Because I speak in my own words, what I say often seems brand new or different than what you’ve heard before. I like this because it encourages people to think.
Sometimes what I say may seem different than what you’ve heard Śrīla Prabhupāda say.
I consider myself a grateful follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda, so I don’t intentionally say or teach anything that contradicts him. But, depending on your current idea of what Śrīla Prabhupāda said on a given subject, you may sometimes have to be willing to do a lot of thinking with an unbiased mind if you want to see that harmony for yourself.
You may well find this unnecessary, after all I am no one’s “guru,” but if so, I humbly request that you not express an un-investigated judgement of my supposed disharmony with Śrīla Prabhupāda. Just leave me as “undecided” and turn your attention to something more essential.
I humbly request that you not express an un-investigated judgement of my supposed disharmony with Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Even if you find it unnecessary to discover the harmony between my words and Prabhupāda’s, you will certainly find it necessary to discover the harmony between his words and his other words – because, like every guru, he often says things that appear to point in contrary directions.
To discover harmony in apparent contradictions, we have to abandon the safety blanket of rushing to conclusions based on isolated quotes.
If you survey everything Prabhupāda said, in the context of when, where, why, and how he said it, and the context of his behavior and character – you will surely come to profoundly deep conclusions about his teachings. I think you would then find complex harmony in all his words and deeds, and (if you care to) would also discover how what I say is in service to and harmony with Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Vraja Kishor
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