Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 12.9,
“Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the acharya, and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivi-maya.”
PURPORT:
This verse describes the beginning, of schism[1]. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is USELESS. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.
Srila Prabhupada wrote in his Laws of Nature: An Infallible Justice, Chapter 1, God and the Laws of Karma[2], The Position of Krishna,
“Similarly, you have to accept the spiritual master’s order as axiomatic, (self-evident or unquestionable). There can be no argument. In this way you can make progress. You cannot argue about things that are inconceivable to you. You will only fail. You have to accept the Vedic injunctions and the orders of the spiritual master as axiomatic truth. This is not dogmatic, because our predecessor spiritual masters accepted this principle. If you argue with your spiritual master, you will never reach a conclusion. The argument will go on perpetually: you put some argument, I put some argument. … That is not the process.”
To recap, lets list the underlined words that Srila Prabhupada said above, so that you can refer to them easier in your deliberation:
“According to this instruction of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, it is the duty of a disciple to follow strictly the orders of his spiritual master. The secret of success in advancement in spiritual life is the firm faith of the disciple in the orders of his spiritual master.”
“The devotee must therefore be very careful not to commit offenses against the spiritual master by disobeying his instructions. As soon as one is deviated from the instructions of the spiritual master, the uprooting of the bhakti-lata begins, and gradually all the leaves dry up. Such an offense is especially created when one disobeys the instructions of the spiritual master”.
“This fighting spirit will DESTROY everything, but what can I do, you American and European boys are trained up in this fighting attitude. Now put it aside and simply work cooperatively for spreading this movement all over the world. The standards I have already given you, now try to maintain them at all times under standard procedure. Do not try to innovate or create anything or manufacture anything, that will RUIN everything. Simply do as I am doing”.
“Here is the opinion of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are USELESS.”
“All these things are nonsense inventions. Such inventing spirit will RUIN this movement.”
“Let us try to work cooperatively, otherwise the fighting spirit will RUIN our great movement.”
“The only fear I have is that you may fight. Please do not. That will RUIN everything we have done.”
“Do not manufacture ideas.”
“Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next acharya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acharya, and they split into two factions over who the next acharya would be. Consequently, both factions were ASARA, or USELESS, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master.”
“One must judge every action by its result. The members of the self-appointed acharya’s Party who occupied the property of the Gaudiya Matha are satisfied, but they could make no progress in preaching. Therefore, by the result of their actions one should know that they are ASARA, or USELESS”.
“Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the acharya, and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivi-maya.”
“You have to accept the spiritual master’s order as axiomatic (self-evident or unquestionable. There can be no argument. In this way you can make progress.”
“Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is USELESS. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation.”
FOOT NOTES:
[1] Schism— a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief
[2] Karma—1. material action performed according to scriptural regulations; 2. action pertaining to the development of the material body; 3. any material action which will incur a subsequent reaction; 4. the material reaction one incurs due to fruitive activities; This Sanskrit word means ‘action’ or, more specifically, any material action that brings a reaction binding us to the material world. According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return; One of the five tattvas, or Vedic ontological truths: the activity or work which the embodied living entity performs with the karmendriya, as well as the resultant reaction. The soul receives the due reaction to work by taking his next birth in a subhuman species, or the human species, or a superhuman species. Or the soul may be liberated from birth and death altogether. All this depends upon whether the karma performed within this lifetime is ignorant, passionate, good or transcendental. Karma dedicated in sacrifice as directed by Vedic injunctions raises the quality of a human being’s work. Sacrifice culminates in activity dedicated only to Lord Krishna’s service. Such transcendental karma is called naiskarma.