The following is taken from an Indradyumna Swami ‘darshan’ – (Text COM:1974636).
“But I would offer that there is a misconception here in guru-disciple relationship. Of course, it is certainly nice if one can have some personal instruction, a personal direction in one’s life from the spiritual master. But one’s success in Krishna consciousness is not necessarily based on that.”
Here Maharaja very nicely sums up the IRM position – that the absence of ‘personal direction’ does not hinder one’s spiritual life.
“Srila Prabhupada personally interacted with his spiritual master maybe three or four occasions. I think, he wrote two letters to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and received one reply. And if one’s advancement in Krishna Consciousness is dependent upon the personal association of the spiritual master, directing one in one’s daily activities, then what are the chances of me in perfecting my Krishna consciousness because my spiritual master passed away in 1977? I haven’t seen Srila Prabhupada almost twenty years. “
Maharaja again destroy’s the GBC’s current ‘living Guru’ idea.
“So I think there is a fallacy, there is something wrong in this mentality, that the spiritual master is not taking proper care of his disciples if he is not able to answer each and every one of their letters. The spiritual master is not Krishna. He can’t expand himself in 16,108 forms and personally be with each disciple.”
Maharaja here perfectly exposes the falsity of the need for the Guru to have a vapu form to be able to take ‘proper care of his disciples’.
“So if my disciples listen very carefully to the lectures, to the tape ministry, and read the few books that I’ve printed, and carefully study Srila Prabhupada’s books, I feel that they are armed with knowledge to stand and fight against the material energy. I am completely, hundred percent confident of that.”
* So the disciples need to take instruction primarily from Srila Prabhupada – since which Guru can compare with Srila Prabhupada’s tapes and books?
“That’s the way I follow myself in my relationship with Prabhupada, my spiritual master. I had the liberty in one or two occasions to ask from Prabhupada for some personal instruction, but now, if I need to understand something, I read the books or I can solve it with my godbrothers. So then I ask the disciples to do the same.”
So the program is to read Srila Prabhupada’s books, and take siksa from other senior devotees – the same formula given in ‘The Final Order’.
“But we do have the knowledge. It is available in Srila Prabhupada’s books, it is available through our spiritual master’s lectures through Nilakantha’s tape ministry. There is a lot! There is more that comes out from this tape machine than just plastic tapes (shakes a tape). What really comes out of that tape recorder on these tapes is divya-jnana, or transcendental knowledge.”
This of course also applies to Srila Prabhupada’s tapes!
Conclusion
Maharaja has given here a perfect treatise on why the current Guru system is unnecessary. He has admitted himself, that he is not giving any value, and instead leaving it mainly up to Srila Prabhupada. So why not stop pretending and leave EVERYTHING to Srila Prabhupada – including the disciples which belong to him only. We do not need anymore of the “Let Srila Prabhupada do all the work – but let us take the credit” mentality! Maharaja has offered ample justification for cutting out the middle man since he wants us to take shelter directly of Srila Prabhupada anyway
