Overview
In this article, Gaura Gopāla Dāsa explores the unhealthy obsession with unnecessary fault-finding among devotees, emphasising that our energy would be better spent striving to become positive examples ourselves.
At no time in the history of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition has the open wound of institutional and guru politics been so exposed and loudly broadcast as it is today, through social media and the technological advances of the 20th and 21st centuries. What was once confined to word of mouth and written exchanges has now descended into the mud-pit of everyman’s opinion. Entire generations of devotees seem to be consumed with the political landscape of their particular institution, the wrongs of the past, and an infatuation with the negative, because there is no higher sentiment or taste to be found in them.
It’s natural for devotees to defend their guru and guru-varga, but an inordinate amount of energy is now poured onto the internet in what can only be described as envy-driven mania. In most cases, it is not coming from a pure heart guided only by the desire to correct wrong-doings, or to clarify siddhānta – it is hearsay politics and character assassination before breakfast, thinly disguised as guru-manobhīṣṭa-sevā (service to the inner heart’s desire of Śrī Guru).
This poisonous atmosphere that is spreading discourages not only the veterans of Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, but almost certainly newcomers as well, who eventually peek behind the curtain and see a bunch of squabbling hens who are more concerned with being right, rather than acting right. This can only be due to ku-saṁskāra – the innate tendency to carry one’s previous nature into one’s spiritual practice. In addition, an infatuation with mundane worldly politics leads one to impose that same mindset upon the Vaiṣṇava world.
Some would say, “I’m simply warning others of this person who is a cheater and an aparādhī.” I would reply, “Tread very carefully!” If you are in the position of a guru, ācārya, or senior Vaiṣṇava and there are other devotees depending on your guidance, then perhaps you will have to give some advice as to whom they should associate with. But be careful! There are countless bodies washed up on those rocks, and the sirens of faith’s destruction come wrapped in the flag of righteous outrage, eager to tell you about everyone’s sins but their own. Completely devoid of humility, these people are not your friends. They have no positive alternative to offer – just bitterness and misery.
And as we all know, misery loves company.
Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura once wrote to a disciple regarding the careless criticism of others:
I received your card dated November 26th and another letter following that. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam has instructed us not to praise or criticize the nature or activities of others. It is said also in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata that one goes to hell by criticising others. My instruction to you is not to criticise others, but to correct and purify yourself.
I am forced to criticise my own disciples and those who have come to me for instruction. I do not understand why you would go out of your way to try to perform such a difficult task. (Letter – December 4th, 1931)
History has shown us that the stalwart disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura were no strangers to political intrigue, frustration with the fracturing of their guru’s mission, and disappointment with godbrothers who failed to meet the mark in some way or another. For example, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda was very candid in his criticism of what had transpired in his Guru Mahārāja’s mission after his disappearance. But the defining quality of Śrīla Prabhupāda was not his criticism of his godbrothers, or any statement made out of frustration (which can be misused by bad political actors online), but rather his taking Mahāprabhu’s movement all over the world. 99.9% of what Prabhupāda said concerned the positive preaching of the cult of Śrī Caitanya, and perhaps less than 0.1% was spoken behind closed doors or expressed to disciples in moments of frustration. Besides Śrīla Prabhupāda, there were many stalwart disciples of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura who spent most of their energy on the positive.
The problem is that many devotees have a tendency to be like flies around stool, rather than bees around nectar. Prabhupāda gave so many warnings to his own disciples that his relationship and frustration with his godbrothers was his own business and actually transcendental. We, as aspiring devotees, only see things through our limited mundane vision and often harbour hatred toward our own godbrothers and godsisters. This is the problem of a thief who sees thieves everywhere. We have been envious for so many lifetimes that we can’t actually perceive things from the vision of a paramahaṁsa, or even of someone who is simply non-envious. We cannot distinguish between the anger of a father correcting his son or a brother correcting another brother, and the destructive hatred of someone who truly wishes to see someone else fail.
This infatuation with the negative has come about in the modern Vaiṣṇava movement largely due to the failings of the post-Prabhupāda ISKCON and the fallout from so many guru-issues. Many of the individual complaints and frustrations have validity, but it’s gone beyond pointing out a problem and turned into an unhealthy obsession. There’s seemingly no end to the bitterness and complaining, and yet no one is prepared to step up and show the example themselves. This reflects a failure on the part of the individual devotee. If someone else has failed or done wrong, and you eagerly point out their failure, isn’t it then your responsibility to set the right example? Don’t sit back and wait for someone else to do it while you type out your next internet-assembled manifesto on the failings of the last generation of gurus and sannyāsīs! What’s the point? This is a suicidal exercise which slowly distances us from Kṛṣṇa and erases any taste that arose in us in the beginning of our Kṛṣṇa Conscious endeavours.
Instead, we should follow the example of Śrīla Prabhupāda and many of his godbrothers, who recognised that internal bickering was diverting attention from the revolutionary movement of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. With sincere hearts and full faith in Kṛṣṇa, they moved forward to fulfil their guru’s instructions.
Having been around devotee communities my whole life, I have heard all the histories and failings from every generation – from the disciples of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to the present day. The fact is that we are living in māyā’s kingdom and for some reason, it still shocks us when someone fails or does wrong. I’ve seen and heard far too many older devotees who, having concluded that they won’t succeed in this lifetime, resort instead to criticising the shortcomings of their group’s leadership – while doing nothing themselves. It’s a shame. Kṛṣṇa’s devotees are supposed to be warriors, not whiners!
When we come in touch with someone positive who has a taste for the Holy Name, affection and dedication to their guru, and a firm grasp of the siddhānta of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers, why do we care so much for politics? It was there before we were born and it’ll be there long after we’re dead. None of our names will be remembered, and none of our empty diatribes on social media about the failings of others will stand the test of time. The only thing that will come forward with us will be the positive service we engaged in wholeheartedly, with sincerity and freedom from envy.
We would all do well to meditate on the following song composed by a true paramhaṁsa in a mood of extreme humility:
(1)
āmāra jīvana, sadā pāpe rata,
nāhika punyera leṣa
parere udvega, diyāchi ye kata
diyāchi jīvere kleśa
During my life, I have always engaged in sinful acts and there is no trace of any piety in me. I have given anxiety and caused trouble to other jīvas.
(2)
nija sukha lāgi’, pāpe nāhi ḍari
dayā-hīna svārtha-para
para-sukhe duḥkhī, sadā mithya-bhāṣī
para-duḥkha sukha-kara
For the sake of my own enjoyment, I am never afraid to perform sinful acts. I am devoid of mercy and am devoted to my own selfishness. I become miserable at the happiness of others, I constantly speak lies, and the distress of others gives me pleasure.
(3)
aśeṣa kāmanā, hṛdi mājhe mora
krodhī, dambha-parāyana
mada-matta sadā, viṣaye mohita
hiṁsā-garva vibhūṣana
There are infinite material desires in the core of my heart. I am angry, full of arrogance, always captivated by my own vanity, and bewildered by worldly affairs. I wear envy and pride as my ornaments.
(4)
nidrālasya hata, sukārye virata
akārye udyogī āmi
pratiṣṭha lāgiyā, śāṭhya-ācaraṇa
lobha-hata sadā kāmī
I am ruined by laziness and sleep, opposed to good deeds, and eager to perform improper acts. To gain some fame, I behave deceitfully. I am beaten down by greed, and incessantly lusty.
(5)
e hena durjana, sajjana-varjita
aparādhi nirantara
śubha-kārya-śūnya, sadānartha-manā
nānā duḥkhe jara jara
Such a wicked man as I, who is rejected by the virtuous, is a constant offender. Being bereft of good deeds and ever inclined towards depravity, I am crippled by various afflictions.
(6)
vārddhakye ekhana, upāya-vihīna
tā’te dīna akiñcana
bhakativinoda, prabhura caraṇe
kare duḥkha nivedana
Now in his old age, without any other means, and thus being wretched and destitute, Bhaktivinoda offers this statement of woe at the feet of the Lord.
Related Articles and Books
- 📖 The Authorized Sri Caitanya Saraswata Parampara (Book)
- 📖 Prabhupāda Vijaya (Book)
- 📖 Prākṛta-rasa Āraṇya Chedinī – Cutting the Jungle of Misconception (Book)
- Society Consciousness vs. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
- Śrīdhara Mahārāja Will Save Our Bhakti! (Colonial Cataracts and Societal Selectivity)
- There is Only One Society! by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa
- Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Understanding the Guru’s Legacy by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa
- Quit Complaining and Be the Example! by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa
