The boat of truth may rock but it will never sink

All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga

'The boat of truth may rock but it will never sink.'

Date 12.04.2025

Just recently we saw one post on Facebook which we would like to address very politely. It is not our intention to mention any names in this article, rather our only goal is to save the divine dignity of our Divine Grace Śrīla Śyām Dās Bābājī Mahārāj so that we can stop all your misunderstanding by watching this kind of dirty propaganda.

In this recent post Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj was addressed as someone who doesn’t know what harmony means, as someone who only knows how to criticize, as someone who attempts to establish himself as the foremost follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda and as someone who spreads lies, stealing disciples from other organizations etc. etc.

So, in this short article we want to address those few points under the guidance of Gauḍīya Goṣṭhi Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and all our Gauḍīya Guruvarga.

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhi Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākura Prabhupāda used to say that— “Absolute Truth is not such a cheap thing, so that this can be destroyed by public opinion or mass agitation, or by manpower or by money power or by strangling.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda also used to say that— “Even if hundreds and hundreds of people—or even if all the godless people of the innumerable universes assemble and in one voice shout at me, I will accept it and loudly declare the actual truth. If the topics of reality enter the ears of even a single person among millions of people from millions of universes who are completely averse to Kṛṣṇa, and thus remove the contamination of the cheating propensity from his heart, then I will understand that I have been able to serve Mahāprabhu’s mano-bhīṣṭa—because I know that all the jīvas within the innumerable universes are coming and going because of their aversion to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore all jīvas within the universe, beginning from Brahmā, are averse to the Supreme Absolute Truth. Hence not everyone will listen to the discussion about the truth. It is sufficient if even among a crore of jīvas we can find one who is interested in hearing the truth. That jīva can then become situated in the truth and preach the truth to others. Probably this is why Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda said, “A preacher effects more benefit for the world than all those who become indifferent to preaching work because of their preferring to remain absorbed in the bliss of their own bhajana.”

Gauḍīya  Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad Guru said that— “Do not try to discover the nature of truth by the experience of your imagination. Do not endeavor to attain the truth through experience of the world. Do not manufacture truth in order to satisfy your erring inclinations, or hastily accept anything for the reason that it satisfies such inclinations. Do not regard as truth anything that has been “build up” or has the support of a majority of people like yourself, nor as untruth anything that is rejected by the overwhelming majority. According to the scriptures there will be found hardly one in a crore of human beings who really worships the truth (from heart). What is proclaimed by the united voices of all the people of this world as truth may turn out to be false. Therefore, cease to confront the truth in a challenging mood. The truth is not brought into existence by such arrogance. One has to approach the truth in the spirit of absolute submission…”

Very often Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that— “Logical interpretation cannot stand in the way of that Absolute Truth. If I seek the path leading towards the ultimate good, then I must ignore the countless voices of popular wisdom, and listen only to that of the realized soul.”

First of all we would like to clarify what actual Harmony means according to the opinion of our Sarasvat Gauḍīya Guruvarga. We have heard that it is only when all sāṃpradāyik sādhus together mutually can have the same common objective of the absolute Śrī Caitanya Vāṇī sevā without any jealousy, and when they can try to seek the complete satisfaction of the sevya vastu Śrī Gauranga, that is known as actual Harmony. All our Gauḍīya Guruvarga such as Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Gosvāmī Mahārāj, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāj, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāj, Śrīla Sadananda Swami, Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāj saying that those who are seeking absolute Harmony must remember always that only and only under the absolute ānugatya of Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākura Prabhupāda the appropriate preaching of ‘Bhaktivinod gaura vāṇī’ is possible. When all our respective centre point is one and the same, and at the same time the goal is absolute, in that case there cannot be any reason of infighting, but when all our respective individual self-interest getting first priority, then all our dirty individual interest can make us diverted from that absolute goal of bhāgavat sevā.

So please next time before passing any such baseless comment without any siddhānta vichar try to prove that Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj is not in Harmony with the achar and siddhānta vichar of The Prabhupāda and our Sarasvat Gauḍīya Guruvarga.

Secondly Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj was addressed as someone who only knows how to criticise. First of all we would like to say that Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj never accuses anyone in particular and never point out any name. He only trying to remind us to correct siddhānta and acharan in a neutral way. Also he wants to remind us all about the absolute teachings of The Prabhupāda. Which nobody can deny till now.

Like an expert musician immediately realizes notes which are out of tune or something added newly or something missed out, a Prabhupāda niṣṭhā devotee also immediately can detect any form of adulteration or apasiddhānta or rasābhāsa etc. If in your opinion that musician (or the Prabhupāda niṣṭhā devotee), who only wants to hear the correct symphony (or actual Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī) intact way, should be addressed as a critic which is quite natural by the blessings of Mayadevi. For the protection of Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī, this is quite natural for all those Prabhupāda niṣṭhā devotees. A Prabhupāda niṣṭhā devotee like Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj is only trying his best to save those innocent jīvas from getting misinformation about the actual bhajana procedure as was shown by The Prabhupāda and such compassionate act can never be called as criticism.

Sometimes Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj has to write or say piercing words. Those who want to be guided properly in true sense, surely, they can get absolute mangal in front of Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj. Only those who are unqualified can become angry and can indulge in foul words. One may agree or disagree, but the harikathā of Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj is only meant for the absolute benefit of all those who sincerely want to follow Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami. There is absolutely no doubt in it. Śrīla Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī said that bhakti is not for those who are having weakness.

Śrīla Prabhupāda also used to say that—

“Many people think that the path of bhakti is covered with a soft bed of flowers. Blind faith, indiscipline, whimsical behavior, indiscrimination, sentimentalism, and emotional outbursts are all counted by them as being means of performing bhakti. But from sastra and from the words of the ācāryas it is understood that, although the authorized path of bhakti is the only means of attaining the ultimate goal of life, it is full of thorns. Especially in this Age of Kali, the age of argumentation and quarrel, it is covered with millions of thorns. Despite knowing that one's hands may get injured while uprooting thorny bushes, and that envious creatures like snakes residing in the bushes might bite, one engaged in such work does not lose enthusiasm for performing his duty; rather, so that travelers will not be harmed or inconvenienced by thorns and envious creatures, his endeavor and enthusiasm for removing all the thorns will progressively increase. Similarly, increasing enthusiasm for removing millions of thorns on the path of bhakti is always seen in the character of an ācārya.”

Sadananda Svami the first western disciple expressing his deep concern about pure bhakti in the following way—

You must not feel dejected when you experience that many of those who listen to Vamandas’ message are driven into perplexity and rationalizations. What we say is so totally, so completely against what one calls man’s natural instinct and habits of thinking. Apart from God Himself – Śyāma Krishna and Gaura Krishna, when They make Themselves directly visible – no one is able to create a movement of bhakti in the hearts of people. There are only a few very noble souls who are truly ready, from their own nature, to experience something of the preciousness of this sevā, which grows in intensity for eternity. For most people it will only be an intellectual or emotional novelty, a sensation that will soon fade away.

(Letter 1954)

He also mentioned in another letter that—

"Bhakti yoga makes enjoyment impossible, because through bhakti everything is used in the service, and it completely burns up all that is called man - except the ātmā. Only when You hide away this meaning, there will be something left that delights, enthuses man. If You give the śāstras fully unveiled people will stone You, not invite You. [...] They will be really terrified when I open my mouth.”

Letter to Vamandas 1958

So please always try to remember that actual Harikatha is one kind of painful operation, and that is why those who are really intelligent only they can understand that genuine merciful Sādhu-Guru-Vaiṣṇavas, those who are speaking heavily to change the heart of common people to save them from dangerous maya, so such a procedure can never bring any sweet feeling to anybody.

Only those who are not standing on the absolute platform and having some party color or biasness they can try to attack Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj, and nobody else.

Without being humble enough to accept the absolute guidance of The Prabhupāda (or any Prabhupāda niṣṭhā devotee) one cannot accept that absolute truth at all, so naturally they can accept Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj as their enemy. Nobody has given any bribe to us, so that we can favour Śrīla Śyām Dās Bābājī Mahārāj. The only thing what we want to hear is the absolute Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī without adulteration or mixture. There is not even one single word in Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj's Harikathā which is not in the line with The Prabhupāda, and that is the only reason for why we all are feeling attraction. One thing which is very important we don't like to overlook is that we also want to see someone not only speaking Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī but also we like to see him completely established in absolute acharan also. Those who are having actual Sad Guru Kṛpā in their life only they can realise him and can solemnly say about his honest intention. The children of a lion can never fear the uproar of any lion, rather they can enjoy all the sweetness in their mutual relationship. So please try to think over and again before passing such dirty comments or remarks against Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj. Also always try to remember that Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say very often— “We are serving like a postman of Vaikuṇṭha jagat. Whatever eternal massage coming from vaikuṇṭha jagat for you, only it is our duty to deliver that letter to you at your address. Whatever message (bitter or sour or sweet or dangerous) coming to you—for that the postman is not at all responsible, surely he cannot be blamed.”

Thirdly Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj was addressed as someone who attempts to establish himself as the foremost follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda. On this point we can only say that we know from our Gauḍīya Guruvarga that humility is directly proportional to the quality of sādhu saṅga one receives. The higher one's association the deeper one's humility. In the case of Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj — who day and night always is in the association of Śrīla Prabhupāda and all our Gauḍīya Guruvarga in fine form. Can we not come to the conclusion that humility is quite natural for him? He who is having no smell of pratiṣṭhā āśā is called as a genuine tṛṇād api sunīc sādhu in true sense. This is the direct siddhānta vichar of The Prabhupāda. Only external sweet behavior cannot prove a real sādhu, because all those critical business men – later on when they became sadhu in their life (according to external vision) still they could not leave their business mood in devotional field. 

It is only when our eyes are covered up by the cloud of Maya – then we cannot see the sun god. We think that such statement is full of jealousy and nothing else.

Jealousy is the worst enemy in our bhajan life. If we are unable to recognize devotees according to their Vaishnava etiquette and seva-mood, then the whole system of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava society is bound to collapse down (as it is visible or seen at present). Even in this material world in any country's ruling government usually also giving honor to those who are showing some special Qualities. Such exclusive Qualities should be brought into the notice of public for the benefit of the whole human society. If we are not going to have that kind of open heart, then those exclusive personalities will be ignored automatically. For the overall development of the whole human society this kind of tolerance must be there.

And please remember that Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvami Ṭhākur had to face the same kind of strong oppositions. Many times those demons wanted to attack him to kill him. Many such demons wanted to blame him that— Oh! You think that you are the only sādhu. But the reply of the lion Ācārya was that— “To carry out the order of the Vaiṣṇava guru, if I need to become arrogant or brutish, or need to suffer eternal perdition and need to go to hell forever, still I am prepared to welcome such eternal damnation even with due contract. I will not listen to the words of malicious persons, instead of the command of Śrī Gurudeva. I will dissipate with indomitable courage and conviction the currents of the thoughts of the rest of the world, based on the strength derived from the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva through his absolute seva. I confess to this arrogance.”

So please try to think over and again before passing any such dirty remark against Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj.

What will go or come if you try your best to falsify all of his absolute statements. Perhaps you don't know that – actually a real sadhu is always self-manifesting object, surely he need not get any material backing to establish himself, because naturally tṛṇād api bhāva is always there with him.  

We just want to mention one funny incident which addresses a similar situation in the life of The Prabhupāda, where he was accused as someone who is stealing. We think that this pastime can give a warning so that next time you think twice before saying that Śrīla Bābājī Mahārāj is a liar. 

“Another time, while preparing for the Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma parikramā, Śrīla Prabhupāda, along with his assistant Śrī Paramānanda Brahmacārī, went to scout an appropriate open space or garden where all the pilgrims attending the parikramā could stay. In those days, the pilgrims would sleep in such open-air spaces, and only the kitchen would have a canopy. In Campaka-haṭṭa, they found a large mango orchard with a pond nearby. Finding the space suitable, Śrīla Prabhupāda finalized all the booking arrangements and returned.

That evening, some items were stolen from a residence near the orchard. A First Information Report (FIR) against Śrīla Prabhupāda, which stated he had scouted the area for stealable goods in the morning and returned in the evening to thieve them, was lodged at the local police station. Śrīla Prabhupāda, however, did not respond to this accusation.

When Śrī Pal Choudhury, a very influential local landowner who owned a tea garden and resided in a very large property that included a helipad used by the British, came to know about the incident, he immediately marched over to the police station. He was a well-respected member of society, recognized by even the British government, and so the police officials listened to him with due attention. He told them he wanted to file an FIR of his own, because his pond had been stolen the previous night. Confused, the attending officer inquired, “Sir, how can a pond be stolen? It is impossible. How can we write a report about a stolen pond?”

Śrī Pal Choudhury replied, “You are correct; it is impossible. But yet more impossible is Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī committing burglary. Are you even slightly aware of his greatness?” On the request of Śrī Pal Choudhury, the FIR against Śrīla Prabhupāda was immediately dropped.

After the complaint was dismissed, the people of Champaka-haṭṭa, having realized their mistake in falsely accusing such a divine personality, felt ashamed. Considering that they had committed a grave offence, they felt the only way to repent was to offer service to Śrīla Prabhupāda, and they therefore donated to the Gauḍīya Maṭha the Śrī Gaura-Gadādhara temple, which was served by Dvija Vaṇīnātha, the younger brother of Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita.”

(Taken form the book Vīśuddha Caitanya-Vāṇī, by Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāj)

In regard to the dirty comment passed by you that Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj is stealing disciples from other organizations, whereas he is less interested to make any disciple or to go to foreign countries or to make any bank balance or to make any temples etc.  We can only say that Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj very often in his Harikatha saying that— “Please don't come to me. Please don't come to me.  Please don't come to me, if you don't  want Bhagavān.” 

Also, we know this very well that Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj never called none of us in his whole life. We ourselves all came automatically in front of him. No one never experienced any kind of manipulation, rather for all of us it is crystal clear about his absolutely honest intention and only by looking at him – his absolute acharan or by hearing his absolute firing Harikatha we are always assured about his absolute authenticity as a genuine father.

We just want to say that regularly on behalf of our Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī Sevā Trust we are publishing that— “It is our humble request to all Gauḍīya devotees that those who cannot digest this kind of absolute siddhānta vichar of Śrīla Śyām Bābā under the strict guidance of The Prabhupāda, better they can avoid coming to attend his Harikathā at present, because his Harikathā is only for the complete satisfaction of the Supreme Lord and not for anything else. In his life he never tried to utilize his Harikatha as an instrument to collect lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā at all.”

So please consider all those points very carefully before passing any such dirty baseless comments next time against Śrīla Bābā Mahārāj which can ruin your life otherwise.

Thanks a lot

   We all in the service of Guru-Gaurāṅga and Go-Mata on behalf of the—

                                                                                      Śrī Bhakti Siddhānta Vāṇī Sevā Trust