How can we correct mistakes or discrepancies without addressing them?

Well, that’s obviously not possible; a doctor has to finally address the disease of the patient so it can be eventually cured. And so doctors are often criticized to bring the painful news which actually addresses the reality and the magnitude of the problem the patient has to face.

Looking back into the ways in ISKCON problems are addressed, often the problem analyzers are instantly facing the threat that they themselves will be seen as the problem by those who either cannot or don’t want to see the problem. The heavy threatening term of "vaisnava aparadha" is used too easily by those who are not willing to deal with reality in order to intimidate the analyzer and finally make him to retreat.

This is very common amongst those who:

• are too proud to see their limits in terms of management
• too possessive in terms of the area of their responsibilities
• consider themselves to be the ultimate doer
• too emotionally compromised to see the issue on hand with detached and rational eye
   

Even Srila Prabhupada found His critics who accused Him to fail to be the envisioned saint who sees things with equal vision, even exhibits anger and as He said himself, often uses the word "rascal".

Already in the very early days of His preaching in USA , prior to ISKCON being even officially registered, in one of the first recorded lectures, Srila Prabhupada delivered the wonderful formula how to take shelter in sastra when addressing issues which could be uncomfortable for the audience congregational false ego . He said: “Ladies and gentlemen, please understand, I am not CRITISIZING, I am ANALYSING.”

Here we find the description of criticism free of envy, where the speaker takes absolute shelter in guru, sastra and sadhu as ordained by our guru parampara.

How to address the mentality of the less intelligent ones without any offence is exemplified by an exchange between Srila Prabhupada and the followers of Lalit Prasad Thakur, the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura at Bhaktivinoda Thakuras birthplace in Birnagar.

Jayapataka maharaja relates the whole incident in detail:

Srila Prabhuada went to Birnagar to make a courtesy call to Lalit Prasad Thakur, the brother of his spiritual master, Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Birnagar is Bhaktivinodas birthplace and Bhaktivinoda Thakura spent a good part of his childhood in that beautifull place, which is about an hour drive from Mayapur. It was impressive to see Lalit Thakur, a pure soul who was from a whole century. At that time he was 97 or 98 years old and he would chant nonstop all day. He had been a lifelong brahmacari and had worked for the government until he retired in his 50s. But through his life he practiced sadhana-bhakti. It was nice to know that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had more than one child who was active in Krishna Consciousness…

When we first went there, Lalita Prasad seemed agreeable to ISKCON having a temple to honor Bhaktivinoda Thakur at his birthplace in Birnagar. Prabhupada talked about building a library, a display, an exhibition, an ashram, and a preaching facility, and fixing up the temple at Bhaktivinode Thakuras birthplace. At that time a small, broken down temple marked that spot and when Prabhupada saw the poor condition it was in, he practically cried.

However, later some of Lalit Prasad Thakuras followers insisted, "We shouldn’t give ISKCON any land, "and so the second time Prabhupada went to finalize everything there was a different mood-they weren’t agreeable to having an agreement with ISKCON. Neither did they themselves have the capacity to develop the birthplace of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Prabhupada became impatient and upset that everything was being canceled with no reason and that Bhaktivinode Thakur , who was so great and deserved to have a wonderful monument for his greatness, was not being properly honored.

Suddenly Prabhupada became intense. In loud voice he said, "Isn’t it sinful that you cannot develop the birthplace of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and you won’t let anyone else to do it either?" In other words the birthplace was their responsibility, but they couldn’t develop it and also we could develop it, they wouldn’t let us. It was going to stay in underdeveloped state and in fact today it’s in worse condition than it was then. Prabhupada loudly and intensely asked this question four or five times very loudly, almost… I wouldn’t say shouting, but I would say maybe one level below that. Nobody said anything. Then, as Prabhupada walked out, he turned to the few of us secretaries and assistants who were with him and said, "Because I asked a question, there was no offence".

Srila Prabhupada was talking to the brother of his spiritual master so the etiquette of seniority was there, but at the same time, from Prabhupada’s point of view, Bhaktivinode Thakur was being offended. Therefore Srila Prabhupada expressed that he had a right to question the situation and that asking wasn’t an offence. To accuse, to say, “You are nonsense, you didn’t give, would have been offensive.” But questioning, “Isn’t it offensive? Isn’t it sinful?” Was not offensive. If somebody intensely inquires, it’s technically not an offence.

And so here we find a formula for asking relevant questions, even to superiors, without exposing ourselves to an offence.

This formula can be applied anywhere, even our attempts to correct a degraded situation in presence of stubborn and foolish individuals may not find always a positive response.