Inauguration of Sri Chaitanya Chandrodaya Mandira. L-R, Govinda Maharaja, (Seated on Vyasasana) Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada Swami Maharaja

Date: 5/14/18

Dear Sriman Nila Madhava dasa,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

“A word to the wise is sufficient.” “A picture is worth a thousand words.” See above photo.

What can I say about those who will not believe what their eyes and ears tell them, who deny the conclusions of their own scriptures and their own guru or param-guru (Srila Swami Maharaja)? I cannot help them, you cannot help them, their guru cannot help them, no one can help them. Their situation is described thusly by Sri Prahlada Maharaja:

matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho ‘bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam

na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te ‘pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-‘bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat

“Persons who are determined to totally rot in false, material happiness cannot become Krsna-minded either by instructions from teachers, by self-realization or by parliamentary discussions. They are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage in what is called ‘chewing the chewed.’

“Because of their foolish activities, they are unaware that the ultimate goal of human life is to achieve Visnu, the Lord of the cosmic manifestation, and so their struggle for existence is in the wrong direction of material civilization, which is under the external energy. They are led by similar foolish persons, just as one blind man is led by another blind man and both fall in the ditch.… Read More...

4/27/18

Dear Sriman Uddhava dasa,

My dandavat pranamas to you.

You have identified yourself as “Uddhava das.” One of Srila Saraswati Thakura’s first questions to one who had come before him to make some point was this: “Who is your guru?” That is my question to you.

In your most current email to me you mentioned “another senior SCSMath sanyassi” as one who represents your reply to my email to you dated 4/23/18 (which I posted on our website) but you have not referred to him by name. Rather, you have obviously taken steps to hide his name from me. Why?

In your initial email to me of 4/22/18 you wrote the following:

I’d like to investigate to find which GBC members pushed to stop this nice arrangement. . . . The paper will be hosted on a site made specifically for this information so that it’s available as truth for one and all

You asked me to help you identify the “GBC members” subject to your investigation so that you could make their identities known publicly on “a site made specifically” for that purpose. You considered this “information” and the identities associated with it to be of such great importance that you want it to be “available as truth for one and all.”

Agreeing with your premise, I tried to help you.

After doing so, you suddenly reversed course and took me to task for posting my email to you on our website which is, like the one you proposed to create, dedicated to making information “available as truth for one and all.”… Read More...

idam te natapaskaya: Do not disclose this to those averse to self-sacrifice.

Date: 4/23/18

Dear Sriman Uddhava dasa,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

I think if iskcon reads Sridhar Maharaj books without troubles then it will be a great thing

ISKCON is not the issue. Guru is the issue. ISKCON is a religious society it is not a guru. The GBC is the managerial head of ISKCON, it is not a guru. For success in spiritual life we must follow the advice and direction of a sad guru, one who is fixed in knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

Foreseeing his imminent departure from this world Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja instructed his disciples to go to Srila Sridhara Maharaja for further instruction on the philosophy and siddhanta of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. All the disciples of Srila Prabhupada were free to follow this direction of their guru, or reject it, at their own risk.

Now there are many disciples of Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON who have become gurus within that organization. Their disciples must follow the direction of their guru, just as we disciples of Srila Prabhupada were obliged to follow the direction of our guru.

You speak of ISKCON as if it were a person: “I think if iskcon reads Sridhar Maharaj books… .” But ISKCON is not a person, as previously explained. Because ISCKON is not a person, it cannot read Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s books, only a person can do that.

Every person is free to read Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s books, if they want to do so.… Read More...

Date: 3/28/18, the day of Srila Govinda Maharaja’s avirbhava observance.

From a Facebook comment—
Kundalata Dasi: I accept my Srila Guru Maharaja appointed Srila Govinda Maharaja as successor acharya, and I accept Srila Guru Maharaja appointed a number of trustees, the only remaining ones now being Sripad Bhakti Nandan Swami and Sripad Bhakti Chaitanya Giri. These two ‘acceptances’ – actually facts – are not mutually exclusive.

My response—
“These two ‘acceptances’ – actually facts – are not mutually exclusive.” That is correct. And yet, one lives in the shadow of the other. The position of successor acharya is supreme above all others. He is the spiritual successor and spiritual head who directs all aspects of the mission. Every other appointment by the previous acharya, be it bookkeeper, Math commander, cook, pujari, cleaner or trustee is subservient to the successor acharya. All other Math servitors serve at the behest and pleasure of the successor acharya, just as they served in that way in relation to the predecessor acharya.

Srila Guru Maharaj: [Govinda Maharaja is] More than ritvik. Whatever it may be, I am giving power. Just as “yauva-raja”. When the King installs his son as King and retires himself, what will be the result? As Dasarath wanted to do with Ramachandra. The King gives all the authority of a king to the son and retires to go to the jungle although he is living with full power and glory.

Dr. Asthana: Many people I have talked to do not consider the ritvik to be the direct Guru.… Read More...

March 20, 2018

My dandavats Prabhu Jagadananda dasa.

I just noticed the message you posted to me on Jan 7, this year in my facebook messages. It is now more than two months after you sent it. That should give you some indication of how seriously I take what I think of as gossipbook or rumorbook, but what is known to others as facebook.

You must not have known these aspects of my thinking, although I have tried to publicize them. Thus, you sent this current message to me via facebook instead of by email, as I prefer.

Please excuse me if you think me unreasonable, but I do not take this form of communication very seriously, especially when you write in a style similar to that used by juveniles (youths) to text each other, presumably, about who is the cutest boy or girl in their class and similar tripe. This writing style strikes me as one used with those one is extremely familiar with (a position I do not presume to enjoy with you) or with one to whom we wish to exhibit our disrespect. Personally, out of respect for them, I do not take such liberties even with my closest friends, even those who would certainly not object to such casual and familiar behavior on my part. I have not observed letters from our gurus being written to their Godbrothers, or even their disciples, in such a casual, nonchalant way. What I have observed is that their letters are written in a serious style showing due respect to the recipient.… Read More...

Date: 3/20/18

I rarely visit my facebook site. As a result it was not until today that I noticed a comment from Srimati Kundalata Devi made there in regards to my following facebook post:

December 28, 2017
SCSMG
A New Article (“Vyaso vetti na vetti va”) Has Been Published on scsmathglobal.com…

Below is her comment and my response.

Kundalata Dasi I would like to point out that Sripad Bhakti Nandan Swami Maharaja and Sripad Bhakti Chaitanya Giri Maharaja were both appointed as trustees of his mula Math by Srila Guru Maharaja. They are now doing their best to fulfil that task after years of neglect by the group you call AP1. These two intimate disciples of Srila Guru Maharaj are not part of some other ‘sampradaya’. In fact, Srila Giri Maharaja took sannyasa from Govinda Maharaja. They are both totally dedicated to the service of Srila Guru Maharaja.

My response:
In Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s spiritual sampradaya trustees serve at the pleasure of the acharya. Those that served as trustees during the time of Srila Sridhara Maharaja did so as assistants to the acharya, not controllers of the acharya, that is our system.

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: In our system-both the autocracy and democracy-it cannot go together, cannot go together. But ours is a autocratic thing, extremely autocratic. Guru is all in all.
—meeting with ISKCON GBC, March 1978

As you must know, Srila Sridhara Maharaja, as the acharya of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, rejected the idea that any of his Godbrothers, what to speak of his disciples, would control him.… Read More...

Date: 2/11/18

Dear Sriman Uddharan dasa,

Please accept my humble dandavat pranamas.

Your kind words are deeply appreciated.

I never know how my words will be accepted when I write or speak them. Will they be taken as so much tripe, or will they carry some weight? Thus, I am always apprehensive when I give the words “Please post.”

I am constantly reminded of Srila Guru Maharaja’s words “At any moment I may become a madman.” If our Divine Master withdraws his grace then immediately we are reduced to the status of a crazy person who speaks only nonsense. I am keenly aware I have no property of my own. Anything weighty, beautiful, wise or intelligent is coming in the manner of a loan from Sri Gurudeva. As such, these things may be extended or withdrawn at any moment, depending upon His decision.

And yet, there is a necessity that we assert something, push whatever we have understood, or think we have understood, to be the teachings of our Divine Preceptors out into the stronghold of maya to help cut the ropes binding the conditioned souls to the world of misconception. It is a task for which we are not well suited, and yet we are compelled to try. Mahaprabhu has ordered us to do this. And doing it brings us under the spell of another type of delirium: “I feel that Kṛṣṇa is passing though Me to grace you.”

Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja: …from somewhere else, such abhimāna, such ego will appear.… Read More...

Date: 2/21/18

Dear Srimati Lilavati Devi dasi,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

I’m both surprised and very unfit to receive your donation and will have to consult with Uddharan prabhu on how to use this sum of money, especially as our preaching front is non existent! — Srimati Lilavati Devi, email dated 2/20/18

These are also my feelings and thoughts whenever I receive a donation for the service of our Divine Masters. But it is not fully correct to think in this way. If, during Srila Gurudeva’s lifetime, I was passing through England and gave you fifty dollars and asked you to please give it to Srila Gurudeva when he next visits London, I doubt you would feel such shyness. It is not so much money. So, even if you lost it before you were able to deliver it to His Divine Grace, you could probably manage to replace it with some other money you have or could collect by some means.

What I have given you is not much different from the fifty dollars described in the above scenario. I am a servant of His Divine Grace. You are also his servant. Our money is his money. But instead of asking you to give it to him directly, I am giving it to you to spend for his seva. Either way, what you will do with the fifty dollars is seva to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga; whether you hand the money to Them directly, or spend it for Their seva.… Read More...

2/8/18

My dear friends,

Please accept my humble dandavat pranamas.

When my grandparents were young and listened to the radio they turned it on, waited for the tubes to warm up and then heard what was being broadcast.

When I was young and got my first transistor radio, I turned it on and immediately heard the broadcast.

When our children listen to a broadcast, they “A”, turn on some device, then “B”, wait for a connection to be established to a network. After that they “C”, wait for a download to begin. After that, they wait for “D”, the “buffering” to complete and then “E”, listen to the content they’ve selected. If they decide to change sources they repeat B through E.

I believe it was in the 80’s (three decades ago) that I began hearing that advancements in electronic communications had caused us to enter the era of the paperless society. Since that time I have more paper than I can possibly manage. Incidentally, I also have more electronic communications than I can possibly manage.

I think it was the great prophet Pogo who said, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

What could be more true?

And what is the popular term for these magnificent and wonderful events? They are called progress.

Technological progress is no progress at all. It is simply a method for increasing the speed of the yantra, the machine; with no understanding of the direction the machine is taking us, which happens to be backwards.… Read More...

(A brief curriculum vitae of Mr. Deace may be found here: “Gorillas Also Have Souls”)

Date: 1/28/18

Dear Mr. Deace,

At the very beginning of your Podcast Ep217 which you call “Theology Thursday” you corrected an error you made related to a mundane event (“the senate map”) in your remarks of the previous day (1/24/18). Addressing this you thanked Chris Gandolfo: “So, thank you for bringing that to my attention Chris… and that correction is duly noted. Cause that’s a pretty big mistake, obviously . . . And when we do make mistakes we kinda like to make our corrections at the outset of a show rather than fine print at the very end when nobody’s paying attention.”

What you called a “pretty big mistake” is insignificant in comparison to the theological mistake you made two weeks earlier when you declared “The idea of a personal God, the idea of you having a personal relationship with him and you being made in his image, the imago Dei does not exist on planet earth outside of the Judeo Christian worldview . . . ”

I believe I have listened to the “outset” of all your shows since Jan. 13 when you made your truly horrific mistake quoted above. As of yet, I have not heard you make any correction.

To speak truthfully about spiritual conceptions with which you do not agree is not disingenuous. To invite corrections, argument and debate and then ignore them is.

Perhaps you have simply overlooked this matter and, thereby, failed to correct your mistake.… Read More...