Solution for Religious Extremism

The solution for religious extremism is the wide scale dissemination of the science of God. Despite so many divergences of opinion, there is only one source of existence. We are all coming from the same place, that original source. When you reconnect with that original source, who must necessarily be a person, in love, you've attained the perfection of consciousness. Whether you call this reconnection Krishna consciousness, Christ consciousness, Buddha consciousness, or Allah consciousness, the aim is one, to become a pure lover of the Supreme Person. This is the real understanding of religion. Real religion unifies everyone. It breaks down all walls. Pseudo religion builds prison-like walls.

Come to the Universal Religion of Pure Love for the Supreme Person


How You Can Help to Save the World

At the present moment our course has over 16,000 subscribers. Although this may seem like a lot, this is a mere pittance compared to the full outreach potential of the internet. Therefore our desire is to expand our subscriber base more and more to reach a much larger portion of the over 3 billion people (more than 40% of the world’s population) who are currently using the internet. If we can at least expand up to 1 billion subscribers, we are confident that this will have a significant impact on the entire global civilization.

So please send us the names and email addresses of anyone you think might be willing to give this course a try, and we will invite them on your behalf to try it.
Send them to sda@backtohome.com

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Will I Be Your Disciple or Srila Prabhupada's Disciple?

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja,

I was recently listening to the lectures of a disciple of another spiritual master. He states that his guru is only his siksha (instructing) guru and that Srila Prabhupada is his diksha (initiating) guru, his main guru. He says that he is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, although he has never met Srila Prabhupada. He also said that Srila Prabhupada has appointed representatives who initiate on his behalf and that according to the "ritvik" system all the devotees who join ISKCON will be directly the disciples of Srila Prabhupada instead of the disciples of his disciples.

So, if I take initiation from you, will I be your disciple or Srila Prabhupada's disciple.

I am totally confused? What is this ritvik system?

Regards
Vishal P.

Answer: My Disciple and Srila Prabhupada's Grand-Disciple

Srila Prabhupada did not create a so-called ritvik system for initiating disciples after his disappearance, that all the new devotees who join ISKCON would become his direct disciples. This is not the disciple succession system that has gone on since time immemorial, in which the one who is now the disciple becomes the next spiritual master. In keeping with Vaisnava tradition, on 18 October 1977, just days before his departure from this world, Srila Prabhupada informed us that he would not be taking any more disciples and that his disciples should start taking disciples. This they began doing on his order after he departed from this world. He had previously instructed us in May of 1977 that after his disappearance these new devotees would be his grand-disciples, not his immediate disciples. The devotees have simply dutifully carried out Srila Prabhupada's instructions.

Envious persons who are not qualified to be spiritual masters have concocted this so-called ritvik system, which was not instituted by Srila Prabhupada to be the system after his departure. This ritvik philosophy is sour grapes philosophy. Because the fox could not reach the grapes, he concluded that they must be sour. Because these ritvik proponents are envious, they have concluded that because Srila Prabhupada did not instruct them to become gurus he did not instruct anyone to become a guru. This is nothing but pure fabrication.

In conclusion, as per Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, if you take initiation from me, you will my disciple and Srila Prabhupada’s grand-disciple. Just as you have a father and grandfather, after initiation I will be your spiritual father, your spiritual master, and Srila Prabhupada will be your spiritual grandfather, the spiritual master of your spiritual master.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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