Our insincere attitude always keeping us away from the absolute teachings shown by The Prabhupada - Part 2

Dear/ devotees all around the world

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda told that— “If I do not remember the lotus feet of Śrī Guru at the beginning of every new year, every new month, every new day and every new moment, then I am sure to fall into far greater inconveniences. If I do not remember his lotus feet, then the desire will come to dress myself in the garb of guru. I will become liable to the bad desire of seeking to be worshiped by other people as guru. It is this which constitutes addiction to things other than the truth.”

Maybe if we all reflect deeply on those words written by The Prabhupāda, while putting the hand on our heart and honestly ask ourself, how often do I really remember The Prabhupāda and our Gauḍīya guru-varga. Are they not our gurus? Are they not our guru-paramparā? We can see in the life of Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvāmī Maharaj how he at each and every step remembered Prabhupāda, whenever he started speaking, he started saying Śrīla Prabhupāda told us. In the same way Śrīla Bhakti Rakshak Śrīdhar Gosvāmī Maharaj constantly spoke about the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura. The same we can also see in the life of Śrīla Bhakti Daitya Madhava Gosvāmī Maharaj about whom Śrīla Bhakti Hridoya Ban Gosvāmī told that— “He was ready to sacrifice his own life for the service of guru and adopted the most ideal life and absolute principles without deviating so much as an inch from the principles of bhakti as taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda”. Śrīla Baba Maharaj many times openly told in his hari-kathā, that— “If you make a comb operation in the whole world then you maybe find a very few who are really following The Prabhupāda in toto, because most of us try to avoid Śrīla Prabhupāda, because in that way popularity cannot come. Śrīla Prabhupāda himself told that the real preceptor can never be popular in this world, because most of the people try to avoid those who speak about that absolute truth.  He also told that nobody likes to speak what I speak.”

By now most of us have almost forgotten or even never heard of our previous Gauḍīya guru-varga. Are they not our gurus which we are supposed to remember at each and every step in our spiritual life. How it comes that almost nobody knows about such great jewel like Vaiṣṇavas like Sadananda Svami, like Śrīla Bhakti Vivek Bharati Gosvāmī Maharaj, like Śrīla Narahari Sevak Vigraha Prabhu, like Śrīla Bhakti Sarāṅga Gosvāmī etc. Most of us have even forgotten The Prabhupāda who is also known as Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pathi—The father of all the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Maybe externally one can show honour, but to actually follow Prabhupāda is like one story at present (or one kind of exhibition).  Should we not be ashamed that most of the new generations haven’t even heard of those glorious names? Somewhere must be one mistake. Are we not bereft of something? Are we not missing some pieces of the puzzle?

Our guru-paramparā totally depend up on the strength of śrauta vāṇī vaibhava, so if at all someone going to eradicate the eternal relationship with guru-Vaiṣṇava or guru-paramparā, in that case surely, he will be totally isolated by Maya Devi.

Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that ordinarily, the term jīva-hiṁsā is understood by people to mean ‘a physical or emotional act of violence against living entities, including oneself.’ If a person commits suicide, it is said that person has committed ātma-hatyā (murder of the self). But Śrīla Prabhupāda has explained that this is actually not ātma-hatyā, but rather śarīra-hatyā (murder of the body).

Therefore, physical or emotional violence against the gross and subtle bodies of the jīva is not jīva-hiṁsā, because the jīva is a spiritual soul distinct from these two bodies. While harming the gross and subtle bodies may be called jīva-hiṁsā by people in general, it is in fact not the true meaning of jīva-hiṁsā.

The soul is indestructible and cannot be harmed. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (2.23):

nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi

nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ

na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo

na śoṣayati mārutaḥ

acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam

akledyo ’śoṣya eva ca

nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur

acalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ

The soul can never be pierced by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water nor dried by the wind. The soul is indivisible, insoluble and cannot be burned or dried. He is eternal, all-pervading, permanent, non-moving and ever-existing.

The question then arises: what is the real meaning of jīva-hiṁsā?

Śrīla Prabhupāda has explained that the jīva possesses the qualification to attain the highest abode, provided he is following the path which is already laid down by the previous ācāryas. But if someone knowingly or unknowingly attempting to divert the jīva from the path leading to the highest abode (the path of pure bhakti) by instructing him to take up another path leading to a temporary destination, such as the paths of karma, jñāna, yoga and so on, by not giving those jivas a chance to connect with our previous Gauḍīya guru-varga and in this way abstaining from helping the jīva progress on the path leading to the highest abode. Therefore, real ahiṁsā (nonviolence) is to preach and follow the path of pure bhakti as shown by our previous mahājanas, and not the paths which are newly created by some so called ācāryas.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has very clearly mentioned in his commentary on Guṇḍicā-mandira-mārjana-līlā-rahasya that jīva-hiṁsā means to have either kuṇṭhā (hesitation) or kṛpaṇatā (miserliness) in one’s preaching of śuddha-bhakti; to give māyāvādīs, karmīs or anyābhilāṣīs an opportunity (praśraya) to speak about their philosophies; or to speak solely for the sake of pleasing one’s listeners.

 Gaura Hari Hari Bol