Don't Criticise-Analyse!
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Already in his early days of preaching in the West, Srila Prabhupada, realising the obstinate nature of the western people, pointed out: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am not criticising; I am analysing!”
Criticism is perceived by fearful mayavadi types of people as dangerous, as it may contain the truth about their own conditioning. Then there are those who professionally criticise in order to tear down whomever they consider to be of superior intelligence and superior power. The driving force behind their criticism is envy, and envy is indeed a powerful source of energy.
Srila Prabhupada was perceived as uncompromising and bold in his statements, exposing “fools and rascals,” as he often used these words. Inheriting this “simha preaching,” the lion-type fighting spirit from his guru Bhaktisiddhanta maharaja, Srila Prabhupada gradually
sharpened his tone, earning a good amount of enemies and critics along the way.
The hypocrisy of “critical people criticising critical people” is that they actually do the same.
If one is supposed to be free of any criticism, then why criticise those who criticise?
One should just be silent and go away. But the critics of the critics are usually very loud people.
The difference between constructive criticism and an envious form of criticism is that constructive criticism is done in analytical form, based on neutral sources, in our case the scriptures and the words of previous acharyas, ultimately offering a positive form of consciousness, whereas an envious critic is simply eager to tare down his opponent.
Those still inexperienced in Krsna Consciousness are occasionally receptive to the mayavada form of “neutrality,” declaring ANY form of criticism to be offensive. And so the picture of a loving, ever-forgiving sadhu who is simply submerged in an ocean of well-wishing thoughts is popular amongst the mayavadi class of men. Such “sadhu,” finally ending up tolerating even acts that are purely criminal, presents himself to be always “above” the level of discrimination between bad and good, as in his mayavada view, ultimately everything is one and the same. He declares to have transcended everything, including his conscience and sense of judgement.
As we know from the scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita, this kind of forgiveness and retreat from any form of judgement was not approved by the Supreme Lord, the final Supreme Judge of our actions.
As much as Krsna declares that everybody follows his path one way or another (either towards Him or to hell), He doesn't hesitate to use strong vocabulary to declare those who are obstinate to His instructions to be the lowest of mankind, demons and rascals who use their intelligence to harm others and undermine His authority. It is only because of that that even a pure devotee of the Lord doesn't hesitate to expose such deviants. His disciples are meant not to imitate but to follow the same type of policy. As much as a preacher of this sort will be defined as the enemy of many, he himself does not see it that way; he sees simply that staying neutral in times of violence committed against others makes one a collaborator in the very same crime he is averse to.
There is passive offence and active offence, whereby the passive one is more difficult to detect as it is manifested by silence and absence in times where the devotee should stand up, follow his duty, and at least, if not able to stop the diviant, declare his oposition to such a type of behaviour. All this is done in analytical form, using the words and instructions of one's guru as a law book and the basis of one's “judgemental” attitude.
As we can see today massively in Srila Prabhupada's movement, even criminal activity finds its justification and becomes herewith facilitated by the official leadership in the name of pseudo-paramhamsa consciousness. In this way, a movement based on such pure principles as the Srila Prabhupadas movement originally becomes poluted and potentially destroyed.
It is the duty of any follower of Srila Prabhupada not to imitate him, but according to one's means and spiritual status, to oppose and obstain from diviant type of preaching, which is leading the innocent and ignorant class of men away from the original shelter Srila Prabhupada built for us in the form of his books, instructions, and spoken words.
This is true mercy, and this is an expression of true compassion.
As a wise man, referring to Chanyaka Pandits words, “the intelligence of my enemies didn't harm me as much as the foolishness of my friends.” Often, the best wellwishers in our lives are our wellwishing critics.
At least in my case, I can fully confirm this fact, as those who pointed out to me at the right time and place the ways I was illusioned and offered me simultaneously a positive alternative were my best friends.
And so we shouldn't be carried away by the sweet-sounding mayavadis who infiltrate Srila Prabhupada's preaching mission in order to take away its purity.
Intelligence is exhibited by the highest form of discrimination and not by the highest form of amalgamation of everything into everything, ultimately leaving everything as it is because it is as it is now.
Assuming this kind of “merciful, all-forgiving” consciousness, we may only witness Srila Prabhupada's mission becoming at best just another “ordinary Sunday church institution,” controlled by entirely mundane individuals, or at worst we can witness its destruction by becoming a collection pool of the worst type of hypocrits, money-greedy oportunists, and perverts of the worst kind, who are not hesitating to transgress even the basic principles of human life.
“There are many demons” in this movement, Srila Prabhupada writes in Caitanya Charitamrta. Let us oppose them in any way we can.