By Narasimha das

People here on the Big Island of Hawaii are very much afraid of trees called albizia, which is an aggressive invasive species from the Amazon. Some people think they harbor ghosts. These trees grow very fast and choke out native trees and vegetation.  These trees look nice but are dangerous because they are self-pruning.  No one who knows about these trees will build near them or even park their cars in their shade. Our land here backs up to a segment of the Nanawale Forest Reserve, which is overrun with these trees. Every few days we hear a loud crackling sound like rapid gunfire followed by a loud series of crashes, as one of these trees drops another bus-sized branch, crushing everything underneath. Although albizia trees grow luxuriantly due to their ability to extract nitrogen from the air and rain, they are shallow rooted and not long lived. Other giant trees, especially in India, live hundreds or even thousands of years. The albizia tree, however, grows monstrously huge within 60 or 70 years, and soon thereafter rots at its base and collapses.

The present-day maya-iskcon seems to be going the way of the albizia tree. It has grown huge, full of branches and sub-branches, and in some places looks very nice. Yet every few weeks it prunes itself and drops another big branch with a loud commotion and crash, crushing the poor sadhaka devotees taking shelter under the doomed branch. Although the mission appears big and opulent, with many branches and leaves, it is not well rooted in siddhanta or the traditions of pure devotion. Rather its rapid growth can be largely attributed to its ability to snatch wealth from the air. Leaders of sahajiya institutions are often quite expert in collecting money but not interested in developing a deep-rooted foundation of learned devotees and varnasrama projects. Such institutions, unless rectified, may be doomed to rot and collapse under dead weight within a short time.

Those who find themselves out on a limb of an albizia apa-sampradaya (ASS) would be well advised to abandon their connection with the self-appointed poser (SAP) they accepted as guru and immediately accept Srila Prabhupada exclusively as their real savior and bona fide spiritual master.  Some people think they can profit by staying close to maya-iskcon or under the shade of the maya-gbc. This mentality is dangerous. No one should try to live in the shadow of an albizia apa-sampradaya, or ASS.

“What is the use of so many devotees if none of them are knowledgeable?” (Letter, Satsvarupa, 1972)

 “Presently people are so fallen that they cannot distinguish between a conditioned soul and a liberated soul.” (SB. 4.18.5, Purport)

“If one tries to mingle the worship of yogamaya and mahamaya, considering them one and the same, he does not really show very high intelligence.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 8.90, Purport)

 “As soon as a foolish disciple tries to overtake his spiritual master and becomes ambitious to occupy his post, he immediately falls down.” (SB. 5.12.14, Purport.)

“Why did this Gaudiya Matha fail?…They wanted to create artificially someone as acarya, and everything failed… They declared some unfit person to become acarya. Then another man came. And then another–‘acarya!’ Then another–‘acarya!’ So better to remain a foolish [simple] person perpetually, to be directed by Guru Maharaja. That is perfection. And as soon as he learns that Guru Maharaja is dead, ‘Now I am so advanced that I can kill my guru and I become guru.’ Then he is finished.” (Conversation, August 16, 1976, Bombay.)