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Comments on Ritvik System From Gaudiya Matha |
The following is taken from the 'Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion' Vol. One by Srila B.R. Sridhardev - Goswami, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Navadwip Dham:
| Declaration
of the Spiritual Succession of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math By His
Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj
Founder-Acarya of the Math (Gaura-purnima, 26th March, 1986) According to the desire of my Divine Master, I have been maintaining this disciplic succession but it is no longer possible for me, as I am now too old and invalid. You will know that from long ago I have chosen Sriman Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj and I have given him sannyasa. All my Vaisnava Godbrothers are very affectionate towards him and it is also their desire to give him this position. I have previously given to him the charge of the Math and now I am giving him the full responsibility of giving Harinama, diksa, sannyasa, etc. as an Acarya of this Math on behalf of myself. Those who have any regard for me should give this respect and position to Govinda Maharaj as my successor. As much as you have faith in my sincerity, then with all sincerity I believe that he has got the capacity of rendering service in this way. With this I transfer these beads and from now he will initiate on my behalf as Ritvik. The ritvik system is already involved both here and also in the foreign land. The Ritvik is the representative. So, if you want to take from me, and you take by his hands, then it will be as well and as good as taking from me. In the Mahamandala, Sagar Maharaj and many others are also ritvik of Swami Maharaj and also myself. They may do so, but in this Math and in any Math under this Math, he will be the representative. If anyone cannot accept this, he may leave the Math rather than stay here and disturb the peace of the Math. With all my sincerity and good feelings to Guru Gauranga, to the Vaisnava acaryas, Mahaprabhu, Panca Tattva, Radha Govinda and Their Parsadas, with all my sincere prayers to Them, henceforth he will represent me in this affair beginning from today's function. Now I shall go from here and he will do the necessary. On my behalf, he will give Hari-nama, diksa, sannyasa, and everything. |
We are not claiming that this is EVIDENCE or PROOF that Srila Prabhupada established a ritvik system or even that the ritvik system post-samadhi is bona-fide, but the above piece DOES establish certain points:
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That the post-samadhi ritvik concept was not JUST simply concocted by some disgruntled deviants in ISKCON because ISKCON gurus had fallen down. Rather H.H. Sridhara Maharaja who is considered by some to be one of the most senior members of the Gaudiya Matha also apparently endorsed the concept. This defeats the notion that nowhere in any Gaudiya Vaisnava movement is the post-samadhi ritvik concept endorsed.
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Also leaving aside HOW the Gaudiya matha take this statement or HOW H.H. Govinda Maharaja today functions in the Gaudiya matha, the ACTUAL WORDS of H.H. Sridhara Maharaja are clear:
| "I
have previously given to him the charge of the Math and now I am
giving him the full responsibility of giving Harinama, diksa,
sannyasa, etc. as an Acarya of this Math on behalf of myself." "With this I transfer these beads and from now he will initiate on my behalf as Ritvik." "On my behalf, he will give Hari-nama, diksa, sannyasa, and everything." |
Notice how just like the July 9th letter, in the above very short piece, H.H. Sridhara Maharaja has taken the trouble to use the vedic practice of stating *3* times that the initiations will be given on his behalf. Srila Prabhupada in the July 9th letter also states 3 times that the disciples will be his.
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Further just in case anyone argues that H.H. Srdihara Maharaja only meant the 'on my behalf' in the sense of mood and consciousness and not actually in practice or FORM, Maharaja stated:
| "With
this I transfer these beads and from now he will initiate on my
behalf as Ritvik." "So, if you want to take from me, and you take by his hands, then it will be as well and as good as taking from me." |
Here maharaja
makes it clear that the acting on 'behalf' is as a RITVIK, not a diksa
guru, and that taking from the ritvik is the same as taking directly from
Maharaja. Thus the idea that H.H Govinda Maharaja is 'an acharya of the
math' is fully qualified and explained by H.H. Sridhara Maharaja.
This is also different therefore to the current diksa gurus in ISKCON who
also claim they are acting on Srila Prabhupada's behalf. Here Maharaja
makes it clear that the acting as ritvik is also in the FORM and actual
system, not just the consciousness.
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By adding the statement:
| "So, if you want to take from me, and you take by his hands, then it will be as well and as good as taking from me." |
Maharaja has also disagreed with the notion that a ritvik post-samadhi is the same as a diksa guru, as is the current GBC siddhanta as given in 'Disciple of My Disciple' (1997). Further H.H. is directly endorsing that one can directly approach and take initiation from a departed acharya.
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Maharaja has also defined the ritvik in the same way as Srila Prabhupada did in the July 9th letter, as a REPRESENTATIVE:
| "The
Ritvik is the representative" "They may do so, but in this Math and in any Math under this Math, he will be the representative." |
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By stating the following:
| "In the Mahamandala, Sagar Maharaj and many others are also ritvik of Swami Maharaj and also myself." |
Maharaja makes no distinction at all between pre- and post-samadhi ritvik initiations, for he speaks of ritviks acting post-samadhi for Srila Prabhupada (Swami Maharaja), and ritviks acting for him pre-samadhi, in the same manner.
Thus Maharaja
does not support the idea that the ritvik is an entity that ONLY operates
before departure or that the ritvik radically changes his function after
the departure of the Guru. Further by speaking of the ritvik acting in the
same capacity before and after samadhi, Maharaja does not support the idea
that the ritvik post-samadhi means diksa-guru.
In conclusion we would like to make it clear that we are not claiming that
the words of H.H Sridhara Maharaja prove or validate any concept, or that
the above throws any light on the validity of the post-samadhi concept.
It is however interesting to consider in light of the false allegation that the 'ritvik' idea was manufactured out of thin air relatively recently by some disgruntled westerners..