His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja in the form of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Years have passed, and the days when Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja met my spiritual master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, seem remote and far away. They are not. Both Prabhupadas, Bhaktisiddhanta and Bhaktivedanta, are identical in their message and mission. The only existing autobiography of Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja, written by Bhakti Vikasa Swami, was written to demonstrate the identical purpose and mission of both spiritual giants.
And so, asking myself, 'Who am I to dare glorify Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja on this auspicious day of his appearance?' I can only quote my spiritual master, who followed in every detail his guru in the same uncompromising way as he himself fiercely protected the purity of Krishna's words. One of the symptoms of speaking the truth is that I may get killed for it. In the world of the cheated and cheaters, a quote from Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja states that truth is not welcomed, as it brings responsibility to each of us. It’s never "them"; it’s always "us" who facilitate hypocrisy by our negligence and passivity.
As one man said, "I am not afraid of cruel people; I fear those who facilitate cruelty." It is this "simha guru", or lion guru, mentality that Srila Prabhupada entirely inherited from his guru. Despite being tolerant of the weaknesses of others, he never accepted their hypocrisy. What is the difference between weakness and hypocrisy? A weak person admits his conditioning; a hypocrite never does that.
This division between the honest and the hypocrites also closely defines the rise and fall of each individual and, potentially, a whole movement altogether. A weak one will instinctively seek shelter at the feet of the strong one. A hypocrite, bereft of any introspection, will claim he is the shelter. An honest man will lead others to the shelter he found; a narcissistic hypocrite will lead others to himself. An honest man will establish the principle of truth; a hypocrite will establish his version of truth by putting himself at the centre. An honest man will SERVE the revealed scriptures; a hypocrite will USE the revealed scriptures for his own purpose.
As Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja fiercely demonstrated the original purpose and meaning of Krishna's appearance, so did Srila Prabhupada show us how never to step back when facing hypocrisy. The more one speaks the truth, the smaller audience one will get, and so it is simply amazing how Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja established Krishna Consciousness in India and "our Srila Prabhupada" established Krishna Consciousness all over the world by following the plan of his guru.
(A footnote: When Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers, among other things, criticised Srila Prabhupada for assuming the same title as his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada showed them that this title was not printed on his correspondence letters. He didn’t even bother to explain to them that the title "Prabhupada"—the one on whose lotus feet many other prabhus sit—is not assigned to a particular person but designates the post such a devotee represents.)
Srila Prabhupada and his guru showed us how to represent, not how to control. Of course, every leader assumes, to some degree, the position of a controller, but he himself doesn’t see it that way; he sees the responsibility that automatically comes along with his control. As we see today, there are "leaders" who claim to be authorised to control, but they refuse to be responsible for what they "controlled", claiming to be "victims of the circumstances" or "not being followed as their genius visions are not understood". Blaming their followers for being fools, these arrogant fellows end up living in a world of their own, entirely disconnected from reality. Once again, the division between a hypocrite and a real follower is evident.
And so Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja, not caring for his opponents, fiercely preached the original meaning of the message given in the revealed scriptures without adjusting it to the liking of the audience. It was his purity that attracted many, not the populism of a narcissist. When meeting such a spiritual giant, one finds oneself challenged by his purity, provoked to at least try to follow the path of righteousness by improving one's character. A hypocrite doesn’t care for character; his actions are motivated by momentarily arising opportunities and the foolishness of the pious ones who follow without proper knowledge.
Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja and our Srila Prabhupada wanted us to KNOW. Hypocrites want us to BELIEVE. Those who are truly following A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and his guru in the spirit of guru-parampara, the disciplic succession, are not impressed by personality cults created for the liking of the masses. The truth in this world of cheaters and the cheated will always be represented by the minority. But it is purity that attracts Krishna’s blessings and will automatically bring success to the minority.
Srila Prabhupada came to save us all, but simultaneously, he didn’t depend on our approval, money, or praise. His priority was to serve his guru, and so he started—uninvited and without any material assets—a movement for those who instinctively share the same aversion to hypocrisy and deceitful actions of the "leaders" of today.
Srila Prabhupada’s and Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja’s movement is not for hypocrites; it is for the righteous ones who cannot be bribed or flattered. It is for the "freedom lovers" and "lovers of truth" who are ready to stand up against hypocrisy regardless of the opposition of the masses.
Materialists are dying for temporary ideals that will perish anyway. Real spiritualists are dying for ideals of eternity—ideals that will never change and that bring spiritual happiness and satisfaction to those who embrace them.
Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja’s and Bhaktivedanta Swami’s ideals are worth dying for. One lifetime is a very short period in our eternal voyage from one body to another. But a lifetime spent becoming a servant of the mission these spiritual giants entrusted to us is well spent. It is to our eternal credit that we got the chance to live in the shadows of such amazing transcendental personalities like our Srila Prabhupada and his guru. Their mission was to offer this cooling shelter in the midst of the blazing heat of material energy to others. Let’s try to repay our debt to them by sharing the mercy we received with others, regardless of their approval or disapproval.
This can be done practically. Thanks to Srila Prabhupada, we have many books to give to others, and thanks to their example, we can always find ourselves joining the harinama, chanting publicly. If not able to do so, we can still chant the Holy Name, hoping one day to be able to become an active part of this great mission entrusted to us. Actually, by becoming a devotee, one will automatically be challenged by the public. One will be forced to preach one way or another, as the life of a devotee and a karmi is ultimately incompatible. "The best defence is a good attack" was Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja's and Srila Prabhupada's policy. Always encouraging others to become active and address the hypocrisy surrounding us on all sides, these spiritual warriors urged their followers to be preachers, not passive onlookers.
This makes their movement different from those movements that advocate spiritual purity in the form of some sort of "retreat" without preaching. Especially in the West, if we do not preach, our purity will sooner or later be compromised by the intense propaganda of the demoniac leaders. The ultimate conflict is the conflict between the righteous and the hypocrites. Let’s see on which side we stand.
Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja and A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami showed us the way.