Nitai began by disclaiming the authenticity of our disciplic line. He cited Radharamanacarana dasa Babaji, a contemporary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who claimed that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was never initiated by Srila Gaura Kisora. "It was well known that Gaura Kisora never had any disciples."
Prabhupada responded that Radharamanacarana dasa Babaji was a kanistha-adhikari whom Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had strongly criticized for advertising himself as a great preacher without his having any actual knowledge of the Gaudiya-Vaisnava philosophy.
Nitai went on to say that he now doubted ISKCON's teachings: "They are just the opposite to, or a misrepresentation of, what is actually in the sastra." As an example he offered a quote from Caitanya-bhagavata where Lord Caitanya says that one cannot become one of His associates unless one chants one lakh of names daily.
Prabhupada's reply was practical. "If you take all of the so-called gosvamis, babajis and mahatmas in the whole of the Vrndavana area together, they have not advanced Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement one inch!"
Nitai's next point was that Srila Haridasa Thakura was the nama-acarya. Since he chanted three lakhs of names a day, we either have to imitate that, or keep it as our goal. Nitai asserted that if we chant at least one lakh of names daily, then "Krsna will automatically give us prema."
But Prabhupada disagreed. He said that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta condemned the idea of sitting down and chanting in one place as merely a cheating process adopted by unscrupulous people desirous of obtaining name and fame as a so-called advanced devotee. He added that the idea that Krsna will 'automatically give prema' is karma-mimamsa philosophy. Krsna is not obligated to give prema to anyone, he said, no matter how many rounds they chant.
Incredibly, at the end of Nitai's letter, he had the audacity and hypocrisy to tell Prabhupada that he was now going out to seek the shelter of some other great mahatma "in whom I can place greater faith," and he asked for his blessings "so that I may advance more and more."
Srila Prabhupada's response was very strong. "Yes. I bless you that you shall never advance!"
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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