2013
From Dānavīr Goswami to Çréla Prabhupäda
My dearest Guru Mahäräja, Çréla Prabhupäda,
nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale
çrémate bhaktivedänta-sväminn iti nämine
namas te särasvate deve gaura-väëé-pracäriëe
nirviçeña-çünyavädi-päçcätya-deça-täriëe
Jaya Oà Viñëupäda Paramahaàsa Parivräjakäcärya Añöottara-çata (108) Çré Çrémad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda ké jaya!
Thank you for allowing me to try to serve Your Divine Grace and your Lords Caitanya, Nityänanda, and Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa, along with Çrématé Rädhäräëé, even though I lack much.
Recently someone told me that he thought ISKCON was sectarian because it distinguished itself from other, similar Vaiñëava organizations. I explained to the best of my meager ability why it was not, drawing from what I have learned from my dear gurudeva. In brief, I said that Lord Çré Kåñëa is the origin of all personal expansions (sväàça), the impersonal brahma-jyoti effulgence, and the separated living entities (vibhinnäàça). Furthermore, He is the undisputed father, maintainer, and ultimate annihilator of all species of life (sarva-yoniñu). As the Supersoul, He enters every atom (andäntara-stha-paramäëucayäntara-stham) of the temporary creation. Literally nothing is outside of Çré Kåñëa’s jurisdiction—-every “thing” and every “one” is connected to Him. There is no possibility of Kåñëa’s being sectarian.
Lord Kåñëa is also the head of all four Vaiñëava sampradäyas (disciplic successions), including the Brahma-Mädhva-Gauòéya line, from which ISKCON has grown. ISKCON’s founder-äcärya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda, exactly imbibed the understanding, vision, and mission of his spiritual preceptors, especially Oà Viñëupäda Paramahaàsa Parivräjakäcärya Añöottara-çata (108) Çrémad Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Prabhupäda. Since Kåñëa’s original teachings have perfectly been passed down through this chain of masters, and because Çréla Prabhupäda superbly demonstrated and elucidated them as well, ISKCON has become a perfect society. Any organization that practices and teaches the pure principles of Çré Kåñëa without compromise is the same as ISKCON. Similarly, to the degree that any organization practices and teaches the profound instructions of Lord Kåñëa, it can be considered allied with ISKCON. ISKCON is not sectarian; rather, it is simply dedicated to following its founder-äcärya and pleasing him.
But my friend had another doubt as to how ISKCON can be considered pure although sometimes its members deviate from the spiritual principles. Your Divine Grace previously answered this question when a young female disciple of yours asked Your Divine Grace why Kåñëa has an external energy. She reasoned that since Kåñëa is pure there shouldn’t be any impure or negative things emanating from Him, such as the external energy, mäyä, which binds the living entities to birth and death. You answered her back with a brilliant question. You said, “Suppose you are very nice girl, nice, but because you pass some urine or stool, does it mean that you are bad?” Everyone got the point.
In the same way, ISKCON remains pure even though some impure elements pass through and out of it. Çréla Prabhupäda designed it that way, and that is why his sincere followers strive to perpetuate it. Perpetuating ISKCON’s legacy of purity from within ISKCON—-not from outside of the movement—is in my humble opinion a very important part of displaying one’s faithfulness to His Divine Grace. We must resist the temptation to consider ourselves morally superior to ISKCON.
Çréla Prabhupäda, although nearly useless, I request the benediction to be allowed to serve Your Divine Grace’s movement in this inside manner. You are my hero in every respect, and I aspire to “do as you are doing” someday and to follow in your lotus footsteps eternally.
Your insignificant aspiring servant,
Dänavér Goswami
