To: Hansadutta das
From: Das dd
Date: Sunday, 14 April 2002
Subject: Narayan M
Bhima
has decided that we cannot just sit idly by while Narayan M and his pack increase their proselytizing here in Malaysia, at least. We feel particularly bad to see that Govinda and Janmastami and Advaita have taken "initiation" from Narayan M, as well as Hansa Avatar's sisters in law. We do not know whether Hansa Avatar and his wife have also--we have no information. They are becoming bolder and increasing their numbers here.
From: Hansadutta das
Date: Sunday, 14 April 2002
Subject: Narayan M
Becoming bolder and increasing numbers of followers is everyone's goal, but for whom shall we become bolder and for whom do we recruit followers? Discernment and intention, that is the question. Just for counting heads, and increasing one's prestige, that has no value. There must be actual spiritual life, love and trust, so where is the love and where is the trust?
[Das dd
wrote:] ISKCON Malaysia is silent. Rittvik factions are divided, fighting amongst themselves. It seems that either failure to recognise the danger, or apathy due to lack of faith in Srila Prabhupada, or otherwise preoccupation with all our own affairs has caught us up, emboldening Narayan M and his followers. We have felt helpless to do anything much about it, for as much as Bhima has battled with his sister, brother-in-law and various Narayan M
devotees he has met in India, their resolve is undeterred. There is no convincing the diehards.
[Hansadutta
das wrote:] As Srila Prabhupada's disciples we are also "diehards". Instead of clashing with other diehards, we should remain fxed up in our conviction, and be self-satisfied, "Atmaram", and from that self-satisfied conviction we should give Krishna consciousness to those who are innocent, those who have real inquiry, submission and service. These three things must be present in a candidate for Krishna consciousness. We cannot expect to teach those who are not, and do not want to be students. You cannot instruct the children belonging to another family; you can instruct only your own children.
[Das dd
wrote:] But we feel very bad to see the innocents captivated by this Vatsasura. Janmastami and the others had copies of your magazines Srila Prabhupada His Movement and You and Gopimania, but they have been swept away by the tide of sentiment nonetheless. Bhima asks your advice, what is the best way to counter Narayan M or to at least save the confused innocents?
[Hansadutta das wrote:] Innocent means ignorant. According to one's discernment he acts with intention, and according to one's intentions he discerns. They are not innocent; they are ignorant, meaning they have been exposed to the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, they have seen our SPHMAY and other writings, so ignoring all that, they have opted for Narayan M. That means deliberately (Krishna told Arjuna, "Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.") they are ignoring (Ignorance) Srila Prabhupada and embracing Narayan. So how can you help them? If Srila Prabhupada could not save them, then how will you save them? Of course a devotee is always in this compassionate mood, but the medic on the battle field attends those who can definitely be saved, and those that are hopeless, he attends last.
Why not attend to those who are not spiritual mutants of ISKCON, those who are completely inquisitive, submissive and willing to serve? Why bother with these cripple-minded, spiritual invalids? How can you help them?
By criticizing them, you only give them credibility which they do not have, just as the Israelis have made Arafat a monumental world-class political figure by making a colossal show of force, surrounding his compound with tank and soldiers and making repeated demands for him to issue proclamations against terrorism. Before he was a small timer, now he has become the focal point, in the eyes of the whole world, for solving the middle east crisis. The best policy for dealing with Narayan, is to ignore him, and do our own work.
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Take Srila Prabhupada out of the equation, and Narayan has no standing at all. Prabhupada is the basis for everyone and everything. Don't forget this. Concentrate on how great Prabhupada is, not how irrelevant Narayan is.
[Das dd
wrote:] It seems to me that by the time these people finally open and read Srila
Prabhupada's words on the matter, it is too late, they have already succumbed to the infection and lost faith. Certainly it is true of some that before, they were not interested to read and study, and were not steady in chanting. They all too easily became overwhelmed by a show of devotion and talk of how Srila Prabhupada looked to Narayan M as his friend, blah blah blah. Then there are those like Govinda, who read something and understood some part of it but arrived at his own faulty conclusions, such as his determination that Srila Prabhupada could not have been a pure devotee because he had committed an offence against the Holy Name insofar as he preached the glories of the Name to the faithless. I suppose in his case and others, the intelligence has become covered by Maya due to offences against Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada's
servant. How to help these persons? How to save others from becoming confused and bewildered? These are hard times for preaching.
[Hansadutta
das wrote:] All times are hard for preaching, because we are in the kingdom of Maya, the world of deception, the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. If everything in the material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world, then it has to be understood that there is also a perverted reflection of Vaishnavism, or Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, and all the paraphernalia and so-called preaching in the name of Prabhupada and Krishna. Therefore Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta said "Without the self-realized soul at its head, the institution (for preaching) is hijacked by PUTANAS, who use the spiritual institution for their own nefarious ends, from which even common criminals are said to recoil." It is our responsibility to distinguish the genuine spiritual life from the perverted reflection.
[Das dd
wrote:] So many rival factions, that the newcomers do not know in whom to repose their faith. Each faction goes out of its way to try to discredit the other, thus sowing doubt, and when an elderly Indian Swami who claims Srila Prabhupada as his friend comes through, presenting himself as shelter for those who want to follow Srila Prabhupada, the newcomers throng to him. In this world, every kind of nonsense talk is going on--somewhere someone is speaking rubbish, and someone is listening.
[Hansadutta
das wrote:] So why should we enter this arena of non sense talk, duplicity and political wrangling? Suppose you could defeat Narayan and all his followers, would they submit to you? Would the innocent nondevotees be benefitted?
In the gold and jewelery market, there are always two markets, the genuine gold and jewelery articles, and the imitation gold and jewelery market. The imitation market has always many more customers than the genuine market. Does the gold merchant and jeweler make propaganda to warn people about imitation gold and jewels? Does he lower his prices to compete to attract cheap customers? No, they know that those who know the value of real gold and real jewels are prepared to pay the price. Those who are foolish and not prepared to pay for the genuine thing are attracted to costume jewelery, and are satisfied with such imitation things. So in spiritual matters also, there is the genuine spiritual authority and followers, and there is imitation. The showbottle spiritualism will always have more followers. So we always have to examine ourselves first: are we after followers, or are we after following?
[Das dd wrote:] ISKCON has been broadcasting all nonsense for years and years, and some people do still take them seriously. IRM also. Now Narayan M also. But should we just do nothing and allow them to choke the airwaves with all their nonsense banter just like Rappers on the radio? Instead of going away, Narayan M has become more daring even as ISKCON
atrophies. Should we not make a concerted effort to expose Narayan M
for what he really is, and at the same time bring back devotees to the shelter of Srila Prabhupada?
[Hansadutta das wrote:] Preach Krishna consciousness to the innocent people. Don't bother with Narayan, ISKCON, IRM or any other group. Try to teach people about the practical nescessity and application of Prabhupada's philosophy in their daily life. I explained this in my last letter to you. Do as Prabhupada did. One to one, as we are doing here in Cloverdale. You have to begin at the beginning, like Prabhupada did with us. There is no other way.
As long as you overlap orbits with ISKCON or other so-called groups, you will find only controversy, confusion, and ultimately frustration. It is all a pot of sour milk. No matter how much fresh milk you pour into a pot of sour milk, it will just turn the fresh milk sour. You cannot bring the sour milk back to fresh. In your attempt to preach, avoid these factional confrontations, and dissidents, either individually or as a group. It will never bear fruit. Unfortunately these devotees are spoiled. You must try to recruit new blood, those who have no connection with all this in-fighting. See my last letter. I tried to explain it there. I hope you are both well. Hello, Hare Krishna to Bhakti.
Your servant,
Hansadutta das