He presents many Mayavadi singers who claim to be performing kirtan in his book, but they are not actually performing kirtan.

Serpents ARE Damned!: "if one associates with the Mayavada philosophy, his devotional life is doomed"

Satyaraja's article, posted a while back on dandavats.com, represents a very shameless and offensive attitude of which ISKCON has adopted since 1977. Actually we can not really refer to this movement as ISKCON who has adopted this attitude. ISKCON is a pure movement presented by a bonifide Acharya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, who daily spoke directly with Krishna while forming his movement. Rather, we should refer to this adopted side movement as FISKCON (Fraudulent ISKCON) because it does not actually represent ISKCON. There are many who are actually following ISKCON and it is still very much alive, but FISKCON seems to have some prominent members with their own agenda in mind.

The crux of this attitude in this FISKCON movement is very simple: "Srila Prabhupada is gone, now we must change with the modern times. We must compromise."

This is a very dangerous road to take indeed.

Satyaraja, who has been known to be a very scholarly writer, seems to have gone way off the mark with his new book about kirtan. He is off in the actual meaning of kirtan. He presents many Mayavadi singers who claim to be performing kirtan in his book, but they are not actually performing kirtan. Srila Prabhupada said "from the grammatical point of view" it may be kirtan. But real kirtan means "describing the Supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead". One who is a Mayavadi is one who propagates God as Everything and Everyone, therefore his kirtan is not actually kirtan at all.

"The chanting process offered by Lord Chaitanya for achieving love of God is called samkirtan [also sankirtan]. Samkirtan is a Sanskrit word. Sam means samyak – "complete." And kirtan means "glorifying" or "describing." So complete description means "complete glorification of the Supreme, or the Supreme Complete Whole". It is not that one can describe anything or glorify anything and that will be kirtan. From the grammatical point of view that may be kirtan, but according to the Vedic system, kirtan means describing the Supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called kirtan." [Science of Self Realization 5, "The Appearance of Lord Chaitanya"]

Satyaraja writes:

"Again, I know many of these "outside" kirtaniyas personally, and I know them to be good, sincere people, with a true appreciation of the holy name. That qualifies them to chant and to be heard. That's why they're included in the book."

These so-called kirtaniyas that Satyaraja refers to have a clear message: "THE PATH TO THE ONE".

Here are a few examples:

"Satsang is where people gather together to remember, to turn within and find their own inner path to the One" — Krishnadas [http://www.krishnadas.com/chanting.cfm]

To quote from Krishnadas's authoritative source, his Guru Neem Karoli Baba says:

"If you want to see God, kill desires. Desires are in the mind. When you have a desire for something, don't act on it and it will go away. If you desire to drink this cup of tea, don't, and the desire for it will fall away." — Neem Karoli Baba

Srila Prabhupada has emphatically commented on this subject:

"The impersonalists recommend that one should become desireless, and others recommend banishing desires altogether. That is impossible; no one can banish desires altogether because desiring is the living symptom. Without having desires a living entity would be dead, which he is not. Therefore, living conditions and desire go together. perfection of desires may be achieved when one desires to serve the Lord, and the Lord also desires that every living entity banish all personal desires and cooperate with His desires. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gita. Brahmaji agreed to this proposal, and therefore he is given the responsible post of creating generations in the vacant universe. Oneness with the Lord therefore consists of dovetailing one's desires with the desires of the Supreme Lord. That makes for the perfection of all desires." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.25]

Another example:

"When a man has reached the point where he can sit in meditation for six months, there is no need of eating, no need of latrine or of rest. Only one drop of amrit nectar from the top of the head to the body keeps him alive. If a tiger eats that body there is no care, but only when the life comes back to the body will there be pain." — Neem Karoli Baba

Srila Prabhupada says:

"The Yoga-shastra also prescribes meditation on Vishnu, and not meditation on the void. The so-called yogis who meditate on something which is not the Vishnu form simply waste their time in a vain search after some phantasmagoria. We have to be Krishna conscious – devoted to the Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real yoga." [Bhagavad-gita 2.61: PURPORT]

We find this written from one of Neem Karoli Baba's disciples Ram Dass:

"Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj was a great Indian saint of the Himalayan lineage who left his body in 1973. Neem Karoli Baba is also known as Neeb Karori Baba, and is called "Maharaj-ji" by His devotees. Maharaj-ji's teachings were simple and universal. He often said, "Sub Ek" - All is One. — Ram Dass

Srila Prabhupada refutes this proposal over and over again:

"So this Mayavadi philosophy, to become one with the supreme father, is like that". . ."So this is the last snare, that to become one with the Supreme. Ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-ma...tvayy asta-bhavat. Because they have no information that they can go back to home, back to Godhead, and enjoy the company of the Supreme Lord, they think that to become one with the Supreme, that is the highest perfection." [lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.33-34 — Bombay, December 3, 1974]

"The Mayavada philosophy, impersonalists, they say that if God has expanded in everything there is no particular personal existence of God. That is Mayavada philosophy. But that is not the fact. Fact is that although God is personal, He is person. Just like you are person, I am person, He is person, but He is the Supreme Person. And everything is expanded by His energy." [Srila Prabhupada, lecture on Bhagavad-gita 9.5 — Melbourne, April 24, 1976]

Satyaraja writes:

"Indeed, there are only a small number of ISKCON conservatives who would deign to see "snakes" where there aren't any, and they often make their assessment based on superficial differences."

Srila Prabhupada make this very clear when he says,

"So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade." [Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.2.5: Lectures, Vrindaban, October 16, 1972]

We, we don't make any flattery to satisfy the whims of the ordinary... We speak from Srimad-Bhagavatam, we speak from Bhagavad-gita, and present them as it is, without any adulteration. This is our position. If you like, then you make progress. If you don't like, that is your option. But we cannot make any compromise. We must present the shastra as it is." [SB 1.2: Lectures, Calcutta, September 27, 1974]

"If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required." [Srila Prabhupada, Perfection of Yoga Ch. 4]

Satyaraja goes on to write:

"For these few who might be worried, I have a few words to say. What is it that makes one a serpent anyway? Does a card-carrying member of ISKCON automatically eschew serpent status? Is anyone outside the parameters of the movement necessarily a serpent?"

This is a nice, fluffy scholastic paragraph. But, actually, Srila Prabhupada makes it easy for us to understand:

"We are all originally situated on the platform of Krishna consciousness in our eternal personal relationship of love of Krishna. But due to forgetfulness we become familiar with the material world or Maya." [Letter to: Stan — Bombay 17 November, 1970]

What makes a serpent? Those who are opposed to Krishna, those who are specifically preaching that "we are all one", "we are just as equal and powerful as Krishna". These people are serpents. Srila Prabhupad referred to them as "almost demons" (even worse) who, if they are heard reciting scriptures, preaching the glories of Krishna, or chanting Krishna's names, a create a poisonous effect.

"One should not hear anything about Krishna from a non-Vaishnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krishna given by a non-Vaishnava are also poisonous." [SB 6.17.40]

"As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects." [TYS 6: The Hare Krishna Mantra]

Satyatraj goes on to write:

"Sometimes we call someone a serpent if they're critical of ISKCON. But if we think about it, we insiders, too, are often critical of our beloved institution, and often with good reason. Let us consider, then, that maybe Krishna is sometimes speaking through our critics –p to edify us, to make us more vigilant about correction and change. In these cases, such persons are not necessarily serpents. They might in fact be angels in disguise."

Criticisms of the ISKCON society are some how similar to the Vaishnava's criticisms of Mayavadi philosophers?

How he can mingle these two points without readers catching this is beyond me. They are two different subjects altogether and not at all analogous.

It is not very complicated; a Mayavadi is someone who preaches that "we are all one". A devotee is a devotee. If the devotee is preaching something different from what his Guru teaches, then he is not a devotee; he is a rascal and should be called so by – as Satyaraja says – the "angels in disguise."

Satyaraja goes on to say:

"So let us reflect on just what it means to actually be a serpent – it might be slightly more nuanced than we at first suspect. To be fair, there are positive serpents, too: Sesaji is the bedstead of Lord Vishnu and Muchalinda shielded Buddha from the elements as he sat wrapped in meditation. Not all serpents are dangerous."

We can only comment that Satyaraja has not at all "reflected" on what it actually means to be a serpent, referring to Sesa as if he were merely one of us (how offensive), then he merely brushes it off with a half joke – "Not all serpents are dangerous."

He goes on to write:

"In all seriousness, though, when Srila Prabhupada uses the metaphor – "milk touched by the lips of a serpent" – he is referring chiefly to "nondevotees," to people who professionally recite the Bhagavatam, to those who have no true feeling for spiritual subjects, and so on. The idea is that the holy name is as pure and as nourishing as milk. But even such prophylactic substances can be compromised by outside elements, indicating that the "milk" of the holy name should be taken purely, without "contaminating influence."

It is not that Mayavadis are simply "nondevotees, or people who professionally recite the Bhagavatam, to those who have no true feeling for spiritual subjects, and so on." Yes, they are "nondevotees" but they are more than that. They are preaching that "Krishna Is Dead", "We Are All One", "We Are ALL Krishna", "ALL IS ONE". This is what Krishnadas says, this is what Jai Uttal says. This is impersonalism, and it is in fact as Srila Prabhupada instructs, "Milk touched by the lips of a serpent causes a poisonous effect."

Satyaraja boarders offensiveness by referring to the Maha Mantra as a mere "prophylactic substance", something that can ward off disease but which can be compromised. Actually, it is not the mantra itself that is compromised; it is the person who is chanting it. The mantra is there, it is 100% pure, but it acts very weak when it is chanted by the nondevotee. Just like if your stomach is not working properly. The food is there, it has all the power to work, but if your stomach is not working properly, then the food will not produce very much energy. Srila Prabhupada explains in the following conversation:

RAMESVARA: If you want to sell some product, you may make so many claims, and then the public will buy. So sometimes we quote these psychologists who have done studies that "If you chant Hare Krishna, there are some good effects."
PRABHUPADA: Good there is undoubtedly. If you eat something, there will be some effect of eating. But if it is properly eaten, properly made, it will be, have better effect. That is the idea.
RAMESVARA: We were thinking that something is better than nothing.
[Room Conversation With Artists and About BTG, February 25, 1977, Mayapur]

Satyaraja goes on to write:

"All interviewees in my kirtan book are serious about the holy name and aspire to advance in spiritual life. They want to develop love for God; they are generally humble and sincere people. Readers may have heard other stories; but I know these individuals personally. Even if one doubts these chanters because they come from an alternate lineage or hold a different understanding of ultimate reality, is it not true that by associating with devotees this can all be rectified? Consider the words of the Chaitanya-charitamrta: "When one is encouraged in devotional service by the association of devotees, one becomes free from all unwanted contamination . . ." (Madhya 23:10) Does this not speak to the importance and effectiveness of us working together, as we do in this kirtan book?"

What he has done here is "compromise" the instructions of The Acharya, his own Guru. No it is not true that "by associating with devotees this can all be rectified" as he poses the question. Actually, only if one comes in contact with a bonifide spiritual master and "fully surrenders unto him" can one be rectified.

"When we, when we see some person, we do not associate with him, but we give him chance to associate with me. Why you should make compromise? What is the reason? If you know something positively, why should you make compromise?" [Morning Walk-June 11, 1974, Paris]

Srila Prabhupada specifically says not to associate with Mayavadis and NOT TO COMPROMISE!

Srila Prabhupada talks on this very topic of compromising – and I will leave the reader with these selected quotes:

"So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade." [Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.2: Lectures, Vrindaban, October 16, 1974]

"If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required." [Srila Prabhupada, Perfection of Yoga Ch.4]

"If one desires to make a compromise with the Mayavadis, he is also engaged in material activity. A devotee should never make compromises with nondevotees. By acting as a professional guru, mystic yogi or miracle man, one may cheat and bluff the general public and gain fame as a wonderful mystic, but all this is considered to be dust, straw and grains of sand within the heart." [CC Madhya 12.135 : PURPORT]

"You haven't got to do anything more. Just hear about Krishna. Shrinvatam sva-kathah... Then everything will be cleared, gradually.. This is our purpose. This center is giving chance that you come here and hear about... We, we don't make any flattery to satisfy the whims of the ordinary... We speak from Srimad-Bhagavatam, we speak from Bhagavad-gita, and present them as it is, without any adulteration. This is our position. If you like, then you make progress. If you don't like, that is your option. But we cannot make any compromise. We must present the shastra as it is." [SB 1.2: Lectures, Calcutta, September 27, 1974]

"Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has condemned this Mayavadi commentary. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa [Cc. Madhya 6.169]. Mayavadi krishne aparadhi. He has plainly said. No compromise. The Mayavadis, they're great offender to Krishna. Tan aham dvisatah kruran [Bg. 16.19], Krishna also says. They're very, very envious to Krishna. Krishna is dvi-bhuja-muralidhara, shyamasundara, and the Mayavadi explains that "Krishna has no hand, no leg. This is all imagination." How much offensive it is they do not know. But to warn people like us, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has plainly warned that "Don't go to Mayavadis." Mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa. Mayavadi haya krishne aparadhi. This is the statement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu." [lecture on SB 1.7.8 — Vrindaban, September 7, 1976]

"if anyone hears the Mayavadis' interpretation of the pastimes of the Lord, or their interpretation of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam or any other Vedic literature, then he is doomed. Once one is associated with impersonalists, he can never understand the personal feature of the Lord and His transcendental pastimes." ["The Status Quo": SB 3.19.33]

"When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, "What is your this religion? You are eating your father and mother?" Directly. Not that He was talking with a magistrate, He should be a little respectful. No. In spiritual matter, everything spoken frankly, no compromise. Just like we say, "You are not a Krishna conscious person. Then you are a rascal. That's all." You may be the president. That doesn't matter. But because you are not Krishna conscious, you are rascal. There is no compromise, "Oh, here is a big man. How he is speaking." We see everywhere. So many scientists come. I say, "You are rascal. You are demon." [laughter] I say it. And they tolerate. I prove that he is a rascal. I prove that he is a rascal, he is a demon" [lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.3 — Los Angeles, December 31, 1973]

"Therefore we have to take shelter of such person who has taken Krishna as the only shelter, vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma [Bg. 7.19]. We have to take shelter of such mahatma. Not others. Mad-deva... these are the different items, mad-deva-sangad guna-kirtanan me. Not that now they have invented that, why Hare Krishna, we can chant shivo 'ham, shivo 'ham, om, om, kali, kali, durga. They are all nonsense. They are all nonsense. Here bhakti-yoga means, here it is, guna-kirtanan me. Not others. You cannot [compromise], "This is also good, that is also good." No compromise — krishna-kirtan. Just like Gosvamis, they said, krishnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau. Not others. Utkirtana, Hare Krishna. Kirtanad eva krishnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51]. These are the instructions. Shravanam kirtanam vishnoh [SB 7.5.23], not of Shiva, not of Durga, not of any other demigod. Shravanam kirtanam vishnoh smaranam pada-sevanam. Here Shukadeva Gosvami says, guna-kirtanan me." [lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.14-Vrindaban, November 2, 1976]

"Sadhu shastra. As shastra, there is no change. Not that "Modernize, the shastra should be changed." No. That is nonsense. That is not shastra. Shastra cannot be changed. "Circumstantially, it will be changed, seasonal changes." No. That is not shastra. Shastra means it is perpetual. What Krishna said five thousand years ago or Krishna said some forty millions of years ago to the sun god... Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. He says, "I am talking to you that puratanam yogam." Not that "Because it has passed millions of years and now it is a different time, so I will have to change." No. He said, "I am talking to you that very old system." Is it not? Just see. The shastra cannot be changed. God's word cannot be changed. Then what will be the difference between God and ourself? He is always perfect. He is always perfect. What He said forty millions of years ago, what He said five thousand years ago, that is also correct up to date. That is shastra. Not that "So many years have passed and it has become old. Now let us reform it and put it into new way." No. You can put the same thing in a new way, but you cannot change the principle" [lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.6.8 — Vrindaban, November 30, 1976]

"One professor in France, he has plainly said that even Aurobindo or Dr. Radhakrishnan, they presented this Vedic culture in a modernized way, not in its original traditional form. That is a fact. We don't make any compromise. Therefore we have especially meant Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness means to follow what Krishna says." [Srila Prabhupada, Speech to Devotees, Vrindaban, April 7, 1976]

"PRABHUPADA: Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna... While preaching our movement we should take this attitude. We cannot make compromise with anyone. Krishna, Krishna, Chaitanya... Lord Chaitanya's cult is to preach the instruction or talks about Krishna. That's all. Yare dekha, tare kaha krishna-upadesha [Cc. Madhya 7.128]." [Morning Walk — April 29, 1973, Los Angeles]

"PRABHUPADA: I don't make any compromise with these rascals. No words. No, no. I never made that. Even if I don't get any disciples, I'll be satisfied. But I can't make any compromise like these rascals. I cannot make. Ekas chandras tamo hanti na cha tara sahasrasah. If I create one moon, that is sufficient. I don't want many stars. That was my Guru Maharaja's principle, and that is my principle. What is the use of having number of fools and rascals? If one man understands rightly, he can deliver the whole world." [Morning Walk — March 23, 1974, Bombay]

PARAMAHAMSA: Our position in preaching should be to encourage people in all respects to associate with us.
PRABHUPADA: Yes.
PARAMAHAMSA: That means sometimes we might have to compromise in certain ways.
PRABHUPADA: Why compromise? You don't compromise. Then you associate with him. If you make compromise, then you associate with him. Then gradually you'll also go down. When we, when we see some person, we do not associate with him, but we give him chance to associate with me. Why you should make compromise? What is the reason? If you know something positively, why should you make compromise? When people come to talk with me, see me, I don't make any compromise. Do I make any compromise?
DEVOTEES: No.
PRABHUPADA: Then why shall we make compromise? That gentleman, Mr. Herbert, Gene Herbert, he said that "It has taken eighteen years to write these books." I said, "Still, there are so many mistakes." Immediately I said. And he could not say anything. Do you remember that?
DEVOTEES: Yes.
PRABHUPADA: Immediately I said, "Yes, you have labored eighteen years. Still, there are so many mistakes."
NITAI: Anyone else would have said, "Oh! Very nice."
PRABHUPADA: [laughs] Eh? I did not say.
PUSTA-KRSNA: He said that morning "What can we do, Prabhupada?" He said, "What can we do? If we do not compromise, we will make enemies."
PRABHUPADA: No, you'll not compromise; at the same time, you'll not make enemies. That is tactics. If you make enemies, then what is your tactics? You must speak the truth; at the same time he'll not be displeased. That is tactics. If you can defeat him by your argument, then he'll not be displeased. After all, everyone is human being. If you can find out his defect, why he shall be enemy? Therefore, it is said, "You better make a reasonable man an enemy, but don't make a friend fool." You don't make friendship with a fool, but if a man is intelligent, better make him an enemy. Because, because he's intelligent, although he's an enemy, he'll not do any harm. Because intelligent. But a fool, he may pose himself as friend, and he can do anything which is very harmful." [Morning Walk-June 11, 1974, Paris]

PRABHUPADA: "...As soon as you make compromise, then it is finished. Dridha-vratah. Find out this verse. Dridha-vratah. What is that? Bhajante mam dridha-vratah. Namasyantas cha mam...
CHARU: Bhajante mam dridha-vratah.
PRABHUPADA: Ah, ah. That dridha-vratah must be there, strong determination. Then it will go on. The scientists will come to learn and the psychiatrists will come to learn if you keep dridha-vratah. And as soon as you make compromise, then nobody will care for." [Room Conversation with Devotees - July 2, 1974, Melbourne]

"PRABHUPADA: Yes. That is making us successful. We do not make any compromise. This is our method. If you like, you take it. If you don't like, you go away. Don't mind." [Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare — May 21, 1975, Melbourne]

"No, everyone is welcome. But they must see what is our ideal. Then one day they will also come. So our ideal should be always there, not that we make some compromise. Then it will not be effective." [Morning Walk — June 23, 1975, Los Angeles]

"One should not hear anything about Krishna from a non-Vaishnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krishna given by a non-Vaishnava are also poisonous." [SB 6.17.40]

"As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects." [Krishna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System 6: "The Hare Krishna Mantra"]

"Those who are not Vaishnava, those who are not devotees, one should not hear from them. It is useless. It is useless, waste of time. Shravanam na kartavyam sarpocchistam payo yatha. Just like milk touched by the lips of a serpent is poison. You cannot say it is milk, very nice. No. Because it is touched by the lips of the serpent it is useless. Similarly, as soon as a professional reciter or a non-Vaishnava reciter, without any realization, without being a devotee of the Lord, cites, recites, that should not be heard. That is restricted by Sanatana Gosvami. Avaishnava mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamritam shravanam naiva kartavyam. Because you'll not derive any benefit. You go on hearing for thousand of years. Thousands of years, still you'll remain where you were in the beginning." [lecture on The Nectar of Devotion — Bombay, January 10, 1973]

"If anyone hears the Mayavadis' interpretation of the pastimes of the Lord, or their interpretation of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam or any other Vedic literature, then he is doomed. Once one is associated with impersonalists, he can never understand the personal feature of the Lord and His transcendental pastimes." ["The Status Quo": SB 3.19.33]

"The Mayavadi philosopher cannot understand that the Lord has feelings. The Lord is satisfied if someone offers Him a nice prayer, and similarly, if someone decries His existence or calls Him by ill names, God is dissatisfied. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is decried by the Mayavadi philosophers, who are almost demons. They say that God has no head, no form, no existence and no legs, hands or other bodily limbs. In other words, they say that He is dead or lame. All these misconceptions of the Supreme Lord are a source of dissatisfaction to Him; He is never pleased with such atheistic descriptions. In this case, although the Lord felt sorrow from the piercing words of the demon, He delivered the earth for the satisfaction of the demigods, who are ever His devotees. The conclusion is that God is as sentient as we are. He is satisfied by our prayers and dissatisfied by our harsh words against Him. In order to give protection to His devotee, He is always ready to tolerate insulting words from the atheists." ["The Status Quo": SB 3.18.6]

"Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore strictly forbidden us to associate with Mayavadi philosophers. Mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: if one associates with the Mayavada philosophy, his devotional life is doomed." [SB 7.15.6]