The revival of our movement
The second part of my book Traps in our path back to Godhead. How our movement was revived after being almost lost.
The deviations introduced by the sahajiyas, jata-gosanis, smartas, and other groups not only almost suffocated the sankirtana movement but also gave it a very bad reputation amongst the general population, especially in the educated circles. Due to the actions of these deviating sects, Vaishnavism became related to exploitation and moral deviation, a very sad situation.
This partially explains the growing popularity of Christianity in India, a religion that although facing many scandals at least preserved its general moral standards. By the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, most educated people saw Christianity as the religion for high-class people, and Vaishnavism as a group of sects for low-class people with questionable moral standards.
To reinvigorate the sankirtana movement, and finally fulfill the prediction that the holy names would be chanted in every town and village, Lord Caitanya sent a succession of three acaryas: Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Working in succession, they performed the miracle of not only re-establishing the original teachings but spreading them all over the world.
Chapter 2: The Revival
The deviations introduced by the sahajiyas, jata-gosanis, smartas, and other groups not only almost suffocated the sankirtana movement but also gave it a very bad reputation amongst the general population, especially in the educated circles. Due to the actions of these deviating sects, Vaishnavism became related to exploitation and moral deviation, a very sad situation.
This partially explains the growing popularity of Christianity in India, a religion that although facing many scandals at least preserved its general moral standards. By the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, most educated people saw Christianity as the religion for high-class people, and Vaishnavism as a group of sects for low-class people with questionable moral standards.
To reinvigorate the sankirtana movement, and finally fulfill the prediction that the holy names would be chanted in every town and village, Lord Caitanya sent a succession of three acaryas: Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Working in succession, they performed the miracle of not only re-establishing the original teachings but spreading them all over the world.
Many have the idea that Srila Prabhupada took a well-established tradition and implemented it in the West in the form of our ISKCON society, but the truth is that most of the lines at the time were deviating in serious ways. If it was not for these three powerful acaryas, the true teachings of Mahaprabhu would be lost. This also explains why our spiritual society is special: despite all the problems we face, our society is actually the one that has the true teachings, in the form of the books left by Srila Prabhupada. We remain bonafide to the proportion that we remain faithful to this knowledge.
Although there are many sincere Vaishnavas outside, it’s not easy to find a place where the teachings of Srila Prabhupada are being rigidly followed. People have different opinions, but such opinions are not always necessarily correct.
The revival of our line started with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. He came first, and with a very difficult mission: to create the philosophical basis of our movement, defeating in the process the bogus ideas that were suffocating it. By his powerful teachings and spotless behavior, he denounced bogus practices and deviations and re-established the reputation of the Vaishnava culture, that had been ruined by the sahajiyas and other imitators over the previous centuries. He recovered the teachings of the Six Goswamis and successor acaryas, wrote many new books, explaining the philosophy in a modern way. He defeated many apasampradayas and other bogus philosophies and adopted new technologies, like the printing press, teaching that everything should be used for Krsna.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took this philosophical base created by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and implemented the second part of the plan: he created the Gaudiya Matha, a preaching mission to spread these teachings all over India. He also wanted to preach abroad, therefore he sent a group of disciples to London. Unfortunately, it didn’t work at that time, but that was his idea: to expand the preaching to the West, fulfilling the predictions that the sankirtana movement would spread to all towns and villages.
Unfortunately, when Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura left this planet, his disciples were not able to follow his instructions to create a governing body to direct the society in his absence. Instead of a single ruler or a divided society, with parts being separately governed by different acaryas, he wanted a unified mission, with a collegiate of senior disciples jointly deciding on important matters. As a result, the Gaudiya Matha was split first into two factions, and then into several smaller groups. The institution was not only fragmented, but the groups started to fight amongst themselves for control of properties and followers, each group with its own acarya. The preaching almost stopped and the printing machines were sold to pay for legal expenses. The sankirtana movement suffered a major setback.
Srila Prabhupada wrote his view about this period in his purport to CC Adi 12.8:
“The words daivera karana indicate that by dint of providence, or by God’s will, the followers of Advaita Acarya divided into two parties. Such disagreement among the disciples of one acarya is also found among the members of the Gaudiya Matha. In the beginning, during the presence of Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, all the disciples worked in agreement; but just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly followed the instructions of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, but another group created their own concoction about executing his desires. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next acarya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acarya, and they split into two factions over who the next acarya would be. Consequently, both factions were asara, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master. Despite the spiritual master’s order to form a governing body and execute the missionary activities of the Gaudiya Matha, the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is still going on after forty years with no decision.
Therefore, we do not belong to any faction. But because the two parties, busy dividing the material assets of the Gaudiya Matha institution, stopped the preaching work, we took up the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world, under the protection of all the predecessor acaryas, and we find that our humble attempt has been successful.”
Srila Prabhupada comes to the West
We can imagine it was not easy for Srila Prabhupada to go through these troubled times, seeing the institution created by his Guru Maharaja being fragmented and many of his godbrothers descending into fratricidal disputes over properties. What is most significant, however, is the way that Srila Prabhupada behaved during this period. Instead of joining the fray, taking the side of one of the groups, or trying to create his own faction, Srila Prabhupada was just printing his Back to Godhead magazine and supporting some of his godbrothers who were preaching. He simply kept the order that he received from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: to preach in English. This is also a lesson for us, to stay away from political disputes motivated by the lower modes, and instead to be concentrated in our services and assist others who are doing preaching work.
When Srila Prabhupada finally came to the West, he first tried to cooperate with his godbrothers, he tried to rally them around the common goal of spreading Krsna consciousness in the western countries. His attempts suggest that he was seeing the union of the remnants of the Gaudiya Matha, combined with the support from pious powerful people from India as the most probable way to successfully establish Krsna consciousness in the West. His initial idea was to bring resources from India to purchase a suitable house in Manhattan and thus establish a temple in a respectable location (probably inspired by a similar attempt by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to establish a lavish temple in London in the 1930s). However, just as the effort of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati proved fruitless, the efforts of Srila Prabhupada in rallying his godbrothers and getting resources from India were frustrated. Krsna had a different plan.
In the end, Srila Prabhupada had to create his own institution, counting only on the help of his first followers. He had to start from scratch. HG Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu did very extensive research on this topic, which resulted in a small book, called “The Founder Acarya”. In pages 52 to 67, he explains in detail why Srila Prabhupada created ISKCON instead of cooperating with the remnants of Gaudiya Matha, answering many questions that one could have on this subject. On pages 58-59, for example, he wrote:
"So it happened that in 1966 Srila Prabhupada gained an unwelcome realization: the spiritual defects that engendered the failure of the Gaudiya Matha remained robust three decades later.
All his hopes for cooperation from donors, government, and godbrothers shattered, Srila Prabhupada would be obliged to start from scratch—just himself, alone. Undeterred, he wrote Mangalniloy, “There is no need for help from any one else.”
This, then, is a major component of the context in which the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was born. The other element is the spiritual fulfillment afforded Srila Prabhupada by a steadily increasing number of young Americans who gave their earnest and eager attention to Lord Caitanya’s teachings.
What was Prabhupada to do? In his first plea for cooperation posted to Tirtha Maharaja in November of 1965, just after his arrival in New York City, Prabhupada had offered to work within his godbrother’s institution:
“So here is a chance of cooperation between us and I shall be glad to know if you are ready for this cooperation. I came here to study the situation and I find it very nice and if you are also agreeable to cooperate with it will be all very nice by the will Srila Prabhupada.... If you agree then take it for granted that I am one of the worker of the Sri Mayapur Caitanya Matha.”
The recipient—and many others—having proven themselves uncooperative, Srila Prabhupada then established his own Institution." (HG Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, “The Founder Acarya”)
Obstacles on our path
This is also an important lesson for us: rarely are things going to work on our first try. Many times, Krsna wants to first test our determination before He reveals His plan to us. By the example of Srila Prabhupada, we can see how even the most powerful acaryas have to go through this process before they can be fully empowered to accomplish their mission.
Even though eternally perfect, great acaryas play the role of human beings, accepting material bodies and dealing with the same difficulties that we face, like hunger, thirst, cold, etc. They go through the struggles of human life, facing much harder challenges than we do. The difference is that they always remain Krsna conscious and by their exemplary behavior they show us how to overcome difficulties on our spiritual path. Sometimes we minimize their achievements by thinking that since they are perfect souls and Krsna is in control, things just happen automatically for them, but that is not the real purpose. Their stories are meant to show us the way, so we can be inspired to pass the severe tests on our spiritual path.
HG Hari Sauri Prabhu: “Atreya Rishi asked him if it was true that Krishna tests us every day. "No, just like if you want responsible post," Prabhupada told him, "then there is question of test. If you want to become a vagabond, remain vagabond. Where is question of test?" "No, for devotees," Atreya Rishi clarified. "Ah, for devotees, there is test," Prabhupada said. "We see from the devotee's life, Prahlada Maharaja, how much severe test he had to pass through. Bali Maharaja, Narada Muni." "And the most advanced the devotee is, the more severe the test is..." Atreya Rishi said. Srila Prabhupada reassured him. "No, after you pass the examination, there is no more test. But before coming to the post of recognized devotee, Krishna tests very severely. That one has to pass."
I recalled one of his Bhagavatam purports where he stated that maya is there to test the sincerity of the candidate and Prabhupada continued, "Yes, we see from the life of Bali Maharaja, how he was put into difficulty. Even his spiritual master cursed him. If a devotee is put into test and still he remains in his determination, then he's passed. That is very natural. There is a word, 'acid test,' for ascertaining real gold? the acid test one has to pass to become real gold." (A Transcendental Diary Vol 4)
In a deeper sense, Srila Prabhupada didn’t create a new institution. He replicated all the original ideas that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura instituted in the Gaudiya Matha. He just started it again in a rejuvenated state.
The reforms introduced by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati were not easy to implement. They demanded a complete change of paradigm from the Indian tradition (where each acarya would have complete control over his small institution and transmit his position to his successor, with little cooperation between the different gurus) to a modern organizational approach, in which different spiritual masters and leaders would be able to cooperate and thus operate on a much larger scale.
How large? Srila Prabhupada stated that he wanted “hundreds and thousands of spiritual masters”, which implies millions of disciples and followers. If we realize the scale of his plan, we can realize how the only way of achieving such a scale is through a very organized cooperative structure. This, in turn, demands a lot of maturity, not only from the leaders but also from their followers, who need to get along and cooperate with devotees with different mentalities, different cultures (and sometimes even different philosophical approaches), who share the umbrella of a single unified mission.
As soon as we speak about a worldwide spiritual institution, it implies the presence of people from different backgrounds, different levels of spiritual advancement, and different levels of commitment. In such an environment, the principle of being strict with oneself and tolerant with others becomes essential. One who does the opposite, being lenient with oneself but strict with others can create havoc. As Srila Bhaktivinoda explains (Jaiva Dharma, 8th chapter), one who is starting on the path of bhakti may show many misconceptions and materialistic tendencies, but by associating with pure Vaishnavas he can quickly progress. It’s important to be patient and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
As with any other great structural change, the implementation of this new approach resulted in many difficulties. Not only was there the split of the Gaudiya Matha, but even in ISKCON there were many succession problems after Srila Prabhupada. What is significant is not what went wrong, but the simple fact that somehow the institution held together despite all troubles. As a result, 40 years after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada we are still here; this time it worked.
As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, in this material world “every endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke”.
Even when Krsna Himself comes, the effects of His actions are not always free of negative repercussions, due to the intrinsic nature of this material world and the actions of conditioned souls. Lord Caitanya and the Six Goswamis, for example, made public a lot of details about Krsna’s pastimes with the gopis and details about rasa. This served as the basis for our sampradaya, with all our powerful acaryas, but also fuelled the sahajiyas and other apasampradayas, which at times practically covered it. Similarly, we had, have, and will have numerous problems in our spiritual society.
Just as it is not possible to have fire without smoke, it is not possible to have a spiritual organization without problems. The ones who decide to leave because of the smoke will also lose the benefit of the fire.