Guru Parampara – The List of 32
GURU-PARAMPARA: THE LIST OF 32
nama om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhutale srimate bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine namaste sarasvate deve gauravani pracarine nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desa tarine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
PREFACE
During the ISKCON lila pastime of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, most devotees simply accepted the list of 32 names found in the Introduction of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. There was little discussion about the significance or meaning of this list. A few devotees who had direct access to Srila Prabhupada did question him about it, and we have his recorded responses, such as the letter to Upendra das. We can see by these responses that Srila Prabhupada did not go into an elaborate or extensive explanation of the list.
One could say that we were all such neophyte disciples that Srila Prabhupada concluded we were not capable of truly comprehending the intricacies or the deep philosophical significance of this list. But on the other hand, if today we had the same surrendered attitude towards Srila Prabhupada that we did back then — if we appreciated his position as a truly qualified member of the List of 32 Sampradaya Acaryas — then we would not have to go through the exercise of discussing the significance of the list.
Because Srila Prabhupada is not accepted, even by many of his so-called followers, as a rarified Sampradaya Acarya, there have been many disagreements which have resulted in many problems, both within and without the preaching mission that he established. In presenting this paper, we hope the reader will ultimately come to the same conclusion we have — that A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada is unquestionably qualified to be included in the rarified strata of Sampradaya Acaryas, of which there are only 32 going back to Lord Brahma.
By reading this presentation, you will begin to see how what appeared in the beginning to be such a simple thing, has become quite a complicated matter and the source of much conflict. In fact, this phenomenon has likely repeated itself since the beginning of the Sampradaya, particularly manifesting after the disappearance of great devotees like those mentioned on the List of 32. Upon their departure the question arises: who is qualified to be on the guru-parampara list, and who is not? Arriving at an answer to this question is something each devotee must do for himself. We are simply hoping to help the reader make this unavoidable decision, which is essential for spiritual advancement.
We encourage the devotees to reflect upon the expansive period this list encompasses, going right back to the time of Lord Brahma, for whom the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya is named. We believe the Sampradaya Acaryas who compose these lists invite us to do just that — reflect upon just how far back the list goes, so that we can see how qualified one would have to be in order to have their name included on the list. The guru-parampara list of 32 cannot be taken lightly or insignificantly.
Rocana dasa April 4, 2012
