By Gopal Jiu Publications
After the Disappearance of Sri Guru
Part Three: Serving the Guru’s Mission
By Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
(Letter, 18 December 1993:) You mention that many devotees are losing faith in ISKCON and are leaving our society to find shelter elsewhere. That is not good. They should not leave ISKCON; that will never please Srila Prabhupada. Develop patience and tolerance and pray to Srila Prabhupada from the core of your heart. How is it that he will not help you?
(Conversation with devotees in New York City, July 1994:)There are three things that are very important to me. One is that I want to preach to the preachers. It causes me so much pain to see the devotees falling down and going away. The second thing is that I want to show how everything is in Prabhupada’s books. Those persons who are saying that Srila Prabhupada only gave ABC, it causes me so much pain in my heart. I want to make them silent. And the third thing is that I want to show how everything is in ISKCON and that devotees do not have to go elsewhere for higher teachings.
(Letter, 3 November 1994:) My opinion is that Srila Prabhupada will not be happy with these senior devotees going outside of ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada has said that everything is in his books. If you try to understand this, then by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada it will all be made clear to you.
It is a fact that if an elevated vaiṣṇava is there, then one should go and take his association. There is no harm in that. But in this case, there is a danger that the discipline in our organization will be affected adversely. If the leaders are going outside of ISKCON, how will we be able to maintain discipline? Srila Prabhupada has formed this society, and this threat to his society will only cause him pain. With this consideration, they should not go. That will only lead to indiscipline in our society.
Two sides are there, philosophical and organizational. On the organizational side, this practice is not good. Therefore we have this GBC body, which makes so many rules to maintain the discipline of the members of our society. But how will we be able to keep discipline now? No one will listen — “If the leaders are going, why should we listen? We will also go.” This will create only trouble.
(Evening darśana, Bhubaneswar, 20 November 1989:) Devotee: You said we should always seek the association of advanced devotees. When Srila Prabhupada left the planet, some of his disciples took shelter of one of his godbrothers.
Gour Govinda Maharaja: Thereby they committed a mistake. For the clarification of some philosophical doubt or to accept śikṣā, one may go to another vaiṣṇava, but why leave?
Devotee: Some people took shelter of this Maharaja, and naturally, because he was giving some instruction, they became attached to him and accepted him as śikṣā-guru. Because of this, in some cases, it seems that our society rejected them rather than they rejected our society.
Gour Govinda Maharaja: Let me be excused at the feet of a vaiṣṇava. This Maharaja is a great vaiṣṇava. I pay my obeisance to him. He is my guru. He is the godbrother of my guru. But he should have taught these ISKCON devotees, “Don’t leave ISKCON. Take śikṣā from me if you have some doubts. I am prepared to clarify them. But don’t leave ISKCON.” Why didn’t he teach this thing?
Devotee: So it’s alright for Srila Prabhupada disciples to accept another śikṣā-guru, but they should not leave ISKCON?
Gour Govinda Maharaja: Why should they leave ISKCON?
Devotee: I spoke to one devotee who had taken shelter of a Maharaja outside of ISKCON, and he said that his life was made very difficult within ISKCON and he could no longer preach. He was so restricted. Therefore, in order to preach, he left ISKCON.
Gour Govinda Maharaja: What difficulty is there? Preaching the message of Gauranga Mahaprabhu? Mahaprabhu says, “I will help you. You’ll never be affected by māyā.” If you have no faith in Mahaprabhu, then you will be put into difficulties. Don’t be afraid of problems. Krishna is there. His representative, the guru, is there. They are always with you. They are always prepared to help you. These dangers, these problems, difficulties will help you to become fixed. They are welcome. Therefore Kuntidevi says, vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat tatra tatra jagad-guro — “I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again.” Why did she say like that?
Devotee: Because by those troubles she was always able to remember Krishna.
Gour Govinda Maharaja: Yes. Difficulties, dangers, and problems help one to be more attached to Krishna. Unless there are difficulties, one will not turn his face towards Krishna. Thereby he is in fool’s paradise, thinking, “I am OK.” But he is in danger. He cannot understand it. So all of these difficulties, problems, and dangers, they are kṛpā, mercy in disguise. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada Maharaja said, “Accept all the sufferings in this material world as the mercy of the Supreme Lord.”
(Darśana, South London, 29 September 1991:) Devotee: You have to give us your blessings, Maharaja.
Gour Govinda Swami: I have this blessing, “Get the blessings of my Guru Maharaja, Srimad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Maharaja. Be a member of ISKCON, the society he founded worldwide. Serve him. Remain in the society. Serve guru and Gauranga.” This is my blessing. Nothing else. This is everything. Thank you.
— Excerpted from the booklet After the Disappearance of Sri Guru. Edited by MD. Published by Gopal Jiu Publications. Bhubaneswar Orissa. Drawing by Anuradha Dasi.
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