Book Bhagavat: the positive alternative

You will also not get what you are looking for by falsely claiming that Prabhupada has become your diksa guru-when, in actuality, all his blessings can only flow if and when you recognize that he is your siksa guru.

You get in the way of his mercy by falling for the unauthorized rittvik concoction. If there are any sincere and serious rittviks (either the so-called rittviks or their so-called initiated disciples), those devotees should see the wisdom of the book bhagavat. They should accept it as it is. They should abandon all of the “diksa” nonsense.

Then they would see that it fully and completely accomplishes all of the bona fide devotional desires in their hearts. They would, with illuminated gratitude, preach the book bhagavat at that time, because it is clearly authorized-whereas the rittvik concoction is speculative. Rittvik gets many of its followers because, without authority, it caters to the newcomers’ unjustified and undeserved demand for pancaratriki-vidhi.

You can only receive pancaratriki-vidhi when the spiritual master is manifest. This is always the preferred alternative, the most positive alternative. The book bhagavat is also a positive alternative, but it no longer need be applied when there is a genuine spiritual master physically manifest. The Lord wants an uninitiated devotee to seek out and find a genuine spiritual master in physical form. This is His universal arrangement for conditioned souls.

“Therefore, God is called caitya-guru, the spiritual master within the heart. And the physical spiritual master is God’s mercy. If God sees that you are sincere, He will give you a spiritual master who can give you protection. He will help you from within and without-without in the physical form of spiritual master, and within as the spiritual master within the heart.”

Room conversation, May 23, 1974

As such, if there is a desire for pancaratriki-vidhi, that opportunity must be given by a bona fide guru who is physically present. And, just as importantly, the guru-previous to his disappearance-recognizes the neophyte devotee via the standard process of initiation.

In this way, if devotees are not sincere and serious enough to seek out and find a manifest spiritual master-or if Lord Krishna withholds that opportunity for reasons that no conditioned soul can fully comprehend-there is still a positive alternative: the book bhagavat. Prabhupada gave this to us like no other guru in the history of the world.

” …the Srimad-Bhagavatam …will be our lasting contribution to the world.”

Letter (76-05-45/May 19, 1976)

Prabhupada’s books have the potency to create devotees. They are non-different from the Absolute Truth. Reading and studying them gives the devotee direct personal association with His Divine Grace.

Rittvik, on the other hand, is no genuine alternative whatsoever; it is a SHADOW of the positive alternative. Rittvik is also a major deviation from the standard process of the bhakti-sampradaya, despite its current upsurge of popularity within a restricted milieu.

Of course, so are the forerunners that spawned it, viz., corporate ISKCON’s bogus mahabhagavats and today’s institutionalized gurus falsely purporting to be free from anartha and fixed in brahman realization.

Now, opponents may argue that “bhagavatas” is in the plural in the Bhagavatam purport. Indeed, this kind of mentality was likely behind the change of the conjunction in the translation itself. However, the answer to this challenge is quite simple: Prabhupada’s extensive and enlightening purports are both non-different from the book bhagavat AND the devotee bhagavat. Reading them is worship of BOTH the book bhagavat AND the devotee bhagavat. Full and complete facility is thus clearly offered by him in his books-and THAT is why he so stressed book distribution.

Is a person who follows the book bhagavat system of realization actually initiated? The purport says a devotee following this system can attain self-realization. If and when he attains brahman realization and the stage of madhyam-adhikari, he will certainly be able to make further progress to God realization. So, he has to be initiated, because initiation takes place in the neophyte stage.

Obviously, the book bhagavat initiation is not FORMAL initiation, so the advantages of formal pancaratriki-in a society of devotees who HAVE received pancaratriki-is not applicable. The new devotee should try to give up his envy of those who did receive pancaratriki-vidhi during the spiritual master’s manifest presence.

But lack of pancaratriki is not the end of the world! Such a devotee can still worship guru-gauranga at home. Or Lord Jagannatha. He can take part in congregational chanting in genuine temples or in the streets. He can still chant on his beads. He can partake in kirtans. These are all part of the bhajana process. The Holy Name does not require pancaratriki for fructification, and this is clearly verified in the Chaitanya-caritamrita (purports: Madhya 15.108, Madhya 15.110). Prabhupada was prescient in giving us that information.

In the conditioned stage, we cannot fully comprehend who (or Who) is the initiator when a devotee applies this authorized and competent remedy-initiation through the mercy of the book bhagavat. We simply have to accept the shastra of Prabhupada’s purport authorizing this process.

“I cannot go beyond what shastra says.”

Letter (75-1-65/Jan. 16, 1975)

Human reason, by itself, cannot understand how or by whom such a devotee is initiated. Limited human reason will fail in any endeavor to fully comprehend this mystery. The initiation may be made directly by the Supreme Personality of Godhead-it is certainly not impossible for Him.

Can one then go on to receive formal pancaratriki-vidhi if he later contacts a manifest bona fide guru? Of course.

Does this constitute the forbidden acceptance of two diksa gurus? Certainly not, because the bhagavad-vidhi initiation will not be replaced. The manifest guru’s initiation does not knock out what was already there (and developed). The external manifestation of Godhead is simply giving Krishna, and the acceptance of two diksa gurus refers to the acceptance of two different men, two diksa gurus on the manifest plane. It is Krishna Who is the ultimate initiator for all of us. The guru simply initiates on behalf of the Lord.

Human reason also fails to fully comprehend how and why the initiating guru (the pancharatriki-vidhi guru) must be physically manifest, despite the fact that this is the Vaishnava tradition, system, and injunction. Human reason fails to fully comprehend how all bones are untouchable except for the conchshell.

If any devotee attains to a stage of advancement beyond bhajana-kriya, that devotee has automatically attained the stage of bhajan-kriya as a previous prerequisite. He is initiated into the sampradaya of the book bhagavata: in this case, that would be the Gaudiya Vaisnava parampara. Srila Prabhupada is the current sampradaya-acharya for that line.