“Professor Sanyal, he was a very nice man. But he was a Party Man . . . “
This statement has been attributed to Srila Prabhupada. Apparently, Professor Sanyal joined the Party of Ananta Vasudeva (later called Puri Maharaj), as opposed to the Bagh Bazaar Party of Tirtha Maharaj. As such, his writings, after the disappearance of his Guru Maharaj, backed that (Vasudeva’s) party line. Srila Prabhupada did not at all approve of this Professor Sanyal after the final day of 1936 (the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta), neither did Srila Prabhupada approve of any of Professor Sanyal’s writings after that time.
In the “ISKCON” movement a different course was followed, although there were parallels. Instead of declaring one mahabhagavat, it was declared by the “GBC” (just as falsely) that there were eleven of them. Of course, Ananta Vasudeva was a very learned scholar in the Vaishnava siddhanta, unlike the eleven Zonal Acharyas of the post-modern era. Still, despite his erudition and previous approval from the Acharya, Srila Prabhupada did not condone the writings of this Professor Sanyal after the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
The most important thing to consider is that Srila Prabhupada did not approve of Party Men. He in effect condemned this kind of functionary. Currently, the original ISKCON movement is covered by the “ISKCON” sheath, just as our original mind, intelligence, and ego is covered by the material ego (ahankara), material intelligence, and material mind. The “ISKCON” movement is dominated by Party Men, and this has been the case since the late Seventies.
The Party Men cooperated with the Zonals (of course, the Zonals themselves were all Party Men) and helped to empower them. The Party Man faction is a multi-faceted dynamic, composed of fanatics, sycophants, henchmen, and temple officers. It always has been.
There is Krishna Consciousness and then there is a perverted reflection of Krishna Consciousness. The Party Men of “ISKCON” represent, at best, only a reflection of Krishna Consciousness. The dynamic of the Party Man is found in what he thinks constitutes the recognition, approval, and blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Party Men measure these ideals in terms of their position in the corporate structure of their institution.
As long as they remain a somebody like a Temple President or a “GBC”-and as long as there is adequate revenue flow to continue in their status and with their project-then whatever they are doing or saying is considered spiritual by them. Krishna Consciousness means to see as Lord Krishna sees, to see as the Chaitya-guru or Paramatma sees. To become Krishna Conscious means to see the Party Men for what they really are.
The Party Men shift with the ever-changing winds of corporate doctrine. They are “GBC” loyalists. The “ISKCON” movement is completely under the control of the “GBC.” Unlike ISKCON, however, the real GBC no longer exists-and, as far as that goes, it never did function in a bona fide way for a great deal of time even while Srila Prabhupada was still with us. The devolution of this governing body has been long in duration, the offenses have been very great, and the GBC has been ruined, permanently warped and perverted into the “GBC.”
The Party Man is a particularly nasty piece of work. He sometimes comes in the form of a sannyasi. He is often completely without genuine conscience. His intelligence always works to ponder the Party Line and the current momentum; he always wants to make sure that he will be on the side that is winning. His shibboleth is: “‘ISKCON’–with all thy faults–I still love thee!”
“Evil triumphs where good men doing nothing.” The Party Men are serving an institutional delusion, and thus they are contributing to the great damage which that institution’s leaders is wreaking. By exposing the Party Men, their enthusiasm is thus checked; this will vary from individual to individual. Still, it can only help to slow the sahajiyas down. Let us never forget that His Divine Grace certainly disturbed the status quo of the Goudiya Mutt, and its leaders, individually, were also deeply disturbed by his preaching, i.e., we should not care much who is disturbed when we are preaching and thus, with sharp words, enlightening others in order to free them from the deviation. The scheduled learning curve of the Party Men, both individually and collectively, should never be our primary or secondary concern; indeed, we have no need whatsoever to even give rat spit about it. It is not a waste of time to expose them for what they are. In point of fact, it is integral to our duty, as the train runs on two tracks. The VF is engaged in many positive and creative acts, and these have manifested as accomplishments. The other track is to expose and destroy the influence of nescience, in which the Party Men are heavily implicated. If you, individually, choose to take a laid back path, the path of least resistance and most comfort, we have no objection. That is not our path, however, and I have herein given you some hints as to why it is not. KCd.
What are you going to do? That is the dynamics in the material world. “Out of many thousands of men,, hardly one….” These company men are right at the level that they are capable of. Gradually, they will be frustrated by putting their “love in all the wrong places” and after some lifetimes of frustration, will want to have nothing to do with this materialistic party line system. Krsna orders us not to disturb them. Just encourage them to do everything in the spirit of devotion and leave them alone to become gradually purified. It is a waste of your time to analyse these goings-on inside the material atmosphere, dont you agree?