Dandavat pranams,
All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga .

Dear Vaisnava devotees of the Lord,
Recently I was sent the latest GBC article attempting to minimize the relationship between Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, and His siksa guru Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. Unfortunately, one afflicted with jaundice sees everything as yellow, in the same one afflicted with misconception sees contradictions everywhere.
Actually, I have read the document several times and see no contradictions whatsoever between what was said, and what is claimed to be said by Srila Narayana Maharaja.
I don’t want to make this article so long, so I will just stick to the main points;

The essence of the claims by the GBC is the following, “The most prominent of these fabulations is the depiction of death-bed professions by Prabhupada that (1) he had failed to teach his own disciples adequately; that (2) the reason for his failure was the debased and degraded nature of his disciples; that (3) Prabhupada consequently appointed Narayana Maharaja himself to complete the job; and that (4), given the unfitness of his own disciples, Prabhupada wanted Narayana Maharaja instead to put him in samadhi.”

(1) The first point raised by them is “he had failed to teach his own disciples adequately.” This is an obvious fact given the sad past of the leaders of the ISKCON society. Considering at the time of Srila Prabhupada departure, the leaders included such perfectly trained disciples such as; Bhavananda, Jaya-Tirtha, Brahmananda, Garga-muni, Bhagavän, Harikesh, Surabhi Swami, Hari-sauri (Prabhupada Kripa Goswami), Rameswara, Drstadhumana, Adi-kesava, Sudama, Kirtananda, Hamsadutta…..need I go on. Had any of Prabhupada’s disciples been trained up to the level of pure devotion? Even upon the attainment of bhava one should remain under the guidance and protection of sadhu-sanga, or one will experience difficulties in spiritual life, as is shown by the past-time of the fall down of Bharat Maharaja in the fifth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Unfortunately, the GBC have given an incorrect slant to their translation of Prabhupada’s words of ‘yatata pari shiksa diyechi, karche ora’ which should actually be translated as ‘I have trained them as much as I could’.

Actually as a pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada has unlimited potency to give perfect training, but unfortunately the disciple can only catch the mercy of the guru according to their surrender, and as we see from the histories of the ex-leaders of the GBC, this surrender was not very substantial. Why this is so is explained by Srila Prabhupada himself “because they are from mleccha and yavana backgrounds, I tried my best to train them.” Thus the point that Prabhupada is trying to make is that he could not train them up to the proper standard of pure devotion. I think that there are very few disciples of Srila Prabhupada who can raise their hands and claim to have been perfectly trained in pure devotion.

(2) As for the second point that “reason for this failure was the debased and degraded nature of his disciples”, the GBC are simply repeating Prabhupada’s own words verbatim. “They do not have any hereditary background. All are from mleccha and yavana family background. I have trained them according to my ability. They are also doing their best.”

The GBC have made great efforts to show that Srila Narayana Maharaja is misrepresenting Prabhupada because Srila Narayana Maharaja claimed that Prabhupada said, “You should help my disciples. They are like monkeys, I could not train them so much.” Actually Srila Narayana Maharaja is being kind by describing them as monkeys, because their Guru Maharaja described them as being worse. It is better to be called a monkey rather than a mleccha and yavana. In Prabhupada’s BBT the glossary gives the translations for mleccha as (uncivilized humans, outside the Vedic system of society, who are generally meat-eaters.), and a yavana is (a class of humans fallen from the Vedic culture; a low-class person, generally a meat-eater; a barbarian.) A monkey is a sub-human, and mlecchas and yavanas are considered as sub-human beings, as quoted by Srila Prabhupada in his Srimad Bhagavatam commentary, “In the Krsna consciousness movement these monkey disciples, being unable to follow the strict regulative principles, sometimes fall down and try to form societies based on sex. This is proof that such people are descendants of monkeys, as confirmed by Darwin. In this verse it is therefore clearly stated: yatha vanara jateù.”

And…..”However, being unable to stick to these principles, these rascals again fall down and take shelter among sudras who are very expert in making arrangements for sex indulgence. Sex is very prominent among animals like monkeys, and such people who are enlivened by sex may be called descendants of monkeys.”

The reason Srila Narayana Maharaja is being so kind was also explained by him 15 years ago, and this has been also given by the GBC as an explanation, he says, “At that time he (Srila Prabhupada) spoke in Bengali so that others would not understand. If he were to say that all his disciples were ignorant, that they did not know very much, and that they were imperfect, they may have become upset. For this reason he spoke so many things in Bengali. He told me, ‘I brought them, but I could not teach them in full.‘” Thus the words of Srila Prabhupada have prophetically become true, because when the GBC understood that their Gurudeva called them mlecchas and yavanas 30 years ago, they have become upset and wrote a 40 page reply.

(3) ) The GBC has stated that “Prabhupada consequently appointed Narayana Mahäräja himself to complete the job (of giving them full training). This was also stated in the conversation, where Prabhupada says in the beginning of the conversation, “Prabhupada and Bhaktivinoda Thakura wanted that we
should preach in Europe and America. Another desire was that everyone should preach collectively.” Is this not a statement that ISKCON should work together with the Gaudiya Math? Is this not the desire of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, (thus also a desire of Srila Prabhupada)? Is not Srila Narayana Maharaja being told that this is the desire of the Guru Paramapara? Srila Prabhupada continues, “And after I have gone, everyone should all come together . . .” Thus Prabhupada is not just instructing Srila Narayana Maharaja, and the Gaudiya Math to work co-operatively with Iskcon, but for Iskcon to work together with the Gaudiya Math. Prabhupada explains that we have all the facilities in terms of “If all work unitedly — there are big, big temples; there is sufficient place to stay; there is no lack of manpower. If everything happens when I am here, that will be very nice.”

Srila Narayana Maharaja then tells Prabhupada that Iskcon devotees are sufficiently trained, so as to put Prabhupada out of anxiety, thus he says, “It is very nice. This is how it should be. You have created something; if they all work together and maintain it. You have trained them. Yet in the future if they become even more united and help, then a wonderful thing will happen in this world.” Then Srila Prabhupada explains that actually he hasn’t been able to train them properly because they are all mlecchas and yavanas, but he tried his best, and they are also trying their best with their insufficient training, Thus he says, “They do not have any hereditary background. All are from mleccha and yavana family background. I have trained them according to my ability. They are also doing their best.”

So the entire flow of the conversation should be looked upon as a whole. One cannot simply pull random statements out of context, and present them to a reader. Srila Prabhupada states that the desires of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura are to preach in Europe and America, and if we are all united then wonderful things can be done. He states how he tried to train his disciples as much as he was able, but due to their being mlecchas and yavanas, it was insufficient. Why is he saying this to Srila Narayana Maharaja at their last meeting? Of course Srila Narayana Maharaja could understand the mano ‘bhista (internal desire) of Srila Prabhupada, which anyone, (unless they are blind) could also see. That is please train My disciples and co-operatively preach around the world, fulfilling My desires, and also the desire of the previous acharyas.

Srila Prabhupada always gave the analogy of the blind man and the lame man. The lame man represented India, and the blind man represented the West. India was materially lame, and the West was blind to spiritual knowledge, if they both co-operate then wonderful things can be done. Here the Gaudiya Math may be likened to the lame man, and Iskcon is the blind man, our previous acaryas wanted for them to work co-operatively, and that was the final desire of Srila Prabhupada being expressed here. Perhaps the blind man cannot see this though, but Srila Narayana Maharaja knew what Prabhupada meant, therefore he replied, “Whenever they will call me, consult with me, wherever they will ask me to go, I will do according to my ability. However, my qualification is very little. Whatever I can do selflessly, I will do.” And “I consider you to be like my spiritual master.”

(4) The last disagreement the Iskcon paper had with the direct statements of Srila Prabhupada was stated by them, “given the unfitness of his own disciples, Prabhupada wanted Narayana Maharaja instead to put him in samadhi.” Again, this was also collaborated by the entire conversation. If the disciples like PP Bhakticaru Maharaja and Bhavananda already knew everything, then why would they have to consult Srila Narayana Maharaja about the details of the Samadhi ceremony? I quote,

Prabhupada: You have consulted with NarayanaMaharaja?
Tamala Krsna: Yes. This morning Bhakti-caru Swami, Bhakti-prema Swami
and Sridhara Swami went to see him, and Narayana Maharaja described the ceremony for the departure of a Vaisnava, great Vaisnava soul.

So full training was not given so they had to take advice from a senior Vaisnava.

Actually the most offensive statement in the entire article was the following jewel of vaiñëava-aparädha, where it states on page 28, “Thus, it
appears that the idea of NarayanaMaharaja’s participation in the ceremony originates from Narayana Maharaja himself, not from Srila Prabhupada.” Thus directly suggesting that Srila Narayana Maharaja went to the Samadhi ceremony for the free feast or something like that. Considering that Srila Prabhupada in the same conversation asks Srila Narayana Maharaja if he will be there for everything, and that he was the only person who could direct the entire viraha mahotsava, and to say that Srila Maharaja went there for some self-interest is just disgusting. Also considering that Srila Prabhupada did not give His disciples the gopi-bhava mantra at the time of sannyasa, then who will write that mantra on the divine body of the pure devotee at the time of the Samadhi giving ceremony. You can see Srila Narayana Maharaja writing the mantra on the divine chest of Srila Prabhupada on the video clip, “The final lesson.”

Of course the real reason Srila Prabhupada didn’t want those leaders to touch his body was because they had poisoned him, that is why Srila Prabhupada asked Srila Narayana Maharaja to give him Samadhi. I heard this from Srila Narayana Maharaja himself.

I don’t want to spend too much time on this. I am glad that the GBC have so much time up their sleeves that they can compose 40 page letters on the subject. It is better that they look towards their own deviations, such as the voting in of acaryas, voting on the fall of the jiva, the zonal acarya system, the gurukul fiasco etc ad finitum, than trying to cast assertions on the character of an exalted Vaisnavas.

Of course, for those great and fortunate souls who took shelter under Srila Prabhupada, and are fulfilling his desires for them to attain pure devotion by remaining under the guidance of the pure Gaudiya Vaisnavas, then for them we apply the verse from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita (9.30);

api cet su-duracaro bhajate mäm ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyaù samyag vyavasito hi saù

“Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.”

While those who divulge in fault finding and criticism of the Vaisnavas, they are abominable.

This is the principle,

Wishing them all the best, and praying for their rectification;

A fallen servant of the servant

BV Damodara Maharaja