No Enmity, Only Solution – Part 10

All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru-Gauranga

No Enmity, Only Solution – Part 10

By sampradāya-saṁrakṣaka Śrī Śyām Dās Babajī Mahārāj

Date: 18.07.2025

By leaving the pathway followed by previous Mahājanas bhakti can never be achieved

In Upadesamṛta commentary (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī) Śrīla Saccidananda Bahaktivinod Ṭhākura has written that: If some new line of thoughts going to be opened by some so-called ācārya to prove his exclusive contribution in bhajana field to start a new paramparā line by ignoring previous authentic paramparā, then within a very short period of time the ācārya can get destroyed together with all of his followers and the new paramparā line started by him.

We know the following śloka from Skanda Purāṇa:

sa mṛgyaḥ śreyasāṁ hetuḥ

panthāḥ santāpa- varjitaḥ

anavāpta śramam pūrve

yena santaḥ pratasthire

Only by following the path upon which previous great personalities (Mahājanas) have easily traversed can we find ultimate auspiciousness and freedom from all suffering.

The pathway followed (or shown) by our previous Mahājanas should be pursued by us as a trouble-free and a certain way towards success, which can give us complete maṅgal. Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura has written there in his commentary that newly discovered pathway is absurd, not possible at all. From Mahābhārata we know the following śloka, also quoted by Srila Krsnadas Kaviraj:

tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā

nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam

dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ

mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ               (C.c. Madhya 17.186)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, ‘Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The secret truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of a niṣkapaṭa self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path our previous Mahājanas advocated.’

This evergreen quotation from Mahābhārata can advocate that although it seems different from what everybody else in society is saying, to follow the exact śrauta panthā as was shown by our previous sampradāik Mahājanas is the right unique choice. Śrīla Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura has written that: “The pathway is the same, a new one is not possible. We must follow the most elevated śrauta panthā. Those who all are full of false ego and busy to collect lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā, only try to show or prove their personal speciality. Nowadays such new new panthās (pathways) appear to be discovered by different so-called ācāryas and automatically such new new discovered pathways will be spiritually destroyed together with those so-called ācāryas and their followers”. Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura has written further that: “Those new pathway founders always try to avoid or ignore the śrauta panthā shown by our previous Mahājanas to search out different ways (panthās), at the same time they ignore or dishonour the exclusive Siddhānta vichars of previous Mahājanas, which are known as śrauta panthā. They never take care to realise the divine teachings of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu given to the whole inhabitants of the world (jagat vasi), on the contrary they just speak the opposite of what was thought by Him. In this way a massive amount of amaṅgal comes down to us. But they never stop to think about this. All the real teachings of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu (which are non-different from Himself) are our heart and soul.” (Upadeśāmṛta, commentary)

Some documents of ISKCON’s diversion or deviation from the track of śrauta panthā are given below.

751109 - Letter to Visvakarma written from Bombay

I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 3, 1975 with the enclosed statement about Van Maharaja. So I have now issued orders that all my disciples should avoid all of my godbrothers. They should not have any dealings with them nor even correspondence, nor should they give them any of my books or should they purchase any of their books, neither should you visit any of their temples. Please avoid them.

https://vanisource.org/wiki/751109_-_Letter_to_Visvakarma_written_from_Bombay

731114 - Letter to Sukadeva written from Delhi

Regarding the Goudiya Math books being circulated there, who is distributing? Who is sending these books? The Goudiya Math does not sell our books, why we should sell their books. Who has introduced these books? Let me know. These books should not at all be circulated in our Society. Bhakti Vilas Tirtha is very much antagonistic to our Society and he has no clear conception of devotional service. He is contaminated. Anyway, who has introduced these books? You say that you would read only one book if that was all that I had written, so you teach others to do like that. You have very good determination.

https://vanisource.org/wiki/731114_-_Letter_to_Sukadeva_written_from_Delhi

The Prabhupāda used to say that: “Slightest deviation from the track of Gurupadma can make you fall down.” So then, what to speak about when complete, full deviation is discovered? One so-called important personality suggested in front of Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura that: “Irrespective of any judgment all should be allowed openly in Gauḍīya bhajana, and after that on the basis of “survival of the fittest” formula some of them could survive and the others could go away. That could be more practical”. Some so-called important personality suggested this in front of Śrīla Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura, but Śrīla Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura replied: “No, not at all, we cannot allow all anyone to get open entry into Gauḍīya bhajana without any check-up.  We cannot allow Gauḍīya bhajana field to become dirty. It is far better to keep the goshala vacant then to fill the goshala with wicked cows. Our Gauḍīya bhajana is so rich and high class that only a very few selected candidates can realise and accept the most exclusive teachings of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu.”

Quality and quantity surely cannot persist together, that is why Śrīla Prabhupāda never wanted to make any compromise with quality, whereas we appear to be running around accepting monkeys and donkeys from our country and abroad only to manifest our false ego and our pseudo preaching power.

To be continued…