Thoughts on the Continuity of the Parampara

By Pusta Krishna das

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur was a prolific Vaishnava writer, contributing volumes of devotional poetry and the first English writings about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It has been almost 150 years since his time, and of course, he promoted his son, for whom he was also a siksha guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupad.

It is clear that the generations of vaishnavas must consider the importance of perpetuating the Parampara, or unbroken chain of spiritual teachers. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur did not appoint any individual to become his successor, rather leaving the management of his society, the Gaudiya Math, to a GBC.

This did not mean that he wanted an end to the Parampara, but that rather he had faith that Krishna would reveal later some qualified disciples to continue the formal line. We have had the great good fortune of either knowing Srila Prabhupad first hand, or through his voluminous translations and other resources such as taped lectures. His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad will not be minimized by genuine followers of the Parampara.

He will remain the empowered saktyavesh avatar who wasand continues to be instrumental in spreading Krishna consciousness throughout the world. He has been, and will continue to be, rightly glorified as such for all time, and his books, recordings, and letters presented Krishna consciousness from ABC through XYZ. He warned against sahajiya-ism and mayavad-ism. He warned against imitation-ism. Following Srila Prabhupad’s departure, it was as if the sun had been blotted out. This was compounded by some senior devotees desirous of pratishtha, or position, having the rug pulled out from beneath their feet by Krishna, the Maintainer of the universe, and the Maintainer of the Parampara… yada yada hi dharmasya.

This presented many difficult lessons for the aspiring bhaktas to learn from. Imitationism is not enough, obviously. Simple book knowledge, or the ability to quote slokas, is not enough. Even a charismatic personality, clearly, is not enough. While we hope for the purity of an individual to rise up and “qualify” one for the responsibility of being an acharya, we must recognize the following principle: Krishna Is the purifying principle. Even decades of devotional practice does not qualify one, necessarily, for the role of teacher. Faith in this, and in the 9 devotional processes of bhakti sadhana, is of paramount importance, in considering the continuity of the Parampara. I do believe that character has the opportunity to be transformed such that if one makes mistakes, they can be rectified… if one is sincere and not attached to their own delusional self-importance.

It is not possible for every acharya, in every time, to rise in stature to fill the unfillable shoes of Srila Prabhupad. In fact, our Srila Prabhupad went through many, many trials and tribulations before he first left India in 1965, and after his arrival in America. In the beginning, despite being 70 years old at the time, he did not have temples, ashrams, or even his own place to stay in New York City. When our new formal spiritual teachers within ISKCON take up this new role of teacher, they must most importantly realize that they are caretakers of Srila Prabhupad’s mission. They do not own it. Even if they start their own small missions, as has been done by several of Srila Prabhupad’s initiated disciples, they do not own the knowledge which they have received from Srila Prabhupad and the shastras. Only caretakers.

And, we can see that teachers of Krishna consciousness must not aspire to hold the high position of a jagat-guru, like Srila Prabhupad, just because they have students in many countries of the world. It is important to recognize first and foremost that one is a caretaker of the wisdom, and aspire to become, as possible, a “transparent via medium” to the Lord. Srila Prabhupad always emphasized that you can preach about what you have heard about. It is not necessary, and it can be undesirable, to be “too clever”. I have observed that after many years, some of our Krishna conscious teachers, adopt “novel” ways of teaching or writing. This isn’t necessarily, but can be, dangerous.

I consider several things: Does this reflect ‘boredom’ or ‘offenses’ on the part of such individuals? Have they become too much jnanis, ascenders rather than recipients of mercy descending? I cannot say with certainty, but we had not seen such efforts by Srila Prabhupad personally. Even when times were difficult Srila Prabhupad remained a humble preacher of Krishna consciousness up to his last breath, fulfilling the order of his beloved gurudeva. And so, when Krishna says that there is ‘no one more dear to me in this world than one who is trying to teach the science of surrender to the bhaktas’, and when Srila Prabhupad said that ‘we are simply living on this promise of Krishna’s in order to try to become dear to Krishna’, then we can see the consistent mood and approach of the genuine acharyas. When prospective teachers of Krishna consciousness want to become “enjoyers” of the fruits of knowledge or position, they will fall down externally, just as they have already fallen down internally. The sweet joy of Krishna consciousness emanates internally by the grace of Krishna, and not by the adoration of others, even disciples. Christ gave a simple aphorism that is good to remember, that to be first… one should think of themselves as last. The privilege of being a teacher is distinguished that one becomes the best servant.

This does not mean that one who is a teacher becomes a servant to the whims of his students or disciples, but rather that one becomes a dedicated servant of his teacher, and teaches others as an extension of the mercy of his own spiritual teacher. Whether of higher or lower stature, the present and future teachers of the Parampara must understand that it is a privilege to serve. One must try to capture the essence: One is only a caretaker of the knowledge, don’t try to be too clever, Krishna is the purifying principle, imitation-ism while flattering is not desirable.

Have faith in Guru, Vaishnava, and Krishna. If one is fortunate, they will get good vaishnava association. But, if one does not get such good association, it does not mean that the Parampara principle is not valid. It is Krishna’s desire that the Parampara continues (evam parampara….). Krishna is really in charge. He will re-establish the line when needed. In the present, we have seen that political jockeying has sometimes taken place.

We have seen, also, impatience in the evolution of the Parampara. I have confidence that Srila Prabhupad’s ideals are good and valid for ISKCON. I hope also that the GBC will evolve in its collective maturity. It may not be necessary to give “formal policy statements” on every issue under the sun. Rather, manage the society in a common sense and Krishna conscious manner. Do not overstate your importance, and do not understate your true responsibility, to see to it that the people who come to the doorstep of ISKCON are looking for Krishna. We have to assure that they have the opportunity to awaken Krishna consciousness through the Parampara, clearly, transparently, and for the welfare of the seekers and the pleasure of Krishna.

This is the responsibility of everyone. If you can become instrumental in this role, you can become more dear to Krishna. Hare Krishna. May Srila Prabhupad always bless the sincere efforts we make, and may Krishna be kind upon us to give us the good association we need to persevere in devotional service.

Submitted with humility, and with desire for further development of discussion,

Pusta Krishna das