Caitanya Caran Prabhu speaks in his own defense

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: "Chaitanyacharan (das) RNS (Pune - IN)"
<Chaitanyacharan.RNS@pamho.net>
Date: Sep 14, 2016 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: Bangalore issue
To: "Bhima (das) ACBSP (BBT India, Juhu, Mumbai - IN)"
<Bhima.ACBSP@pamho.net>
Cc: "Bhakti Rasamrita Swami" <Bhakti.Rasamrita.Swami@pamho.net>,
"Chaitanyacharan (das) RNS (Pune - IN)" <Chaitanyacharan.RNS@pamho.net>,
"Gauranga (das) RNS (Chowpatty, Mumbai - IN)" <Gauranga.RNS@pamho.net>,
"Radheshyam (das) RNS (ISKCON Pune - IN)" <Radheshyam.RNS@pamho.net>,
"Shyamananda (das) RNS (Chowpatty, Bombay - IN)"
<Shyamananda.RNS@pamho.net>

Dear Bhima Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances. Jaya Prabhup€da.

As mentioned by Bhakti Rasamrita Maharaja in his earlier mail, can you
please forward the below email to the forums where the accusations against
me have been levelled?

Thank you for your help.

Your servant,
Chaitanya Charan das
www.thespiritualscientist.com
www.gitadaily.com

**

Respected Maharajas and Prabhus
Please accept my humble obeisances. Jaya Prabhup€da.

Recently, Radha Krishna Gaura P, temple council member of ISKCON
Seshadripuram, Bangalore sent a mail to some of you accusing that I had
spoken things during my visit there that undermined Srila Prabhupada's
position.

I would like to give my side of the story. I have divided this email in
four parts for clarity.

*Report of events *
*The points that led to the controversy *
*The criteria for evaluating the faithfulness of those points *
*My efforts to defuse the controversy*

*Report of events *
1. I was speaking a series on the topic of "Self-destruction strategies -
How we sabotage ourselves in our spiritual life". My second class was on
the topic of "Don't be a perfectionist." In the QA after the class, some
questions came up that took the whole discussion in a direction that I had
neither intended nor expected. The points made during those discussion led
to the controversy.

2. The next day, without any prior warning or intimation, I was summoned in
public view out of the Sunday feast class that I was giving - and told to
clarify my stand without being given any time to prepare myself.

3. Still, I tried my best to serve and devoted the whole remaining class to
clarify the points I had made. And I apologised publicly during the class
if anyone's feelings had been hurt. After my clarificatory class, the
audience applauded. And two devotee matajis who are doctors stood up and
supported me, saying that I had helped deepen their faith and that they
apologised on behalf of the congregation for having made me clarify thus.
One of them was crying at the unfairness of it all. One Prabhu got up and
called to the congregation to request the management to apologize to me. To
avoid causing the management any embarrassment, I told that devotee that
there was no need to insist on such an apology - and he reluctantly
relented.

4. On Janmashtami, a few days later, I spent nearly 2 hrs talking with the
devotees who had raised the concerns. They said that Prabhupada is much
bigger than what we think of him, quoting some pastimes to that effect.
When I asked them whether they believed that Prabhupada was Krishna, they
took almost 45 secs to say no.

5. Before departing for Mumbai, in my Srila Prabhuapda Vyasa-puja offering,
I clearly stated that I accept Srila Prabhupada as perfect in giving us
knowledge of sadhana and sadhya. My Vyasa-puja offering was titled "He came
- he gave - he conquered." It is a play on the saying about Caesar "He
came, he saw, he conquered." This offering was partly based on "The Meaning
of Vyasa-Puja" article, which I had been asked to write for this year's
Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book.

6. After returning to Mumbai, I was sent a sms that the Bangalore temple
has organized a seminar on "Srila Prabhupada is perfect" on just the next
day. To reiterate that I don't oppose that point and to remove any residual
misunderstandings, I sent a written apology letter.

7. I was rebuffed with a harsh letter by Radha Krishna Gaura P, Therein,
the sender, apparently with Supersoul-like omniscience, claimed to know
that my apology was not sincere.

8. I tried to clarify the points, but was repeatedly rebuffed with
increasing harshness till he banned me from coming to the Seshadripuram
temple again.


*The points that led to the controversy *

During that QA, what I spoke and what he heard me speaking are
significantly different.

"What he heard: "Srila Prabhupada is not perfect."

What I spoke:
All that I said is that he needn't be materially perfect in everything - he
may recollect some verses incorrectly or his English punctuation may be
sometimes off or he may quote some facts from non-scriptural sources that
may turn out to be wrong. In fact, my topic was "Don't be a perfectionist"
wherein my point was that we don't need to become perfect in any service to
start doing that service. So, we were talking about perfection in the
context of perfectionism.
Additionally, I later realized that I was using "perfection" in the sense
of "omniscience", whereas they heard it in the sense of "full spiritual
realisation" as in the book title "The Path of Perfection." I clarified
this later; some understood, some didn't.

What he heard: "Srila Prabhupada's books are not systematic"

What I spoke:
I was talking about how we all have two sides within us - the creative side
that comes up with ideas and the critical side that evaluates and often
censors those ideas. When I spoke about these in the context of writing,
one person asked which side Prabhupada's books came from: creative or
critical?
I explained that they were from the creative side - technically, they are
examples of stream of consciousness writing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_of_consciousness_(narrative_mode)
I appreciated that it's extraordinary that words just spoken once into a
dictaphone have such profound wisdom, still, they don't have the systematic
development of thought regarding a point from beginning to end in one
place, as we might see in books of systematic theology such as Bhaktivinoda
Thakura's Jaiva Dharma or Chaitanya Shikshamrita. That's why if we want to
teach people the basics of KC, we may need some courses that compile his
teachings on basic topics together.
To those who objected, I quoted how Australia's number one book distributor
told me that he is skeptical of stories wherein people say that they just
read one Prabhupada book and started chanting 16 rounds, following 4
regulative principles, applying tilak, wearing dhoti-kurta etc. He is
skeptical because he hasn't seen any one book where Prabhupada has given
all these directions at one place. In fact, the need for one such book was
one main reason why Bhakti Vikas Maharaja wrote "A Beginner's Guide to
Krishna consciousness."


What he heard: "Srila Prabhupada's translations are not as it is"

What I spoke:
I only said that the same verses have been translated differently by our
own previous acharyas and we can avail of those translations too when the
context arises.
When the "are women less intelligent?" issue came up and when I gave a
sensitive answer, saying that it is not talking about academic or normal
intelligence, but about philosophical intelligence to differentiate between
matter and spirit, one devotee countered that the Gita says: women are
papa-yonayah.
I answered that according to many previous acharyas, papa-yonayah is not an
adjective describing the three categories of stri, vaishya and shudra, but
is a separate category in itself. And on some occasions Prabhupada himself
treats papa-yonayah as a fourth category too.
I have the references here:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2014/10/does-papa-yonay
ah-in-gita-9-32-refer-to-a-fourth-category/

Regarding Prabhupada's translations, I mentioned that Prabhupada himself
didn't freeze the translations - in his classes, he often translated verses
differently from the translation in his books.


***

*The criteria for evaluating the faithfulness of those points*


Regarding the specific issues I spoke on, I have acquired my understanding
on Prabhupada hermeneutics after discussing for over a decade with learned
and devoted Vaishnavas. If my understanding is wrong, I am ready to be a
part of a serious discussion to understand how it is wrong.

For evaluating whether what I spoke was wrong, the talks that led to the
controversy are available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3d74zzgkx0dofa/Self-
destruction%20strategies%202%20Be%20a%20perfectionist.mp3?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vwdzbqi56tnz059/Don%27t%20impose%20materia
l%20standards%20of%20perfection%20on%20the%20acharya.mp3?dl=0

As of now, ISKCON has no official position paper on Prabhupada
hermeneutics; so, there's no standard by which my understanding can be
deemed wrong. Different devotees hold different positions on these issues,
and my understanding is well within the range of acceptable positions. It's
possible that some Vaishnavas may find my position objectionable, and I
will respect them by not speaking in their territory. But it's patently
unfair that they label me publicly as a deviant using criterion that they
have themselves decided and using their own interpretation of what I have
spoken. To give a legal example of the injustice involved, this situation
is akin to the same person being allowed to be the prosecutor, the jury,
the judge and the executor - the poor defendant has no chance of getting
justice.

Even if the points I have spoken are wrong - and the jury is still out on
that - I find it deeply disappointing that over two decades of service to
Srila Prabhupada's mission is being trashed based on a certain
interpretation of certain statements.

I don't have any faithfulness meter that I can put in my heart and share
its reading with others. Still, I will share some points about my
appreciation for his His Divine Grace.

1. It was Srila Prabhupada's selfless sacrifice that inspired me to
dedicate my life to his mission. I had decided to remain a brahmachari even
before I came in touch with ISKCON, but after reading about his struggles
in the Lilamrita, I offered my dandavats to his picture in the Lilamrita
and begged to be accepted for a lifetime of service in his mission.

2. "Markine Bhagavata Dharma", the song that Srila Prabhupada wrote on the
Jaladuta, is one of my most enduring sources of inspiration. I have spoken
on many occasions on it and have written my understanding of the exalted
devotion permeating it in an article here:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2016/06/make-dance-meditation-srila-
prabhupadas-prayer-beholding-american-coastline/

When this article was approved for publishing in BTG, one of the editors
was so appreciative that they asked for permission to use it as a reference
for a seminar explaining the song.

3. For the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, I prayed about how I could glorify
our founder-acharya through writing. And I got the idea through a Vaishnava
to write a short book describing in pictorial form Srila Prabhupada's
incredibly inspiring life-story. In order to keep the focus on Srila
Prabhupada, I decided that the name of the author should not be put on the
cover of this book.
The book "Prabhupada: The moments that made the movement" can be read here:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2015/08/jaladuta-50th-anniversary-special-
new-book-prabhupada-the-moments-that-made-the-movement/



***

*My efforts to defuse the controversy*

Immediately after returning from Bangalore, I reported the whole incident
to my spiritual guides and also consulted many other senior Vaishnavas.
They advised me:

1. To keep my talk topics simple so that the chances of misunderstanding
are lesser.
2. To take great caution while addressing such issues in future - to always
speak elaborately about Srila Prabhupada's spiritual perfection, and to
then respectfully and briefly address what perfection doesn't necessarily
mean eg. Just because the spiritual master is spiritually perfect doesn't
mean that his body will not fall sick.
3. To avoid applying material frames of reference such as creative-critical
to an acharya.

I will be applying these points diligently. i have learnt my lesson and
will be far more circumspect in addressing such topics, even when they come
of their own accord in question-answer sessions.

Regarding the accusation that my words may have damaged the Bangalore
congregation's faith in Srila Prabhupada's perfection, I am ready to
address any specific misunderstandings. When I came to know that a devotee
in Seshadripuram congregation - who is in general inspired by my classes -
was not clear about my statements, I wrote to him separately explaining
those statements. And he was satisfied, saying that his faith in Srila
Prabhupada was strengthened by this understanding.

Although I am presently on a hectic two month tour of
USA-Canada-Panama-England, still I am ready to take time out to similarly
address anyone else's misunderstandings.

Simultaneously, I have also got mails from other devotees in Bangalore who
said that many of their long-held doubts were resolved by my explanations.

Such is the nature of some understandings - the shoe that fits one leg
bites another.

Regarding pacifying the complainants, I have already
1. Clarified my positions multiple times - twice in speaking, once in a
class and again in my Vyasa-puja offering, and through several emails.

2. Apologised twice - once in a class and once in writing through email. I
am pasting the apology here:

**
Subject: Statement stressing Srila Prabhupada's transcendental perfection

Dear Devotees of ISKCON Sheshadripuram
Please accept my humble obeisances. Jaya Srila Prabhup€da.

I thank you for your kind association, eager participation and thoughtful
questions during the last week. Also, I sincerely apologize for having
caused so much disturbance due to my inconsiderate words.

I believe firmly and unquestioningly in Srila Prabhupada's transcendental
perfection. I believe that His Divine Grace is perfect in terms of having
given us the perfect knowledge of sadhana and sadhya, which is the only
knowledge that truly matters for us sadhakas seeking to get out of this
dangerous material existence. And I simply wanted to help bring that point
of Srila Prabhupada's transcendental perfection into focus.

The understanding that I intended to share during my QA on 20-8-16 and
thereafter is what I have acquired by consulting senior Vaishnavas who are
deeply faithful to Srila Prabhupada. That understanding helped stabilize
and strengthen my faith in his transcendental perfection, for it empowered
me to shift my attention in his teachings from things that don't matter to
the things that actually matter.

But as Srila Prabhupada would say at times, one man's food is another man's
poison. For the majority of Srila Prabhupada's followers who are simple
enough or serious enough to have never got distracted to the things that
don't matter, my words had the potential to cause unnecessary agitation
instead of bringing freedom from unnecessary agitation, which was my
intention.

For this unintended consequence, I am deeply regretful. After talking with
several concerned Vaishnavas such as Madhura Gauranga Prabhu and Narayan
Padmanabha Prabhu and especially with Vidvan Gauranga Prabhu, I realize
that I spoke without due consideration of time-place-circumstance, and that
was my serious mistake - a mistake that I fervently regret and will
meticulously avoid in future.

In my yesterday's Vyasapuja offering, I reiterated my faith in Srila
Prabhupada's transcendental perfection. But that point may not have been
adequately highlighted amidst the other points I spoke. So, I am writing
this email to explicitly emphasize that point - and to also seek
forgiveness from His Divine Grace and his faithful followers.

Thanking you for your kind tolerance
I remain,
Your servant,
Chaitanya Charan das

**

3. Despite being subjected to heart-wrenching accusations of being a
deviant, I have tried to be tolerant and humble in my responses. Eventually
to avoid provoking the accuser any further, I have stopped responding. I am
sending this clarification only on the instruction of my spiritual guides.
I have assured the accuser that I won't be visiting their temple again and
have requested those who invited me there to remove my books from that
temple.

What more can I do?

Your servant,
Chaitanya Charan das
www.thespiritualscientist.com
www.gitadaily.com