An Open Letter To Tamal Krishna Goswami from China
12/12/98- IRG - (CHINA)
Our Respectful Tamal Krishna Goswami and Giridhari Swami,
Please accept our humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Gaura Nitai!
Before we decided to send another report about you and sub-gurus spiritual lila in China according to the scheme of our working (please see VNN story 2627), we have received a refuted letter to 'an open letter to TKG by Govardhan Yatra" (please see VNN story 2310) and a warning from some of your disciples in China. After reading your disciple paper and considering the warning, we decide to send an open letter to you first, we hope you will not need us to send another report to expose your sub-guru criminal actions in China before you can rectify you and your sub-gurus behaviors. We hope you and your sub-gurus will go back to original position as the representative of Srila Prabhupada to cooperate with us to push the movement of Srila Prabhupada developing in China.
We have been following debates between your group and Krishnakant, and we also have been watching and witnessing what your group peoples have done in China. After reading your great masterpiece " Prabhupada's Order " with great patience and care, witnessing what you have done those actions against your god-brothers and god-sisters and your disciples, our faith repose to you and your sub-guru has complete collapsed and lost. Your reply to us and what your behaviors to all Vaishnavas really made us cry and feel very disappointed, your good image in our heart as position of guru and great leader of iskcon has vanished in smoke, we felt great hurt and cheated by you and your sub-gurus. Now whole world are watching you and your sub-gurus those who are used to be proud of their position as " the gurus " and leader of iskcon, how have complete failed in the war between "the ritvikist" and "the anti-ritvikist" and how you and your sub-gurus have gone madly to ban and crack down "the ritvikist". Now you and your sub-gurus have become more craze than anytime only for the purpose of holding the last chance to control iskcon and "protect" your own so-called power, fame, money, position and followers which are not for guru and sannyasi to hanker after. After your bogus philosophy of " guru can be fallen down" has been challenged and checked in the International, You has sent Umpapati Swami and your sub-gurus (Krishna Baladeva Das, Radha Caran Das, Cadrasekhara Das, Narayana Das) to come China to continue promoting the same philosophy to those innocent Chinese fallen souls.
In June 1997, You, TKG sent your sub-guru Giridhari Swami to Govardhan and Nanadgram to preach the anti-ritvik philosophy and "protect" us. We are told that in our iskcon there is a group of devotees whose title is called "ritvik-ist", they all are great demon, poisonous grass and snake, and great offender of our iskcon gurus! Giridhari Swami especially mentioned that our mother Sri Svarup Devi Dasi is most dangerous enemy and offender, we cannot have any association with her! She may in future some day come back to China preaching her "ritvik heresy" philosophy to us, you warn us of that dangerousness to contact with her! We are also told the facts that in our iskcon there are a group peoples alleged that we all are disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and there are not qualified gurus at present iskcon and there are many gurus have fallen down. Until October 0f 1997, we really are innocent in one hundred per cent with this subject, we know nothing about the so called "ritvik heresy". It was at that time, we all are safe under the protection of you and your sub-gurus, but you are over sensitive and nervous with this issue of "the ritivk", so that you and your sub-gurus have made a wrong estimation. Your sub-gurus in China have gone too far while they try to defend your authority and to defame "the ritivik people". You think that if we accept Ekacakra and Umapati swami's Chinese authority, we will definitely hear what you like to tell us, and no one of Chinese devotee will know the pure teachings of Srila Prabhupada and the true thing has been happing in the international. That is the reason for you and your sub-gurus to plunge such energy and time to prevail us to accept the books of Ekacakra and Umapati swami (please see the BBT report VNN story 2627). But by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna, we really understood that what your saying about Sri Svarup Devi Dasi is nothing but bare personal attack and barefaced slander!
It is you sent your sub-guru Radha Caran Das who told us that don't access the Internet and don't listen to and read anything materials from outside expect for the materials your side offered. We keep highest hope on you and your sub-gurus will offer some right and good things, but our good wishes have completely gone with the wind at last. What your sub-guru's warning really makes us think of the history of Qin Emperor of ancient China, this Emperor was afraid of his citizens would know how to govern the State, He ordered his peoples to burn all books in his state into ashes, so that his citizens would hear what he liked to tell. While your sub-gurus told us what we should do and what we should listen to, we all accepted at the beginning, but as the time factor showed us that we felt more and more doubts about what You and your sub-gurus have been teaching. So some of us asked Umapati Swami, Narasimha Swami and Krishna Baladeva Das if Srila Prabhupada had left any will or instruction on the future initiation, and if Srila Prabhupada had appointed any acary successor. Your sub-gurus would immediately say " No, Srila Prabhupada did not leave any instruction on this issue, He did not appoint any Successor, But He told us any one who only follow his guru also become a guru, that is all. But "those ritvik people" misinterpreted Srila Prabhupada's will, they quoted the word "henceforward " out of context and misunderstood the teaching of Srila Prabhupada". Then we asked your sub-gurus what is "the ritvik poeple" and how they can make such great offences against iskocn gurus. Your sub-gurus told us that "those ritvik people are a group of devotee stayed outside ISKCON, they have not official Temple, and they did not preach, have problems and always criticize our ISKCON gurus", The more your sub-gurus explained to us, the more they confused us. In order to defend you and your sub-gurus' authority and position, you have to ban your Chinese disciples inquiring such questions related "the ritvik". In one way your sub-gurus told us that there are not existing those things such as the will or appointed successor, in the another way your sub-gurus condemned "the ritivk people" are against the principle of GURU, SASTRA and SADHU, because " those ritvik people" misquoted the word " henceforward" and concocted " the final order" of Srila Prabhupada on the future initiation of ISKCON. While we have patiently listened to so many "bad" things about those group ritvik people from the lotus mouth of your sub-gurus, WE have also been being warned of dealing carefully with such" the ritvik people", because among them there are existing some great devotees. We really don't know what your sub-gurus are saying, Your sub-gurus made us feel more confused!!!
WE repeatedly required your sub-gurus to show us the authoritative proofs on the BBT issue and "the ritvik" issues so that we can accept the Sanskrit philosophy of Umapati swami &Krishna Baladeva Das, and the Chinese philosophy of your beloved disciple Ekacakra Das, and so that we can join into the" holy war of fighting against the ritvik which was launched by you ", but you and your sub-gurus made us really disappointed. You and your sub-gurus wrongly understood that We asked them to offer the proofs means that we challenged your supreme authority (It will bring shame on your head, because you can not show such proofs to us, otherwise we will know everything about you and your sub-gurus). If even so, there are existing doubts in our heart, in order to wipe put our doubts and re-establish our faiths on you, you sent your sub-gurus to China to preach the "fallen guru " philosophy to us, you hope it will divert our attention to another side.
You TKG then sent Narashimha Swami to tell us the following facts: "that guru fallen down is not a strange thing, in the history of Vaishnava there were so many examples of guru fallen down". " Srila Prabhupada was only one main guru in our parampara which only accepted by his west followers, but in India, there are many gurus (Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers) are much more great and important than Srila Prabhupada". Then we asked Narashimha Swami " if a guru can be fallen down, How can his disciples go back Home, back to Godhead?", We were told that ' if a guru was fallen down, his disciples take another guru of iskcon for re-initiation, his disciples should learn the example of Dhruva Maharaja and Bali Maharaja to help his guru go back original position or bring his guru back to Home, back to Godhead". Narashimha swami also told us that guru and disciple relationship is not eternal, then Narasimha swami quoted the Bhagavad-gita Chapter 9:30 to proved what he allegation ' in sastra there are explanation of fallen-down '. When we asked what is the qualification of being a Guru, Narasimha swami told us that being of a Guru need no any qualification, just chanting Hare Krishna is enough, then he quoted the Nectar of Instruction text one and five to proved his allegation--any one can be a guru if he is a one hundred per cent in Krishna consciousness, your guru TKG is such qualified guru before Srila Prabhupada left this palnet He was a guru. Narashimha swami also told us if we want to know what is the last order of Srila Prabhupada on the future initiation of ISKCON, you must approach to and believe to those who are near to Srila Prabhupada, particularly we should believe TKG, for he is the only one knew Srila Prabhupada.
Your sub-gurus in Shanghai and Beijing have gone more far away and more direct than Narashimha Swami, Umapati swami and Krishna Baladeva Das told his disciples based on their own experiences of becoming a devotee that ' You can not understand such fallen down of guru is another kind of spiritual lila. Srila Prabhupada also made mistakes, and he sometimes spoke something contradicted, if you said present gurus are not qualified and fallen down that means Srila Prabhupada made such mistake to appoint them, that means you are direct committing offence against your guru and indirect offence against Srila Prabhupada' . ' There are not any sastra said that a guru must be situated at the top most platform devotees (Uttama Adhikari) '.
In order to crack down "the ritvik" in China, You and your sub-gurus begun introducing ' Drutakarma heresy theory into Shanghai and Beijing. Now you have some disciple following the foot step of Drutakarma begin to cheat other innocent souls in China. In one way your sub-gurus try to hide the true facts about "the ritvik ", in another way your sub-gurus encouraged your disciples in China to launch a campaign to fight against "the ritvik peoples" which they do not know.
It was on Janmastami day of this year, your god-brother Yaso prabhu came to Govardhan to associate with us. But you are so afraid of him that he may tell us about your spiritual lila in the international, you immediately sent your sub-guru Narayana Das and Narashimha Swami followed him. When your sub-guru Narayana Das at a meeting asked the devotees 'if Yaso prabhu had taught any things about "the ritivk", (no of them have ever met Yaso prabhu)!!!', Then your sub-guru Narayana Das told us ' that Yaso Prabhu is a ' Ritvikist' , being a offender our guru, he said Srila Prabhupada was poisoned to death by Tamal Krishna Goswami.' While we heard such teaching from the lotus month of your sub-guru, we all felt extremely surprised and shocked. Before that time your sub-guru told us about those truth, no one of us knew such things, it is your sub-guru Narayana Das told us!!! Your sub-guru Narayana Das and Narashimha Swami had made a fatal wrong estimation, so in the next day, your sub-guru immediately announced who is 'ritvikist', and who is not, then you appointed some of your supporters as new authority at Govardhan (please see VNN story 2310 An open letter to TKG from Govardhan Yatra). Your disciples at Govardhan felt very disappointed with the behavior of your sub-gurus, then they wrote an open letter to you, but you and your sub-gurus felt much angry at Yaso prabhu. You and your sub-gurus are in one hundred per cent wrong sure that it is Yaso prabhu who taught the 'ritvik' to us. But we can say that it is a magic and mystery. In Hongkong You and your sub-gurus begun a craze witch-hunting against Yaso prabhu, Now you had kicked him out of HK temple!
From Govardhan to Nanadgram, From Shanghai to Beijing, what you are doing makes us easily associate with what it said in Mantra nine and purport of Sri Isopanisad!---
"Such people misguide others by misinterpreting Vedic literature, Sometime they also condemn the Puranas , which are authentic Vedic explanation for laymen. The Veda-vada ratas give their own explanations of the Vedas, neglecting of the authority of great teacher (acaryas). They also tend to raise some unscrupulous person from among themselves and flaunt him as the leading exponent of Vedic knowledge".
You selected your great disciple Krishna Das and Akayani Devi Dasi as Govardhan Temple's leader and representative of your authority to fight against another group of your "disciples"(two years ago, those two devotees were kicked out by you and don't practice their Krishna Consciousness anymore, Akayani dd has been criticized the ISKCON is a evil cult where there are no freedom), In Shanghai and Beijing, you also selected your great disciples as GBC and preach your own bogus philosophy but neglected the teaching of Srila Prabhupada. We have witnessed the behavior of your disciples, we really can not believe our eyes: what behavior of your disciples is what Srila Prabhupada condemned (those who are in poor fund of knowledge and blindly fanatic follower --SAHAJIYAS). Because your sub-gurus told them unnecessary to read Srila Prabhuapda's Books but only listen to you and your Sub-gurus saying enough, it is authoritative explained in Bhagavad-gita Chapter 4:34 "Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life". While your sub-guru Umapati swami and Krishna Baladeva Das taught your disciples that 'A neopphyte Vaishnava or a Vaishnava situated in the intermediate platform can also accept disciples', We wonder why they did not quote the whole text from "Nectar of Instruction p58", and why they did not quote the conclusion of Srila Prabhupada? Such behavior of misusing (misquoted) of the holy sastra make us hard to accept in China. On the contrary, Your sub-guru's teaching can only lead us to understand another side of the 'teaching', that means Krishna Consciousness Movement in the past decade would have gotten more developed and we would very progressed in our KC, If we were fortunate enough to accept Umapati Swami and TKG, Krishna Baladeva Das as our guru. Now we can understand that your disciples in China are situated in the same platform as your sub-gurus, for they can not advanced very well toward the ultimate goal of life under their insufficient guidance.
We have read You TKG and Your sub-gurus great masterpieces from "Where the rittvik people is right" to "Where the rittvik people is wrong" then from "Disciple of my Disciple", "timeless order " to " Prabhupada's Order". In recent time, we are so fortunate to read the masterpiece of Drutakarma, which your sub-gurus introduced to us. Your great masterpieces have received properly reply from Vaishnava circles and the rittvik peoples, there are not any necessary for us to comment on this point. But here we kindly require you and your sub-guru to open your mind to read 'the final order' and their reply to you, otherwise your sub-gurus will mislead us to fight against the "phantom " offenders. Here we only mention three points let you consider, 1) Flowery language problem 'ritvik', 2) Guru, Acarya, Spiritual Master, 3) Parampara. There are still existing some doubts within our heart, if you and your sub-gurus really understand the "true meaning of the ritvik"?, if you and your sub-gurus really realize what is Guru? What is Acary? And what is the spiritual master? If you and your sub-gurus really knew what it means the principle of parampara?
In the beginning, You in "Prabhupada's order" told us there is no such term ritvik-guru"---'
The significant point here is that terms such as ritvik-guru and ritvik-acharya simply do not exist. There is no such term in any Sanskrit dictionary, no in any recognized Vedic literature, to my knowledge. There is no such term because there is no such concept. In other words, our friends are proposing something that does not exist in Vedic culture. This is the main problem with it.'(PO)
But the paper of "Disciple of my Disciple", Umapati swami and Giridhari Swami told us that the Sanskrit word "ritvik "in English means " proxy" ---
The devotees commonly known as "ritvik adherents" will be referred to in this paper as "proxy-initiation adherents." The English word "proxy" has been chosen over the Sanskrit "ritvik" for reasons that will become obvious as the paper progresses. There has been some objection to the word "proxy" on the grounds that it is pejorative, but the word simply means "authorized agent" and has no pejorative connotations either in the dictionary or in common usage (proxy vote, proxy wedding). The term "proxy-initiation" refers to the philosophical position of the proxy-initiation adherents that all initiations performed in ISKCON are proxy initiations and that Srila Prabhupada is the only initiator. "(DOMD)
According to our understanding and the logic, If it is really fact that "the ritvik" does not exist as your sub-guru alleged, then why you and your sub-gurus need to input so much energy and time to talk it and try to crack it down? We are really tired and bewildered with Umapati swami flowery language game (your disciples in China have mastered such skills of Umapati Swami). Umapati swami and Narashimha swami told that being of a guru does not need any qualification, but in your paper you have quoted the following conversation to us"---
"So there is no bar for anyone, that one cannot become the spiritual master. Everyone can become spiritual master, provided he knows the science of Krishna. That is the only qualification."
(New York, August 17, 1966)
"These two qualifications. You have to find out that whether this man is coming from disciplic succession, srotriyam... Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, evam parampara-praptam: "By this disciplic succession, this science of Bhagavad-gita was learned." So you have to approach the spiritual master who is coming down from that disciplic succession. Then he is bona fide."
(San Francisco, March 3, 1967) (PO)
Krishna Baladeva Das in Shanghai told Your disciples that " Srila Prabhupada sometimes also made mistakes", but here you also told us:--
"A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as guru and acharya by strictly following the disciplic succession."
(New York, 26 April, 1968)
"So Rupa Goswami says who can be a spiritual master. So he has given specifically this definition, that one who has got control over the tongue, over the speech, over the mind, over the belly, and over the genitals, and over the anger. If anyone has control over these six things, then he can become spiritual master. Prthivim sa sisyat: 'He is allowed to make disciples all over the world.' Otherwise not."
(Montreal, July 9, 1968) (PO)
When We can not understand the issue of Guru-tattva, we inquired you and your sub-gurus, your sub-gurus can not give us correct answer then those innocent souls who questioned have become a offender of guru, but here you quoted "--
The disciple, if he cannot understand the statement of the scriptures or any saintly person, he submits his doubts before the spiritual master and he clears it. In this way we have to make progress." (Montreal, July 9, 1968) (PO)
About the parampara, Krishna Baladeva Das told us that TKG is the representative of Lord Krishna, He has mastered the science of Krishna and understood the principle of the parampara, but here you showed us that it seem you are not sure what is "parampara', otherwise how can you confuse two words" broken" and Stopped"--
This is the magic. If you adulterate nonsensically like a rascal, then you cannot become a spiritual master. If you simply follow what Krsna has spoken, then you become spiritual master. Very simple thing. It doesn't require education. You can hear from your spiritual master what has Krsna said." (Bombay, April 4, 1974)
"In the section of TFO entitled 'Other Related Objections', the author attempts to address the very pertinent objection that if there is no more bona-fide diksa initiations then the parampara will be stopped (at least within ISKCON). He starts his explanation by making the following statement:
TFO: "the disciplic succession is eternal, there is no question of it stopping."
Firstly, this claim is directly denied by Lord Krishna Himself:
"This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost."
(Bhagavad-gita 4.2) (PO)
"If God sees that you are sincere, He will give you a spiritual master who can give you protection. He will help you from within and without, without in the physical form of spiritual master, and within as the spiritual master within the heart."
(Rome, May 23, 1974)(PO)
Your sub-gurus told us that a guru must be personally presented to give us training, otherwise we can not understand the science of Krishna, or we can not be devotees of Krishna (your living guru philosophy). But here you quoted different thing. So our conclusion is that you and your sub-gurus Do not really understand the difference between Guru, Acarya and the spiritual master, You mislead us on the issue of parampara which mainly reflected on your disciple Ekacakra's Chinese translation.
In Chakra web site, you and your sub-guru Umapati Swami announced that" we here at Chakra are committed to telling you the whole truth, we don't hide anything...". And in 1980, in a paper you wrote "And that's all it was, and it was never any more than that, you can bet your bottom dollar that Srila Prabhupada would have spoken for days and hours and weeks on end about how to set up this thing with the gurus... I feel that this realization or this understanding is essential if we are to avoid further things from happening, because, believe me, it's going to repeat..." (Pyramid House Confessions), but now we realized that all what you committed to us so called "truth" is nothing but "a true lie "!!!-- 21 years of "true lie ". Now your " true lie" is still going on from Hongkong temple to Govardhan, From Shanghai to Beijing, From Nanagram to Xi'an, we have witnessed what you have done against your godbrother and disciples in Govardhan, how you expect to that we will continuously believe you (trust you) again?
In the past ten years, WE have taught your disciples to honor and respect you as much as the representative of Lord Sri Hari, but unfortunately our great endeavor has gone in vain because of your sub-guru's behaviors. WE have been trying to please and serve you but your sub-gurus have taken away our chances. We have been trying to preach and keep the supreme authority of You as a guru to your innocent disciples, but you and your sub-gurus have challenged and broken your authority. Now the whole world Vaishnava are watching you, We keep great patience and hope for you to come back your original position of the spiritual master as the bone fide representative of Srila Prabhupada, We hope you will check the behaviors of your sub-gurus in China ( misquoting the sastra and misleading the innocent souls) , and immediately stop any action against the principle of Srila Prabhupada's teaching, and immediately stop the witch-hunting against your god-brothers, god-sisters, and your disciples in China, immediately stop preaching the Drutakarma' heresy theory and stop distributing the books of Ekacakra and Umapati swami. That will make all Vaishnava devotees happy and Srila Prabhupada satisfied and we will honor and respect you as much as before.
If there are any offences against you, we beg you for forgiveness.
Hari Krishna!
A group of Bhaktas who try to serve Vaishanva Devotees of Krishna
Bhakta Lu/Bhakta Liang/Bhakta Zhong/Bhkata Wang
All glories to His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!