Preaching Means Fighting with Māyā (05/22/19)
Dandavats __________,
Śrī Śrī Guru Gaurāṅga jayate!
Thank you for your question and your appreciation of our Let’s Talk videos.
Those verses from Bhāgavatam are meant for the bhajanānandīs, not the gosthyānandīs (preachers of the madhyama-adhikārī class). A preacher, a guru, a sannyāsī and even a brāhmaṇa should show proper discrimination, and for an ācārya it is most important to point out the defects and failures of such things as modern civilization, bogus spiritual teachers, māyāvādīs, etc, etc.
Preaching means fighting with māyā, not love-bombing and tree-hugging, although we should make the truth palatable to hear, but not water it down. The main problem is that leaders in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement are misleading the devotees by not speaking out against deviations. The result is that there are so many deviations in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement that it is almost impossible to keep track of them.
The quote that you mentioned is NOT a quote by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta, although he has said similar things. For example, in a letter to a disciple as follows:
“I received your card dated November 26 and another letter following that. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam has instructed us not to praise or criticize others’ nature or activities. It is said also in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata that one goes to hell by criticizing others. My instruction to you is not to criticize others, but to correct and purify yourself. I am forced to criticize my own disciples and those who have come to me for instruction. I do not understand why you would go out of your way to try to perform such a difficult task.
The servant of the Harijanas,
Śrī Siddhanta Sarasvati“
[Delhi Gauḍīya Maṭha, New Delhi, December 4, 1931]
The above letter quoted is a translation of the Bengali, originally printed in the Gauḍīya Maṭha “Prabhupāder Patrāvalī” a collection of letters written by Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
So, we should not criticize devotees for their faults, but in no way are we to standby and watch deviation destroy the work of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Here is another quote from Bhaktisiddhānta’s commentary to Caitanya–bhāgavata, Madhya–khāṇḍa 13.312 as follows:
“To criticize the activities of non-devotees is called sad–upadeśa, or proper instruction.”
Hoping the above information is helpful for you.
Vaiṣṇava-sevaite,
Swami Narasiṅgha
