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EDITORIAL August 23, 2000 VNN6179 Comment on this story Who Is Loyal To Srila Prabhupada? BY MADAN MOHAN DASA EDITORIAL, Aug 23 (VNN) — "There does not arise any question of discriminating my Guru from yours or anyone else's. There is only one Guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me and all others." (Abhay Charan Das, 1936) Dear VNN Readers, Please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! None of us who aspire to serve the lotus feet of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Bhagavata guru-parampara could possibly spend our time more positively and constructively than in glorifying all the munificent acaryas in our line. There could be no more tragic and disasterous waste of the precious opportunity of human life than to spend even one moment criticising sadhus. It is not a glorification of Sri Guru to praise one guru as being superior to all other gurus for all time, nor does such a notion reflect even the most basic grasp of guru-tattva. There is only one guru, Sri Krishna, who descends into this world in the form of diksa guru and siksa guru, who are both equal manifestations of akhanda-guru-tattva, the indivisible principle of Sri Guru. "There is no difference between the shelter-giving Supreme Lord and the initiating and instructing spiritual masters. If one foolishly discriminates between them, he commits an offense in the discharge of devotional service." (Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta, Adi-lila, 1.47, purport) When such rare personalities become apparent, it is due entirely to their self-effulgent personalities and the numerous qualities and symptoms of a pure Vaishnava that are described and confirmed in great detail throughout sastra. Bona fide gurus are simply recognized and verified as such, never voted as "guru" by committees or gaining such a position through ambitious self-promotion. The true guru always acts as the humble servant of his own diksa and siksa gurus and all gurus and Vaishnavas in his line before him. The proof of the bona fide Gaudiya Vaishnava guru is reflected fully in how he lives his life; 100% devoted to the service of Sri Guru and Gauranga, always absorbed in serving Sri Sri Radha Krishna Yugala Kishor, chanting Harinama, speaking Hari-katha and always able to inspire and convince others through his complete mastery of all sastric conclusions. The bona fide guru is always affectionate to all living beings and inspires all others to chant the holy name simply by his presence. Sadly, there has been a campaign running for decades to discredit any senior Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhu or guru on the misleading premise that they have committed some sort of unpardonable offense by "not being the same as Srila Prabhupada". Many souls have found themselves paralysed and trapped by the entirely false notion that - following the physical departure from this world in 1977 of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - no other similarly-qualified Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhu or guru could ever possibly appear again, for at least 10,000 years. The idea expressed above has absolutely no basis whatsoever in sastra and is nowhere confirmed by any qualified guru or sadhu and was absolutely most certainly never for one second taught by Srila Prabhupada. Yet many of Srila Prabhupada's proclaimed followers have completely obscured his actual teachings by forcing this gross distortion of Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta upon many innocent souls who simply wish to serve Srila Prabhupada's mission. There is one currently fashionable line of speculative thinking which has now risen to the status of an alarming epidemic. The premise of what amounts to a "no guru" philosophy is that one phrase of one personal letter written in 1977 by Srila Prabhupada relating to institutional administration supercedes all his other teachings expressed in his translations of and purports to Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Chaitanya-Caritamrta and Nectar of Instruction, as well as his innumerable other books, articles and lectures. "I have all of Srila Prabhupada's books and tapes. He is my one and only guru. I don't need anyone else." These are the familiar mantras chanted by many fearful souls who have surrendered to the erroneous notion that they can actually make spiritual progress without the direct guidance of any pure Vaishnava guru. Sadly, these supposed proclamations of "loyalty" reflect the simple fact that Srila Prabhupada's books and teachings have not been understood, not even by the most vociferous of the "Jaya Prabhupada" slogan-chanters. The greatest and most poignant irony is that such life-wasting and self-destructive concepts have arisen entirely due to lack of association with pure Vaishnavas. By proper association with senior Vaishnavas who have actually practised for many years and have deeply realized all sastric conclusions, such falsehoods and misconceptions can be put aside very quickly and any sincere aspiring sadhaka can begin or once again continue to make actual, tangible progress on the path of Krishna-bhakti. So, who is loyal to Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada? This question deserves deep and thorough consideration by all aspiring sadhakas in the Gaudiya Vaishnava line. The question itself begs many other questions, such as: 1) What is the actual purpose of Srila Prabhupada's mission? 2) What distinguishes Gaudiya Vaishnavism above other Vaishnava philosophies, what to speak of all other theistic conceptions? 3) Who is qualified to fully represent and properly glorify Srila Prabhupada, and thereby to represent and glorify all the acaryas in the Gaudiya Vaishnava bhagavata-guru parampara? 4) What is the greatest expression of loyalty that we, as individual aspiring sadhakas, can actually offer in service to Srila Prabhupada? Many other questions arise, but for this particular conditioned soul who was first attracted to Krishna consciousness entirely due to the magnificent preaching efforts of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, these are the questions which have been most significant for me, to which I have sought to find honest and complete answers over many years. I feel somewhat satisfied, after many years of praying to Srila Prabhupada and receiving his highest mercy in the form of pure sadhu-sanga, that I now have a much clearer understanding in these areas of basic tattva and siddhanta than I previously did. These are reflections of my personal understandings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism expressed in my own words, not any kind of formal representation of any particular guru, group or institution. 1) What is the actual purpose of Srila Prabhupada's mission? In addressing my primary concern, I can't conceive of how anyone can have a true sense of loyalty to Srila Prabhupada without first establishing exactly what it is that Srila Prabhupada's true disciples and followers are required to be loyal to. This question is fully answered in Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta and summarized perfectly in Sri Upadesamrta (Nectar of Instruction). We have gained access to the sublime teachings of both Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja and Sri Rupa Gosvami by the unlimited grace and mercy of Srila Prabhupada. My personal (and widely shared) conclusion is that it is quite impossible to gain access to the sublime teachings of Srila Prabhupada without first taking shelter of a fully-qualified Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who can properly and fully illuminate those teachings. There is only one reason I feel certain of the prime necessity of direct guidance in the matter of gaining understanding of one sadhu by taking shelter of another sadhu. Srila Prabhupada told me to do exactly that. Srila Prabhupada has painstakingly explained in each and every one of his books that sadhu-sanga is the prime necessity and the single and only means by which success on the path of Krishna consciousness can possibly be attained. What does Srila Prabhupada present to us in his translation and purport to Text Five in Nectar of Instruction? "...and one should associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticise others." "...Such a Vaishnava should be accepted as an uttama-adhikari, a highly advanced devotee, and his association should always be sought." How should we understood Srila Prabhupada's meaning here? Is it ambiguous? Does always mean always? Perhaps I am a little simple-minded, but to me when a pure Vaishnava - especially of the status of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - tells me that something should always be done, then I can only honestly accept that to mean one thing, that it should always be done. Am I stupid, or when Srila Prabhupada tells us that he wants all of us to always seek out the association of pure devotees, is his actual meaning that he wants all of us to always seek out the association of pure devotees? Or is he saying something else? Many of his so-called disciples and followers are now forcefully asserting that he means the complete opposite. I am an ignorant person who wastes vast amounts of my precious time, but at least I can assert that I have one virtue, of being honest enough to acknowledge my limitations. Without the direct guidance and direct sanga of any pure Vaishnava, all independent notions of making spiritual advancement by myself couldn't possibly amount to anything more than vain, arrogant pretense. I prayed to Srila Prabhupada in 1991 "I want a guru like you" and he sent me to one. For me, the two above instructions of Srila Prabhupada have formed the very foundation of my spiritual life. I didn't know anything about anything until I received the direct mercy of an uttama-adhikari Vaishnava. I sought out the association of that pure devotee because Srila Prabhupada told me to. I had sufficient faith in Srila Prabhupada 9 years ago to follow that instruction and now my faith in Srila Prabhupada has increased to the point of absolute, resolute certainty that his teachings are eternally pure and perfect. And I have also been told so much about the background, mission and personality of Srila Prabhupada by my own Guru Maharaja that my life has become immeasurably enriched. The kitten depends entirely on being carried by its mother, while the baby monkey's survival is entirely due to its own efforts to cling to its mother, yet neither total dependence alone nor independent efforts alone yield the desired result on the path of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has definitively asserted that both aspects must be there. All genuine aspiring sadhakas are obliged to accept that we are both helpless and fully dependent on Sri Krishna's mercy in our conditioned state, while we must simultaneously make great effort to follow the bhakti-sadhana process under direct guidance of pure Vaishnavas if we are to succeed in attaining Krishna-prema, the ultimate goal of life. As I have understood it, the actual purpose of Srila Prabhupada's mission is to give Krishna-prema in the supremely exalted mood of the Vrajavasis by the single only effective means of facilitating association with pure Vaishnavas who alone possess that prema and who alone can give it. Whoever does not seek out and accept the continuous sanga of pure Vaishnavas cannot - according to Srila Prabhupada's instructions - be actually serving his desire. Loyalty to Srila Prabhupada has its foundation in obeying this instruction above all others. To neglect this instruction is to actually turn one's back on Srila Prabhupada and his mission. 2) What distinguishes Gaudiya Vaishnavism above other Vaishnava philosophies, what to speak of all other theistic conceptions? Again, this question is fully answered in Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta and summarized perfectly in Sri Upadesamrta, Nectar of Instruction. At the beginning of Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta: "May that Lord, who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi, be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the age of Kali by HIs causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of the mellow taste of His service. "The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-givng potency. Although Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krsna Himself. "Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His Love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi, as the moon appears from the ocean." (Adi-lila, 1. 4, 5, 6 ) At the conclusion of Nectar of Instruction, which according to Srila Prabhupada's introduction "constitutes the first instructions for neophyte devotees": "By serving Radha-kunda, one can get an opportunity to become an assistant of Srimati Radharani under the eternal guidance of the gopis." Clearly, when the exalted position of maidservant to Srimati Radhika is attained, even then one remains under eternal guidance. If service in that supreme realm requires continuous guidance, where is the sense in believing that as conditioned souls any one of us can make progress independently of any pure association in this world? The whole purpose of having Srila Prabhupada's association through his vani and receiving his teachings through his books and tapes is entirely lost if we choose to ignore the very most basic and essential instruction to always seek out the association of uttama-adhikari Vaishnavas. It is implicit in that instruction alone that if Srila Prabhupada is instructing us to always "associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticise others", that such devotees are always to be found. Or did Srila Prabhupada come to advise us to do something impossible, to cheat us? Hardly. Srila Prabhupada did not come to establish varnashrama-dharma, cow protection, liberation to Vaikuntha through chanting Harinama or some kind of New Age cult. He came to distribute the holy name saturated with the prema of the Vrajavasis, most specifically to establish the prema of the Vraja gopis as the highest conception of divine love, attainable only by means of the continuous association with the pure Vaishnavas who themselves actually possess that prema. There is nothing comparable to the love of the Vraja gopis for Krishna. There is no higher attainment. Srila Prabhupada came to offer entry into that realm to the most fallen and wretched souls of this world. That is the speciality of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The very highest thing has been freely offered to the very lowest. 3) Who is qualified to fully represent and properly glorify Srila Prabhupada, and thereby to represent and glorify all the acaryas in the Gaudiya Vaishnava bhagavata-guru parampara? Whoever knows Srila Prabhupada's heart is qualified to fully represent him. All conditioned souls are immediately excluded from that category, whether or not they proclaim themselves to be qualified gurus or sadhus. Anyone who is prone to four mundane defects, who retains any tendency to criticise others cannot possibly know Srila Prabhupada's heart. Only a pure Vaishnava sadhu, free from envy, can truly know the heart of another pure Vaishnava sadhu. Personally I feel totally happy to glorify the following exalted Vaishnavas by asserting my full faith that they know Srila Prabhupada's heart: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Gosvami Maharaja, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhara Maharaja, Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaja, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja and all the other acaryas in the Gaudiya Vaishnava rupanuga guru-varga. All have served and taught perfectly and established the correct Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta and tattva. All attempts at minimizing or challenging any of these unassailable, invincible acaryas have proven to be empty, baseless and utterly futile. Yet all have been challenged, attacked and criticized at some time by envious men trying to further mundane ambitions. Any pure Vaishnava guru is best glorified by the disciple who actually fulfils his inner heart's desire, who actually becomes a pure devotee. Whether a nitya-siddha associate descended into this world or a sadhaka who has attained perfection, all follow the path of accepting pure guidance at every step. Sri Krishna and Sri Baladeva, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda all accepted the direct guidance of pure Vaishnava gurus, even though They are the gurus of everyone, just to teach by Their perfect example. Yet many deluded conditioned souls at this time are asserting that they have reached a position whereby they can attain all perfection merely by reading books and hearing tapes in place of direct guidance, though such a hopeless path is guaranteed to lead to failiure and is recommended nowhere in sastra or by any bona fide guru or sadhu. Srila Prabhupada can only be truly glorified and served by pure devotees who give him the maximum honour by perpetuating his actual mission, presenting his actual teachings - identical to the teachings of all the Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas - and inspiring souls everywhere to take to the chanting of the holy name under the direct guidance of any pure Vaishnava guru. 4) What is the greatest expression of loyalty that we, as individual aspiring sadhakas, can actually offer in service to Srila Prabhupada? In 1990 I thought this was a simple matter. I had been reading Srila Prabhupada's books for 6 years, been going to his temples more and more frequently and had begun chanting 8 rounds a day regularly. I decided to commit my life to the service of Srila Prabhupada by going to live in one of his temples and, hopefully, learning how to serve and represent him to the best of my ability. Though I was utterly convinced of the correctness and supremacy of Srila Prabhupada's teachings, my only proviso in making a lifetime commitment was that if something better came along and I became even more convinced of that, then I should follow my heart above all other considerations. I was certain then that there was nothing superior to Srila Prabhupada's teachings and my certainty and faith in Srila Prabhupada and his teachings have now, 10 years later, increased to the point of utter unshakeability. For reasons beyond my comprehension, I have in the last 10 years also witnessed the continued and systematic trashing of everything Srila Prabhupada taught within the institution he founded. Fortunately for me, 8 of those years have been spent under the shelter of that very pure Vaishnava guru to whom Srila Prabhupada led me very quickly after I prayed to him "I want a guru like you", while living in his Iskcon temple in Leicester, England. When I told my superiors in Iskcon that I wanted to take initiation from a pure Vaishnava guru, as I understood that to be what Srila Prabhupada had instructed me to do through his books, I was shocked by the response. "You can either go and take shelter of a pure Vaishnava "superguru", or you can stay in Iskcon. You can't do both." I wanted to do both things. I was very happy to live and serve in one of Srila Prabhupada's temples, but I was feeling the very strong need for direct, perfect guidance from a guru in whom I could put my absolute and implicit faith. I had encountered no such guru who inspired me to commit my eternal soul into his hands within the Iskcon institution. Notably, I was actively discouraged from taking the shelter and sanga of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja, whom I was prevented from meeting, but who I now understand to have been Srila Prabhupada's seniormost and perhaps only (in my opinion) fully-qualified representative among his formally initiated disciples. What became painfully obvious to me at that time was that I could only truly serve Srila Prabhupada and assert my faith and loyalty by parting company with his institution, which effectively meant severing contact with and losing the goodwill of so many devotees who had helped me along the way. I discovered many years later that no one was told that I had left to take shelter of a pure Vaishnava guru, but all were informed that I had "lost interest" in Krishna consciousness. There are many strange contradictions that characterize this particular time we are living through, presumably all symptomatic of a progressive and rapid downward slide into Kali-yuga. Srila Prabhupada taught that sadhu-sanga is the primary means of attaining Krishna-prema, the ultimate goal of life. Yet Srila Prabhupada's proclaimed "official" representatives appear to be utterly terrified of the presence of any pure Vaishnava on the planet and seem prepared to go to any length to run campaigns of vilification against pure Vaishnavas to prevent as many aspiring devotees as possible from getting genuine sadhu-sanga, the one and only thing which will lead any sincere sadhaka to success. Any aspiring Vaishnava not under the control or within the "official" membership of Iskcon who was once connected with Iskcon (i.e. almost everyone outside India) but chose or was forced to leave one or other unpleasant situation within the institution is accused of "turning their back on Srila Prabhupada". Personally, I feel that it is perfectly correct to assert that genuine service to Srila Prabhupada can only begin with taking initiation from a pure Vaishnava guru and that continued loyalty to Srila Prabhupada only finds its true expression through seeking out and remaining under the shelter and guidance of pure Vaishnavas, exactly as Srila Prabhupada instructed in all his books. To wilfully avoid sadhu-sanga, avoid hearing pure Hari-katha and avoid accepting personal guidance from any pure Vaishnava is the most accurate definition of any proclaimed followers turning their back on Srila Prabhupada. Institutional loyalty is utterly irrelevant to the real question of loyalty to Srila Prabhupada. Following Srila Prabhupada's instructions constitutes real loyalty. The impertinent and grossly offensive attempt to redefine the entirety of Srila Prabhupada's teachings into the mundane process of pseudo-initiation known as "ritvik philosophy" represents the very worst perversion of truth which has ever been inflicted upon the human race. Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the highest good, offering the very pinnacle of spiritual perfection to every conditioned soul in the universe through the process of hearing, chanting and remembering the glories of Sri Krishna under the direct shelter and guidance of pure Vaishnavas. Whatever forces act to oppose the dissemination of true Gaudiya Vaishnava teachings must properly be recognized as the very most deluded expression of ignorance within the material world. In conclusion, to become a pure devotee by means of always seeking out, associating with and serving pure Vaishnavas must constitute the highest expression of loyalty in service to Srila Prabhupada. Only pure Vaishnavas can give Krishna-prema and instruct aspiring sadhakas in the progressive process of actually attaining that highest perfection. At the very least, for those of us who have even a glimmer of appreciation for the great treasure-house of Krishna-prema that Srila Prabhupada has made available to us, we can help to make that unlimited wealth available to all the suffering souls by very sincerely presenting the simple, basic truths of Srila Prabhupada's teachings without any kind of sectarian slant or ambition for personal gain. We can also perform the very helpful service of pointing what does not conform to Srila Prabhupada's teachings by simply referring to Srila Prabhupada's fully authoritative books. Only Krishna exists. All jiva souls exist entirely for His pleasure, and no other reason. Whatever attracts and inspires conditioned souls to move towards Krishna can only have descended into this material world from the internal potency in His supreme realm. Whatever prevents or obstructs any jiva from entering into the association of pure Vaishnavas which will propel him or her towards Krishna's eternally blissful pastimes can only have originated within the mundane, illusory external energy. The sum total of the jiva's independence to act is in choosing what we want. Bhagavad-gita confirms that we can actually do nothing without the sanction and help of the Supreme Lord. If we desire to delude ourselves into a cheating mentality whereby we consider ourselves great and powerful, Krishna arranges the fulfilment of our desires in such a way that sooner or later we see the utter futility of trying to be master of anything in this world. The devotional surrender described at the conclusion of Srimad Bhagavad-gita is not bhakti, but the gateway to bhakti. Our first significan t choice is to express our positive desire to surrender at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna in devotional service. When our desire to surrender is heartfelt and sincere, then Krishna descends in the form of both diksa guru and siksa guru to gradually guide us into His eternal pastimes. Because Krishna is unlimitedly merciful, most especially so in the supremely munificent form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He enters this world and distributes His unnata-ujjvala rasa - the topmost brilliant treasure of service to Srimati Radhika within His most confidential pastimes in Vraja - to even the most fallen and unqualified jivas in this world. He appears in this form once every 8.64 billion years to bestow the supreme benediction upon all mankind. We're here in human form at the most perfect time to avail ourselves of this most exquisite and extremely rare opportunity. Srila Prabhupada woke the entire planet up to this possibility, which can only become a reality if we follow the most essential first step of surrender in accepting initiation and guidance directly from any pure Vaishnava guru. By the natural covering tendency of maya shakti and due mostly to not following Srila Prabhupada's most elementary instruction for all neophyte disciples - to always seek out the direct shelter of pure Vaishnava devotees - many of Srila Prabhupada's disciples and followers have lost sight of their Guru Maharaja's mission. We are all conditioned souls whose only good fortune in this world is manifest in the form of pure Vaishnavas who can never fall under the influence of the illusory energy. Krishna is ever present in the form of Sri Guru. This essay has been my own meagre effort to glorify Krishna in the form of Sri Guru who has manifested His causeless mercy to me in the form of my unlimitedly merciful diksa guru, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja of Mathura and my eternally worshipable siksa guru, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Both have lived faultless, exemplary and dedicated lives of one-pointed Krishna-bhakti that compare to the very highest personal examples of guru-seva and devotion to all the acaryas in the munificent Gaudiya Vaishnava bhagavata-guru parampara, our most exalted rupanuga guru-varga. Both have preached vigorously throughout their lives and have rescued Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mission from the darkness of ignorance that pervades this world and now the influence of both these self-effulgent incarnations of sublime mercy is being felt more fully than ever all over the planet. The pure devotee brings unlimited joy to the hearts of all sincere aspiring sadhakas, while striking fear into the minds of those unfortunate souls bound so tightly by illusion they feel compelled to blaspheme and misrepresent their greatest friends and benefactors while offering all sorts of bogus nonsense as supposed "alternatives" to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. As I have attempted to assert my own strong faith in the actual teachings of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in writing this article, I feel it most appropriate to finish by presenting a quote from his famous 1936 address to the Bombay Gaudiya Math: "Gentlemen, the offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the Acharyadev is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of Gurudev or Acharyadev, we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discriminating my Guru from yours or anyone else's. There is only one Guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me and all others. In the Mundaka Upanishad [1.2.12] it is said: tad-vijnartham sa gurum evabhigacchet samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham< "In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide Spiritual Master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth." Thus it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the Guru. Therefore, if the Absolute Truth is one - about which we think there is no difference of opinion - the Guru cannot be two. The Acharyadev to whom we have assembled tonight to offer our humble homage is not the Guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the jagad-guru, or the Guru of all of us; the only difference is that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly. In the Bhagavatam [11.17.27] it is said: acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva mayo guruh "One should understand the Spiritual Master to be as good as I am," said the Blessed Lord. "Nobody should be jealous of the Spiritual Master or think of him as an ordinary man, because the Spiritual Master is the sum total of all demigods." That is, the Acharya has been identified with God Himself. He has nothing to do with the affairs of this mundane world. He appears before us to reveal the light of the Vedas and to bestow upon us the blessing of full-fledged freedom, after which we should hanker at every step of our life's journey." (Abhay Charan Das, addressing the Bombay Gaudiya Math, 1936) Thank you for having the patience to read this. Please forgive any disturbance caused by my use of language or the excesses of my conditioned mind. No harm or offense is intended to anyone. Praying for the blessings of the Vaishnavas that I myself may actually progress to the point of becoming a true and loyal disciple in all respects to my diksa and siksa gurus, Your servant aspiring for the service of Sri Guru & Gauranga, Madan Mohan dasa. Please send any comments or responses to 106650.1421@compuserve.com n.b. The whole of Srila Prabhupada's 1936 lecture is available upon request. 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