On the whole there is now attempt to stop this movement,
Gurudas Swami wrote again, from the Schloss Rettershof in Germany. His letter, which surprisingly seems to have taken only three days to get here, was mostly upbeat and enthusiastic. He has just completed a successful three-week tour of Northern Ireland, where, he said, he was "preaching in the midst of the bomb-troubled areas, watching buildings blow to nothing before my eyes, receiving the thanks of the people in general, and going to colleges, high schools, army groups, town halls etc. etc."
Now he says he is preparing to go to Poland, as requested by Srila Prabhupada. He has recruited the help of a Polish devotee, Sri Garbha dasa, who after settling his wife and child in Mayapur will join him in the Eastern European preaching program. He also said that he has a small party of devotees who are preaching and collecting; although the funds they raise were originally intended to go to Vrindavana, he will now use them to support his Polish preaching.
Gurudas was apologetic for having caused Srila Prabhupada some consternation with regards to his plans and presented some reasons why he felt still tied to India. "In a recent letter to Harikesa Swami You asked 'Why is Gurudas so adamant to go to India?' I did not mean to appear adamant, but I was planning to go there for the following reasons: 1) I feel I have left an unpaid debt in Vrindavan and India as You have written in a letter 'you have tricked me, to leave Vrindavan' etc., then you acknowledged that it was Yamuna's fault, which I agree with, but then You said 'I have trained you for Vrindavan, I didn't want you to leave.' So I still remember Your words and feelings in this regard. 2) Secondly I love Vrindavan and India very much, as well as her people and culture, so I was missing her as I feel India is my home. 3) Thirdly we planned together half a year in India, half the year outside. If you don't feel I have this debt I accept it totally, I am at your mercy. Of course I understand that you would rather I be preaching in Poland so I have absolutely changed my plans, not to come to India and am preparing for Poland."
In his previous letter to Gurudas, Prabhupada had cited the presence here of Yamuna, his former wife, as a reason why he should not come. Gurudas Maharaja digressed rather negatively about her in his letter. He admitted harboring sometimes bitter and sometimes attached feelings towards her, and although these were mostly finished now, he asked, "What arrangement can be made to come to Vrindavan in the future, as I don't want to meet her for obvious mixed reasons, but I do want to see Vrindavan progress and be with the devotees there. What do you suggest?"
Prabhupada was glad to hear Gurudas's plans for preaching. Avoiding any mention of his disciples' former marital relationship, he wrote back positively, expressing his satisfaction and giving much encouragement to support Gurudas's determination to preach in the communist bloc.
"I am very happy to hear that you are going to Poland. Bharadraja also speaks Polish. He may come there sometimes if it can be arranged. Sri Garbha's wife doesn't have to go to Mayapur; she may go to the farm in France. It is very nice there. Or she may go to any of our farms. The preaching in Poland is the first consideration. Vrindaban is being managed somehow by others. Aksayananda has one man who is collecting very well (Rs. 15,000 20,000 per month). Vrindaban is becoming self dependent. If you can preach vigorously in Poland it will be a great asset. You may come to Vrindaban if you like, but preaching in Poland is my greater interest. So, now Vrindaban is somehow being managed. Now the most important work is that side in the Communist countries. If you can do something there, it is more than if you come here. Our business is to glorify Krishna as the Lord of Vrndavana and to popularize Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Hare Krishna Movement. I was a resident in Vrndavana, but at the age of 70 I tried to preach Krishna consciousness a little bit and now this Institution has come out. So, I think it is more profitable to preach about the Master of Vrndavana, Krishna, outside of Vrndavana. A devotee of Krishna can create Vrndavana everywhere by preaching the glories of Krishna.
"There are many sahajiyas who imitate Rupa Goswami not to go out of Vrndavana, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained always outside Vrndavana for preaching purposes, although He is is the master of Vrndavana personally. I have no objection to your coming to Vrndavana, but as you have accepted the sannyasa order, it is more important to preach about Vrndavana rather than to come to Vrndavana. I am getting older and older and it is getting difficult for me, therefore I am requesting all my younger disciples to preach all over the world. Otherwise, you are always welcome in Vrndavana. I have no objection. I am a little hopeful that if we preach in the communist countries, they will like it. According to our Vaisnava philosophy even a snake or lizard is in the house shall not go without eating, what to speak of other living entities. The communists have an idea for feeding human society, but our idea is expanding. We want to see even a snake not fasting."
Prabhupada also added an unrelated suggestion that if anybody wants to go to Bangkok "it will be very good," and he supplied the address and the name of Rajni dasi as the contact.
Gurudas also mentioned in his letter that he had succeeded in getting a donation of eleven thousand dollars to go towards the completion of Srila Prabhupada's house in Mayapur. Prabhupada already knew of this. "Alex, who was just here, told me he has given you the money for my house as well as some for purchasing a bus." He finished his reply by requesting that the funds be transferred to an American Express account in Calcutta.
Satsvarupa Maharaja has sent his monthly report for October. His main topic was the fight against the brainwashing charges. On the good side, a significant amount of support has emerged from our friends in the academic community, and at the yearly conference of the American Academy of Religions (AAR), our devotees were allowed to attend and present our case. This resulted in a petition of support for our movement signed by over two hundred professors. On the bad side, Yanoff and his supporters continue to create much trouble for us in the Chicago airport, and book distribution has been badly affected. Other good news included the ongoing success of the library party in getting Prabhupada's books added to the syllabi of some colleges. Satsvarupa Maharaja sent some outstanding funds and also put in a request to be Srila Prabhupada's personal secretary for next February.
Prabhupada answered his points briefly. "Your report on the library party is very encouraging, especially regarding the use of Bhagavad-gita as a text for College courses.
"So far the professors helping us, take affidavits from them. If necessary we may ask them to go to court, but as far as possible avoid this if it is unnecessary.
"Regarding your coming to be the secretary in February. You arrange amongst yourselves. All of you are welcome.
"Thank you for sending the $500 from Detroit. Yes, it was due. Regarding the difficulty at Chicago airport, my advice is to depend on Krishna."
Satsvarupa Maharaja also included in his package a copy of a fourteen-page scholarly paper entitled "The Manifestations of A. C. Bhaktivedanta as Swami, Guru and Avatar" [See Appendix A], authored by Professor J. Frank Kenny from the department of Philosophy and Religions, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Professor Kenny delivered the paper to the AAR this year.
Prof. Kenny lays out his premise in the first paragraph. "This paper is concerned with the precise mode of Swami Bhaktivedanta's 'avatarhood,' or to phrase it differently, how the swami manifests God. In my estimation, the history of ISKCON in America reveals a three-stage development corresponding to three roles played by the swami."
He then elaborates with a brief analysis of the three stages. "The beginning period (1966-1967) is characterized by Swami Bhaktivedanta in the role of 'swami,' that is, 'one who is in control of his senses' and his conversion of 'freaks' from drugs to Krishna Consciousness. A second period, the organizational (1968-1970), is best understood in terms of Swami Bhaktivedanta's role as 'guru' (spiritual teacher) and his training of novice-devotees in Krishna Consciousness. Finally, the missionary period, beginning in 1970, witnesses the spiritual master in the role of 'avatar' (God with us) commissioning the full-Fledged devotees, now 'swamis' themselves, to preach Krishna Consciousness throughout the world. This growth of the spiritual master from 'swami' (individual role) to 'guru' (social role) to 'avatar' (cosmic role) represents successive stages of revelatory perfection. In the final stage (avatar), the spiritual master is seen as the perfect revealer, the 'transparent via medium' of God (Krishna) on earth.
This view of Swami Bhaktivedanta's life and mission as the progressive manifestation of Krishna is not unique in the Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition. Rather, evidence suggests that this model has been paradigmatic for the spiritual masters of the sect since Caitanya, the fifteenth century founder of the movement in Bengal."
The rest of the paper fleshes out his idea using extensive references from early Back To Godhead issues, The Krishna Consciousness Handbook, and to a lesser extent, Srila Prabhupada's books.
After attending his afternoon darsana in the temple courtyard, Srila Prabhupada called Jagadisa prabhu into his room and had him read out the whole paper. Prof. Kenny's observations are quite perceptive. For the first "beginning" period from 1966-1967 he describes Prabhupada's role as a composite of "missionary-parent-therapist-friend-swami" dealing with young Americans disillusioned with the "system" and "searching for the ultimate experience via drugs." Kenny sums up the key feature of this relationship succinctly: "The early devotee's impression of the swami as 'acarya,' that is, 'one who teaches by example' and their subsequent conversion from drugs to Krishna Consciousness is the most significant fact of this period." He uses quotes from writings by Hayagriva prabhu to effectively illustrate the spiritual dynamics involved. "Swami Bhaktivedanta was the perfect therapist. He never rebuked his charges and seemed to have an infinite store of patience. He also functioned as a surrogate parent, friend and confidant. Hayagriva das recalls that in the beginning: 'he was a sage, grandfather, spiritual master and favorite uncle all rolled into one.' It was largely due to Swami Bhaktivedanta's example and sense of mission, we are told, that the early devotees were gradually weaned from drugs.
Hayagriva das claims that for a good part of that first year: 'There some of us who were still walking around in a marijuana stupor, but he had a way of snapping us out of this quickly without ever chastising us. Somehow or other he whipped us into shape without our ever knowing it . . . It wasn't that he simply took away our sex and drugs. This would not have been possible. Rather, he engaged us in something sublime . . . he exhorted us to go out and spread the message of Krishna Consciousness.' "
The next period Kenny defines, the "organizational" from 1968-1970, he feels was signified by the founding of New Vrindaban, which he calls, "a turning point in the movement's history." This period, he observes, saw the movement undergo a transformation from "a 'walk-in,' storefront commune to a 'live-in' Vaishnava temple monastery with its monastic discipline, Vaishnava ritual, Krishna mythology and certain Bengal cultural mores of food, dress, etc.
The freak convert of the earlier period became the novice-devotee."
A corresponding change, Kenny says, occurred in the relationship of the devotees with Srila Prabhupada. "No longer was Swami Bhaktivedanta addressed familiarly as 'swamiji.' He now assumed the honorific 'srila Prabhupada' reFlecting his new formal role as 'guru.' "
New Vrindaban, he notes, was Srila Prabhupada's first attempt to develop an alternative society, one based on simplicity and God consciousness, divorced from modern industrial society. He evidences this by quoting Back To Godhead: "There will be a new growth of superior population. They will not be like cats and dogs, but will actually be demigods. 'Demigod' means devotee of Krishna, that's all. And 'asura' (demon) means non-devotee . . . This demonic civilization is actually killing the human race . . . So one of the major advantages of the New Vrindaban is that it is out of contact with the asuric civilization."
He goes on to say, however, that this was not a total withdrawal from the rest of society. "More importantly, New Vrindaban would stand as a model to the outside world of the true nature of human civilization: 'In New Vrindaban we should live in such an ideal way that people will learn what life and what human civilization actually are.'
"
As this new society grew and was aimed at transformation of the world at large, Kenny writes, Srila Prabhupada's role in leading it also underwent a transformation. "The role of Swami Bhaktivedanta in the new society is clearly stated in the Krishna Consciousness Handbook of 1970. Swami Bhaktivedanta is spiritual master and 'guru': 'As spiritual master, Bhaktivedanta Swami is the last recourse and the ultimate standard of Krishna consciousness . . . He resides in no one place, but travels from center to center and regularly lectures. The spiritual master is responsible for his devotees . . . his order is to be taken as one's life and soul . . . therefore honor the spiritual master with honor due to God because the 'guru' is the transparent via media (sic) or representative of God.' "
Thus, in this two-year period, Kenny sees the precedents that were set for the third stage of ISKCON's development, and the final manifestation of Srila Prabhupada. "New Vrindaban, the 'guru' role of Swami Bhaktivedanta, the disciple role of the ISKCON devotee-all suggested a novitiate in which the movement sought to train its membership and formalize its discipline in preparation for the world mission."
This missionary period, from 1971 to the present, Kenny notes, has been marked by ISKCON moving away from "the isolationist position symbolized by New Vrindaban to one of engagement and confrontation with the traditional values of American society." The worldview that characterized the creation of New Vrindaban-a separation of the elect from the demonic civilization-he feels was replaced through an ideological shift within ISKCON, which "suggests the possibility of 'peace and prosperity of the whole world society' should all men become Krishna conscious." This change of view, Kenny says, is evidenced by apparent tensions between New Vrindaban and ISKCON's city temples. "In the more recent literature of ISKCON New Vrindaban is no longer referred to as the transcendental, Vedic model of an entire civilization but rather more modestly as 'the Hare Krishna movement's model agricultural community' established to show that one can live with simply a cow and some land."
The creation of large business ventures such as Spiritual Sky Incense company, the attempt at starting up a political party, and the increasing tendency of devotees to dress in Western clothing and to use given names as well as assumed ones are all indications to Prof. Kenny that through its city temples ISKCON is becoming more cosmopolitan. And, he says, these changes have all been effected through the changing role of Srila Prabhupada, which, he observes, "has expanded to cosmic proportions. No longer is Swami Bhaktivedanta simply another 'guru' with a mission restricted to the 'English-speaking world.' He is now revealed as 'avatar,' that is, as the sole, perfect manifestation of God (Krishna) for our world." This final role, or aspect of Srila Prabhupada, Prof. Kenny argues, was in evidence right from the beginning in 1966 but not revealed until ISKCON went through the first two growth periods.
When Jagadisha and I first read the title of Kenny's paper, declaring Srila Prabhupada as an avatara, we greeted it with some skepticism, thinking that perhaps in his attempt to analyze Srila Prabhupada's position the professor had fallen into some Mayavadi trap and was saying that ultimately our devotees would see that Srila Prabhupada and God are one and the same. But as we heard the elaboration of his premise, it became clear that he has not. Rather, he has, for a non-devotee, grasped quite well the role of guru as being "as good as God," the representative of Krishna: "In explaining precisely how the swami can be 'as good as God' and yet 'not God,' ISKCON literature employs the technical term 'transparent via medium.' The concept of 'transparent via medium' does not mean that the swami is 'avatar' understood as a personal incarnation or manifestation of Krishna Himself, such as Caitanya was. But, as the swami explains, other forms of manifestation are possible: 'sometimes He (Krishna) descends personally, and sometimes He sends his bona fide representative in the form of His son, or servant or Himself in some disguised form.'
"According to Krishna Consciousness belief, Swami Bhaktivedanta is 'avatar' understood as Krishna's one and only, bona fide representative of our world, 'the transparent via medium between the infinite God and the finite soul' with a world mission 'to arouse Krishna Consciousness everywhere.'
"
Kenny employs a highly original and insightful breakdown of the term "transparent via medium," corresponding it to the different stages he has observed in Srila Prabhupada's character and activities. "In my view, the term 'transparent via medium' reflects the swami's progressional manifestation in three stages: (1) 'medium' indicates the initial 'swami' stage of Bhaktivedanta as 'sannyasin' and as one in control of his senses; (2) 'via' refers to the 'guru' stage of the swami as teacher; and (3) 'transparent' reflects the present, 'avatar' status of the swami as a manifestation of God."
By 'unpacking' these precepts, Prof. Kenny does a good job of explaining the principle of disciplic succession, the idea that there is ultimately only one guru, Krishna, that surrender to Krishna is the goal, and that this is achieved by surrender to His disciplic successor. "But it is imprecise and possibly misleading," he goes on, "to speak of 'surrender to Swami Bhaktivedanta,' for, in the last analysis, one does not surrender to the swami but rather one surrenders to Krishna through the swami. This, I believe, is the import of the term 'transparent.' In ISKCON belief, Swami Bhaktivedanta is no longer 'swami Bhaktivedanta,' an individual entity, but rather, 'Prabhupada,' that is, 'he who has taken the position of the Lord.' He is a transparency, an instrument, a pure medium. He himself no longer lives but Krishna lives through him. Hence, for the ISKCON devotee, to see Swami Bhaktivedanta is to see Krishna; to hear Swami Bhaktivedanta is to hear Krishna; to please Swami Bhaktivedanta is to please Krishna and to worship Swami Bhaktivedanta is to worship God. In short 'the disciple should accept the spiritual master as God because he is the external manifestation of Krishna.' "Thus the concept of 'transparent via medium' defines precisely the mode of Swami Bhaktivedanta's avatar-hood. While not the fullness of divinity, he is the only medium of God's presence and the only source of God's salvific grace for our world. Swami Bhaktivedanta may not be God but he is the only way to God and as such, 'as good as God.' "
The paper ends with a short summary of the main points and contains several pages of footnotes. It is an impressive determination of both ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada listened with keen interest. He smiled occasionally and gave his verdict. "Very good; he has observed intelligently," he told us. "It is nicely done."
It seems apparent that Srila Prabhupada himself has not thought to analyze his efforts to spread Krishna consciousness in quite the same terms, and of course some points could be debated, but he appreciated the professor's observations and thought his paper perceptive and reasonably accurate. Prabhupada has previously told us that his movement really started to take off from 1968 onwards. And it's a fact that his role has transformed dramatically over the years from the humble, unknown swami who arrived friendless and penniless on the shores of a foreign land in 1965, into the powerful cynosure of a booming worldwide spiritual phenomenon. As he told us on a morning walk in Nellore at the beginning of this year, "If I say that I am ISKCON, what is the wrong there? Because I have created this; therefore I say ISKCON means I. I am ISKCON." In that respect Prof. Kenny is spot on: ISKCON is a reflection of Srila Prabhupada; it is whatever he has made it; and further, we, the members of ISKCON, have no access to Krishna without him.
Prabhupada is gratified that his efforts are attracting the favorable scrutiny of the scholarly community, because if they understand his purpose they can influence thousands and perhaps millions of others to take Krishna consciousness seriously.
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 5 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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