EDITORIAL SEVA

In 1953, our magazines 'Gaudiya-patrika' and 'Bhagavata-patrika' were started. Our Gurudeva requested Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu, "I want to establish a publication in Bengali and other languages. I especially want you to write articles for that." Earlier he had written articles for the Harmonist, and now he continued to write many wonderful essays, Gita purports, etc. He wrote so marvelously that everyone praised him. He challenged all who were opposed to pure bhakti at that time, especially the 'Murgi Mission'. He called the Ramakrsna Mission 'the Murgi Mission' because the members ate chicken. In fact, they took flesh, eggs and many abominable things. Vivekananda and his Ramakrsna Mission were very prominent in those days. They were renowned by the public who said, "Oh, these are such high-class devotees. In all of India only they are following the Vedas, and all others are not. The Gaudiya Mission and others are not Vedantic." Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu wrote this one particular two-part article about the murgis. He began with the first part, and when the second part was also printed all were astonished and convinced. It was like a drama. Everyone requested him to write more articles like these which called for the reform of religious institutions and samskaras .

Later Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu wrote another dramatic article - this time about some of the leaders in the Gaudiya Matha. The article explained how the institution was coming apart after Srila Prabhupada's departure. Grhasthas were giving up their wives and loving others' wives; others' wives were then loving others. Now, in the name of developing the mission, some were putting all the money in their pockets. Sannyasis, even those who had been with their Prabhupada, were making buildings and sending all the money to their sons in their former homes to go to high school and university, or to go to England and America to study law and other things.

He wrote about this situation and the first part was published in our Bhagavata-patrika and Gaudiya-patrika. At once a big storm broke out in the whole Gaudiya Mission. Although only about three pages were printed, letters began to come from many Gaudiya Mathas. It was like a revolution. Our Guru Maharaja and Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu were talking and smiling very secretly together. Prabhu said, "We should publish more of it. Why not?" Guru Maharaja was also in favor of publishing it.

However, many of the Godbrothers exclaimed, "Oh, Kesava Maharaja, what are you doing, printing this? Then everyone will know and all will criticize the Gaudiya Matha. These are our private family matters." Even Pujyapada Srila Sridhara Maharaja, who was highly respected by all, was consulted. Many Godbrothers came to Mathura at that time and Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu was residing here in our matha. Srila Tirtha Maharaja and other devotees asked, "What are you going to do? If you print this then our present institution will be smashed." Guru Maharaja and Prabhu were smiling and asking each other, "Oh, what to do?" But when requested by so many Godbrothers they decided, "Accha. Later on we will see, but for now we should obey their orders."

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At that time the president of India was Dr. Radhakrishnan. He was very scholarly and his English was quite high-class, but he was world famous as a very bold mayavadi. He wrote an article in English saying that in Krsna's body the soul was there, and that soul was God, but Krsna's body was not God. He said that, as with our body and soul, there was also some difference between Krsna's body and soul.

Guru Maharaja was not here then, but Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu was here. So he wrote a very powerful article in response. He took many examples from here and there with strong quotations. He declared, 'Those who speak like this are rascals. There is no difference between deha and dehi, possession and possessor. All His qualities, pastimes, and names are transcendental. If one does not have a very pure and realized guru, he cannot understand this idea. You have no guru and you are reading sastra yourself. Just as Gautama Buddha became sunyavadi, you are just like that. At some time in South India you met with the very renowned Sankaracarya's teachings, but you have not read Ramanuja, Madhvacarya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Jiva Gosvamióyou have never read Baladeva Vidyabhusana. You should try to know what is acintya-bheda-abheda. Do not be sectarian. You should be very liberal to us because you are an authority of India, the President. But you are not an authority in religion. You will have to learn something from us".

Prabhu then challenged him to discuss all these issues face-to-face in any big council. He asked me to translate his article into Hindi for publication and it was printed in both of our magazines. He also wrote it in English and sent it to the Parliament of India, addressing it to the President, Mr. Nehru and the others. Their secretary received it and said 'Thank-you', but Dr. Radhakrishnan never accepted that challenge. He had nothing to reply because all of Prabhu's evidence had come from the Vedas, Upanisads, and from other bona-fide scriptures. In this way Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu was such a bold and powerful preacher. He never compromised.

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Srila Vamana Maharaja appointed Abhay Caraaaravinda Prabhu to be the savapati (head of the editors) of the Gaudiya Patrika. Savapati means top of the editorial department, or editor-in-chief. I was also in the editorial sanga for the Hindi Bhagavata-patrika. He usually submitted his articles in Bengali, and sometimes if he wrote in Hindi I would edit and then submit it, because his mother language was not Hindi. Mostly he wrote his articles for our Gaudiya-patrika in Bengali. I then translated these into Hindi and printed them in the Bhagavata-patrika. Prabhu also was expert in the skill of stenography, before the time of tape machines. During lectures of my Gurudeva and other senior Vaisnavas he took shorthand perfectly and recorded those talks in his notebooks. His accurate transcriptions were also used for articles in the Gaudiya-patrika magazine. Abhay Caranaravina Prabhu continued writing for our magazines regularly every month for many years. Some of those original editions are still preserved at our manha. (Appendix 6)