The Unique Role of Gurudeva’s Organization, Centralization Under the SRF/YSS Mother Center

Portrait of Paramahansaji by his brother Sananda Lal Ghosh, Mt. Washington International Headquarters, Mother Center

Centralization Under the SRF/YSS Mother Center

GURUDEVA HAD KEEN UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN NATURE.  He knew that many would tend to interpret his teachings in their own way, and form their individual opinions on the direction his work should take. He recognized, therefore, how vital it was to prevent fragmentation of the world redeeming message he was inaugurating. To this end, he unified and directed all the varied activities involved with his mission under the banner of Self-Realization Fellowship.  On July 8, 1948, shortly after his great samadhi, the Master wrote the following words to the leader of the SRF center in Mexico City:

“After the great visitation of Divine Mother I see more clearly how She wants this work to be directed and therefore I write this letter….we must remember that in the second or third generation of our work everything must be centralized here at headquarters, otherwise divisions will begin and our work will fall apart. You and those with me now are of the first generation, and I do not worry about you for you will have had contact with me and know how the work should be spread, but those to follow after us will make mistakes unless all the work is centralized under one department–under the Mother Center.”…

Yogacharya J.M. Cuaron
Mexico City SRF Center

There are many teachers and paths available to spiritual seekers today…Even among those societies that draw inspiration mainly from our Guru’s teachings, there is a wide range of interpretations and applications of his principles and methods. Self-Realization Fellowship, however, as the organization founded by Paramahansaji himself, has a unique identity and mission…It was to his own organization…that Paramahansaji personally entrusted the responsibility of preserving and spreading his teachings according to his express wishes…

SRF/YSS Mt. Washington International Headquarters Mother Center

Regardless of the differences between SRF and [other societies that draw inspiration mainly from our Guru’s teachings], we respect all devotees who are sincerely striving to live by the teachings of our Guru. Our responsibility is simply to uphold the distinctive place that Paramahansaji gave to his own society, so that truth seekers will always be able to single out what he taught from the many variations available from others.

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excerpt from an SRF Mother Center Open Letter to Members, 1995

See also~

Every student should be connected with Self-Realization Headquarters directly by taking the SRF lessons