Preaching at San Francisco Rathayatra
By Narasimha das 

     Due to Lord Caitanya’s mercy, manifest specifically as Gaura Karuna, my wife’s enthusiasm to preach, we went to San Francisco this summer to Jagganath Rathayatra to distribute Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta and meet interested newcomers to Krishna consciousness.  Fortunately we were able to meet several of Srila Prabhupada’s true followers and others who were innocent newcomers.  Almost everyone we met was appreciative of the Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta book, and some came back later to tell us how much they liked the book. 
     This type of preaching in close proximity to deviated cults is always risky for various reasons, yet we felt unaffected by their association and freely distributed our books and spoke to new persons interested in Krishna consciousness.  Only one man, a GBC devotee, challenged my wife. Later I went to ask what his objections were and he immediately challenged me, demanding to know my initiated name and the place and date of my initiation.  

     In the vitiated iskcon group, there are many who place great importance on the formalities of initiation. Devotees are judged according the year and even month of initiation and whether it was done before or after 1977 and whether one's so-called “guru” is a big man in iskcon or just a small-time upstart.  After assuring this man I was initiated by Srila Prabhupada directly, he told me his objections: 
       “Srila Prabhupada ordered all of his disciples to initiate thousands of their own disciples,” he ranted.
      “There is no such instruction or order anywhere,” I replied. 
      “Srila Prabhupada never ordered or even discussed a new system of initiations. He never discussed new diksa-gurus for his mission. He never explained how new diksa-gurus would be nominated or approved. He never talked about how many gurus would be worshipped and served by their disciples in iskcon. To the contrary, he asked that none of the procedures he had established for iskcon should change. In fact, he formally issued an order to maintain the already current system of ritvik initiations.” 
     “That’s just your opinion!” he said desperately, looking around, as if for help from the gathering crowd. 
     “No. We have the order in writing with Prabhupada’s signature,” I explained. 
     “Srila Prabhupada ordered it to be sent to all iskcon temples and leaders. You must know that. This July 9th, 1977 order reasserts and makes official the system of ritvik initiations, which had been a standard practice in iskcon since 1970. He never suggested this practice should be discontinued. The present system of gurus and initiations in iskcon is a fabrication,” I said.
     “That’s not true…” he stammered. 
     “It was Lord Caitanya’s order that everyone should become gurus and preach,” he continued.
     “We need to be gurus by becoming genuine preachers of the actual science of Krishna consciousness,” I said and cited the example of Sri Gadadhara Pandit, who refused to initiate Vallabha Bhatta, saying He could not do so without a direct order from Lord Caitanya. (See Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 7.150, 7.151). 
     I read from Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta, where Srila Prabhupada says, “A guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. Otherwise nobody can become guru.” (Conversation, October 28, 1975, Nairobi) [cited in Siddhanta, 3.11 pg.45]. 

     “Please listen to Prabhupada’s words,” I asked, and read again from Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta: “Why did this Gaudiya Matha fail? Because they tried to become more than the guru. He--before passing away--he gave all direction and never said that ‘This man should be the next acarya.’ But these people--just after his passing away, they began to fight: ‘Who shall be acarya?’ That is the failure. They never thought, ‘Why--Guru Maharaja gave us instruction on so many things--why did he not say that this man should be acarya?’ They wanted to create artificially somebody as acarya, and everything failed.
     “They did not consider even with common sense--that ‘If Guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acarya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point he missed? The real point?’ And they insisted upon it. They declared some unfit person to become acarya. Then another man came. And then another—‘Acarya!’ Another—‘Acarya!’ So better remain a foolish 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's finished.” (Conversation, August 16, 1976, Bombay) [cited Siddhanta 3.11, pg. 44] 
      The GBC devotee said, “How do you know Srila Prabhupada will accept someone as a disciple? He used to personally accept every disciple and send a letter.” 
     “Srila Prabhupada made it abundantly clear what the standards are for being counted as his disciple,” I said. “On several occasions he said a person could be initiated into Krishna consciousness just by reading his books and doing service sincerely for his mission.” 
     I told a story about an Indian lady who died when her sari caught fire while helping in the temple kitchen. She had never been formally initiated, and the devotees were lamenting about this fact. After hearing about this lady -- how she had always served faithfully and chanted 16 rounds daily -- Srila Prabhupada proclaimed, “She is the best of my disciples.” 
     “But, still, how do you know Srila Prabhupada will accept a particular new devotee as his disciple today?” the man protested weakly. 
     “He always accepted everyone if they agreed to follow his instructions. Why are you trying to create doubts about this? The real doubt is why leaders in iskcon will not accept all of Srila Prabhupada instructions absolutely? If we create poisonous doubts for new devotees about their opportunity to accept Srila Prabhupada as their direct personal savior, as their eternal guru and guide, what kind of disciples are we? How do you know Srila Prabhupada accepts you, still?” 
     “I got a letter,” he said. 
     “Does he still accept you? Have you always followed him perfectly? Do you offer everything you eat? How do you know Prabhupada accepts your offerings still, today,” I asked.

     The man looked doubtful and said nothing.
     “Such doubts are atheistic," I said.
     “He told us how to offer food,” someone else said. 

     “Similarly, he told us how new devotees are formally accepted by him for initiation,” I explained. I read again from Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta, citing passages where Srila Prabhupada explains the system of ritvik initiations in conversations and letters in May, June, and July 1977 and again on October 18th of 1977, just days before his disappearance pastime. 
     Several people had now gathered. Another man, dressed as a GBC grhastra devotee, who had been sitting with the other GBC devotee the whole time, said,    “You are preaching Krishnanity.  This is not Prabhupada’s philosophy!” 
     I again read from Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta, a passage where Srila Prabhupada affirms that Christians can attain perfection by accepting and following Lord Jesus Christ simply through reading the Bible “represented by some priest or clergyman.” (See Lecture, Seattle, Oct. 2 1968), [cited Siddhanta 2.E, pgs. 15, 16 ] 
     I explained, “Srila Prabhupada never condemned Christians because they accept only Jesus Christ as guru.  Rather he appreciated their loyalty to Jesus but condemned their neglect of his instructions.” 
     At this point the so-called GBC grhastra devotee cynically said, “Prabhupada knew nothing about Christianity before coming to this country.” 
     Hearing this insane statement, even this other GBC devotee looked at his friend in disbelief and said, “Are you crazy?  Prabhupada knew everything.  He was a pure devotee from birth.” 
      Finally we agreed on something. 
      “Srila Prabhupada taught us all, Christian priests and scholars included, who is Christ and what is Christianity. You think Prabhupada needed to learn about Christianity from his neophyte Christian disciples,” I asked.
      I decided it was time to leave.  Obviously I was speaking to confused and/or poisoned individuals. I asked the first GBC devotee to state his objections in writing after carefully reading the book.  I assured him that I would be glad to correspond with him.  I walked away. 
     His face twisted in scorn, he called after me, “You’re just envious!” After several weeks, he still hasn’t contacted me. 
     Fortunately, while I wasted time with misguided doubters and nonbelievers, great souls like Gaura Karuna, Nanda Priya, Gauridas Pandit, Mahashringa, Jaya Narayana, Madhua and others actually distributed many Siddhanta books to interested and appreciative devotees. 
     I continued to distribute books openly in front of miskcon leaders, as various promoters of deviant gaudiya matha cults canvassed openly for new converts. One former disciple and book distributor for Prabhupada, posing as a guru, sat pompously in a chair with followers holding umbrella over his head and sitting at his feet. Miskcon leaders present there had no objection, and almost everyone completely ignored this group. Unfortunately the umbrella was printed in full on top with a likeness of Lord Jagganatha’s face. Some GBC miskcon followers were peddling these at a booth, and no one seemed to care that people were using the Supreme Lord’s face as a shield from rain, sun, and bird droppings. 
     One miskcon bouncer wannabe who had been harassing Prabhupada preachers in LA, told me I couldn’t distribute the Siddhanta books at the gathering. 
     “This book glorifies Srila Prabhupada and all great Vaisnavas,” I explained. “These are all quotes from Prabhupada’s books. If you harass our distributors, you’ll suffer.”
      I walked away. After that, he avoided even looking my way and never said a word to any of our distributors. I gave Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta to at least three members of miskcon’s phony guru club, including one of the original eleven. They all thanked me for the book and seeing the self-effulgent cover, touched it to their heads and promised to read it and comment. 
     After nearly four months and thousands of copies of Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta distributed, no one has dared to state in writing any objections to any points of philosophy or sadhana in this book. Genuine devotees accept it completely and others, perhaps, have at least some inclining that this book is a manifestation of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and can’t be challenged by anyone, without severe reactions. 

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