakura writes: «The sadhaka within whom ruci has developed is called an uttamaadhikari. Only such an uttama-adhikari attains suddha-bhakti.

(BTV 4, p 42) But in Jaiva-dharma he writes, in chapter 8,” When the bhakti of the madhyama Vaisnava progresses beyond the stages of sadhana and bhava, and comes to the level of prema, it becomes highly condensed, and at that time, the Vaisnava becomes an uttama-bhakta.” This can be confusing.

However, Bhaktivinode Thakura writes in Bhakti-tattva-viveka (ch4 p 48) that the definitions of the three levels of devotees are pertaining to those belonging to vaidhi-bhakti, not to raganuga

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bhakti. And Srila Gurudeva mentioned that the madhyama adhikaris who are well established in raganuga-bhakti are like the uttama-adhikaris of vaidhi-bhakti. The following can help reconcile the difference between the various statements about where do the different levels of the madhyama and uttama levels begin: In Bhakti-tattva-viveka, the context is the adhikara or eligibility to practice vaidhi-bhakti sadhana. There are three levels of eligibilty to practice vaidhi-bhakti. Bhaktivinode Thakura is explaining the subject based on the symptoms described by Srila Rupa Goswami in Bhakti- rasamrta-sindhu ch 2, and it makes perfect sense in that context.

Obviously, before nistha is the lowest eligibilty (komalasraddha), nistha is middle level (one has drdha-sraddha but no realization), and ruci is the highest level of eligibility, because bhakti-tattva remains incomprehensible before ruci (BRS1.1.45) Since when ruci appears bhakti-tattva is easily understood, that person is "sastra-yukti sunipuna" and has drdha-sraddha, so they have the best (uttama) eligibility for vaidhi-bhakti sadhana because sadhana truly begins from ruci. Before ruci it is considered sadhana-abhasa. So that is the first context.

Then, in Jaiva-dharma, when Bhaktivinode Thakura explains that madhyama is from ruci and uttama from prema, he is basing the discussion on Sri Krsna's teaching to Uddhava.

It’s a different discussion, and a different context. It is not about adhikara for practicing vaidhi-bhakti sadhana. It is about levels of bhagavatas: madhyama-bhagavata and uttama-bhagavata.

They're also sometimes called "adhikaris" but the context is the level of eligibility for bhakti as a whole, not just sadhana.

Furthermore, when Sri Caitanay Mahaprabhu explained the three levels of Vaisnavas to the residents of Kulinagrama, it was based on nama-tattva, it was again a different context. In this analysis, Rupa Gosvami's kanistha and madhyama (BRS ch2), and also Krsna's kanistha (11canto) do not even make it into the categorization because they cannot chant purely even once. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's kanistha is Srila Rupa Gosvami's uttama.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura has written this directly in Jaivadharma p170, "According to the characteristics of this description, all three Â

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classes meet the standards I have described for madhyama and uttama. None of them corresponds to the kanistha."

In other words, he confirms that each description has its own context, but they do not correspond if we try to cross reference them one-to one.

The Srimad Bhagavatam (11.2.45) describes the symptoms of an uttama Vaisnava as follows: «One who sees his own bhagavad-bhava, ecstatic mood of attraction towards Sri Krishna in the hearts of all jivas, and sees all beings within Sri Krishna, is an uttama-bhagavata».

An uttama Vaisnava perceives that all living beings love Bhagavan with the same particular feeling of transcendental love that he himself cherishes towards his istadeva. He also perceives that Bhagavan feels a reciprocal attitude of love towards all living beings. An uttama Vaisnava has no disposition other than this mood of transcendental love. Other moods arise from time to time, according to different circumstances, but they are all transformations of that prema...When suddha-prema becomes the very life of a bhakta, he is known as an uttama-bhagavata. In this condition there is no longer any distinction between love, friendship, mercy, and neglect, as is the case with the madhyamaadhikari. All his behavior becomes a manifestation of prema, and there is no difference in his eyes between a kanistha, madhyama, or an uttama, nor is there any difference between a Vaisnava and a non-Vaisnava. This advanced condition is extremely rare.”

(Jaiva-dharma 8) Bhava Bhava is the beginning of the uttama-adhikara.

“First madhyama-kanistha, then madhyama-madhyama, and then madhyama-uttama, one will reach up to ruci and asakti .

Then, when rati (bhava) manifests, that is the beginning of uttama-adhikara. “(Italy walks, 08/06/2009) Actually, maturing asakti and bhava are overlapping, so much so that it can be said that they are very similar, and that madhyama-uttama and uttama kanistha are almost non-different in their respective end and beginning.

«When asakti achieves its utmost maturity, it is called bhava, or

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rati. It is the aim of sadhana-bhakti. Attachment and spontaneous tastes soften mind, heart, ego, and all reasoning faculties reach the point of melting. At bhava, one is entering onto the suddhasattva platform and the three potencies constituting svarupa-sakti start to manifest, like the rays of the dawning sun of prema. It is the blossoming flower of the creeper of bhakti».

«It is sudurlabha, extremely rarely achieved, for two reasons: 1) It can't be attained in spite of performing many sadhanas for a long time, as long as one doesn't have firm faith and unwavering persistence.

2) Krishna doesn't easily grant it, even though one is engaged in sadhana endowed with unflinching attachment and expertise (asanga-yukta-bhakti)». (BRS 1.1.35) «Those who engage in nava-bhakti are not granted suddhabhakti by Krishna until they develop attachment for rati-tattva, which is the fruit of the perception of one's eternal identity». (Jiva Goswami on Srimad Bhagavatam 5.6.18) «It is moksa-laghutakrt, it makes liberation seem insignificant.

Just one atom of bhava totally uproots ignorance.

At the stage of bhava, the spiritual aspect of I and mine becomes absolute; it seems as if it enters into a spiritual body suitable to his desire to serve the Lord, and the material aspect is reduced to an empty shadow, like when one just wakes up from a dream and still almost sees that dream for a moment before his eyes. His material body remains almost as he had left it. His sense of possessiveness (mamata) becomes like a bee to relish the nectar of the Lord's lotus feet.

Having obtained the most precious jewel of bhava, he tries to hide it from the ordinary people... At this stage, as soon as one begins meditation, he sees the Lord in his heart (sphurti)...

The sthayi-bhava combines with the 4 ingredients of vibhava, anubhava, sancari bhavas and sattvika-bhavas and becomes the rasa» «Realization of one's specific relationship will come at the stage of bhava; without bhava, it won't come... When bhava comes you'll be able to see who you are and what is your eternal relationship with Krishna. But even at that stage, that realization is compared to see something through glass, covered by glass. In prema, you'll be able to see everything clearly». (Italy Morning

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walk 5/7/2010) «The vastu-prabha, or illumination of one's eternal identity arising from the diksa-mantra received from one's diksa-guru won't appear until one receives the svarupa-jnana (intrinsic knowledge concerning the sadhaka, sadhana and sadhya) by the mercy of a siksa-guru.» (Bhakti-tattva-viveka 2) Three Mahabhagavatas or sad-gurus «There are three levels of devotees who can act as sad-guru, and they are: (1) bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapta, After giving up the gross material body, those who have perfected themselves through the practice of bhakti obtain saccid-ananda spiritual forms which are just suitable for the service of the Lord as associates (parsadas). Such persons are the best of all uttama-bhagavatas.

2) Nirdhuta-kasaya Those who, although still residing within the gross material body made of five elements, have no trace of material desire (vasana) nor any material impressions (samskaras) within their hearts are called nirdhuta-kasaya (who have thrown off all material impurities). They belong to the intermediate class of uttama-bhagavatas.

3) Murcchita-kasaya Those pursuing the path of bhakti in whose hearts there remains a trace of desire (vasana) and impressions (samskaras), based on the material mode of goodness, are known as murcchita-kasaya. Due to the influence of their bhakti, these vasanas and samskaras remain in a dormant or unconscious state. As soon as there is a favorable opportunity, their worshipful object, Sri Bhagavan, somehow causes their desire to be consumed and attracts them to His lotus feet. Such elevated souls belong to the preliminary (kanistha) stage of uttamabhagavatas». (BRS) (Note in Pinnacle of devotion) Prema «Love enriched with the feeling of possession, in which one feels, 'the Lord is mine' is called prema. The devotee relishes the nectar flowing from the fruit of prema in the form of concentrated bliss, sandrananda. The sublime nourishing potency of this nectar

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is its power to attract even Krishna, sri-krsna-karsini. Prema is in its intrinsic nature a dense, consolidated and ecstatic bliss. Once awakened, it never ceases, even if there be strong grounds of a break or cessation.

At the stage of prema, the spiritual aspect of I and mine becomes extremely thick and the material aspect is completely absent. There is not only sphurti in one's meditation but direct association of the Lord». (MK 8)

CH 3 CONCLUSION In summary, we can say that Srila Gurudeva always said, earlier and later: One needs to accept a guru. One should pray to Krishna to send him an uttama-adhikari guru. It is quite rare. So if one doesn't find such a rare uttama-adhikari, one can accept a madhyama-adhikari as one's diksa-guru Srila Gurudeva warned in 2008 in a darsana with the sannyasis, “When gurus give initiation, so many ladies are attracted to them, and to get rid of them is so difficult. They may kiss you, approach you to enjoy with you, saying they love you, no law is there for them, and it is very difficult to get rid of them. That’s why they are falling down. So if you think you’re not like that, (laughing), then you can do.”

Uttamas and madhyamas are complementary Srila Gurudeva has adjusted to the present necessity of continuing his mission. He was highly practical. He also knew that, whether he would authorize it or not, some of his followers would start to initiate their own disciples after his physical departure. Some had even been doing it since 2003. He said, «If I am not alive, if I leave this planet, then what will be? All will stop their initiation? When I leave this planet, what they will do? They will initiate or not? I think, whether I will tell not, they must initiate. I know...” (Govardhan 29.10.07)

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We have to deal with the realities in front of us today. Srila Gurudeva lately emphasized even more than before that madhyamas gurus can be accepted as diksa-gurus in the absence of an uttama-adhikari, and that Krishna would make the arrangement for sincere disciples of sincere madhyama-adhikari gurus to meet an uttama-adhikari siksa-guru Srila Gurudeva allowed devotees established in the madhyama-adhikara to initiate, in order to continue his parampara: And thus our parampara should go on. That I like.� (Govardhana darsana, 2007) Present guru-tattva as it is Guru-tattva is not complicated at all. If you have suddha-nama, you can give it. In other words, you cannot give what you have not got. Only one who has gotten Krishna, who has bound up Krishna in his heart, only he can make Krishna appear in the heart of his devoted disciple. No one else can give you Krishna. If someone has not gotten, how can he give? Guru-tattva only gets complicated when we try to justify somebody who is below the level of self-realization, who is not chanting suddha-nama, and we try to philosophically show that such a person is a fully qualified guru.

If devotees feel that it is their duty and that it is Srila Gurudeva's desire that they take on the service of initiating before they have reached the madhyama-madhyama stage, they should not compromise the philosophy of guru-tattva, but present it as it is.

It is not our business to try and second guess why somebody takes on the service of guru, but guru-tattva should be presented unadulterated. This is most important.

Teach guru-tattva to newcomers As mentioned earlier, new devotees should be systematically trained in the science of guru-tattva so that they can choose a qualified spiritual guide. They must have a strong grounding in complete guru-tattva and the unambiguous and collectively supported goal of taking association and guidance from devotees of the highest caliber available, ideally from maha-bhagavatas. Â

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They shouldn't be taught that these high-class devotees don't exist or are so rare that it's futile to hope to have such a diksa-guru or that any sannyasi is automatically a fully qualified guru.

On the other hand, Srila Gurudeva has warned his sannyasis against criticizing those acting as gurus, especially to a prospective disciple. «But I want that there should be some rule and regulation. There should be no quarrel among yourselves. If any devotee wants to take harinama from one Maharaja, but another Maharaja speaks again and again against him, and, gives that devotee diksa and harinama, then this is not okay. If he says ‘No, no, no, don’t go to this Maharaja. Take from me’, so in case he will do so, the first time, he will get a warning. And the second time, then his own giving diksa should be stopped by the general body. I am giving power to the general body that if any sannyasi is doing so, he must be stopped. Like in ISKCON they are doing.

Otherwise there'll be quarrels among yourselves and you will be separated.” (Sannyasis darsana 2008) Need for qualified madhyama-gurus Qualified madhyama-adhikaris can come forward and accept disciples. This is the teaching of our guru. This is the mandate we have from him. The mission has to move on with what it has at its disposal. Those whose bhakti is steady and proven can take the responsibility of guiding the new students.

One should become a guru as Mahaprabhu instructed. But accepting disciples when one does not have the capacity to deliver them is only cheating and hypocrisy, nothing else, if one doesn't let them know of one's limitations. The basis of the sacred relationship between guru and disciple is love and trust. Indeed, on that basis, the disciple gradually develops a bond of unconditional love towards the guru, which will ultimately mature into pure love towards the Lord.

What kind of guru do you want or can you afford?

It also, of course, depends what kind of guru a new person wants. “Different levels of advancement are there. Different customers want different qualities of commodities. Varieties are

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there. It is up to one to decide what he wants, what variety he wants. Krishna knows the heart. If one is really crying for Him, thinking, “I want the best. I don’t want second class or third class.

I want the topmost.”, so He arranges. What you desire, you get.

A top level sadhu is very rare. Still, such sadhus are always there. Because we are conditioned souls, our vision is defective.

Although such a sadhu may come before us, we cannot see him.

Therefore, one should not say that there are no sadhus. Instead, one should say, «I am a blind person. I cannot see a sadhu»”(Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja).

So it depends on what one wants and also what one's sukrti allows one to get. A suitable arrangement will be made for everyone by Krishna. Srila Gurudeva said many times one gets a guru of different caliber according to his sukrti.

A few last words To be a madhyama-adhikari is not a disqualification for being guru The system that Srila Gurudeva has recommended will work smoothly if: (A) Acting gurus emphasize the need for higher association, and encourage their disciples to seek and find that higher association; (B) Acting gurus represent themselves as followers of mahabhagavata devotees and explain that whatever potency they have is by the grace of these great devotees.

If one is not highly qualified as an uttama-adhikari or elevated madhyama-adhikari , one should admit this fact openly whenever necessary.

The madhyama gurus should honor and worship the uttamas they may perceive around them and with honest sincerity be constantly seeking those higher souls for nourishment, guidance, encouragement and blessings. We have been taught that a madhyama-adhikari will always see this as his top priority and enthuse others to see the need to do the same. In our sanga, we have always said that the ISKCON gurus couldn’t progress unless they were taking siksa from Srila Gurudeva or some other highclass sadhu “If the second-class devotee does not advance himself by

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associating with a first-class devotee, he makes no progress...”

(CC,Madhya 22.71 purport) With regards devotees going outside of our sanga for initiation in their search for a maha-bhagavata, or for a higher siksa-guru, we should accommodate such eventualities. Vaisnavism is not narrow nor sectarian but broad-minded. We have to reconcile the idea that our devotees should listen to our own sannyasis, because they transmit Srila Gurudeva's mood and particular presentation of our acaryas' teachings, with the legitimate search for sadhusanga You don’t have to recommend anyone as a diksa-guru if you don't feel comfortable to. If someone asks you who you recommend, you can tell them to pray for an uttama-adhikari, and that you don’t recommend any name because you don’t want to interfere, that it is between them and Krsna, that Krsna will arrange according to the aspiring disciple’s spiritual destiny.

It is important to always glorify Srila Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupada and always tell new people that they are the main spiritual guides of all the devotees in our sanga.

You can speak about the difference between the 3 kinds of devotees. At the same time, when new people tell you they are already initiated by one of our sannyasis, or will be initiated by one of them, you can express something obviously nice about their guru.

Don’t worry. Srila Gurudeva said he had faith ”You should not be worried. Those who are sannyasis, they are preaching my mission everywhere...I think they will not deviate like ISKCON sannyasis. I have faith. So I want that they should do, [those] who are qualified. And thus our parampara should go on... Don't have any doubt and worry, what I'm telling, they should follow. They should not think, "I am guru".” (Govardhan darsana, 2007) Anyway, we have to face and live with what is our present reality in the aftermath of Srila Gurudeva's physical departure.

There are many “new gurus” and there will be more, and it is inevitable that there are many different levels and types. . Srila Gurudeva said that he had faith that they would send their

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disciples to a higher-level sadhu when one will manifest.

We shouldn't_ minimize the very valuable service offered by those devotees who are taking recently the responsibility to accept disciples and guide them. Those who are qualified to initiate and do so are satisfying the desire of Srila Gurudeva and our guruvarga and bringing happiness to many souls by bringing them closer to the fold of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, through which they can access the Lord's most merciful dispensation of mercy to date.

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