Hare Krsna-
One day ago, I received an email from a mataji that I met some years ago, and have not heard anything before that email from her, in years. She gets my emails regularly and she is not, as far as I know a so called” Prabhupadanuga.” She told me once, years ago, when I tried to give her one of our books-Srila Prabhupada Siddhanta, that she didnt believe in the ritvik idea. She also is married to one of Iskcons GBC., and is basically separated from him for many reasons and years.
About three days ago, prior to getting her email, I put out the article about Srila Prabhupadas proper method of worshiping the Deity. Apparently she liked it so much she sent me a “thanks” in return as well as another article I wrote way back in Jan of this year basically,about the same thing .
So what amazed me are two things. First she must be keeping a file of my articles, otherwise how could she send me back my article put out over 4 months ago? For many of them, I just put them in a file and then move on to the next articles. She kept them and then re sent it back to me in her reply of thanks. This tells me, she, being part of some Iskcon temple and as one of their pujaris, must be doing things correctly-against Iskcon policy of deity worship.
The other thing , which was even more amazing to me, was that her reply came just one day after I concluded a long and somewhat distasteful email exchange with a very old Prabhupada discple and friend, who knows over a thousand slokas, did pujari work for years and was a bramacari for years as well. He basically does not ascribe to the ritvik system outlined by Srila Prabhupada and worse still, agrees with all the Deity changes now present in Iskcon-specifically offering aratik-fiirst to Lord Krsna, then DOWN thru the param para until you get to Srila Prabhupada . The complete opposite way he used to do it for years he lived in iskcon temples. He called this change in worship method “minutia” or something not that important or just trivial. Yet Srila Prabhupada calls changing the way we worship the Lord-“the greatest danger to the Movement”.
So now you have this fellow, who did a lot of service for Srila Prabhupada and this woman who also did a lot of service for Srila Prabhupada, yet the sloka knowing devoteei is now being illusioned into complete error of how to approach the Supreme Lord. And the woman bodied devotee, even though living with so many others who are similarly illusioned, still can understand the right from the wrong way to worship God-AND accepts it when told by her guru, Srila Prabhupada.
The fact that her letter of thanks to me came one day after I concluded this distasteful exchange with the man devotee showed me how Krsna is subtly working within our minds and lives.
Thank you Lord Krsna !!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada !!!
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das