104 Responses to The Importance of Having a Qualified Guru

1.

xridol says: July 25, 2011 at 1:58 pm Hi, ive read your publishing.well ..lots of arguing positions..so who you consider to be bona fide/qualified Guru in ISKCON? I Dont think Srila Prabhupada made mistake and did not left well qualified devotees that would be able to fulfill duties fo spirutal master. thank You Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 26, 2011 at 4:14 pm Hare Krishna Days before Srila Prabhupada left our material vision he said to Tamil Krishna Goswami, The problem is among my disciples there is no strong man, they are all like children Prabhupada was only preaching in the West from 1965 till 1977, so a little more than 11 years. In this time his disciples did not advance to the point of being qualified to be acharyas. And that we have painfully seen over the years. The position of acharya is not a very simple one. Prabhupada made no mistake but his disciples made the mistake of not seriously following. And really that is expected. Not everyone is going to seriously follow. In fact hardly anyone is going to seriously follow That is stated by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: manusam sahasresu cascid yatt. Out of many thousands of men one is interested in spiritual life, out of thousands of them one may become liberated and out of so many liberated souls hardly one knows Me in truth. So to be a qualified spiritual master one must know Krishna in truth and Krishna Himself says that hardly one knows Me in truth. So the real spiritual master is very, very, very rare. It is not up to Srila Prabhupada to leave qualified devotees it is up to the devotees to accept the mission of Srila Prabhupada as their life and soul and become qualified. Without this real surrender and without the blessings of the bona fide spiritual master and Krishna no one can become a qualified guru.

These are all very basic points Prabhu which you should know and should have been clarified for you by reading this article. The point is there are many bogus gurus in ISKCON and that has been so clearly proven by the history. Out of the 11 so-called acharys that they claim Prabhupada appointed as his successors none are left actively functioning. All have either fallen away or died or been disabled by some means or another. ISKCON is a history of gurus falling, gurus exploiting their disciples in so many terrible ways I do not want to discuss here. So it is abundently proven by the history that at least most of the past ISKCON gurus have been bogus, it means they were conditioned souls, not liberated souls. And ISKCON are still doing the same thing. So it is said if you do the same thing you will get the same result. So in the past they created so many bogus gurus it is safe to assume that the gurus they are creating now with the same system will also be bogus. ISKCON has a bogus guru philosophy Prabhu. They say that the guru does not have to be liberated. They have no real qualifications for the gurus, they say conditioned souls can be gurus. This is a slap in the face of the vedic system. It is directly against Krishnas very clear instructions in the Bhagavad-gita [tad viddhi pranipat...] You must approach a bona fide guru, offer obeisances, render service, inquire submissively. Such a self-realized soul can give you real knowledge because he has seen the truth. This is actually the Vedic system, that the guru is a self-realized soul who has seen the truth and you surrender to him and server him and he can reveal the truth to you. Now ISKCON gurus openly admit that they are not selfrealized souls. And they ISKCON guru philosophy is that you do not need to be a self-realized soul to be a guru. So what is the point of surrendering to and serving a conditioned soul? There is no benefit in this at all because he is not self-realized and he has not seen the truth. So you are completely wasting your time. They are bogus gurus Prabhu. Guru has to be a self-realized soul who has seen the truth and this is such a basic point. Krishna consciousness 101. If you can not understand this basic point then really there is no hope for you. ISKCON reject this basic principle clearly instructed by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita so their guru system and their resulting gurus are completely bogus. Anyone who has eyes can see this. It is proven by the history and confirmed by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. What more do I need to say? Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Frank says: July 27, 2011 at 4:29 am Hare Krishna, Great article,but there are no Gurus,let alone qualified Gurus around here-Woodstock Ny area. Hari Bol! If you know of any,please let me know Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:44 am Hare Krishna Frank, Srila Prabhupada is there in Woodstock NY. He is living in his books. Get them from http://www.KrishnaStore.com and read them in Woodstock NY It seems very hard for people to understand this simple point, Prabhupada is not dead, he is living on in transcendental sound Reply

Prasanto says: July 27, 2011 at 6:13 am In Samatan Dharma it is said if you are attached to one spiritual guru. You cant take a second one. I took diksha from a spiritual guru long ago (about 10 years), but off late me and my wife are not getting the satisfaction we require. It seems there is a hole. Can you take a diksha from another guru. Is it

necessary to have a satguru (guru who is alive) only or can we start following the teachings of a spiritual leader who is not alive. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:09 am Hare Krishna Prasanto The system is that one can accept one diksa guru [initiating guru] but he can have unlimited siksha [instructing] gurus. And it is also said that siksa guru and diksa guru are not different. So you can find and accept another guru and take siksha from him [instruction]. It is not necessary to take diksa again as long as your original guru is somewhat bona fide. The most important thing is actually the siksha [instruction], so if later on in your life you look back and see that for example you have started reading Srila Prabhupadas books and have got so much valuable siksha from him and he has given you so much practical guidance for your life, you may see that the instruction and benefits you received from Srila Prabhupada far outweigh the benefits you got from your original guru, in that case Srila Prabhupada would be your primary guru. This Madhva-Gaudya-Sampradaya is siksha sampradaya. If we go back and look at the previous acharyas in many cases the guru who they accept as their primary guru and their link to the disciplic succession is not the guru who gave them diksha. It is another guru who they have taken siksha [instruction] from. And what is important about a guru is his siksha, his instructions, and his instructions continue to live after his physical disappearance and he continues to preach in the form of transcendental sound. So the physical presence of the guru is immaterial. If you have access to his siksa, his instructions, then you can associate with him, he can give you advice, he can give you knowledge, he can answer your questions and ultimately he can guide you back home, back to Godhead.

There is no need to have a physically present guru if you have access to the siksha [instructions] of a bona fide guru Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Lalita Stephens says: August 1, 2011 at 12:12 pm Dear Madhudvisa dasa, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!! I wanted to comment on your article because it is a summary of the lessons I just learned in my spiritual life. I am a very stubborn and self-willed conditioned soul. I was introduced to the mercy of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada when I was 10 but didnt come to the devotees seriously till age 42. I just received initiation last year through a ritvik (excuse my spelling) priest. It was very confusing and frustrating coming into the movement at this time. I would cry because Krsna consciousness is what I wanted. I had finally found the spiritual answer that was for me, and yet the Guru was not here! What was I to do? I also had a hard time understanding and accepting why the movement has so many gurus now. I remember devotees explaining everything to me, and being excited about my possible upcoming initiation, and telling me that a certain guru was coming to the templeone of the nicer ones.or at least more tolerable. It took a few years of trying and meeting the right devotees, and thankfully I found the answer for me and received initiation. The dvds and cds of Srila Prabhupada plus his many books are my daily dose of association with my Guru. My attachment and love for him keeps growing and growing and, he is not on this planet physically.

This is what my path has been, but I also accept that others need the many gurus in the movement now. Krsna Consciousness has sprung into many different groups just like organized religions, and it would be nice if we could all just get along and try to spread Srila Prabhupadas message of love. In the Light of the Bhagavata, Srila Prabhupada writes, In this age of a godless civilization, the sages of world recognized religious sects who believe in God must come out of their secluded places and preach the science of God, the Supreme Will, to the people in general. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and the members of the other sects that have convincing faith in the authority of God must not sit idly now and silently watch the rapid growth of a godless civiliztion. There is the supreme will of God, and no nation or society can live in peace and prosperity without acceptance of this vital truth. The warning is already there, and responsible leaders of religious sects must meet together and form a common platform of a league of devotees of the Lord. There is no need for self-realized souls to live in a secluded place. Perfect self-realized souls, engaged in the service of the Lord, are unafraid of maya, just as law-abiding citizens of a state never fear the police. Such fearless devotees of God always speak scientifically about the existence of God, even at the risk of death. Such devotees of God feel compassion for the mass of people, who have completely forgotten the Supreme Lord and who engage in the false pursuit of happiness that ends in the sense pleasures enjoyed by the hogs and dogs. Lets please our Spiritual Master and spread GodConsciousness! Maybe another pure devotee will come along and lead us again, but in the meantime, lets all play nicely in the sandbox! Jai! Reply

Oneness Gee says: July 31, 2011 at 9:20 am

Dear Prabhuji Madhudvisa dasa, Thank You very much for all You do in GOD consciousness, in spreading the messege of Bhakti/devotional service To The Fullness Of GODHEAD. I study the emails & lessons from You gladly & respectfully. The accepting of a Guru whom is not a pure devotee is very dangerous in this day of Kali-yuga & I appreciate Your explaining this in a very nice way. Sincerely, Oneness Gee Reply

VIJAY SAKHA DAS says: August 4, 2011 at 5:35 am hg madhuvdvisa das is wrong to say Srila Prabhupada had a very special facility that no previous acarya in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition had. He had the ability to record the transcendental vibrations coming from his lotus lips and and he had access to book printing, publishing, and distribution systems that were not available to the previous acharyas. srila bhaktivinod thakur has written more then 100 books. srila vishvanath chakravorty had also written various books. srila roop goswami had written various books. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 6, 2011 at 3:02 pm Hare Krishna Vijay You miss the point Prabhu. The previous acharyas had no way of recording the transcendental vibrations coming from their lotus mouths. There was no tape recorder That technology was invented and made available for Srila Prabhupada and now we can sit down and hear Srila Prabhupada lecture on Bhagavad-gita or SrimadBhagavatam. You can not hear any previous acharya lecture on Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam. You can not watch them on almost eighty hours of film and video footage, you can not listen to their conversations with their disciples, you can not hear them

preaching to scientists, government officials, politicians, members of other religious communities, etc. The association that is possible for us now with Srila Prabhupada Prabhu is so direct and so dynamic and so personal. There is no way you can compare this with a few books written by the previous acharyas in a language and style that is quite foreign to us. With all due respects Prabhu if you can not see this you are blind Even letters. Prabhupada managed the whole international Society for Krishna Consciousness by writing letters and we have those letters, almost 8,000 of them, and we can read and that is yet another way of personally associating with Srila Prabhupada So that is why Srila Prabhupada is so different from any other acharya who proceeded him. With the help of modern technology Srila Prabhupada really did not die. He really is still living in sound in such a real and tangible way that was certainly not possible for any acharya who proceeded him. I would strongly recommend Prabhu that you please take advantage of Srila Prabhupadas direct personal association by seriously studying all his books, listening to all his classes, conversations, morning walks, press conference, temple arrival address, watch and listen to the 80 hours+ of film and video we have of Srila Prabhupada, read his letters And if you do this Prabhu you will have the practical realization that Srila Prabhupada did not die, he is still living with us in transcendental sound But you have to take advantage of all these wonderful opportunities of associating with Srila Prabhupada, otherwise you will remain in the darkness of ignorance and there is nothing I can do about that. There is an English saying: You can take a horse to water, but you can not make him drink. So I have provided easy access to the Prabhupada vani, you can listen to and download the audio for free at http://www.Krishna.tv, you can watch the Prabhupada video for free at http://www.KrishnaTube.com, you can read all the works of Srila Prabhupada for free at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com and you can purchase the DVDs, CDs, books, etc at http://www.KrishnaStore.com So everything is available, it is up to you to drink Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Ahinsra das says: August 19, 2011 at 10:06 am Dear Madhudvisa, I appriciate your devotion to Prabhupada. But I humbly request you to delete the word few in your reply to Vijay Sakha with regard to books left by previous acharyas. As far as the language of books written by previous acaryas is concerned for millions of people in the world the English is as foreign as sanskrit for English speaking people. As far as the style of books left by previous acaryas is concerned this style will be foreign to us until we will be trained up to certain level by Prabhupada through his books. In this regard the following can be cited: prabhu lokanatha kabe sange lana jabe sri-rupera pada-padme more samarpibe When will my master, Lokanatha Gosvami, place me at the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami? Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Prarthana 17 Actually going to Vrndavana involves taking shelter of the six Gosvamis by reading Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Vidagdhamadhava, Lalita-madhava and the other books that they have given. In this way one can understand the transcendental loving affairs between Radha and Krsna. CC. Adi lila, Chapter 8, text 31, Purport Only if I (Narottama das Thakura) become attached to the instructions given by the six Gosvamis, headed by Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, will it be possible for me to understand the conjugal love of Radha and Krsna. CC. Adi lila, Chapter 7, text 17, Purport So it is better to delete the sentense alltogether as it doesnt suit your intellectually and spiritually advanced position. At last I beg you to delete the word blind addressed to Vijay Sakha, for he did not say anything against Prabhupada and his books.

Your humble servant, Ahinsra das Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 19, 2011 at 2:51 pm Hare Krishna Ahinsra Prabhu Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! The reference to the few books left by the acharyas I intended to and think it is reasonably clear, that what I am saying is there are only very few books by the previous acharys that are actually available and accessible by us. The language is a big problem Prabhu. Many of the writings of the previous acharyas are in very elaborate Sanskrit and to be a Sanskrit scholar is a very long course of study so practically speaking these books are inaccessible to us. Of course there are translations but the translations can only be as good as the translator. And that is a big problem. You know there are thousands of the translations and commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita both in India and in the Western countries but people are only becoming devotees of Krishna by reading Srila Prabhuapdas Bhagavad-gita As It Is, not by any other Gita translation. Why? Because Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and he has actually put Krishnas messages without any change in his Bhagavad-gita As It Is, on the other hand many translations and commentaries on the Gita are there by conditioned souls who have their own ideas and agendas in presenting the Bhagavad-gita. They mix their ideas with Krishnas ideas and the result is their translations and commentaries have no potency at all. So this is not just a problem with translations of Bhagavad-gita, it is a problem with all translations of all Vedic texts. So even though there are many books by the previous acharys in this high-level Sanskrit, you can not read it and you can not find a bona fide

translation, so it is inaccessible to you. Even the books by Jiva Goswami and Rupa Goswami and their contemperories, some are in Sanskrit, but many are in Bengali, but also this is very high-level philosophical Bengali mixed with a lot of Sanskrit words. Even the Bengalis will find it difficult to read and understand these books. So my point remains that there are very few books by the previous acharyas that we have access to. And there are so many questionable bogus commentaries and translations on these book so it is very easy to be mislead. I am saying if Vijay can not see this then he is blind. So I am not saying for sure he is blind. Because he can hopefully see what I am explaining here. But if he still can not see and he still thinks that access to Srila Prabhupada is the same as access to any of the previous acharyas then he is blind. And if he still things this he is blind. The whole point is Prabhupada is living with us in his recorded Vani. And that includes his books, his recorded lectures, conversations, morning walks, press conferences, interviews, his letters, all of the film and video we have of Prabhupada. This can not be compared with any previous acharya and if Vijay can not see this he is blind. That is my point. We are in uncharted waters here. This has never happened before in the Gaudiya sampradaya. An acharya has never been able to preserve the actual transcendental sound vibrations coming from his lotus lips to be heard and relished by his followers even after his physical disappearance. You can not hear any of the previous acharyas. But we have more than 1,100 hours of transcendental sound vibrations from the lotus lips of Srila Prabhupada that we can relish at our leisure. We have almost 100 books we can read from Srila Prabhupada in English. Plain, simple, clear easy to understand English. I do not accept your point Prabhu where you compare English to Sanskrit and say that many people find

English incomprehensible. English is the world language Prabhu. In every country in the world English is taught to the students. Practically every educated person in the world can speak English. And anyhow Prabhupadas books are translated into all the major languages of the world. So if they can not read the English they can get Prabhupadas books in their own language. So you are also blind if you can not see this. Prabhupada is not like any of the previous acharys. Only Prabhupada has been able to preserve his teachings and the transcendental vibrations from his lotus mouth in such a living and vibrant way. So Prabhupada continues to live in sound and continues to spread the holy name around. He continues to live and continues to accept disciples, it will continue. Nothing can stop this. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Ahinsra das says: August 17, 2011 at 1:03 pm Dear Prabhuji, It is not proper to think that Prabhupada was supposed to make pure devotees within the term of his physical presence, otherwise he would be at fault. If he could not make a pure devotee within 12 years, there is nothing wrong with it, for he continue to teach and train his followers through his books. At the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatis departure he said to his followers that you are not yet qualified to become an acarya. But it doesnt mean that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was at fault. It doesnt depend on him alone, it depend on disciple and ultimately on Krishna as the supreme cause of all causes. In other words he has not finished yet his job. And there is no doubt that one day he will train up some fortunate one to the level of pure devotion. We have to try our best to be the one.

Your humble servant, Ahinsra das Reply

Ahinsra das says: August 18, 2011 at 1:06 pm Dear xridol, If Prabhupada did not made well qualified devotee within the term of his physical lifetime, it doesnt mean that he was at fault, for he still continue to teach and train his followers. In other words he has not yet finished his job and therefore any judgement or conclusion made in this regard will be false. For example, someone may cook in the kitchen but has not finished cooking. We may enter the kitchen and see that there is no food to eat and conclude that the cook is unable to cook, or think that the food must be ready by now and eat the uncooked food, or vegetable skin. In this case we will become sick as followers of ISKCON who took kanishtha adhikaris (uncooked food), or materialists and mayavadis (eggplant and poteto skin) as pure devotees and ruined their spiritual life (stomack). Reply

2.

All Glories to our beloved Master Srila Prabhupada our RTUTH friend.by Swarupa Damodara-Dasa Prabhu in Victoria,bc Canada says: July 25, 2011 at 5:09 pm Hare Krishna. All Glories to our beloved Srila Prabhupada. to all the devotees of our master and friend Sri Prabhupada. love srila Prabhupada all the time. S.damodara das. Reply

3.

amitesh says: July 25, 2011 at 7:49 pm

respected madhudvisa!!! hare krishna!!! One question is there regarding we r not only body.if ultimately each soul has to disperse in the supreme soul i.e. attain salvation, then why god has seperated them from himself??? why the world has been created??? regards, amitesh Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 26, 2011 at 3:48 pm Hare Krishna Amitesh You say: each soul has to disperse in the supreme soul i.e. attain salvation, this is an impersonal idea. It is not correct. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita: mam jiva bhuta sanatana, He says the living entities are eternally His parts and parcels. So the souls are like Krishna in most respects. The only difference between the individual souls and Krishna is that the souls are very small and Krishna is very great. But the quality is the same. It is like if you take one drop of water out of the ocean that drop has the same qualities as the ocean. The ocean is salty and so is the drop. But the drop is very small and the ocean is very great. So as Krishna is eternally the Supreme Personality of Godhead we are eternally individual spirit souls. There is no question of the souls dispersing into the Supreme Soul and this is not liberation. Liberation is of two kinds, the impersonal kind of liberation is the soul enters the brahmajoti, the impersonal effulgence of Krishna. It is something like the sun has sunshine surrounding it, so Krishna has the brahmajoti surrounding Him, and if a soul wants to merge into the existence of Krishna he can enter this brahmajoti. But actually he remains an individual spirit soul. He does not merge at all. It is like if a green bird flys into a green tree you can say the bird has merged into the tree, but this is a mistake. The bird is in the tree and the bird keeps his individual existence and the bird can again fly out of the tree when he wants to. So it is like that with the souls that enter into the brahmajoti, they keep their individuality and can also exit the brahmajoti when they want to. The other type of liberation is personal. That is when the soul enters the spiritual world, either the Vaikuntha planets or Krishnas planet, and there they regain their original spiritual bodies and engage in pastimes with Krishna and His devotees there.

So although it is said that Krishna expanded and the living entities are expansions of Krishna actually the living entities like Krishna are sanatana, eternal. So they also have no beginning and no end. Eternal means they are eternally individual living entities like Krishna. Krishna is the Supreme predominator, so naturally for Him to be complete then the predominated living entities must also exist. The material world is created by Krishna to give the rebellious living entities who do not want to serve Krishna a chance to play god. Here the living entities are all trying to become the master, trying to become the most wealthy. Trying to imitate Krishna. But everything ends in frustration in the material worldit is designed like that. So that after many births in the material world a thoughtful person realizes that he can not be happy in the material world and he surrenders to Krishna and goes back home Back to Godhead These are big questions and of course I can answer but unless you take to Krishna consciousness seriously and really study the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada it will all remain incomprehensible to you. Spiritual life is not something you can understand in theory. It is a practical thing. You have to practice it, then there is some chance of understanding. And how to practice it, that is described in Srila Prabhupadas books. So make the time to study them. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

4.

Debasish Bhattacharyya says: July 26, 2011 at 4:40 am Revered Maharajji, Pranam. I read your mails with profound interest and try to internalize. Presently, I am passing through a phase of repentation.

I was working with a prestigious organization for years together and then committed a grave mistake which I was not supposed to keeping in mind my family background and profile. Soon after a year long wrong doing,I became restless to leave the job as it was not possible for me to continue thereafter in the same place. Despite pursuation and request by my seniors and colleague I left the job and joined similar kind of organization in a senior position. I could not continue their as I failed to adjust there. I was at home for a year and then joined a smaller organization with much lesser salary and prospect. By Gods grace I am very happy with my wife and a lone daughter; but what hurts me continuously is my mistake that I committed a few years back that led to my resignation from a prestigious organization.I feel dejected very often and ask myself about the need for meaningless life. I shall be grateful if you could please bless me with some advice. With Pranam, Debasish Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 26, 2011 at 3:33 pm Hare Krishna Debasish There is no importance in the long run in working for some prestigious organization. The real purpose of our life is spiritual and the success of our life is not measured by how prestigious the organization we work for is but it is judged by if we can remember Krishna at the time of death. Also we can not change the past so there is no point in lamenting over things that happened in the past. We may have made so many mistakes, we may have made so many bad decisions but we can not change that now. What we need to do is forget about the past and take stock of our current position and try and organize our life so we and our family can make spiritual advancement and ultimately remember Krishna at the time of death. Of course the regular family maintenance has to go on, but that is not the main thing, and it is not important to be working for a big prestigious

company. We need to have enough money for shelter and food and we need to have some spare time to practice spiritual life. So my suggestion is stop worrying about the past and the bad decisions you may have made in the past and look to the future and try to make the future a bright one where you and your family are advancing nicely in Krishna consciousness and you all remember Krishna at the time of death and go back home, back to Godhead. That is the real and only solution to all of our problems. We can never be happy in the material world. Happiness is in the spiritual world with Krishna Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

5.

guy says: July 26, 2011 at 10:58 am i have heard that a guru is necessary for self realization where do i find one? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 26, 2011 at 3:26 pm Guy you should read this article Srila Prabhupada is the bona fide guru you are looking for and you can find him in his books and recorded lectures and videos which are available at http://www.KrishnaStore.com and you can read them online at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com or you can watch the videos online at http://www.KrishnaTube.com Reply

6.

aashish saxena says:

July 26, 2011 at 3:00 pm Hare Krishna, prabhu ji guide me i m in darkness and want to come out in light plzzzzzz help me out Who is god ? christains said me that KRISHNA is nothing only jesus will listens ur pray and shall give u for what u have prayed to him. they said jesus the god not krishna. my one uncle (mama) meditaite on the divine light on the heart as his master prescribed him and my uncle said only his master will merge our soul into god . i tasted all religion like muslim,christians ,sikhs . as i m hindu but not satisfied and confused a lot sometimes i think to commit suicide becoz i dont want to lose my soul into the wrong hand and also bcoz of depression and confusion prabhu ji plzzzzzzzzzz help me Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 26, 2011 at 3:24 pm Hare Krishna Aasish There are so many rascals presenting their own ideas of spirituality so there is no wonder you are confused. You need a proper guide, a proper spiritual master. Someone who is already liberated and who can guide you how you can become liberated also. Such a qualified spiritual master is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You need to study his books that you can find at http://www.KrishnaStore.com and read online at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com It takes some time an effort on your part to actually understand and put into practice Krishna consciousness in your life. Unless you are prepared to spend some time and effort on studying this an on chanting Hare Krishna then you will not be able to understand. Practically everyone is trapped in this material world and is surrounded by so many bogus gurus and priests and other so-called spiritual mentors who themselves have no idea how to get out of this trap, what to speak of guiding others. Still they try to guide. But it is the case of blind men trying to guide other blind men. It will end in disaster.

It requires a little tapasya, austerity. To advance in spiritual life we have to give up some things that we are attached to like illicit sex life, meat eating, gambling and intoxication and we have to be prepared to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra dailyit takes about two hours. Most people are not prepared to seriously accept this small austerity, chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly following the four regulative principles. So they stay in darkness and join the ranks of the bogus spiritual guides So it is up to you, if you really want to solve your problems you need to actually study Srila Prabhupadas books seriously and put the instructions you find in the books into practice in your own life Then you will be very happy Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

7.

Sudeep says: July 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm Namaste, Hare Krishna. Received your mail and read your article. its good and true. hope to read more such good post from your side. thanks sudeep Reply

8.

Hiiravatii says: July 27, 2011 at 12:52 am guy says: July 26, 2011 at 10:58 am i have heard that a guru is necessary for self realization where do i find one?

Hare Krishna! A Guru is a must for self-realization because only a liberated soul can liberate a conditioned soul.A Guru must therefore a liberated soul. How to know that a Guru is a liberated soul? By observing His conduct, not his words. How is he doing with his disciples. THere are some few signs that you can see for yourself who is a bona fide Guru: 1. When you approach him for answers to many many questions, even challenging and insulting questions, he will answer all with great patience, not because he wants to show his greatness but because he wants to liberate your mind. 2. He will ask How are you doing? Do you need any help from me? What can I do to help you? It should also be noted that Krishna The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the real Guru, his genuine devotees are his instruments to liberate you.YOu can only be liberated If Krishna wants to liberate you. So try to bind Krishna through the thread of supreme devotion and He will feel anxious to release you.Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Reply

9.

Ishan das says: July 27, 2011 at 3:15 am Dear Madhudvisa Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Prabhu, I have read your article. The understanding that only one who knows Krishna personally, only such a person can introduce us directly to Krishna when he becomes satisfied with our sincerity this makes perfect sense. And therefore, to accept anyone else as ones spiritual master, or guru, makes no sense at all. After Srila Prabhupadas disappearance, and the great hoax and farce of placing 3rd class kanistha devotees on opulent Vyasasanas, and offering them the topmost forms of worship I could not continue to play the game, and soon left the association of ISKCON. Does ISKCON have a specific statement in which it makes clear assertions as to what is the qualification for being a spiritual master or guru in ISKCON? Or is it simply common unspoken understanding that any dick and harry can take that post, although still a conditioned soul, and that he can demand total surrender from his

disciples, and that despite the fact that he does not know Krishna, he can deliver his disciple to Krishna? Is there some official statement, or written material circulated within ISKCON as a guideline for the new devotees who are seeking initiation? How many initiating gurus are there within ISKCON today? How does ISKCON relate to devotees who criticize the idea of gurus who are still conditioned souls? If no one speaks against this hoax from within ISKCON, does this mean that all of the senior devotees and sanyasis in ISKCON are simply endorsing this hoax? Does this mean that such persons have never really believed or understood who Srila prabhupada really is? If one does understand who Srila prabhupada really is, then to endorse such a hoax would be equal to committing spiritual suicide knowingly. How can they do such a thing? Can you help me to understand what these people are thinking by sticking to such a tactic? To my way of thinking, taking such a position is demonic. Can you share with me your point of view? Thank you, Prabhu. Hare Krishna! Ishan das Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:49 am Hare Krishna Ishan Prabhu Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. ISKCON strongly present the argument that there is no need for a guru to be a pure devotee or a liberated soul. As long as he accepts the GBC then he can be a guru. They have some rules and a waiting list system for sannyasis but I am not aware of any rules or required qualifications of waiting list system for gurus. As long as you have some aspiring disciples and you are one of the old boys in good standing with the GBC they will make you a guru overnight. A couple of years ago the GBC made a resolution that all ISKCON devotees should have some disciples. So according to them there is no special qualification at all required for guruany devotee can be a guru in ISKCON as long as he is good friends with the GBC and has a few aspiring disciples It is such a sham, such a disaster, such a crime Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

Your servant Madhudvisa dasa Reply

10.

Bhakta Arya says: July 27, 2011 at 3:50 am Harekrishna Madhudvisa Prabhu. All glories of Srila Prabhupada. My name is Arya, a bhakta. I have one question. The successor of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is Srila Prabhupada, everyone knows that, and he is the 32th acarya. The mission of Lord Caitanya will last for 10,000 years, and the disciplic succession will continue. So, there must be ONE bona fide successor of Srila Prabhupada who is a pure devotee as the next acarya in the line (the 33th acarya). As I have read, a successor must be appointed directly by the previous spiritual master, and a bona fide successor must be able to state confidently and without hesitation that he HAS BEEN appointed by the previous acarya to continue the mission. What is your view about this? Thank you very much. Harekrishna Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:41 am Hare Krishna Bhakta Arya Prabhu The order from Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada for his disciples to go on to become qualified gurus and initiate disciples is an open one. Any one of Srila Prabhupadas disciples can go on to become a bona fide acharya and become the next link in the disciplic succession. The order is there from Srila Prabhupada but the surrender is up to the disciple. The guru can not force the disciple to surrender. Also Srila Bhaktsiddhanta did not clearly appoint any successor. He suggested the Gaudiya Math go on under the management of a GBC and never mentioned anything about a

successor acharya. His disciples chose to ignore these instructions and immediately Bhaktsiddhanta disappeared they appointed a bogus acharya and there were so many fights and ultimately everyone was claiming to be acharya and successor of Srila Bhaktsiddhanta and the preaching stopped and they were fighting in the courts with each other over the properties and assets of the Gaudiya Matha. It is a very similar situation to ISKCON today. Actually the successor to Srila Bhaktsiddhanta was, as we all know, Srila Prabhupada. But he was a grhastha and not at all an important person in the eyes of the big devotees in the Gaudiya Matha. They were all sannyasis and very much looked down on grhasthas, they were calling Prabhupada pacha grhastha [a dirty grhastha...] So when Bhaktsiddhanta left no one knew who his successor was. Actually any intelligent follower of Srila Bhaktsiddhanta could have done what Prabhupada did if they had surrendered to Srila Bhaktsiddhanta and made the orders of Bhaktsiddhanta their life and soul. This order that Srila Bhaktsiddhanta gave to Prabhupada was not a personal order to only Prabhupada. Prabhupada received the order to spread the movement of Lord Caitanya in the English language all over the world in his first meeting with Srila Bhaktsiddhanta, and he was with a number of friends. They were all educated in the English language so Srila Bhaktsiddhanta instructed them all to spread the movement of Lord Caitanya in the English language all over the world Everyone he met who was educated and had the capacity to do this he would instruct Please spread the movement of Lord Caitanya in the English language all over the world So Srila Bhaktsiddhanta may have given this order to thousands of people. It is an open order. It is his desire, and he would have been very happy with and showered his blessing on any of his disciples who surrendered to this order and made it their life and soul The point is it was only Srila Prabhupada who even tried to do this seriously. Some others went to England and came to the conclusion that it was impossible to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya to the melechas in the West. They just decided it was impossible and stopped trying. But Prabhupada accepted this mission of his spiritual master as his life and soul and worked for it with great difficulties. And in this way Srila Bhaktsiddhanta showered all his blessings on Srila Prabhupada and Prabhupada became the next link in the disciplic succession much to the horror of his big sannyasi godbrothers in the Gaudiya Matha. So at the moment there is no successor to Srila Prabhupada but any Prabhupada disciple has the potency to actually become the guru of the whole world. But that requires surrender to Srila Prabhupada and his mission and Prabhu that surrender is such a rare thing.

So Prabhupada is continuing his mission, and he is quite capable of doing that, so you please read Srila Prabhupadas books, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex life, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. Without following these basic principles, chanting 16 rounds and reading Srila Prabhupadas books there is no spiritual life at allit is just imagination and mental speculation Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

11.

Bhakta Arya says: July 27, 2011 at 3:54 am And what I am wondering about is: WHO IS the bona fide successor of Srila Prabhupada?, or, who is the next acarya in the disciplic line after Srila Prabhupada? Thank you and I hope I will have a clear answer on this for my spiritual progress. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:22 am Hare Krishna Bhakta Arya There is no successor to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada is still with us, still living, still preaching and still initiating new disciples every day through his transcendental books. ISKCON tried to put up 11 bogus successors to Srila Prabhupada but that only lasted a few years until their true colors were exposed for the whole world to see. And since then they have made about 200 other so-called successors to Srila Prabhupada. At least 100 of them have already left in disgrace. So it is a joke actually. They try to put up replacements for Srila Prabhupada but the replacements do not have the qualities of pure devotees of Krishna, it is just a sham.

So Prabhu you need to take advantage of Srila Prabhupadas instructions directly by reading his books, listening to his classes, watching the video recordings of him And put them into practice in your life and you will be very safely and solidly situated on the path back home back to Godhead. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

12.

Shyamsundar Das says: July 27, 2011 at 5:55 am Hare Krshna Madhudvisa Prabhu, You have written a thought provoking article. Thanks very much. The analogy you used of drowning man and the saviour is very apt. If the saviour knows swimming and can save a drowning person, only he knows about his capabilities. The person who is drowning has no way to know about it unless he knows by experience that the saviour has saved people in the past. In that case he can be sure of the right or bonafide saviour. As an aspiring disciple, it is a tough question to answer about the capabilities of the Guru, especially when you get information of so many bogus gurus. Please answer, as to how can an aspiring disciple know for sure that the person he is trying to surrender to, can really save him or he also is one of the many cheaters. Guru will know for sure but how does a disciple know about the authenticity of his Guru. Thanks and Hare Krshna. Shyamsundar das Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 8:18 am Hare Krishna Shyamasundar Prabhu

I have already answered this question extensively in another post to a similar question asked by someone else so please read though and find it. The short-cut answer is if you can not tell if a guru is bona fide of bogus then you will most likely be cheated by a bogus guru and that will be a very great impediment in your spiritual progress. So you have to get knowledge, you have to find out what exactly are the qualities and qualifications of a bona fide guru And you can get this knowledge by studying Srila Prabhupadas books very seriously while you are chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly following the four regulative principles. This is the way to destroy the darkness of ignorance and the only way you will be able to see things clearly and know what is the right path to take. As I wrote in this article there are so many cheaters and so many wanting to be cheated. Most disciples do not want a bona fide guru because as I said he will tell the disciple that he has to stop sense gratification and most people dont want to do that So the cheating goes on and on and on But if you are serious then you have to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and follow the process he outlines in his books and it may take some time but you will come to the point where you know clearly who is a bona fide guru and who is bogus. It is not that one blindly accepts a guru based on watching some video on youtube or seeing him speak at a festival There has to be testing. The prospective disciple has to test the guru to see if he is qualified to deliver him back home back to Godhead and the prospective guru has to test the disciple to see if he is a qualified disciple All these things are described in Prabhupadas books, if you dont read them then you wont know these things and there is a very good chance that a bogus guru will take advantage of your ignorance Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

13.

Sudarshan says: July 27, 2011 at 6:38 am

Hare Krishna, What you said is really true although have not experienced personally and thank you for the warning. Have just taken baby steps like leaving tea and coffee, no onion garlic( have bn following no non-veg and no illicit sex.). Am a life member and have got Prabhupadas books and read them. Attend satsangs regularly. As his Divine grace has said its Guna-karma-vibhasaga. If you do not have a great guru in you chart, how will one get the right spiritual master? I just do 2 rounds of chanting as well but not completely focused. Please guide. Hare krishna. Sudarshan Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 7:59 am Hare Krishna Sudarshan You have to have knowledge, otherwise you will get cheated. There are so many bogus gurus out there ready to eat up innocent and ignorant souls like you. So to save yourself from them you have to destroy your ignorance with the torchlight of knowledge. You have to read Srila Prabhupadas books Prabhu. Otherwise how will you know who is a qualified guru and who is a cheater? Without the knowledge you can not tell the difference and most likely you will get cheated. Srila Prabhupada tells the story of a man who wants to buy gold but he does not know what gold is or where it is available. He only knows it is very expensive. So he goes to a grocers store and asks to buy some gold. The grocer is very intelligent and can understand that this fool does not know actually what gold is or where gold is available from. So he takes some yellow thing and says Yes, I have some gold, but it is very expensive So he takes all the mans money for this worthless yellow thing He was only able to cheat the man because he was ignorant of what gold actually is and where the gold is available from. So it is the same with a search for a guru. Unless you know exactly what are the qualities of a bona fide guru any cheater will see you as an ignorant spiritual seeker and will cheat you for his own benefit.

The thing is we have to take Krishna consciousness seriously. If you go to ISKCON they will tell you to chant one round a day and then you tell them you are chanting one round a day and they give you the idea you are making great advancement in spiritual life While there is some advancement in chanting one round a day and it is a start for sure still the minimum requirement is chanting 16 rounds a day and strictly following the four regulative principles. We can not expect to lift the covering of ignorance and maya unless we do at least the minimum things. So if you have a little faith in Srila Prabhupada and Krishna then you need to make the effort and find the time every day in your life to chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, at least try to strictly follow the four regulative principlesin the beginning it may not be possiblebut you have to try, and the more you chant Hare Krishna and the more your read Prabhupadas books the stronger you will become and you will be able to strictly follow the four regulative principles for sure. You have to be firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness to see things clearly, you have to get the knowledge to destroy the darkness of ignorance, and that knowledge is in Prabhupadas booksso you have to read them. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

14.

Nirbhaya Kumar Gajendra says: July 28, 2011 at 9:37 am Hare Krishna Prabhuji I am stay in Bhubaneswar now i am chanting in start 3 months but my family is not supported in charnting Reply

15.

Uday says: July 28, 2011 at 5:44 pm Hare Krishna Prabhuji, Being Krishna bhakta, I belive that my Krishna is MY GURU and i perform mans seva on gurupurnima too. IS it not the correct way ?

My next questation is , Being a devotee, generally Krishna helps me visit various religiou palces Like Gokul Mathura and Tirumala ? But for quite long time Krishna seems to be not calling me to any of HIS places specialy Tirumala. Pl guide me when will i be able to visit Tirumala ? I think you jut tell me and it will happean. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 7:27 am Hare Krishna Uday Actually if you are a devotee of Krishna then you have to follow Krishnas instructions in the Bhagavad-gita. He is caitya-guru, the guru within the heart of everyone, but in our conditioned state we are not able to appreciate Krishna in this way. So Krishna instructs: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth. So if you are a Krishna bhakta you have to follow Krishnas instructions and find a guru who can guide you in how you can practically serve Krishna. Otherwise you get into this difficult problem like you are in now, saying you are a devotee of Krishna but not knowing what to do. It means you need a bona fide guru, someone who is a pure devotee of Krishna, who can guide you in your devotional service to Krishna. Krishna likes it if you worship and serve His pure devotees. That is the secret. If you want to please Krishna you have to please Krishnas pure devotee. That is the process Krishna recommends Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

16.

Rajendra says: July 28, 2011 at 7:12 pm

Haribol Prabhu Was wondering about those devotees who are initiated in isckon by the so called guru,are chanting and rendering service,what will happen to them? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 7:22 am Hare Krishna Rajendra It is a good question. We can understand the future by understanding the past. So if there is anything that ISKCON has plenty of history of it is bogus gurus. So you can just look at what happened to ISKCONs bogus gurus in the past and their disciples and that will give you a good idea what will happen to todays ISKCON gurus and disciples. There is a saying If you do the same thing you will get the same result. So ISKCON are still doing the same thing, initially they appointed 11 bogus gurus after Srila Prabhupada left our material vision and although they looked good for a few years and it appeared that the Krishna consciousness movement was booming under their guidance it did not take long and because of their immaturity in sprititual life and the heaps of offenses they were making to Srila Prabhupada and their godbrothers then naturally the things that are described in the scriptures that will happen in this case happened to them. They started to loose their taste for Krishna consciousness and their material desires increased again and they again fell down to the material platform and because they lost their Krishna consciousness so there disciples who were following them also lost their Krishna consciousness. So everything is lost. Bogus gurus and bogus disciples. Ultimately these are cheating gurus and cheating disciples. The disciples should have read Srila Prabhupadas books and known what are the qualities of a pure devotee of Krishna, what are the qualities of a bona fide spiritual master and should not have surrendered to someone who is not exhibiting all these qualities in full. You can not become a pure devotee of Krishna by surrendering to someone who is not a pure devotee of Krishna. It is just not possible. And that is what real devotees want, to be engaged in pure devotional service. Basically if you surrender to the wrong guru your spiritual life is spoiled. Because Krishna consciousness is dependent on surrendering to a bona fide

guru but if you surrender to a bogus guru when you realize he is bogus that breaks your heart in such a way that practically speaking you can never surrender again. And if you cant surrender in the right place then you cant get Krishna consciousness. So that is the great crime of all these bogus gurus. They are destroying the spiritual lives of so many people. I joined ISKCON but I read Prabhupadas books and could very clearly see what is the quality of a pure devotee of Krishna and what is the quality of a guru so I did not take initiation from a bogus guru but took initiation from Srila Prabhupada and was saved by his grace. That was twenty-five years ago but most of my friends in ISKCON from them fell into the trap of taking initiation from a bogus guru and most are now no longer practicing Krishna consciousness. There are so many very sad stories, so many suicides, so many dying from drug overdoses, or just dying with no association of Krishna and Prabhupada What these bogus gurus have done is a tragedy of monumental proportions and I do not thing any of us have really come to realize the extent of this tragedy. And it continues. Every year another batch of ISKCON bogus gurus falls down and the GBC appoint another batch of bogus gurus to go out and trap the innocent conditioned souls with their Prabhupada is dead, you need a living guru, surrender to me! line Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Your servant Madhudvisa dasa Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

17.

gunamala dasi says: July 29, 2011 at 1:43 am PAMHO Prabhu! I truly appreciate your efforts in trying to enlighten devotees on how they can advance in their spiritual life. Im really saddened by what is happening in ISKCON now. Srila Prabhupada gave his life and soul to spread Lord Caitanyas mission to the whole world with the hope that after he left this planet his

senior disciples will continue what he has started. He gave clear directives on how to manage the then fast growing ISKCON but due to want of fame and glory most of those he expected to represent him and continue the work are the very same people who started whatever conflict we have in ISKCON today. I do not wish to particpate in any politics. I just want to assist in whatever small way i can to bring back the lost glory of Srila Prabhupadas ISKCON. Thank you and may you always get the blessings of Sri GURU and Gauranga! Haribol! Jai Srila Prabhupada! Reply

18.

kalpesh says: July 29, 2011 at 6:36 am How to accept srila prabhupada as our guru ? if prabhupada disciples are disqualified as per article. pls guide and clarify Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 29, 2011 at 7:06 am Read Srila Prabhupadas books Prabhu, listen to Prabhupadas classes, watch the Prabhupada DVDs, read the letters from Srila Prabhupada, and follow the instructions very sincerely that Srila Prabhupada gives you in this way. You have to realize Prabhupada is living with us and is ready to instruct you in Krishna consciousness and answer all your questions. If you are only prepared to pick up his books and read them He is living in his books. This is a realization that you have to come to and you can only come to this realization by actually associating with Srila Prabhupada through his transcendental vani [instructions] and you will actually realize that Prabhupada is living still in sound and he is really speaking to you. The article does not say that Prabhupada disciples are disqualified Prabhu. It says that practically all gurus you will find today inside or outside ISKCON are either completely bogus, having some material motivation for the guru business or they may be sincere souls trying to help their disciples go back to Godhead but like the would-be lifesaver who can not swim they do not have the power to take their disciples back home back to Godhead. They

may be very sincere but like the lifesaver who can not swim they are not actually any help to you in the ultimate issue. The point I am making is the point Krishna makes very clearly in the Bhagavad-gita [tad-viddhi...]: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth. So Prabhu I do not know how much I have to stress it if you can not understand Krishnas clear words. The spiritual master you need to approach is a self-realized soul who has seen the truth. ISKCON say Krishna is wrong here and you do not need a self-realized soul as your spiritual master and any ordinary devotee will do. So who should we believe Krishna or ISKCON? You can make your choice but I am going to stick with Krishna and Prabhupada Prabhu. Krishna also says such a great soul is very rare ISKCON say all ISKCON devotees should be gurus and have some disciples So my point is that we should take shelter of Srila Prabhupada who we are absolutely 100% sure is a pure devotee of Krishna and is a self-realized soul and has the potency to take any sincere soul who surrenders to him back home back to Godhead, rather than wasting our life by surrendering to some conditioned soul who is not self-realized, who has not seen the truth and who has no power to take us back home back to Godhead. It is simple for the simple but crooked people will never understand this point The article is very clear Prabhu and really does not need any clarification, I think if you read it again carefully you will have a better understanding. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Harish Rana says: August 4, 2011 at 9:57 am Prabhu ji

Sorry to say but I agree and I do not agree with you on all your points. I am going to ISKCON but I have not found anyone opposed to Prabhupada as real guru. May be its happening in European coutnries but I have not found this to be true in India. I do believe and follow what you say that Prabhupada is real guru, I do read his books and hear his recordings and yes I can understand from his teachings and classes that he is the real guru in parampara. But I believe that gurus today even if they cannot take you out from this material world even if sincerely trying, still we will get association of a devotee in the form of a guru. I agree that we have to read Prabhupada books and follow Lord Krishna instructions along with doing 16 rounds and following the devotion principles. Hari Bol Your das Harish Rana Reply

19.

Miroslav says: July 29, 2011 at 8:47 pm Hare Krishna! I can understand that Srila Prabhupada is pure devotee and self realized soul. I am reading his books and I am hearing his lectures. I deeply accept him as a really bona fide spiritual master. There is no doubt about it. But, I have a doubt. Is there any other bona fide spiritual master in ISKCON? If not, does it mean that Srila Prabhupada remain only diksa guru in ISKCON? Please clarify. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: July 30, 2011 at 7:27 am Hare Krishna Miroslav

ISKCON has unfortunately gone against so many of the orders and instructions of Srila Prabhupada and has become very inimical to anyone who dares to consider that Srila Prabhupada is still living and can still accept disciples. So they are offenders actually to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, Krishnas pure devotee. It is amazing. People cant see it. If you go to ISKCON and read Prabhupadas books and become very attached to Srila Prabhupada and start worshiping Srila Prabhupada and feel a real transcendental relationship developing between yourself and Srila Prabhupada and you start to see all the qualities of a devotee gradually developing in yourself because of your service and surrender to and association with Srila Prabhupada, the ISKCON devotees will come up to you and say Prabhupada is dead, you need a living guru. And if you do not agree to surrender to one of their living gurus they will brand you as a dirty stinking ritvik and throw you out of the temple. And this policy is 100% supported and encouraged by all ISKCON gurus. They have to support this policy otherwise ISKCON will through them out. So Prabhu how can there be a bona fide guru in such an organization? It is not possible. If there was a bona fide guru available you would certainly not find him in ISKCON. Even from the practical point of view an actual bona fide guru would never agree to be an ISKCON guru. Because ISKCON gurus have to surrender to the GBC, who are just a group of conditioned souls. And in ISKCON all devotees have to surrender to the GBC and the temple president first and their guru is last. So in ISKCON guru really can not guide his disciples because he does not have authority over them. And the guru in ISKCON is not free to speak as he desires to speak. Before he opens his mouth he has to consider very carefully that what he says is not going to upset the GBC because if he upsets the GBC they will take away his guru ticket and take away all his disciples So actually only the lowest sudra can work like this, surrendering to a mundane committee and agreeing to follow their every demand and proclamation, for the reward of the title of guru They get the title in ISKCON guru but they dont get any authority over their disciples. None of the higher classes in the vedic society can work like this. Only sudras can work like this. Brahmana is independent. He simply depends on Krishna and he is fearless and not dependent on anyone else so he can speak the absolute truth without any fear because he only depends on Krishna. The ksatriays have some land and levy taxes and in this way raise income and although they take advice from the brahmanas they are also independent.

The vaishyas are cultivating the land or doing some business and they have their income from this. They take the protection of the ksatriyas and pay them taxes and also take the advice of the brahmanas but otherwise they are completely independent. It is only the sudras who are dependent on some other person for their livelihood. So only a sudra mentality person can accept the position of guru in ISKCON. Because to be guru in ISKCON he has to surrender his independence to the GBC, a bunch of mundane characters with no particular spiritual qualifications at all, so if he agrees to this he is a sudra, and a sudra can not be a guru. A guru has to be independent. He has to be able to speak the absolute truth with no fear and no cares. ISKCON guru can not do this. He always has to fear that he may upset the authorities and be thrown out of ISKCON, have is guru certificate revoked and have his disciples distributed among other ISKCON gurus in good standing. So the short answer is no. You will not find any bona fide gurus in ISKCON. It is not possible. No bona fide guru could ever preach under these circumstances. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

20.

chetna says: July 31, 2011 at 4:23 am Jai shri krishna, I am a college student and I have read Bhagavad gita as it is completely. I am planning to start bhagavad gita classes as I am interested in developing krishna consciousness not only in myself but also in others. Is there any guidance I need to take from ISKON to take classes? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says:

August 1, 2011 at 7:33 am Hare Krishna Chetna Krishna consciousness is not only reading Bhagavad-gita. And Krishna consciousness can not be achieved simply by study. It is a practical thing. You have to live your life as Bhagavad-gita. And if you do that automatically by your association the people around you will become Krishna conscious. If you want to teach others then you first have to become perfect yourself. Otherwise if you are not perfect yourself your teachings to others will not be effective. You have to learn Krishna consciousness yourself first and perfect it in your life then you can teach others. In the meantime of course the best way to give others Krishna consciousness is to give them Prabhupadas books and let them read Prabhupadas books for themselves. Not that you are able to read Prabhupadas books and understand them and others cant. No. Everyone can read Prabhupadas books and understand them. So we should be encouraging others like that. To chant Hare Krishna and read Prabhupadas books. And let them understand Krishna consciousness from Srila Prabhupada directly. If you will start giving Bhagavad-gita classes yourself and you are not pure, if you are still having the desires for sex life and the desire to be famous, the desire for followers, the desire to enjoy beautiful women, the desire for worship. It will be a disaster ultimately. Because like thousands and thousands of other Indians before you, you will take Krishnas Gita and use it for your own purposes. Lord Caitanyas instruction is that you first make your own life perfect then you teach others. So that perfection has to be there. Otherwise we have seen what happens. But Prabhupada has given us a nice program, if you follow that, then you can start having Bhagavad-gita classes. You can have a kirtan, get everyone to chant Hare Krishna, you can read a verse from the Bhagavad-gita and get everyone to chant it responsively so they are chanting the Sanskrit verse also, you can read Prabhupadas purport so they can hear Prabhupada also, and then you can explain. As long as you are actually properly situated in devotional service, chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication] and you doing this in a humble and submissive way, not feeling that you are qualified, but simply praying to Srila Prabhupada that I am such a fool, please make my speaking suitable so these people can understand what you want them to understand. This

real humility, the mood of a servant has to be there. And if it is then you can speak and Krishna will empower you to speak and whatever you say that will be very powerful and will change the hearts of the audience. So you can do it, why not? And you dont have to get permission from ISKCON or anyone. You can preach the messages of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. Why not? But you have to become qualified first. It is a simple thing. But so many people do this Bhagavad-gita speaking and translating and commenting on without the proper qualifications and that has spoiled the whole thing. But if you do it properly and sincerely that will be very wonderful Prabhu! Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

21.

Paul says: July 31, 2011 at 9:17 pm Dear Madhudvisa dasa; Your email was very insightful and at the same time disheartening. I have never had the blessing of coming into contact with a pure devotee but I have purchased Prabhupadas Bhagavad Gita As It Is and Srimad Bhagavatam from you. Although I read the Bhagavatam everyday, I understand the necessity of having a spiritual master. How am I supposed to find one if most of them are unqualified? I absolutely under no circumstances want to commit an offense either directly or indirectly at the Lotus Feet of Krishna by accepting a false Devotee. Please tell me what am I supposed to do; any advice would be a blessing. Thank You! Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 1, 2011 at 7:08 am Hare Krishna Paul

It is a fact that most of the people presenting themselves as spiritual masters or spiritual guides in any way are bogus and will not be able to guide anyone back home, back to Godhead. There are two different sorts of cheaters, one sort who are in the guru business for some personal benefit. By being a guru they can get fame, profit, followers, adoration, etc. This is a very strong motivation for many. And there is the other sort who think they are liberated and really think they can help the people. But many of them are like the man who can not swim but jumps into the water to save the drowning man They dont have the potency to take many followers back home, back to Godhead. You are missing the main point here. The main point is we have a bona fide pure devotee guru already. His name is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You already have hos Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I certainly hope it is the original edition not the Revised and Enlarged edition ISKCON is distributing. I really suggest you take advantage of my current offer of 16 of the most important original books from Srila Prabhupada for only $49. It is a ridiculously impossible price and shipping cost is also very low to anywhere in the world. And READ PRABHUPADAS BOOKS. We say it all the time, Prabhupada is living in his books. but people dont seem to get it If you read Prabhupadas books, I suggest read them aloud so you can hear it. Krishna consciousness actually is developed through hearing. It is not developed in brain by speculation. It is awakened by hearing. So if you get these 16 books and read them aloud and at the same time you are chanting at lest 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication] then you will discover that Srila Prabhupada is living in his books. Anyhow unless you very seriously read all of Prabhupadas books you will not be able to tell who is a bogus guru or who is a real guru. That is a very dangerous position to be in You can get Prabhupadas Books at: http://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-library-h-krishna-1734.html It is really a once in a lifetime sort of offer and this package of Prabhupadas books is so powerful and so valuable And I think you can sense from me that this is not a money making business on my part. I am not making any money on this. I would be just so happy if you get Prabhupadas books and read them and then you will also be so happy and feel so relieved.

As we start to make a little advancement in Krishna consciousness it is such a relief. We start to see the whole world from a different perspective and all our troubles and anxieties just disappear It is very nice. So get Prabhupadas books at: http://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-library-h-krishna-1734.html AND READ THEM. You will realize gradually that Srila Prabhupada is a living guru still. I understand your feelings completely. I joined ISKCON in 1986 because I was very attached to Srila Prabhupada through reading his books. But when I joined ISKCON I was surrounded by people who were telling me that Prabhupada is dead and Prabhupada has appointed 11 successors who are all pure devotees just like him and I had to select one of them as my guru. Everyone was telling me, Prabhu that is what Prabhupada wants you to do. Surrender to one of these guys And I believed it. If you are in a group of many people and you are just one person and they are all saying the same thing to you over and over and over again, Prabhu, Prabhupada is dead, you need a living guru Everyone is telling you, every day, every minute Eventually you think Prabhupada is dead I need a living guru It is a sort of brain washing actually Anyhow it works. So I was trying to find a living guru for two year. But fortunately I had read all of Prabhupadas books within that two years. That is everything, every single book. I was devouring Prabhupadas books like nectar. Like a new bhakta eats sweet balls or halva. Prabhupadas books were so sweet for me, and they still are now. So although I was looking for a living guru my whole life had become already transformed. I was chanting even 64 rounds a day while I was traveling all over the world looking for a living guru and I was really felling spiritually high on Krishna consciousness. At that time there were only 11 gurus. And the philosophy in ISKCON at that time was that is all there would be and these 11 men were paramahamsas, pure devotees, everything you know. And there were no other gurus. So you had to pick one of the 11. Already Jayatirtha had been killed by one of his disciples. He chopped his head off during one of their LSD kirtans or something. I dont know. So the preaching was, just like when Mohini Murti was distributing the nectar to the demigods one demon, Rahu, dressed up as a demigod and sat in the line. So ISKCON was saying that Jayatirtha was just a demon who sat in the line and became an acharya in ISKCON but the other ten are pure devotees, uttama adhikaris, seeing Krishna at every moment

Anyhow to make a long story short I read in Prabhupadas books that the disciple has to test his intending spiritual master to see if he is actually qualified to take him back home back to Godhead, and the spiritual master also has to test the disciple to see if he is qualified to be a disciple. So I was thinking maybe Satsvarupa is my guru, because when you read Lilamrta it seems like Satsvarupa is Prabhupadas favorite disciple and got all the mercy of Prabhupada. So I went to Gita Nagari and met Satsvarupa and he was completely crazy. And read some of his completely crazy writing. At that time it was not so crazy. It got much more crazy later on. But anyhow I could understand he was a crazy man. And similarly I checked out Tamil Krishna Goswami who was very evil man, and Jayapataka Swami who at the time I thought was nice and sincere but did not have a very good grasp of the philosophy so he would not make a very good guru. I did not even consider Hridyananda because even from a distance he seemed so much like a mayavadi. I couldnt related to him at all or find any real connection with him and Prabhupada. The ones I was checking out all had some sort of connection with Prabhupada and I am sure at some level were sincere followers of Prabhupada. But being a devotee doesnt mean one is qualified as an acharya. But this time I was getting a bit desperate. I was still thinking, I need a living guru. And I was still chanting 64 rounds and reading Prabhupadas books and following the principles and floating around the world on a spiritual cloud directed by Krishna Looking for a living guru But I could only choose from the 11 supposedly appointed by Prabhupada. And the only one that I hadnt checked out and hadnt miserably failed Prabhupadas tests was Harikesa. So I went to Sweden with the idea of rendering service and inquiring submissively But it turned out very badly and that is a long story. But it was very clear to me that Harikesa was an insane man. And you can not have an insane man as your guru. That would be a very bad thing So then I was completely bewildered. I was still thinking I need a living guru. The ISKCON brainwashing was so good. So I was traveling down from Sweden through Europe and found myself in Galarati. It is in Italy. And ISKCON used to have a very nice temple there. A 3 story house with very beautiful Gaura Nitai Deities. So I was offering obeisances to these Gaura Nitai Deities and in my mind I was asking Them, What to do? These 11 men that Prabhupada appointed are not anything like Prabhupada at all. How can I take initiation from any of them? What to do? So when I stood upI guess it must have been the day that the Pujari changes the brahmin threads on the Deities, so he just handed me a brahmin thread from the Deities. And at that moment for the fist time I realized, I already have a guru! His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada! And immediately all my problems where solved. From that moment I stopped

looking for a living guru and knew that I already had a living guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada! So the point of this long story is I can understand why you are looking for a living guru but I suggest you get Prabhupadas books and read them: http://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-library-h-krishna-1734.html Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

Alex says: November 8, 2012 at 10:58 pm Wow what an amazing story and beauty. I am glad Prabhupada revealed this to you. but the question arises what about initiation? I used to associate with people who taught that Prabhupada would be the guru for 10,000 years. Even though I cheered for it in my heart I knew it wouldnt be possible. the disciplic succession would be broken making Prabhupada this Christ Like figure which many people wouldnt have a problem with especially with their christian backround. What about brahmin initiation? Let us say I am following all the principles, and chanting 16 rounds reading hearing etc. and doing Deity Worship. what about the mantra and the brahmin thread to do deity worship? and the mula mantras? people say these things are only secondary but if u notice it is not and does play a big role into the whole thing. That is why many are looking for a living guru to be formally initiated to have their mantra or Brahmin thread and etc. Who will know it after all of Prabhupada disciples are gone and none are qualified to be gurus? Initiation is sort of a baptism, removing the sins of the past to now be pure to start your service to Krsna. People cant baptize themselves they need to be baptize by the clergy. I want to be a Brahmin but how can I? There is no one giving the ordination of the Brahmin. Ever since I was young I desired to be a priest. People said this child has a great blessing with him. He will preach around the world. He is Gods servant and other things. I am not saying this out of ego or pride because I am a sinner and know

pride does not take my heart when it comes to that. I simply want to fullfill the desires of God from what he told me in church. Should I go back to Christianity and study to be priest there? to hide my beliefs in Krsna Consciousness to serve God? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: November 11, 2012 at 9:07 am Hare Krishna Alex The real preacher does not want to be a preacher. He is a simple humble servant of God and he preaches by his practical example of being a pure and humble servant of God. If you want to be a preacher it is probably better if you go back to be a Christian priest. If you want to be a servant of Srila Prabhupada and servant of Krishna and servant of the Vaisnavas then Krishna consciousness is for you Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

22.

Ajoy Choudhury says: August 1, 2011 at 8:56 am Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa Prabhuji, I would like to know about present day ISKCON. Is it not regulated and controlled by any central Headquarter. Can anyone open an ISKCON Temple anywhere ? It is certainly disheartening to know that many of the gurus in ISKCON are not self realized. I read HDG Praphupadas Books and i find them very very enriching. Is that enough ? ISKCON devotees always tells me that I should take Diksha from an ISKCON guru. Please clarify. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 1, 2011 at 3:19 pm Hare Krishna Ajoy I have nothing to do with ISKCON and if you have questions about that you have to ask them not me. I have no interest. If you have questions about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness or Prabhupada please ask them. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

23.

Rani Durga Ma says: August 2, 2011 at 3:17 am I want to thank you. I am in tears,as this was right on time. Presently, I am reading the Bhagavad Gita ( As It Is) by His Grace. I received it from an ashram I visited in North Carolina. I am so ready to follow Krishna that I physically ache for him. I want to go into ,not what I call study,but to get closer to Him. It is difficult to do this in the world as we know it,and you are correct in saying that it is hard to find a guru. People come to me because they see His light. I am exhausted of their energy,and just want Krishna now. How do I do this? Where do I go? I am so ready. Reading a website is not enough. I want to go into wherever it is that will give me peace as I study,meditate,and be a true devotee. Thank you. Rani Durga Ma Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 2, 2011 at 7:21 am Hare Krishna Rani The secret is the association of a pure devotee of Krishna. Krishna is only known by His pure devotees. You know I write these things over and over again but many people dont get it. Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna. He is living in his books. If you get them and read them and actually put Srila Prabhupadas instructions into practice in your life then gradually all the darkness of maya and illusion will be replaced by the love for Krishna. And we have to be prepared to surrender to the basic things. Chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. And rising early in the morning before 4:00 AM and offering the mangal aroti to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya and Krishna. Prabhupada gives us whole process so we can transform our lives so twentyfour hours a day we can be engaged in the service of Krishna. Of course not many people want to be engaged in the service of Krishna twenty-four hours a day. So for those who dont want to do this Krishna consciousness is not available. It will always be a mystery to them. Your feeling where to go. It is a very good feeling and it is the feeling of the devotees. You have become tired of the draining association of mundane people who come to you for spiritual blessings. But the mundane people are not interested actually in doing anything for Krishna. They want to get some benefits from Krishna for themselves, that is all. Give me money. Give me a nice wife. Give me a good job. Make my sick family members well It is just give me, give me, give me In contrast a devotee never asks Krishna for anything. His prayer is Krishna please engage me in your service. And a devotee naturally hankers after the association of other devotees. And you are looking for that, and I am looking for that also. But it is not very easy to find. While Srila Prabhupada was physically present ISKCON was providing this Sadhu-sanga of devotees engaged in pure devotional service with no desires other than serving Prabhupada and Krishna. Nowadays this not the case. It is very different. At the moment I am not aware of any place in the world where you can find this association of devotees engaged in pure devotional service 24 hours a day So in reality we can keep hankering for this association but we have to ourselves become pure devotees of Krishna engaged in Krishna consciousness 24 hours a day and by our association and preaching

encourage others to do it and gradually these associations of devotees engaged in pure devotional service 24 hours a day will manifest again. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

24.

sara T says: August 2, 2011 at 7:07 pm Hare Krishna, Madhudvisa dasa I am very fortunate to associate with Krishnas devotees. Messenger and Guru are different in their capacity. Messengers get dictations from Ascended Masters and pass it to humanity. They are blessed by the Masters to have positions as Messengers. All the informations, that comes as dictations in the heartstream, are not from the Messenger it is from the Masters from heaven. Therefore the Messenger is not a Guru and they dont claim themselves as Guru. Few Messengers are condemned by the Masters and are no longer Messengers. Most Messenger, they think Lord Krishna as a Master not as God. Their knowledge of Krishna is very limited. A bona fide Guru is rare to find. We are blessed by Lord Krishna to bring us to His Bona Fida Guru Sir Prabhupada and his devotee Madhudvisa dasa. Within few months, I have come to understand, my life and my mission. My sole mission is Lord Krishna and I want to live for His cause with His blessing. Hare Krishna and Be Happy, Sara tzeggai Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 3, 2011 at 6:06 am Hare Krishna Sara

Nice to hear from you but I think you are mixing up things you have heard from different sources which is not actually the process of disseminating transcendental knowledge. First you have to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to him, serve him, hear from him, offer obeisances to him, etc. Then if he is actually a pure devotee, actually in direct touch with Krishna, then hearing from him is not different from hearing from Krishna directly. Once you have surrendered to a bona fide guru, you are following all his instructions and orders, you are rendering service to him and you have heard from him extensively and read his books then by his blessings and by Krishnas blessings you may become empowered to preach the same messages to people who will hear it from you. That is the bona fide guru. Bona fide guru can only speak what he has heard from his bona fide guru. Nothing more, nothing less. So first we need to surrender to Srila Prabhupada, follow his instructions, read his books, listen to his classes. Then when we are absolutely sure we are following properly and have grasped the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and are capable of explaining them without adding in our own ideas or other ideas from outside the param-para, then we can preach. Not that we read one or two chapters of the Bhagavad-gita then we can become a big preacher. It all depends on surrender and service. If we do not surrender to Srila Prabhupada and if we do not spend our time and energy serving him how can we be empowered to preach? In Krishna consciousness we do not use these concepts Messagers, Ascended Masters, etc., you are taking these ideas from somewhere else and that is no good. There is no messenger in Krishna consciousness who is not a guru. These are all concocted ideas. A very important part of coming to Krishna consciousness is to become a blank slate, to realize that basically everything I know, everything I have been taught before, is nonsense. So we forget all that and start again. We surrender to Srila Prabhupada and hear from him the absolute truth and assimilate it after throwing out all the rubbish that used to fill up our mind and consciousness, then when we have really some practical realization through surrender and service and knowledge, then we can preach and then our preaching will be powerful. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

25.

seva das says: August 3, 2011 at 6:43 am pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACSP thank you very much for help me through your newsletter is working belive me because i got a good news for you thats: im follow all rule and regulations again by your mercy sastra and guru ah! regarding a qualified guru i got it thats HDG ACBSP because im fed up of getting cheated by the guru hoax in iskcon i just keep going with my daily sadhan bhakti then when i get stronger by keeping following the 4 principles i will go to iskcon bangalore to serve SRILA PRABHUPADA under the instruction of HG madhu pandit im getting very serious nowadays against the war with maya sukaya to make sure i will be able to catch the attention of SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA in the way back home so thank you very much for making me aware about the importance of following krsna conscious seriously at least im not helpless anymore now as i used to be when i was still smoking ganja agtys ys seva das haribol Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm Hare Krishna Seva Prabhu Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I am very encouraged Prabhu to hear that you are succeeding in the war against maya. It really is a war and sometimes we really do have to fight to get out of bed before 4:00 am and to chant our 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra and to stick to following the four regulative principles. We need to find some practical service that will keep us engaged in serving Srila Prabhupada and Krishna 24 hours a day. Something that will help push on the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Saddhana is necessary, but service is also necessary. We do the saddhana to give us strength to do the service. So there has to be some practical service And we do not have to go any place to serve Krishna or Prabhupada. We can do it wherever we happen to be. If you feel strong enough you can sit out on the street with some kartals or a mrdanga and chant Hare Krishna and gradually people will gather and you can talk about Krishna and sell them Srila Prabhupadas books

That is how it works. We should get the knowledge of Krishna consciousness and then get strong by following the process of saddhana bhakti and then try to distribute this knowledge of Krishna to others Please keep chanting Hare Krishna Prabhu and always remain enthusiastic in spite of mayas constant attacks. I am very happy to hear your good news!! Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

seva das says: August 27, 2011 at 1:59 pm pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP sorry about the delay in answer you i just been too busy with the war against maya is true i get stronger day after day by the saddhana bhakti because sri krsna wake me up every morning at 4 am without using any alarm clock thank you very much for your encouragement through your news letter im engaged in yajna tapa and dana service from many years im determinate to succeed against the war with maya sukaya but as you know my determination sometime slow down because i lose the battle with maya through raga dvesau,never mind im still progressing in krsna consciousness by the daily chanting and reading thank you to give me the chance to associating with you is helping a lot to get inspiration to keep going by hear that from a senior disciple of HDG ACBSP like you,i been serving your guru maharaj for years by doing as you says chanting and distribute krsna consciousness to other i use to be all the time in the brahmacari sankirtan party in italy india etcnow im doing that at home age concern 50 years i dont want wait to get older to become krsna conscious but as you know thats is not up to us i have not power to change my destiny i been trying in so many spiritual ways and now i understand through your long practice experience in krsna consciousness that we have not choice but surrender and let SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA to use us in THEIR service as THEY wish us too thank you very much for your blessing agtys dandavats daso smi seva das haribol Reply

26.

Shiyam Sunder Tikmani says: August 5, 2011 at 6:54 am Jai Shri Kirshna I am living in Pakistan, a muslim country where sanatan guru are not existing. I heard that if a person dont have guru he should be called Nugra and sent to hell. His dan and prayers are useless. Kindly suggest how can i find the guru who show me the path to mokhsa. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 6, 2011 at 2:46 pm Hare Krishna Shiyam Everyone can have access to a real bona fide guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You can listen to his bhajans and lectures at http://www.krishna.tv, you can purchase his books at http://www.krishnastore.com, you can read his books online at http://www.prabhupadabooks.org, you can watch many films and videos of him at http://www.krishnatube.com Prabhupada is very much available to you, even if you are living in a muslim country. So just take advantage of Srila Prabhupadas association and follow his instructions and you will be going back home, back to Godhead, not to Hell Reply

27.

Syamaleeladevi dasi says: August 6, 2011 at 3:12 am Hare Krishna Prabhuji, Please accept my dandavats at your lotus feet. All Glories unto you.

I would like to reveal what all I have gone through after my association with Srila Prabhupada. All Glories All Glories All Glories to HIS DIVINE GRACE JAYA OM VISNUPADA PARAMA HAMSA SRI SRI ASTOTTARA SATA SRILA PRABHUPADA KI JAYA JAYA JAYA. I started visiting ISKCON in 1998 and started chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra 16 rounds sincerely by the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada. One day during Julan Yatra festival I was sitting next to the dias and was feeling very low and bad that my chanting is not going on well and I was feeling bad about myself at that time I heard His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupadas voice and He told me chant like this and said you chant HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE AND IN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND YOU CHANT O ENERGY OF THE LORD SRIMATI RADHA RANI O SUPREME LORD SRI KRISHNA O RESERVOIR OF ALL PLEASURES KINDLY ENGAGE ME IN YOUR LOVING DEVOTIONAL SERVICE like that. And I started chanting like that and tears started flowing from my eyes continuously till the Guru Arati got over and I tried to wipe and control my tears but it did not stop at all. Then on Lord Caitanyas appearance day by Srila Prabhupadas mercy Lord Nityananda made me dance for neary 4 hours continuosuly and I was feeling very light like flower and very blissful. I went and bow down before Srila Prabhpada and thanked Him for what all he has given to me and started chanting nicely. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. Then Harinama diksha was going on In the temple and I conveyed my experience of Srila Prabhupada giving Hari nama to me and the way Lord made me dance on Lord Gaurangas appearance day to His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja. He said still I have to take diksha from a living guru like that. Myself and my husband His Grace Sevarathi Prabhu were initiated on Radhastami day in 2002. Due to my personal problems as my son met with an accident, I had to rush to Bangalore. Even at that time I went to Srila Prabhupada and said Maharaja I do not know what exactly has happened to my son as he is injured in Bangalore and I am in Bombay like that. At that time Srila Prabhupada told me to take the flower from his hand (which is offered to Srila Prabhupada before Guru Arati in every ISKCON temple) and keep it in my bead bag and keep it on my sons forehead whenever I see him. When we reached Bangalore, he was in the ICU and the doctor was not there. The nurses and the ward boys told that Doctor has given only 4 hours like that for his survival. But, I said Rake Krishna Marekhe and Mare Krishna Rakhe ke like that. If Supreme Lord Krishna wants to keep him in this body he will keep him other wise he will take him. It is the Supreme Lords will like that. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada as we were continuously reading BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS

all the time and Srila Prabhuapda has given me immense strength to face any situation in life. I bow down billions of times at the Divine Lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada for His causeless mercy on this fallen, insignificant soul. Then the Doctor arrived at 7:30 pm in the evening and said You people have got your son very late and I have no hope of His survival like that. I repeated the same what I told above and in the meanwhile my brother in law had got a letter from a Neuro Surgeon from Manipal hospital in Bangalore and said that the Doctor has promissed that she will save hima and that we should take him there immediately. At that time when my son was brought on stretcher, Srila Prabhpada again reminded me to place the flower from my bead bag on my sons head. Then my son who was unconscious and was in coma, screamed malike that. I was moved and the doctor and all the crowd gathered in the hospital loudly made noice and said what a miracle like that. I said it is all by the causeless mercy of my Parama Gurudeva Srila Prabhupada like that. But, the materialistic people who are not connected to Srila Prabhupada can not understand that. Now, as I am initiated in Harinama from His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, should I take Bramhan Diksha or I should continue my Bhajana as I am now. Please advise. Your servant, in the service of Srila Prabhupada Syamaleeladevi dasi Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 6, 2011 at 2:43 pm Hare Krishna Mother Syamaleedevi dasi Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! It is a wonderful story. You are a disciple of Srila Prabhupada for sure, but Gopal Krishna Goswami has given you diksa, so there is no problem with this. There is no need to reject this diksa. He is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and he is preaching that you should read Prabhupadas books and accept Srila Prabhupada as your principle siksa [instructing] guru. So that is all you need to do. Our Brahma-Madhava-Gaudiya samparadaya is a siksha sampradaya. It means that your principle guru, the guru who connects you to the parampara, is the guru who is your principle siksa guru.

So if you find your are getting much more siksha from Srila Prabhupada and that is much more powerful and potent from what you are getting from Gopal Krishna Goswami, then your principle guru is Srila Prabhupada. But there is no need to demand a diksa initiation ceremony from Srila Prabhupada and there is no need to reject the diksa given by Gopal Krishna Goswami. Also if you feel qualified to take the Brahmin diksa and you need it for your service, you want to engage in Deity worship, etc, then you can take it from Goplal Krishna Goswami. Why not? The ISKCON gurus may not like it but they can not change the facts and the facts are that siksha guru and diksa guru are not different and Srila Prabhupada is, in the words of the GBC themselves, the preeminent siksha guru for all ISKCON devotees. So any ISKCON devotee may discover that Srila Prabhupada is their principle siksa guru and it is Srila Prabhupada who is linking them to the disciplic succession and who is delivering the science of Krishna consciousness to them So you can just continue as you are serving Srila Prabhupada Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

28.

lopa says: August 10, 2011 at 3:24 pm hare krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. is chanting, following the 4 basic rules & associating with devotees enough to progress krishna consciousness or is it necessary to get formal initiation(diksha) from a living guru? why dont we hold japa beads between thumb and index finger? what is the reason of not holding japa mala with index finger? please enlighten. hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare hari bol!

Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 13, 2011 at 4:00 pm Hare Krishna Lopa Chanting Hare Krishna (at least 16 rounds a day), associating with devotees and following the four regulative principles is the beginning of Krishna consciousness. Of course you have to also hear from a pure devotee of Krishna so you need to read Srila Prabhupadas books otherwise without the philosophical understanding as to why you are doing these things it will be difficult to maintain. But the real point of Krishna consciousness is that it is devotional service. It means we have to use our energy, our mind, our intelligence, or senses, our money in the service of Krishna under the direction of Krishnas pure devotee. To get this direction of course a living guru is required, otherwise how can you get the directions what to do, how to serve Krishna? If you are able to realize that Srila Prabhupada is still living and if you are able to receive directions from him and guidance from him and also chastisement from him when necessary then Prabhupada can be your living guru. But bona fide guru is not very easy to get. It is only possible very rarely. Brahmananda brahmanate bhagavan kona bhagavayn jiva guru krsna prasada paya bhakti lata bhika. Only very rarely does one get the chance to associate with a bona fide spiritual master. He has to wander from one body to another, one universe to another, and only occasionally one fortunate soul gets the chance to associate with a bona fide spiritual master. So bona fide spiritual master is very rare and it is also very rare to find someone who is prepared to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Mostly people want to be cheated. They dont want to surrender to Krishna, they dont want to give up sense gratification, they dont want to serve Krishna. So they get cheating gurus who tell them the things they want to hear and everyone, cheating gurus and cheating disciplesgoes to Hell. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa

Reply

29.

Krishnadas vinay says: August 15, 2011 at 1:18 pm Thank you very much Madudvisa dasa. The other day my mother also told me the same thing. You wrote something about the reality check. What is this? and how can one perform it? Please tell me? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 19, 2011 at 2:12 pm Hare Krishna Vinay Reality check is an English saying. It means what it says. In regard to the so many bogus gurus that abound at the current time to do a reality check on them you need to find out what are actually the qualities of a real bona fide guru. And if you do this you can see that in reality most of these socalled gurus are not qualified gurus at all. They are all gurus in a sense because guru means teacher. And they are all teaching something. But the problem is they are generally not simply passing on the message that is coming down in the pure disciplic succession from Krishna. Many of these Indian gurus do not even have any connection to a bona fide disciplic succession. These days someone will come and speak some philosophy and not even have any authorized connection to any disciplic succession and fools will accept them as a bona fide guru. But the idea of bona fide guru is he is a representative, a messenger, passing on an authoritative message that he has received from his bona fide guru in the disciplic succession. And so many of these gurus do not even have any bona fide disciplic succession for the messages to descend through from Krishna. And many other so-called gurus are not following even the very basic regulative principles. A bona fide guru has to have transcended the three modes of material nature. He has to have come to the platform beyond sense gratification. He needs to be actually goswami, master of the senses, not godasa servant of the senses.

We see so many so-called big gurus. Here in Vrindavana they are building a huge marble palace for Krpalu but he is sleeping with his female disciples. So he is still very much a servant of his senses yet he has hundreds of thousands or millions of followers. These followers need to do the reality check. A bona fide spiritual master is beyond the platform of sense gratification. He is a master of his senses, swami, goswami So if we see the swami sleeping with his disciples he is no swami, he is no guru. He is a conditioned soul bound tightly by the three gunas, the ropes of the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness. So while one is tightly bound by these ropes he can not help anyone else. First the rescuerer must liberate himself, then he may be able to help others to reach the platform of liberation. So Prabhu I hope that helps a bit to clear up what reality check means. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Your servant Madhudvisa dasa Reply

30.

seva das says: August 19, 2011 at 5:08 pm pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP i can understand through your newsletter that we are properly situated with HDG ACBSP now is very sad to be witness of the guru hoax in iskcon especially for you who knows SRILA PRABHUPADA better then us by doing the best to replace SRILA PRABHUPADA as the only bona fide diksa guru in iskcon for the next 9500, as you says SRILA PRABHUPADA is making pure devotees through the next generations with HIS divine books because as you know a vaisnava family background is helping a lot to become a nistha bhakta faster i can see through the history of iskcon since SRILA PRABHUPADA departure how difficult is to make spiritual progress for people born in western countries in this life,i try my best to close the samsara by serving guru sadhu and sastra at least i get a better life if i fail thank you for your sanga and blessing agtys dandavats daso smi seva das haribol Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says:

August 21, 2011 at 3:15 pm Hare Krishna Seva Prabhu This idea that Prabhupada is the only guru for the next 10,000 years is a bogus hoax invented by some ritviks Prabhu. Prabhupada wants his disciples to become qualified gurus. But that qualification is a little rare. It is really simple. It is just surrender. But none of us want to surrender. That is the material disease, that is why we are in the material world. Historically we see bona fide guru is very, very rare. So we can not expect that there will be many. But the guru principle will go on. You note that how difficult it has become for people to make spiritual advancement since Srila Prabhupada disappeared from our material vision, actually it is not difficult, Prabhupada is still with us in his books and other recorded vani, but people do seem to find it difficult to follow this. And in the ocean of bogus philosophy from ISKCON and the lack of any good association and good leadership the vast majority of the devotees are simply lost in the ocean of material darkness. So for preaching actually guru is required. Now, without any physically present qualified guru, basically the preaching has stopped. Everyone has a different idea. Even in ISKCON all the gurus have different ideas. There is no standard, there is no authority, no leadership. Everything is lost. And this is predictedafter the disappearance of the acharya there will be disaster and confusion. It is always happening. It happened with the Gaudiya Math after Bhaktsiddhanta disappeared. And it happened with ISKCON after Prabhupada disappeared. So it is up the sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada to save the situation. As Prabhupada saved the situation for his guru maharaja we have to save the situation for Prabhupada. Which means we have to become qualified gurus. Otherwise how will we know how to save the situation? It is not possible without some living guru actually. Individually we may be able to become Krishna conscious by reading Prabhupadas books but for any organized preaching there has to be an authority and there has to be a leader. And it is OK to say Prabhupada is the leader, Prabhupada is the authoritywhich is true of coursebut the problem comes because everyone has a different idea, a different interpretation of what Prabhupada wants, what Prabhupada preached. There is no agreement. So physically present guru is required actually for any organized preaching. Otherwise everyone has their own different idea and can not work together and nothing can be organized.

ISKCON is already finished. That chapter is over. ISKCON, like the Gaudiya Matha before them, have become something completely different from what Srila Prabhupada desired. And really there is no going back. Prabhupada did not try to fix the Gaudiya Math, no can the Gaudiya Matha be fixed. So we should not bother trying to fix ISKCON, nor can ISKCON be fixed. We need to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and accept Srila Prabhupadas orders as our life and soul and be guided by Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and just do what Krishna wants us to do. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

31.

seva das says: August 21, 2011 at 5:40 pm pamho madhudviss prabhu agtACBSP thank you for let me know the truth as it is regarding the bogus hoax of the next 9500 years as SRILA PRABHUPADA as the only diksa guru but as you says we cant see so many pure devotees around at the moment and although SRILA PRABHUPADA is still present through HIS divine books spiritual advancement is been all the time difficulty especially in kali yuga therefore we are still learning from SRILA PRABHUPADA how to become qualified gurus as our beloved acharya wish us too but as you know is a very slow process to become a pure guru as SRILA PRABHUPADA thats why i says a vaisnava family background could help me a lot to go beyond the samsara in this life actually all my sadhana bhakti is in vani from SRILA PRABHUPADA and SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA, our beloved acharya done the sankirtan revolution through the vani of SRI GAURANGA and SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA therefore i dont think that the physical guru is needed unless he is pure then i will accept him as SRILA PRABHUPADA i wish you a happy SRI KRSNA JANMASTHAMI thank you for your sanga and blessing your servant seva das haribol Reply

32.

surya says: August 22, 2011 at 9:32 am

What is the real qualities of guru and How to recognize? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 24, 2011 at 4:03 pm Hare Krishna Prabhu This requires study and following the process of saddhana-bhakti that Srila Prabhupada has given us in his books. I can not write a one paragraph answer to this question. It is not possible. It is like you are asking me to explain in one paragraph How can I become a medical doctor and expect me to give you all the information so you can immediately become a medical doctor in a short comment on the internet. It is not possible. If you want to be a doctor you have to first qualify yourself so you can be accepted by the medical college then you have to study for many years under the qualified professors and hear from them and study all the authorized medical text books and take the exams and pass the exams. Then gradually after a lot of work and study you may be awarded the qualification of Medical Doctor. You have to study Prabhupadas books. You have to follow Prabhupadas instructions in your life, you need to surrender to and serve Srila Prabhupada, and if he is pleased with your service he can reveal this knowledge to you. Real guru is really a simple thing but the neophyte devotees do not have the power to differentiate a real guru from a bogus pretender. That is the neophyte devotee. He has no ability to see who is a rascal and who is a bona fide guru. That is why bogus gurus get so many followers. Because the neophyte devotees do not have the power to tell the difference between a bogus guru and a real guru. That ability only comes when one reaches the platform of Madhyama-adhikari. So if we want to understand who is real guru and who is cheater then we have to advance to this platform by Srila Prabhupadas mercy and thatlike become a medical doctoris a process, and you have to follow that process. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

33.

tejal khande says: August 27, 2011 at 5:11 am hare Krsna prabhuji. pamho, dandvat pranaam. i m very grateful to you for your priceless mails. every mail has a deep concern for the spiritual upliftment for all those who are trying to make even a small endeavour in their path to progress ahead in spiritual life. all your mails strengthen us to become more focussed in our goal.may we continue to grow steadily under your sincere shelter,all glories to you. thank you very much. your humble servant. Reply

34.

divya melvani says: August 28, 2011 at 10:33 am Hare Krishna, In my younger days we had weekly satsang in our house. Many saints of a high order did satsang in our house but at that time I did not have the urge to call anyone my guru.Now in the prime of my life I am desperately searching for a guru but there is no one in sight.They say the guru will come when the seeker is ready.How long have I got to wait, I have become impatient.Pranam swamiji Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: September 2, 2011 at 10:27 am Hare Krishna Divya The problem is you can not see a real guru when you come across him. Prabhupada is a real guru and you dont have to wait at all. You can get his books and DVDs and audio recordings at http://www.KrishnaStore.com and immediately take advantage of his pure instructions and benefit from them. So my suggestion is you take shelter of Srila Prabhupada as your guru and that will solve all your problems. If you are looking for some other guru that will be very difficult because real guru is very, very rare

Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

35.

Aparesh says: September 28, 2011 at 9:59 am Hare Krishna Real Guru possess both theoretical and practical knowledge about supreme personality i.e.Lord Krishna. It is His mercy otherwise no one can dominate in the spiritual world and cant make disciples. We are to be really careful of course before initiation. Chant and let chant Hare Krishna Reply

36.

Nenad says: October 5, 2011 at 10:05 am Hare Krishna Prabhu, Sri Prabhupada is the only guru and NOBODY ELSE!!! NO MORE LIES!!!!! Reply

37.

vishva says: November 4, 2011 at 11:19 am I believe that The GURU is the one who can get you out from this ocean of the attraction I am looking for Guru since long time met several people in hindu..climing that throse are guru but you know the truth as you have mentioned in article. For $ & RS people cheating every1.

Now could you please tell me where I will find true guru..some people says The Guru will find you becasue they always looking for needy true person. But I havent come accross yet. Is that right without Guru just chanting hare krishna will help us to go back godhead heavenin the land of krishna? Or its compulsory to find right Guru becuase dont take me wrong but now a days in Adelaide I been to ISCON temple but really dirty politics going on..believe me its totally heart breaking to watch those tricks. Thanks for letting me to share my feelings and question. Hare krishna! vish Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: November 6, 2011 at 12:24 am Hare Krishna Vish The problem is generally even if we find the right guru we cant recognize him. I am writing here every day that Prabhupada is the guru, Prabhupada is a liberated soul, a pure devotee of Krishna, Prabhupada is living in his books and other recorded vani and we can take advantage of his association by reading his books. And every day people like you are writing wondering where to find a real guru. Prabhupada is a real guru and you can find him in his books. I do not know how to explain this so people will understand. One thing for sure is you will not find a bona fide guru in todays ISKCON. They have completely perverted the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and they will tell you Prabhupada is dead and you need a living guru. And they will tell you that anyone can be a guru, he does not have to be a pure devotee or anything like that, he just has to be approved by the GBC. And if you ask them how can someone who is not a pure devotee of Krishna help me to become a pure devotee of Krishna they will get very angry and throw you out of the temple. So you need to stay very clear of ISKCON for your spiritual health.

My suggestion is that you seriously read all of Srila Prabhupadas books aloud so you can hear what you are reading also. Really we become Krishna conscious by hearing, through our ears. Krishna consciousness is not a function of the mind and the intelligence. It is awakened by hearing the words of a pure devotee of Krishna. So you can hear from Srila Prabhupada at http://www.Krishna.tv and you can also hear from Srila Prabhupada by reading his books. Today there are so many cheating gurus. Practically they are all cheating. So the only way you can avoid being cheated is if you have the actual knowledge what a real guru is and you can get that knowledge from Srila Prabhupada by reading his books Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

38.

Yogesh Dewang says: November 5, 2011 at 7:00 pm Dear Sir, According to you,in this age of Kalayuga ,it is rare to find a real and truthful spiritual master.Then,now in this erratic circumstances,how a normal person will get a real spiritual master to become a liberated soul. Whether it is possible that,in absence of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhuapda physically on this planet,His books,lectures and videos can fulfill his absence. Is it possible practically ,If I surrender to Srila Prabhupada and accept him as my spiritual master by reading ,hearing ,chanting and by following his diretions,then I will become liberated soul.By doing so,whether I can advance myself spiritually. Please respond to my queries. With Regards Hare Krishna Your Servant

Yogesh Dewang Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: November 6, 2011 at 12:03 am Hare Krishna Yogesh Yes Prabhu, there is no question. Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and if you actually surrender to him and hear from him by reading his books and hearing his classes and if you follow his instructions you can certainly advance yourself spiritually and become a liberated soul. What is important about your relationship with your spiritual master is hearing from him and following his instructions. And there is absolutely no obstacle for us to hear from Srila Prabhupada or for us to follow his instructions. There are two ways of associating with a spiritual master. One is vapu, physical presence, and the other is vani or associating with him by following his instructions. Of the two the vani (associating with him by following his instructions) is far more important than the vapu or being in his physical presence. A large percentage of Srila Prabhupadas initiated disciples when he was present on the planet actually never met him physically. Prabhupada established the ritvik system in ISKCON even when he was physically present because he was preaching all over the world and accepting disciples all over the world and it was not possible for him to be physically present in his 100+ temples all over the world at the same time. So even in Prabhupadas physical presence the main way the majority of Srila Prabhupadas disciples associated with him and served him was by reading his books and following his instructions. So you can know it for certain that physical presence has nothing whatsoever to do with the power of Srila Prabhupada to transmit the knowledge of Krishna consciousness to his disciples. It is not according to me that it is rare to find a bona fide guru in Kali-yuga. Nothing I am saying is according to me, I am simply repeating what Prabhupada has said and he is simply repeating what he has head in the disciplic succession. That is the process. There is no value in me presenting any opinion of my own. That is useless. Brahmananda brahmate bhagavayan knoa jiva guru krsna prasadi paya bhakta lata bija. The living entities are wandering from universe to universe and only very rarely does one get the

chance of associating with a bona fide spritiual master from whom he can get the bhakti lata bija or the seed of the plant of bhakti. So it is not according to me, it is according to sastra. And you can also see for yourself the rarity of pure devotional service. So there is no question at all, if you surrender to Srila Prabhupada, read his books and strictly follow all the instructions he gives you through his books you can advance very nicely in spiritual life and you can certainly become a pure devotee of Krishna and be liberated yourself and get the power also to help others to become free from the clutches of the material energy and enable them to develop pure love for Krishna and you can guide them back home back to Godhead. So, in other words, you can become a bona fide spiritual master by surrendering to Srila Prabhupada and serving him. It is not difficult but at the same time it is very, very, very rare. Because we dont actually want to surrender. It is very rare to find anyone who actually surrenders to Srila Prabhupada. But if one really did surrender and really did submissively hear from him, and really did serve him and really did follow his instructions he would become a pure devotee of Krishna for sure. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

39.

ajay pandita says: December 15, 2011 at 4:59 am With due regards Sir, As I am being a human being but at the same time i want to free myself from all the bounds. As I not know u, your way of life. Why i belive u. who i acess what u say is right. what u do is as per gita ji. what u say is saying of krishan what u do is with any benifit. first answer my qustions sir. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says:

December 16, 2011 at 4:38 pm Hare Krishna Ajay Without faith there is no possibility of advancement in spiritual life. And the faith has to be in the right person, a pure devotee of Krishna. Otherwise if you have faith in someone and they are not a pure devotee of Krishna then despite all good intentions on their part they will misdirect you. I am not saying I have any qualifications. I am telling you that Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna and I am recommending that you read his books and chant Hare Krishna and follow the four regulative principles (no illicit sex life, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication). If you are prepared to do this then you will discover the reality of Krishna for yourself. Otherwise Krishna will remain always hidden to you. So it is up to you. Somehow you have to get some faith in Srila Prabhupada and surrender to him and follow his instructions, and only then will you start to feel some transcendental spiritual advancement, and only then will you really know that Krishna is the the Supreme Personality of Godhead and it is our duty and natural constitutional position to serve Him. And you will know that by serving Krishna you experience such wonderful pleasure that there there is nothing to compare it with. But if you can not somehow develop some faith in Srila Prabhupada you are stuck in the material world forever, getting old getting sick and dying and taking birth again, getting old, getting sick and dying, and again eternally.. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

40.

venkatesh says: December 29, 2011 at 11:42 am Hare Krishna Prabhu, I would humbly request you to kindly let me know the real ISKCON branch to follow in Bangalore, since their are many branches(groups).I would like to know

which is the official group to get associate with.I need to seriously practice Krishna conciousness. Kindly help me in this regard. Hare Krishna !!! With Regards, Venkatesh. Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: January 2, 2012 at 3:50 pm You will find the real ISKCON in Srila Prabhupadas original books and other recorded teachings like his lectures, morning walks. The only place I know that you can find the real ISKCON is here at http://www.Krishna.org and at http://www.KrishnaStore.com and http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com and you can hear all the Prabhupada audio at http://www.Krishna.tv Apart from this I am not aware of anywhere else you will find the real ISKCON Reply

41.

Chris says: January 23, 2012 at 10:16 pm Dear Madhudvisa, all Glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thankyou for providing this facility and sharing your wisdom. This is such a help for me to have independent unbiased wisdom. In reference to your response to Erin, September 12, 2002 by Madhudvisa dasa Filed under Guru, Letters ..That is Prabhupadas gift to us. Prabhupada is still with us and still quite capable of initiating us if we really surrender to him.

Is this really true? Can he still initiate us if we fully surrender to him and his teaching. This would be a dream come true for me and I could rest in peace for the rest of my material life. I have been searching and seaching Vedic texts and Prabhupadas books including Prabhupada Lilamrta for an indication of this, but the best I could get was serving Prabhupada in separation. Prabhupad keeps reinforcing in all his writings that we must accept a bonafide Guru to advance in devotional service, and that we can only come to Krishna thru the realised master. So what to do please advise me all glories to you. Chris Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: January 27, 2012 at 1:42 pm Accept Prabhupada, he is a bona fide guru. If you can not understand this then you can not accept him. What can I say I have explained all these points unlimitedly and if you still dont get it what can I do? Reply

Chris says: January 29, 2012 at 4:08 am Thankyou for your response. Yes I understand that Srila Prabhupada is a bona fide guru. However my question is; can we be intiated by him when he has left this world? And therefore become a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada? Many thanks, Chris Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: January 29, 2012 at 4:41 pm You can not be initiated by Srila Prabhupada unless you know he is living and with you and ready to guide you and answer all your questions. You obviously do not know this so you are not in a position to be initiated by Srila Prabhupada. Reply

Chris says: January 29, 2012 at 6:41 pm OK Thanks Reply

42.

kajal solanki says: March 1, 2012 at 4:25 am hare Krishna, i really am in need of a bonafide spiritual master for myself.. but because of insufficient time.. i am unable to go to ISKON and search for a guru is there anything which could be done at home.. through the internet ?? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: March 3, 2012 at 2:57 pm YES. Your bona fide Guru is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and you can associate with him by reading his books that you can get from http://www.KrishnaStore.com or read online at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com and you can listen to his lectures and classes at http://www.Krishna.tv.

Reply

43.

Matthew Yegge says: April 26, 2012 at 8:04 am All Glories to Srila Prabhupada Thank you Madhudvisa dasa for this great article. I was never initiated but, 30 years ago a bogus guru (ISKCON) really damaged my spiritul life. Until I read this article I didnt really understand what had happened to me. This bogus guru had actually led me away from reading Srila Prabhupads book. Then I tried to return 15 years ago and took the same route so I met another bogus ISKCON guru, only this time I ran the other way quickly, unfortunately because I was so dense I didnt understand what was really going on with ISKCON, so again my spirituality suffered. Finally, there was no choice for me I had to return and this time I vowed I would just read books and chant and keep the regulative principles and practice the best I could and find good association when I was able (hope I can recognize good association, I obviously havent in the past). Im sure all these bogus gurus were and are sincere, thats what hooked me in and did the damage, I trusted them and it was beyond terrible what happened and how low we all fell, I dont even want to think about. I am so happy today that we have what we do have with all these books and dvds. Thanks to everyone that makes this great work happen. All glories to Srila Prabhupad Hari Bol! Matthew Reply

44.

Diluckshini says: June 20, 2012 at 5:55 am Hare Krsna Prabhu!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!! I always thought that those not supporting the bogus guru system were supporting the Ritvik System. When i read articles by the Ritvik Supporters, i was reading that Srila Prabhupada is meant to be the only guru for the next 9500 years. But i now i am hearing it is a hoax. This is confusing me greatly. I dont know whether i am properly surrendered but with all my heart and soul i want to be surrendered to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna. i am chanting 16 rounds and following the four regulative principles..I did wake up at 4am before but now i am not..fell a victim of mayaand i have to get back into it immediately But now that i have accepted Srila Prabhupada as my guru, i am confused about a surrendered disciple of Srila Prabhupada becoming a bona-fide guru..How will our relationship be with the new guru be if we are surrendering to Srila Prabhupada? Will the new guru tell us to follow Srila Prabhupada, or will they bring us together to serve under Srila Prabhupadanow my mind will wait for this new person and i am worried i might not concentrate of Srila Prabhupada..i am voicing my mind so that i will continue to concentrate on Srila Prabhupada. I was getting comfortable with thinking that people can get initiated for the next 9500 years from ritviks who perform the ceremony on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and now i am just confused Also, how can i live in a way that i dedicate 24 hours of my life to Srila Prabhupadas service and the Lotus Feet of Sri Krsna the supreme personality of Godhead. I am currently studying university. I have decided to commit to more rounds of chanting (32), but when i study, i am not so interested by the topics as they are not transcedental. I am studying because i have to, but i comfort myself knowing that when i get the money i can use half of it for Krsnas servicebut now that i am not distributing Srila Prabhupada books, or prasadam or inviting people for Kirtan i just feel like a waste of space with no real purpose and dont see the fruits of my studying so it is demotivatingI TRY to dedicate everything i do for Krsna but i still feel like i am not serving Krsna enough? Can i set up an altar at homei have read that it is a risk to take up deity worship..and they are lots and rules and regulations..I want to take up the rules and regulations but i live in such a material atmosphere that i am not sure whether despite my desire to do so, i can carry out these rules and regulations..so i decided maybe when i am 50 i can retire from everything and serve Krsna 24 hours a day..is this an ok ideabut i still want to serve Krsna as much as i can now, despite my studying, so what can i do? Sorry for any offenses, and thank you for being a true representative of Srila Prabhupada. Thank you very much.

Aspiring servant, Diluckshini Reply

Diluckshini says: June 20, 2012 at 5:58 am My sincerest obeisances up to you!!! Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: June 24, 2012 at 9:30 am Hare Krishna Diluckshini Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Actually the answers to all your questions are in Srila Prabhupadas books but you do not have time to read them. That is the great pity of life in the Kali-yuga. Instead you are studying from the karmis in an education system which is scientifically designed to drive out any conception of God consciousness and establish materialism and sense gratification as the central points of life. The reality is that it is Prabhupadas mission to create at least one qualified guru who can push on the mission that he pushed on on behalf of his bona fide guru. You may notice that ISKCON has not made any advancement since Srila Prabhupada left our material vision and neither have the ritviks. This happens, after the disappearance of the Acharya there is chaos. And we are seeing that now in ISKCON. Realistically the only bona fide guru now is Prabhupada. So at least I have taken shelter of Srila Prabhupada and by his mercy accepted him as my spiritual master and I have the answers to all my questions and whenever I get a new question Prabhupada is always there for me with the answer. But we have to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and really follow his instructions and that is not a very easy thing. Krishna consciousness is really going against everything that we are being taught and conditioned to do in the material world. So my advice to you is to get back into very strictly

following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and really strictly chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily [every devotee says Im chanting 16 rounds a day Prabhu but in reality not so many of them really are We have to really actually chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and really strictly follow the four regulative principles and really read Srila Prabhupadas books for a least 1-2 hours a day. We say we are disciples of Srila Prabhupada but what does that mean if we are not even reading Prabhupadas books every day? So there is no need to stress on this ritvik or that, the point is to become a pure devotee of Krishna. And if you get up before 4 in the morning you have got at least 4 hours when you can chant Hare Krishna and read Prabhupadas books and then you can go and do your study if you must but you have to realize that the study is a secondary thing, your real business is to become Krishna consious and for that studying Prabhupadas books is essential Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

45.

sajal roy says: August 12, 2012 at 4:18 pm Though I obey my Greatest God SRIKRISHNA also as lifetime Guru, without taking Guru in remaining life, can it done? I become confused as selecting Guru &when.? Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: August 19, 2012 at 5:00 am No. Krishna says you must accept a guru. But nowadays practically all the so-called gurus are bogus. So the answer is to read Srila Prabhupadas books and accept Srila Prabhupada as your guru. You not only need a guru but you need a guru who is a pure devotee of Krishna, otherwise it is useless

Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

46.

kapil saxena says: October 19, 2012 at 6:24 pm suppose I started reading all books of Srila Prabhupadas books available to my resources and also started chanting the 16 rounds of mala and offering prasad and maintaining all four regulative principal and even not officially initiated as disciple from ISKCON? today I have found myself in the afore mentioned condition for the last 3 month I am in this condition and not initiated officially? please guide Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: October 22, 2012 at 7:48 am Hare Krishna Kapil Formal initiation is not important. What is important is that you accept Srila Prabhupada as your spiritual master and surrender to him and serve him by following the instructions you find he will give you as you read his books. That is all you have to do. You will be automatically initiated by Srila Prabhupada as he sees you are surrendering to him and hearing from him [by reading his books] and following his instructions. There is absolutely no advantage by getting formal initiation from some guru who is not a pure devotee of Krishna. That will very seriously harm your natural advancement in Krishna consciousness. So just go on reading Prabhupadas books and following Srila Prabhupadas instructions and chanting Hare Krishna Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply

47.

Gunjal says: December 30, 2012 at 3:04 pm Hare krishna Prabhu ji, Please accept my humble obeisances As per Txt-34, Chapter 4 of Bhagavad Gita, it is writtern that satisfaction of the self-realized spritual master is the secret of advancement in spritual life. inquiries and submission constitute the proper confirmation for spritual understanding. ques 1: what does inquiries mean here? does it mean inquiry about spritual life or inquiries about problems that we face in day to day life? ques 2: it is also writtern blind following & absurd inquiries are condemned on the one hand, it is advised to surrender fully & at the same time it is said that there should not be blind following. these two statement are not clear to mekindly enlighten me Prabhu ji Hare Krishna chant Hare Krishna and be happy Gunjal Reply

Madhudvisa dasa says: January 5, 2013 at 11:11 am Hare Krishna Gunjal Inquiry means inquiry about spiritual life. Day-to-day problems will vanish or become insignificant once we become Krishna conscious so it is not important to inquire about them from the spiritual master. If we surrender to him and follow him these day-to-day problems will be automatically solved. They are caused by a lack of Krishna consciousness. So the solution is to become Krishna conscious. As far as following the orders of the spiritual master we must follow his order but the point being made here is we should take advantage of the

knowledge the spiritual master is giving us by reading his books and hearing from him so we understand the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and understand why we are following the orders he gives. So in the process of surrender and submission and inquiries from the spiritual master one should come to understand why he is following And absurd inquiries, we should not bother the spiritual master with stupid questions Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! Madhudvisa dasa Reply