An Elevated Perspective on the Breakup of the Gauḍīya Maṭha

Guru Maharaja often expressed his elevated perspective on the breakup of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. In Guru Mahārāja’s biography, Pāvana-jīvana-carita, authored by my godbrother pūjyapāda Bhakti Vallabha Tīrtha Mahārāja, our Guru Mahārāja’s view on the matter has been recorded in the author’s words as follows:

“On 23 December, 1936, after returning from Puruṣottama-dhāma (Purī) to Śrī Bāgbāzār Gauḍīya Maṭha in Kolkata, and before entering nitya-līlā, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda gave his final instructions to the devotees present one early morning.

“Śrīla Prabhupāda told his surrendered disciples, ‘Everyone should preach the teachings of Śrī Rūpa Raghunātha with the utmost enthusiasm. Our ultimate aim is to become the dust of the lotus feet of the rūpānugas, the staunch followers of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. All of you should remain united under the guidance of the āśraya-vigraha—or in other words, śrī guru—in order to please the transcendental senses of the advaya-tattva, or the unknown and unknowable Absolute Truth (Śrī Kṛṣṇa). With one common objective, you should collectively serve Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the source of all āśraya-tattva.’

“Jagad-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda advised his surrendered disciples to remain under the guidance of the āśraya-vigraha and he empowered them to reside together with the single objective of preaching the message of Śrī Rūpa-Raghunātha. Narrow-minded persons possessing anarthas may think that the pastimes that took place after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance were in violation of his order. If we do not subscribe to the concept that all that happens due to the grace of Śrī Hari is auspicious, then our life will be haunted by sorrows. Nothing can happen without the Lord’s will. Because the Lord is all-auspicious, whatever happens as a result of His desire is always for the best, and therefore it must be auspicious. Small-minded persons are unable to comprehend that many seemingly unfavorable incidents may be the Lord’s way of accomplishing a big task.

pṛthivī-paryānta ĵatô āche deśa-grāma

sarvatra sañcara haibeka mora nāma

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

The chanting of My name will be heard in every town and village in this planet.

“In reality, whatever has transpired has been in accordance with the desire of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and all has happened with the objective of preserving both the above mentioned words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the previously-mentioned statements of Śrīla Prabhupāda, who is Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s non-different manifestation. In order to deliver the whole world, Śrīla Prabhupāda invested his disciples, who are capable of delivering the entire world, with the power of his mercy, and thus inspired them to live separately and preach. He did not wish to limit his disciples, who were themselves qualified to be ācāryas, by ordering them to stay at one place together and thus restrict their capacity for and efficiency in preaching. Today, by the miraculous efforts of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples, preaching work has reached every corner of the earth, and everyone is accepting the teachings of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, thus fulfilling Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s prophecy.

“If Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples were devoid of his mercy potency (kṛpā-śakti), if they were not under the guidance of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and if they were full of anarthas, then it would not have been possible for them to preach all over the world on such a great scale.

“Unfortunate people who are unaware of the Lord’s actual desire become trapped in the quicksand of aparādha by praising one person and criticizing another, and thus fall from the spiritual path. All Śrīla Prabhupāda’s associates have followed his instructions according to their respective capacities, and they continue to follow his instructions with a non-duplicitous mood. The honest preaching of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples has led many fortunate living entities to become attracted to the teachings of Śrīman Mahāprabhu and thus enable them to make their life successful by accepting the etiquette of bhakti and engaging in kṛṣṇa-bhajana with sincerity.”