Don’t Criticise the Critics!

Engulfed in a frenzy centred around ideas of being all one and the same, eliminating any form of judgement, the critics of those who voice their doubts about such sentimental ideas have even entered the ranks of devotees, trying to make us believe that any form of criticism constitutes an offence. Indeed, the threat of being guilty of vaiṣṇava aparādha is a heavy one. Even Lord Caitanya, the most merciful incarnation of the Lord, so liberally offering everybody the chance to become a devotee, can also be misunderstood as entirely dismissing any form of criticism.
But from His own example, we can learn how rigid He became when confronted with hypocrisy and, above all, when facing the violation of laws set by the revealed scriptures. No hypocritical sannyāsī escaped His judgement, and no impersonal “liberal” speculator found a place among His close associates.
The Hypocrisy of Silencing Critics
The greatest hypocrisy of those who would like to silence us by accusing us of criticising is that their approach is, in itself, contradictory, as they openly criticise the critic. If they followed their own doctrine, such arrogant fellows should simply remain silent. Yet silence is what they want us to become in times when hypocrisy prevails. It is not for our own profit, nor is it because of a desire to appear in a superior light to those we criticise, but because the laws Kṛṣṇa Himself established must be preached and protected.
Śrīla Prabhupāda himself, attracting so many by his tolerance and loving care, was not spared from being accused of not being sama-darśina, the saint of equal vision who sees everyone as the same. He clearly exposed such hypocrisy by demonstrating how different we are—eternal individuals, parts of God’s Divine Individuality. His preaching was especially attractive because he dared to say what so many did not.
The Illusion of Oneness and Its Dangers
The idea of oneness seems to attract many as it frees them from responsibility for their own individual actions. It gives the illusion of unity, even though such unification and equality—based on sensual perception and the satisfaction of material desires—are nowhere to be found. Still, the preachers of indiscriminate forgiveness and “love” continue, even in times when, during their lecture, in the next room, a child is molested, a woman is beaten, or the property of our spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is privatised and stolen.
It is our silence that allows such criminal activity to continue, and it is our negligence that facilitates such culprits, encouraging them to persist. True, they are often clever fellows and difficult to expose through criminal charges. But at the very least, based on the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda, we can point out their misconduct and voice our disagreement so that some innocent and ignorant visitors may be warned. It is for the sake of others that we raise our voices, not to install our own opinion.
Our Duty to Speak and Act
We did not come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness to be cheated. We came here to serve God. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us to be transparent and dignified in our actions. A real devotee cannot be tempted or bribed by any amount of money or institutional position. A real devotee is only interested in demonstrating the purity of our Founder-Ācārya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, in the best possible manner.
When opening Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, we find entirely uncompromising statements full of criticism toward the state of today’s society. Those who pose as spiritual guides while cheating the innocent public are instantly exposed by him. Kṛṣṇa Himself, in His Bhagavad-gītā, uses the harshest vocabulary in addressing those who ignore His teachings. It is only under His protection that we can dare to criticise others, as it is our duty to protect the legacy given to us by our spiritual master.
The Polarization of Truth and Falsehood
If we do not do so, we are guilty of facilitating the growth of even greater violence, as the demoniac ones feel no regret, nor do they have any conscience. As much as Śrīla Prabhupāda tolerated and forgave fall downs due to weakness or bad association, he immediately addressed the notorious and repeated violation of even the most basic moral codes of humankind. The culprits were even expelled, being defined as demons.
We cannot imitate Śrīla Prabhupāda, but at the very least, we can follow him by voicing our disagreement when criminal activity takes place under our personal management, while “non-critical” hypocrites dare to criticise those who seek justice.
Once upon a time, I was severely addressed by my ISKCON authority. My GBC wrote to me in an email, warning that I should be careful when finding faults in others, as this could be very dangerous for me. I was horrified, as this was truly not my intention. Only a few minutes later, another email arrived from him, apologising to me. I was shocked. After all, in those days, as in today’s, an apology from a GBC member was unheard of. He wrote:
“I apologise for being so heavy. After all, you are just seeking the Truth.”
I danced in my temple president’s office, around and around, entirely in bliss, having found someone who understood my heart. I served this GBC godbrother of mine for 25 years.
So it is the motivation of a critic that determines whether he is an offender or not—not the issue he is addressing. We must be very careful about our motivation. Once we ascertain that we are not acting out of personal interest but simply refusing to allow our spiritual master and the principles he represents to be compromised, we must voice our disagreement when challenged by those who seek to silence us.
Ultimately, the war that is going on is the war between hypocrites and the righteous. As Śrīla Prabhupāda stated, the ultimate war is between demons and devotees. One way or another, we will end up standing on one side or the other. We may try to remain “neutral,” but such an impersonal state of mind is totally illusory, as demonstrated by those who criticise the critics for being critical. The more one advances in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more the polarisation between right and wrong becomes visible. As Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā, what is day for one is night for the other. There cannot be any compromise.