Absolute authority
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Renunciation Through Wisdom
Correspondence
1971 Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Devotee (2): That is what he said to me. And he was a sannyāsa. He is sannyāsa and he said to me, "I want to have sex with you." Does that mean that Kṛṣṇa was saying I should have sex with him?
Jayatīrtha: So you have to see whether it is according to our principles.
Devotee (2): I'm asking you on a very practical... No. That is not what he said. He didn't say that. He said absolutely, and this is...
Upendra: Then you should listen to everything he said.
Devotee (2): I am. Because if I can judge then, if I can say, "Oh, at this point he is wrong," then that is what we are talking about, Śrīla Prabhupāda. That is the issue. If they are absolutely right all the time and they can make no error, they wield absolute power over our lives.
Prabhupāda: Where is (name witheld)? Where is (he)?
Satsvarūpa: He is across the street.
Prabhupāda: Has he said like that?
Devotee (2): Yes. I have witnesses.
Upendra: But he's admitted his error.
Devotee (2): That's beside the point.
Revatīnandana: That's all right. But that's not the point here.
Upendra: The point is that Prabhupāda, that if you come before Prabhupāda for your own spiritual advancement, then it doesn't matter what other people are thinking...
Devotee (2): That's not the...
Devotee (1): That's not the crux of the matter at all.
Revatīnandana: The point here is not to criticize (him).
Devotee (1): No. We did not come for that at all.
Revatīnandana: That wasn't the reason. The point is that anyone, (name witheld) or anybody else, he may be a sannyāsī, but if he's doing all kinds of nonsense, how can we say that he has absolute authority? Because he was in charge of the place, etc., and he is also in an authoritative position, yet he breaks the principles.
Devotee (2): His personal servant, when he came... His name is (name witheld). (He) instigated a homosexual affair with him. This boy came to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and surrendered to (him). But (he) told him to do that.
Upendra: But Prabhupāda...
Devotee (2): Wait. I am not speaking with you. He said he did that and he did it in the name of his authority as a sannyāsa. So if you say, Prabhupāda, that everything that they say is absolutely true, then they will have absolute power and can do anything that they want, and anything that they say and any opinion they express is taken to be the same as yours, then it becomes implied that you agree with and condone such things, because they do them with absolute license. And we don't believe that to be true. So we think it is some kind of mistake.
Prabhupāda: They say like that?
Devotee (1): Everyone says like that.
Devotee (2): They do, Prabhupāda.
Satsvarūpa: No, they don't. Śrīla Prabhupāda has said these things don't apply to you. Don't worry about them because you are not following the principles.
Devotee (1): But they do say, and we are following and you don't know what we're doing, Satsvarūpa, because you haven't known me for two years. So you really don't know what I'm doing. You're not around.
Satsvarūpa: But our society is going nicely. It's not...
Devotee (2): In some respects it's going fine. But these are problems which can be dealt with amongst us, and they are affecting all of us. And for some people these are problems though they may not be for you. I think, as far as I know, your conduct has always been very honorable. But for some people who it's not and where these misconceptions apply, it's a real problem and we're trying to deal with it because it affects our lives.
Upendra: The strength to deal with those problems comes from following sādhanācāra.
Devotee (2): We are also attempting to follow sādhanācāra. And if we are imperfect...
Prabhupāda: Anyway, if he has said so, that is wrong.1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Satsvarūpa: You were asking yesterday what are some of the charges that the opposing party makes against us. That's another one, that we follow absolute authority, your authority and also in the temples, that the temple president or leaders, they have authority, and this is not healthy psychology, that we should...
Prabhupāda: Why you come to pose your authority? If authority is not good, then why do you come to instruct your authority? Hm? The same thing, eh, change from one authority to another authority.
Satsvarūpa: But I don't say you have to accept me absolutely as...
Prabhupāda: Then why do you speak nonsense then, if I haven't got to accept you? What is the use of speaking all nonsense? If nobody accepts you, then why do you talk nonsense? Somebody's selling something, and if he says, "Don't purchase it," then what is the use of... (laughs) All contradiction. After all, they are nonsense.
Satsvarūpa: They think that by surrendering to the spiritual master, if many people do this, it will be very dangerous because they won't think for themselves.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all right. But you ask to surrender to you, so why shall I not surrender to my spiritual master? What is the use of changing surrendering?
Satsvarūpa: Well, at least if we don't have absolute authority, I may tell you something and if it's not good, you don't have to follow me.
Prabhupāda: So why do you speak nonsense, the same thing, if I haven't got to follow you? Why you waste your time and waste my time?
Hari-śauri: If what he's saying has no value, then why should he speak?
Prabhupāda: Then why do you waste your time?
Satsvarūpa: Relative value.
Prabhupāda: That I have already got.
Satsvarūpa: And that's all there is, they say.
Prabhupāda: Already I have got relative value.
Devotee (1): They say that each man has his own life to live so he can take the best from many authorities. He can say, "Well, I like some of what you are saying and some of what someone else is saying, so I can take what's best for me in my life."
Prabhupāda: But if I find in one place the best, why shall I take so much trouble? Why do you induce me to go here and there if I get in one place everything?
Satsvarūpa: That's what we found.
Hari-śauri: If I like everything you're saying, then why shouldn't I accept that?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Satsvarūpa: And why should they object if we decide to surrender to one authority?
Prabhupāda: They are asking surrender.
Hari-śauri: They're actually envious because they want everybody to follow their idea of going here and there.
Satsvarūpa: One person said, "This kind of thing reminds me of Hitler's Germany. If there's too much authority or blind following, it's not healthy."
Prabhupāda: No, too much authority if the authority is wrong... But if the authority is right, then it is very better to submit in one place and get everything. Just like we go to some supermarket. We get everything there, we go there.
Hari-śauri: And there's no question of blind following either.
Prabhupāda: No.
Hari-śauri: Otherwise why would we distribute so many books?Page Title: | Absolute authority |
Compiler: | Siddha Rupa, Visnu Murti |
Created: | March 12 2008 , |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=0, Con=2, Let=3 |
No. of Quotes: | 7 |