How Schisms Begin

By Narasimha das

Recently a regular public harinama sankritana program of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples was joined by the followers of a departed self-appointed “guru” who has “re-initiated” some of Srila Prabhupada’s fallen disciples and often tried to insult or minimize Srila Prabhupada in various other ways. These followers came to distribute transcripts of this poser’s lectures and sing his so-called pranam mantras. These folks often say there are many living diksa-gurus and “jagat-gurus” who are equal to (or almost equal to) Srila Prabhupada, although none of these fellows can doing anything tangible to increase the Krishna consciousness movement around the world. Indeed, they and their followers distract from Srila Prabhupada’s real mission, as do the fallen leaders of the vitiated iskcon cults.

These leaders and their followers try to minimize and insult Srila Prabhupada and his disciples as soon they hear that Srila Prabhupada is the real acharya for this age. They are infuriated when devotees try to politely explain that he ordered ritvik initiations for the future of the Krishna consciousness movement. They foolishly say, “Ritvik philosophy is offensive!” And they accuse faithful devotees of being narrow-minded and sectarian. [Note: the term ritvik was instructed by Srila Prabhupada. It is a bona fide Vedic term mentioned many times in Bhagavatam and throughout the Vedas. It is not a “vada”, or philosophical interpretation, but rather refers to a practical system of sadhana by which priests conduct Vedic sacrifices under the auspices of the self-realized acharya.]

The parallels between modern-day deviants and the deviated disciples of Srila Advaitacharya is clear when one carefully studies the purports of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. The real acharyas for this age have explained how schisms begin among the followers of the bona fide spiritual master. And they have explained why such concocters are ruined in due course.

“Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the acharya and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivi-maya.” (Cc. Adi 12.9)

“This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (Cc. Adi 12.9, Purport)

The reference above specifically refers to the schism among the disciples of Sri Advaita. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura elaborates on this point in his purports of Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat by explaining that some of the followers of Sri Advaitacharya wanted to worship Him as Krishna Himself rather than as the topmost Vaishnava worshipper of the Supreme Personalities of Godhead, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai. In this way they tried to minimize Lord Nityananda as being inferior to Sri Advaita and thus distracted from the understanding that only Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself and that He is approached only through the mercy of His direct counterpart, Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

Read the rest of this entry →