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EDITORIAL June 6, 2000 VNN5996 Related VNN Stories Regarding "ISKCON's Official Position On Narayana Maharaja" BY VRAJA KISHOR DAS EDITORIAL, Jun 6 (VNN) — After reading the above mentioned paper, I can appreciate a good intention on the part of the authors: Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (hereafter called "Prabhupada") created something called ISKCON, and his followers want to ensure that it remains the way he created it.
However, this implies that ISKCON already exists in exactly the form that Prabhupada desires, and that the current leaders of ISKCON do not require advice regarding it's improvement or modification. Judging from the current state of that institution, however, is this reasonable? The authors might well respond that they are indeed open to advice, just not to advice from Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja (hereafter called "Narayan Maharaj") - since this advice is incompatible with Prabhupada's desires for his ISKCON. (In their paper, they list what appears to them to be incompatibilities) Again, the implication here is that the authors understand Prabhupada's teachings, desires and intentions better than Narayan Maharaj does. Perhaps this is not an unreasonable proposal, since the authors are Prabhupada's disciples in a way that Narayan Maharaj is not. But, again, the current state of ISKCON casts sufficient doubt upon it. It appears that the authors should not conclude their "Official Position" regarding Narayan Maharaj without deeply reevaluating and addressing at least two things: 1. How well does ISKCON fulfill and embody Prabhupada's teachings and desires? Without ascertaining this, it is not possible to determine the extent to which ISKCON would benefit from the advice and guidance of bhaktas from the Gaudiya Sampradaya who, organizationally, may not be members of ISKCON. 2. How well has ISKCON understood Prabhupada's teachings in light of Prabhupada's Gaudiya Sampradaya? Without thoroughly understanding them, it is not possible to effectively compare and contrast them with Narayan Maharaja's teachings. I request the authors to withhold their official opinion until exploring these two points, and to represent their paper some time thereafter, having taken these points into full consideration. About the Author  Other Stories by this AuthorRelated VNN Stories Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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