Question: Is it wrong to hear Krsna katha from any other vaisnavas except those who are ISKCON devotees? Sometimes when we hear lectures from other vaisnavas, especially from some senior Vrajawasis, when they start telling about Krsna lila they attract many of us because we know Krsna’s pastimes, but then we get to know that we are not allowed to listen from others who are not from ISKCON.

Jayapataka Swami: See, if someone tells a thing which is a few degrees off, it may not seem very much. But if you are going to the moon or some place, it can make a big difference. So we have some joint programs and in those programs different members of the Gaudiya matha speak and devotees visit, and if they say something wrong, we can correct and note it. But sometimes certain people would say something that would seem very nice but they will add little criticism inside that your guru doesn’t know these pastimes or something like that and those things are actually very offensive for our spiritual upliftment. So generally it is said that we should not listen from people not from our parampara, but if we do listen we have to be learned enough to tell if they are saying something which is improper. And Srila Prabhupada he forbade people to go to one old devotee, but then he gave me special permission. So I went there to do Srila Prabhupada’s work. But that devotee, he tried to tell me that I know something that your guru doesn’t know. Something like that. I am going to tell you. I said, I have to catch a train and I left! But sometimes people are very cunning. They tell you some very nice pastimes of Krsna and then they say something, your Bhagavatam is not correct, you should get from us. Something like that.  I cannot say, there maybe some Brajawasis who are ok. But maybe there is some who is not. It is hard to just say. But generally we have to receive permission from our diksa guru, from some advanced devotee, if we should listen to someone or not, because if they are in the habit of criticizing, they may not criticize you at first, they will make you think and then they will start to criticize later. So it can be very dangerous spiritually. Like in ISKCON we have standards for first and second initiation. It is not as easy as in some missions. They give out the initiation very easy, if you chant four rounds, take brahmana initiation. We say that you have to chant 16 rounds for minimum one year, you have time up to two years, we have various standards. But if they hear an ISKCON devotee is chanting 16 rounds for two years, they say do you want sannyasa? Ha! Ha!  For us he is just a bhakta. So we have to be a bit careful, who we associate with and who we can take guidance from the people at that places. It is not that we are not against any vaisnava but just cautioning. All that glitters is not gold as they say!
15-FEBRUARY-2020 SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA