Śrīla Gurudeva: Why should he forbid? If I am against him, then it is against the rules of the bhakti line. I have not seen anywhere in the scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, or any books of Svāmījī that any bona fide guru will check his disciple to go to any bona fide Vaiṣṇava. Why should he check his disciple from seeing me? Why is he fearful if he is a bona fide guru? This has not been done anywhere. In our gauḍīya maṭhas, everyone can go anywhere. I go to Purī Mahārāja. I have never seen any gurus forbid their disciples from hearing from Vaiṣṇavas. You know that I am senior to them. If they are checking their disciples, then they should check; I have nothing to do. They should control, then I will tell nothing to their disciples whether they should come or not come. I have nothing to gain or lose. They should control all of ISKCON.
Devotee: Do you feel Mahārāja…
Śrīla Gurudeva: This is a policy. Policy means a political thing. I don’t want to go to any politics. I want to help all the little beings, the living entities like Svāmījī has done. I am helping everyone causelessly. I don’t want to be political; I only want to support everyone. It is not written in any śāstra; my Gurudeva or any Gurudeva has not said like so. We see that Jīva Gosvāmī guided Śyāmānanda Prabhu, Narottama Ṭhākura, and Śrīnivāsa Ācārya. Narottama Ṭhākura was the disciple of Lokanātha Gosvāmī. Śyāmānanda Prabhu was the disciple of Hrdayananda Ṭhākura. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya was the disciple of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. Yet all were sent to Jīva Gosvāmī. The disciples honored both—their dīkṣā-guru and śikṣā-guru in the same category. Jīva Gosvāmī knows. Anyone has not forbidden any disciple to go to any Vaiṣṇava. I have not seen; so I cannot support this. They should do; I have nothing to criticize. But I know that this principle is surely against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I know that if they follow this, they will be ruined. Surely, they will be ruined and Prabhupāda’s mission will be troubled.
You will see that if they don’t change, then all the senior disciples who have some intelligence will leave. I know that they will leave very soon. Everyone should be respected. Have I told anything against ISKCON, or any ISKCON leader, or your Gurudeva, or Svāmījī? I have been here since eight days, and I have always glorified Svāmījī and ISKCON. Why should they think otherwise? I am not telling that they should allow all their disciples to come and see me. I don’t want that. But actually, it will be like so. They have given up their countries, desires for name and fame, and they have given up their wealth, wives, and husbands, and they have gone to Svāmījī with their whole intelligence, then why will they not think about this? They must think and they will go where their divine love for Kṛṣṇa will advance. Also, their faith and honor for Svāmījī will increase. They must go there and they will go. Anyone cannot check. Even Hiraṇyakaśipu and Kaṁsa could not check; anyone cannot check. It is out of their control. You see that I am always increasing everyone’s faith and honor towards Svāmījī. Thus, a person like you will come by yourself; they will not check you. And if there is only politics, then politics will not bring anything. So, love is perpetual. Politics is not perpetual; it is only for one or two days.
22 May 1996, Radlett [CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]