Radha and krishna: the forbidden love

The current debate centers on several key theological points: the assertion that the essence of bhakti is not preaching, and the claim that Srila Prabhupada did not attain the highest spiritual platform. These arguments betray a fundamental misunderstanding of the true nature of bhakti-yoga at its best. Furthermore, it is a fact that Narayana Maharaj owes his widespread success directly to the foundational work of Srila Prabhupada.

I'm sure that the devotee, Dhira Nitai, will find it difficult to grasp the logic behind the essence of bhakti, because he doesn't truly understand the core of Srila Prabhupada’s philosophy. He certainly thinks, as Narayana Maharaj told everyone who would listen, that ISKCON's Founder-Acarya was somehow a second-class devotee, merely a sankirtana leader. Narayana Maharaj’s followers, in turn, consider him superior, given that he was supposedly fully absorbed in prema—the rasa that allows one to relish Radha and Krishna's loving affairs in Vrindavan. To them, that is the only reality, and certainly not the Krishna of the Bhagavad-gita, Dwarkadish.

According to Dhira Nitai's understanding, Srila Prabhupada's constant preaching of the Bhagavad-gita to the mlecchas is not the essence of bhakti. He wrote me that, in black and white.

Devotees understand that times are changing. They cannot, however, fully grasp the real consequences this has on human lives, societies, and the physical nature. Behind this difficulty in seeing things as they are lies the belief that a golden age is yet to come, and soon. They believe that the irreversible course of the yugas is going to be temporarily halted for a few thousand years, thanks to the strength of the character of Krishna's devotees. 

Dhira Nitai wrote: "Modern acaryas are not greater than the Gosvamis or Nitya-parshadas (eternal associates of the Lord), or indeed, Mahaprabhu himself. None of them are on that level, even if some are empowered preachers. But preaching is not the essence of the bhakti movement. It is an external mission, not an eternal one.

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* Dhira Nitai defined prema, referring to the Caitanya-caritamrita, as Vraja-prema-rasa and rāga-mārga bhakti loke karite pracāraṇa, which means: the Lord wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction (CC\ Ādi\ 4.15-16). Therefore, the implication is that pracāraṇa (propagation), when performed by regular or pure devotees, is absolutely and logically necessary before one can attain spontaneous attraction. An uttama-adhikari (highest-level devotee) cannot preach; he has to descend to the madhyama (middle) platform to do so.

The essence of bhakti is, indeed, preaching, my dear Nitai. Without it, there is no bhakti, no Prabhupada, and ultimately, no Radha and Krishna. Preaching encompasses both the external and the internal aspects of spiritual life.

I state this again: preaching includes both the external and the internal.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His teachings perfectly exemplify this truth. The Gaudiya Math and its gurus, however, chose to emphasize renunciation and total absorption in the intimate pastimes of Radha and Krishna. This exclusive focus on private, ecstatic devotion is a psychology that generally leads groups to indulge in all kinds of emotional excesses and illicit actions. This is precisely what Srila Prabhupada and his spiritual master were careful to avoid, because the sahajiyas in Bengal had already caused such tremendous harm to Mahaprabhu’s movement. Consequently, the general population became disgusted with that aspect of bhakti. Stated differently: without preaching, there is no essence. Without Prabhupada, there is no Radha and Krishna. The revival of the Gaudiya Math's influence happened because of Srila Prabhupada's courage to go to the West and successfully deliver Lord Chaitanya’s message.

It is an utopia to think otherwise. That is why Prabhupada reconsidered the role of varnasrama-dharma—to reorient his mission for the modern age. We judge a tree by its fruit, not by its roots. Without preaching, there is neither true taste nor real understanding.

This understanding forces us to realize that gurus of the caliber that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur trained are largely a thing of the past. The proof is in the pudding; the subsequent movement's fruit doesn't taste good anymore. The social consequences of this attempt to transcend regular morality were and are disastrous for the congregation in every part of the world, particularly in Vrindavan and Mayapur, which are plagued by scandals.

That was the very reason Prabhupada, being disgusted, declared that he considered the Maha-Brihat Mridanga (the mass distribution of books) to be higher than bhajan (worship) in the temple. Srila Prabhupada took the essence of his Guru's mind, and that is why today you can even talk about mystical meditation as you do—it is all due to his extensive mercy.

By reading the Caitanya-caritamrita carefully (as you yourself proposed), you learn that Advaita Chandra and His associates, who were not ordinary living entities but nitya-siddhas (eternally perfected souls), were not allowing ordinary bhaktas to join their closed meetings. After a long gap, it took Bhaktivinoda Thakur to reorganize this preaching mission according to the needs of his time. Then came Bhaktisiddhanta, and then our Prabhupada, who brought their essential contributions while continuously denouncing the sahajiyas who were attempting to taste mellows beyond their spiritual reach. Despite these efforts, the waves of deviants could not be stopped from destroying the image of what remains of bhakti.

If Narayana Maharaj was able to travel to America and make disciples, it was because of Srila Prabhupada’s devotion to Krishna. That was Prabhupada's mercy to him, not the reverse.

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