Cult or Sampradaya
MAHÄRÄJA JÉ- Well, you want to know the difference between a cult and a Sampradäya.
You should understand what a cult is, what a Sampradäya is.
Cult means, the place or an institution where the belief of a particular person is the prime thing, is the basis of your spiritual life. Belief of a particular charismatic person. Practices introduced by that particular charismatic person, forms the very base of your spiritual life. This is called a cult. Whatever that person says, we follow. That is called a cult.
And, what is the meaning of Sampradäya? Sampradäya.. understand- ‘Sama’ and ‘Pradäya’, these are two words. Sam-Pradäya. ‘Sama’ means samyak, ‘Pradäya’ means bestowed. When things are bestowed, exactly the same way the entire lineage is following from time immemorial, that is called Sampradäya. Sampradäya means, everything is being bestowed by the Guru Paramparä. Everything, top to bottom. No change is being done; this is called Sampradäya.
Cult means, opinions and fancies and whims of a particular charismatic person, we follow them. You don’t know what Sampradäya is, but we think following this person will give me seva of the Lord in the Spiritual World. Cult means which runs on the opinion of a charismatic person. There is a craze for a particular person. ‘I will follow this person’.
But Sampradäya means, as received in the entire Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya, there is no difference. Sampradäya means there is no difference in teachings, everyone follows the same thing.
There is no need to create a makeshift paramparä, çékñä paramparä. Why? Because everyone is following the same thing, why to put pictures of certain people. There were not only three Siddha Mahãtmäs, Bhaktivinoda, Jagannätha Däsa Bäbäjé, Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé. There were so many siddha Mahãtmäs.
Bhagaväna Däsa Bäbäjé was there, Caitanya Däsa Bäbäjé was there, Räma Kåñëa Däsa Paëòita Bäbä was there, Kåpä Siìdhu Bäbä. Why don’t you put pictures of all of them also? You’re not putting. They were also following exactly the same Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé did, Jagannätha Däsa Bäbäjé did, but we are not putting. So, there is no need to put any makeshift paramparä. There is no need.
Sampradäya means you are getting exactly the same thing. When you are getting the same thing, there is no need to put any Siddha Mahãtmäs’ pictures in the Altar.
So, you see, what Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté, is he bestowing in exactly the same way, what he got from the Guru? If he is doing so, then you are in a proper Sampradäya, and if it is not so, then you are associated with a cult, plain and simple.
You see, Païca Tattva Mantra done by Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé, what was that? Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé used to do-
çré gauräìga nityänananda çré advaitacandra
gadädhara çréväsädi gaura bhakta vånda
Is Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté doing this Païca Tattva Mantra? No.
Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé never used to wear Brähmaëa thread. Is Bhakti Siddhänta doing the same? No. He is wearing a Brähmaëa thread.
Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé used to wear white clothes. Is Bhakti Siddhänta wearing white clothes? No.
Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté is offering food in namaù oà viñëu-pädäya and some Çlokas. Did Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé ever tell him to offer Bhoga this way? No.
So, whatever Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté is doing, is it being bestowed upon him or is it being created by him?
It is being created by him.
So, when something is created by someone, and we follow that person, we are following a cult, not a Sampradäya.
If we are following exactly the way our Guru, entire Guru Varga have done, then we are associated with a Sampradäya.
Associating with Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté, means, plain and simple, associating with a cult. It is outside Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya.
- Maìgala Äraté, the way he is doing, Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé or Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura Jé, they never did. So, it is not bestowed.
- namaù oà viñëu-pädäya, no one did. He created it.
- He created a new concept of Maìgala Äraté.
- He created a new concept of not giving Siddha Praëälé.
- He created the new Çréväsa Äìgana.
- He created the new Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé Samädhi.
Just ask yourself, all Siddha Mahãtmäs have been going to a particular Çréväsa Äìgana, on the other side of Ganges. He invented a need to even create a new Çréväsa Äìgana! Can you imagine? Can you imagine the quantum of deviations Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté had done?
He is not in Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya, just a cult. Sampradäya means, you give what you have been bestowed with. You have even created a new Çréväsa Äìgana. May God save everyone associated with this Bhakti Siddhänta and stuff.
- Çréväsa Äìgana is also new. Can you imagine? Çréväsa Äìgana is also new.
- Païca Tattva Mantras are new.
- Dékñä Mantras are new.
- Brähmaëa thread is new.
- Bhoga Mantra is new.
- Maìgala is new.
It means you are trying to prove that Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé was the biggest fool on the planet. He didn’t know anything about Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya, he was a junk, dumbo. And so was Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura, he was also a fool, he didn’t know anything about Spirituality. Whatever they did, Bhaktivinoda and Gaura Kiçora Däsa Bäbäjé, he never followed even a single word of that. And if you are following him or any followers of Bhakti Siddhänta, i.e Prabhupäda etc. then we are associated with a cult only, plain and simple.
You should know what a cult is, you should know what a Sampradäya is. When you know this, you on your own you can tell, I’m associated with a cult not a Sampradäya. Everything is being created. And in a Sampradäya, nothing is being created, everything is bestowed.
And, there is Ritwik, this place, they are so fanatic about Prabhupäda-ism, they all… it has got nothing to do with scriptures, ‘We only believe, know what Prabhupäda says’. They don’t even believe in scriptures. ‘We only believe in Prabhupäda’. ‘Scriptures are not going to take us back to Godhead, only Prabhupäda will’. This is called associated with a cult. This is called fanaticism.
yaù çästra-vidhim utsåjya
vartate käma-kärataù
na sa siddhim aväpnoti
na sukhaà na paräà gatim
Kåñëa has Himself said- yaù çästra-vidhim, who doesn’t follow Scriptures, vartate käma-kärataù, na sa siddhim aväpnoti. Siddhi means not to get love from God. na sukhaà - doesn’t get happiness, na paräà gatim – he doesn’t go to the Spiritual World.
We have come here to become proper Gauòéya, not to become a Prabhupäda-anugä or any other anugä. Don’t become emotional fools. Emotional attachment to any society will not take you anywhere. Emotional attachment to any person will not take you anywhere. Be very clear about it.
We are not here to force our opinion on anyone, we are just telling you the truth, plain and simple. If you will be fortunate enough, then only you will be able to embrace this truth. And, and if you will be an egoist, unfortunate enough, then again this will go above your head.