Srila Prabhupada’s instructions about such persons in our midst is,
“That they should be neglected.”
That is his recommendation, provided one discriminates enough to detect those symptoms. He says that there is no need to serve such an envious person in the dress of a Vaisnava. Rather he says,
“When Naratama dasa Thakura says chadiya vaisnava seva nistara payeche keba, he is indicating an actual Vaisnava, not an envious or jealous person in the dress of a Vaisnava.”
To neglect such persons, we first of all must spot them. We have to identify them. However, if we are afraid or too crippled to apply critical thinking, we will never be able to make sense of this instruction, and will be victimized by the disguised mundane person.
Many of us can remember our failure to apply critical thinking in the past. We have experienced how men in our midst openly behaved in ways unbecoming of a Vaisnava, and were not only tolerated long past the point of reasonable doubt about their motives, but were hailed as great Vaisnavas. The reason: they were clever enough to hold up some symbols of success, i.e., books distributed, devotees made, and temples opened, which we allowed to obscure their questionable character. It is such an obvious strategy.
It would be prudent to understand how Srila Prabhupada defined “Vaisnava”.
Letter to: Sudama—Bombay 10 December, 1973:
“Regarding what is a Vaisnava, Vaisnava means that when others see him, they will also chant Hare Krishna.
The ramifications of the disobedience of the 1970 Direction of Management order, are complex, and at the root of all ISKCON activities of a questionable nature, that have transpired from its inception, to the present day.
This Web-Site, is created by a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, in order to reveal, to the public, “The Direction of Management” letter of 1970, and its reinstatement, in the “TOPMOST URGENCY” letter of 1974. The goal in presenting this information is to create a surge of interest, throughout ISKCON, leading to public advocacy for the establishment of the Direction of Management, and all other orders of ISKCON’s Founder-acharya Srila Prabhupada, into the incorporation papers, charters, and legal contracts of all ISKCON temples.
Every written order of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada is to be followed “As It Is!”
Just as His Bhagavad-gita presents Lord Krishna’s Krishna Orders “As It Is!“
Srila Prabhupada exists and speaks on the same exact platform as Sri Krishna, and therefore can be known and understood as the “Person bhagavata”.
Srila Prabhupada said in a lecture on Bhagavad-gita 13.4—Miami, February 27, 1975:
“And bhagavata means the book Bhagavata and the person bhagavata. The person bhagavata is spiritual master or any exalted devotee. He is bhagavata-Maha-bhagavata, bhagavata. So bhagavata-sevaya means not only reading Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam, but we have to study from the person bhagavata. That is required. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised,
‘If you want to learn Bhagavata, then go to the person bhagavata who is realized soul’.”
As such, we can consider Srila Prabhupada’s words to be equal to, and as substantive as scripture. For this reason, His Direction of Management of 1970 must be considered to be equal to revealed scripture itself. Disobedience of the direct order of Srila Prabhupada is not in any way different from direct and deliberate disobedience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Himself.