Our Affectionate Guardian: Unabridged Chapter Five https://gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/vishnu_mjs/affection_unabr...

Our Affectionate Guardians: Chapter Five

Srila Prabhupada's Regard for Srila Sridhara Maharaja

Shortly before he left us in 1977, Srila Prabhupada advised his disciples that they should go to Srila
Sridhara Maharaja if they had questions about philosophical matters. This instruction was accepted by
the entire GBC at that time and from 1977 until 1981 they did approach Srila Sridhara Maharaja with
many important questions. A major portion of this presentation is composed of excerpts from
recordings and transcripts from these question and answer sessions with the GBC members.

The GBC Guru Position Paper of March 1978, the GBC's official statement published after their initial
question and answer session with Srila Sridhara Maharaja is taken directly from Srila Sridhara
Maharaja's instructions to the GBC, with a few noteworthy additions and subtractions.

That it was actually the instruction of Srila Prabhupada to approach Srila Sridhara Maharaja for spiritual
instruction is corroborated by taped statements in our possession of Jayapataka Maharaja, Satsvarupa
Maharaja, Bhakti Caru Swami, Tamal Krsna Maharaja and many other GBCs [some of whom later
changed their minds regarding the validity of their previous statements], as well as by Tripurari
Maharaja who was personally massaging Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet when he heard this instruction
directly from Srila Prabhupada. Over the years we have seen various facts mysteriously change
overnight, according to the political climate, so we have taken the trouble to substantiate our
statements with hard copy, taped transcripts and similar irrefutable evidence. Understandably one may
change his opinion regarding certain things, but this does not change the essential facts, the actual
truth—satyam param dhimahi. "This word [satyam] means that one should not distort the truth for
some personal interest." (Bg. 16.3, purp.) Let us not forget that there is an overseer—hrdi sannivisto
(Bg. 15.15) and He witnesses our every activity-upadrastanumanta ca (Bg. 13.23) and will give us our
just do-karmana daiva netrena (Bhag. 3.31.1). Better to be daivim prakrtim asritah (Bg. 9.13), under
the shelter of His divine embrace. One's position in devotional service is after all classified according to
one's faith-sraddha-anusari (Cc. Madhya-lila 22.64) and ones ultimate fate is indeed dependent upon
qualifying ourselves for the Lords mercy.

Logically speaking, on the basis that this was the last instruction in regards to Srila Sridhara Maharaja
and considering that Srila Prabhupada was always very careful, fully aware of what he was doing and
that these were his final days with his disciples, this must be regarded as the most authoritative or
substantial statement made by Srila Prabhupada in regards to Srila Sridhara Maharaja.

Most Highly Competent of My Godbrothers

Despite Srila Prabhupada's final and conclusive statements regarding Srila Sridhara Maharaja, some
take Srila Prabhupada's letter to Rupanuga in 1974 as the conclusive statement about Srila Sridhara
Maharaja. In this well-known letter, Srila Prabhupada said that Srila Sridhara Maharaja was responsible
for selecting an acarya who proved to be a failure. Srila Prabhupada then warns not to make the same
mistake in ISKCON. Then Srila Prabhupada warns that his disciples must be careful in mixing with his
godbrothers. That ISKCON did in fact make the same mistake that Srila Prabhupada warns about in this
letter to Rupanuga (unauthorized acarya appointments) has been documented by Ravindra Svarupa, a
prominent and respected member of the GBC and initiating guru, [known for being one of the deep
thinkers of ISKCON] in his paper, "Under My Order," portions of which are presented below in the
section entitled, Is Srila Sridhara Maharaja's Mood different than Prabhupada's.

The above mentioned personal instruction of Srila Prabhupada to approach Srila Sridhara Maharaja for
philosophy was given three years after the Rupanuga letter was written. This letter of Srila
Prabhupada's must be harmonized with the other statements by Srila Prabhupada in order to get an
accurate picture of Srila Prabhupada's feelings about Srila Sridhara Maharaja. In addition to Srila
Prabhupada's final statements about Srila Sridhara Maharaja (above) there is Srila Prabhupada's letter
to Hrsikesa (1969):

I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of my godbrothers. This is B. R.
Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa-guru, so what to speak of the
benefit that you can have from his association.

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly tried to get Srila Sridhara Maharaja to come to his temple in Mayapur (see
letter to Srila Sridhara Maharaja in 1976 and Room Conversation in 1977--excerpts in chapter one). In
the 1977 Room Conversation, Srila Prabhupada offers to build Srila Sridhara Maharaja a house at the
Mayapur temple so Srila Sridhara Maharaja can preach to Srila Prabhupada's disciples-imploring
Sridhara Maharaja six times to please do so.

One Important Godbrother, He's Sincere

In his July 7, 1975 letter to Bon Maharaja Srila Prabhupada related Srila Sridhara Maharaja's praise,
"Sripada Sridhara Maharaja also appreciated my service. He said that 'Caitanya Mahaprabhu's
prediction: prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama, sarvatra pracara hoibe mora nama; would remain a

1 of 3 1/26/2024, 1:27 PM
Our Affectionate Guardian: Unabridged Chapter Five https://gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/vishnu_mjs/affection_unabr...

dream only,' but he congratulated me that I 'have done it practically.'" A year and a half earlier, during
a morning walk in Los Angeles on December 14, 1973, Srila Prabhupada had also narrated how Srila
Sridhara Maharaja has said that he had done the impossible: mukham karoti vacalam pangum
langhayate girim. "That one of my important godbrothers says. He's sincere. All others, [not]. He says
that, 'In the Caitanya-Caritamrta it is said prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama. So we were thinking
that this is imagination, that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's cult would be spread all over the world, every
one will chant. So you have done it.' So, he's appreciating in that way. 'But we are simply thinking that
it is not possible, it is simply imagination. But that you have made it possible.' So that is his
appreciation."

When there is a conflict between opposing statements, they must be reconciled. Since we, the disciples,
take the instructions of our Srila Prabhupada as nondifferent from sastra, we may resolve his
apparently conflicting statements as Rupa Goswami did for sastra.

virodho vakyayor yatra napramanyam tad isyate

yathaviruddhata ca syat tatharthah kalpyate tayoh

When two scriptural statements contradict each other, one is not taken as inauthentic. One should give
the meaning in such a way that the contradiction is removed. (Laghu-bhag. 1.212) To harmonize this in
an impartial way, we may consider that in the Rupanuga letter Srila Prabhupada was using the apparent
activities of Srila Sridhara Maharaja to make a particular point to us, namely that "to elect an acarya"
was not an authorized activity of the Governing Body of the Gaudiya Math and that it was contrary to
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's expressed desire. In Srila Prabhupada's own words,
"Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp." Srila Prabhupada was also
warning us that at least four of his godbrothers had on occasion tried to pollute and steal his disciples,
so we must be very careful about them. He made it easier for us by simply saying, "all godbrothers."
Although Srila Prabhupada may have in his intense preaching campaign criticized some of his
godbrothers, in light of proper sastric vaishnava etiquette, it is improper for his disciples to criticize
them, what to speak of publishing criticisms, thereby creating opportunity for repeated vaisnava-
aparadha--for which one will be held accountable. Srila Prabhupada also did say that, "the war is over
now." Still we see that certain ISKCON devotees have the habit of openly and freely criticizing any and
all of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers as they like. We feel that this is very unhealthy spiritually for
them.

The overemphasis on Srila Prabhupada's letter to Rupanuga and minimizing of substantial statements
to the contrary merely makes Srila Prabhupada out to be duplicitous-to Srila Sridhara Maharaja he
showed great respect but behind Srila Sridhara Maharaja's back he really did not trust him.

Please refer to chapter one, A Transcendental Friendship, for a detailed account of the long and
intimate association of these two great devotees. A Transcendental Friendship was originally published
in another form as The Guardian of Devotion. An account of Srila Sridhara Maharaja's activities in the
Gaudiya Math has been given in chapter three, A Short History of Srila Sridhara Maharaja and the
Gaudiya Math. A careful reading of these documents will greatly help us clarify our understanding of
these dealings between godbrothers. When we take into account all of Srila Prabhupada's loving
exchanges with his dear godbrother Srila Sridhara Maharaja it becomes evident that this letter to
Rupanuga is completely inconsistent with their actual relationship and thus must be seen as a warning
only.

We point out here that the mistakes made by the leaders of ISKCON were much graver than the alleged
apparent mistakes of Srila Sridhara Maharaja [ supposedly incorrect advice and desires to control
ISKCON], and they have been forgiven easily whereas Srila Sridhara Maharaja is still to this day
maligned. In light of an unbiased look at Srila Prabhupada's letters, room conversations, etc. it can be
concluded that Srila Prabhupada did not discourage his disciples from receiving instruction (siksa) from
Srila Sridhara Maharaja, on the contrary he encouraged it.

Our Swami Maharaja Has Done a Miracle

When told of the Rupanuga letter, Srila Sridhara Maharaja replied,

Just see the preaching of Swami Maharaja, he has not even spared me, his intimate friend!

When we examine the hearts of these two Vaisnavas we see the real intentions of these pure devotees
of the Lord, fully absorbed in devotional service. One must examine all the facts impartially, not just
make a superficial estimation based on one letter and general statements and pass a decree for all
time. Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.25.3 warns us of this sort of thing, that to forcibly justify one's actions by
one's strength is in the mode of passion and thus leads to misery.

Srila Prabhupada many times mentioned that his godbrothers were envious. A scan of the Srila
Prabhupada Folio shows that he mentions the names of certain godbrothers repeatedly as envious,
consistently excluding the name of Srila Sridhara Maharaja. That Sridhara Maharaja is nonenvious is
self-evident (for example) upon listening to the recording of their meeting in 1973 after Prabhupada's
triumphant return to India from his successful preaching in the West:

So our Swami Maharaja has done a miracle! Thakura Bhaktivinode conceived and

2 of 3 1/26/2024, 1:27 PM
Our Affectionate Guardian: Unabridged Chapter Five https://gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/vishnu_mjs/affection_unabr...

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura began to translate this conception into action. And we
find that through Swami Maharaja, in his last days, it has been fulfilled to such a great
extent. We are happy, we are glad, we are proud!

In the same conversation Srila Prabhupada revealed his thoughts at the time,

Our relationship is very intimate. After the breakdown of the Gaudiya Math, I wanted to
organize another organization, making Sridhara Maharaja he head.

In the Lilamrta, Vol. 3, page 203, Satsvarupa Maharaja writes of events six years earlier, "In fluent
English he [Sridhara Maharaja] began praising Prabhupada's preaching in America, repeatedly using
Prabhupada's phrase 'Krsna consciousness.' Swamiji's work, he said, was the fulfillment of Lord
Caitanya's prophecy that Krsna consciousness would one day spread all over the world. He laughed and
smiled and praised the Krsna consciousness movement with no trace of jealousy." [Room
Conversation~October 1967]

Chapter five continued

Contents

3 of 3 1/26/2024, 1:27 PM