10/01/1998 - 2291

Drutakarma As Scholar

Editorial (VNN) - by Papaharini dd

Our brother Drutakarma is moving in circles of intelligencia for years now. He has entered into frontier fields with the Bhaktivedanta Institutegreatly pleasing Srila Prabhupada's desire to preach to the intelligentclass of people (I hope...). His academic accomplishments are to becommended. However, I would like to address some comments/reviews I pulledfrom his many web pages and links for his two books as some powerfullyspoken criticism that may go deeper to Srila Prabhupada than he may haveconsidered; and, that show a similar pattern of reaction that devotees haveexperienced recently in regard to his thoughts on stamping out the ritvik"heresy":

"I just read your response to the earlier criticism of your show, and findyour track-covering pathetically amusing. Standing on your high horsetisk-tasking the establishment, all giddy about the furor you kicked up,cleverly knocking down all your straw men. Yes, all we scientists havebeen misleading ourselves and everyone else for years!Ê We ruthlesslysquash dissent from our all-powerful theory of evolution!Ê Give it up. Youwanted money, and you wanted ratings, you wanted scientists to respond, andyou got it..." (HF, Scientist and Human Being)

"I am truly dismayed at this particularly steamy pile of rodent remains.ÊWhat your program presented as 'very reliable alternative theories' arenothing but bizarre speculations by people whose only gain must be byselling a book..." (CB, Canadian Academic)

"...Your network has done a great disservice by airing thispseudoscientific garbage.Ê It is disheartening to think of how many peoplewatched Mysterious Origins in a prime Sunday evening slot, while truly highquality programs such as Nova and Nature are relegated to much smalleraudiences on PBS..."Ê (JK, New Mexico State University)

"...I have never seen such unadulterated hogwash in my entire life....Ifyou present outrageous theories, then you must present someone with anopposing view to create a balanced presentation.ÊÊ If you cannot presentthis type of an investigation, then you should be forced to have a flashinggraphic saying 'Entertainment Value Only', just like the Psychic Friendsnetwork has to do.ÊÊ I will be writing to my congressional delegation, theFCC, and the President to argue that legislation should exist to force youto do this....." (TH, New Mexico State University)

There are also MANY favorable comments. However, my point here is torequest Drutakarma dasa to please become a bit more compassionate andintrospective as you so blatantly reject the association and friendship ofall your cohort family members in the International Society for KrsnaConsciousness- those inside and on the sidelines. Can you really beenjoying the profit, adoration and distinction so much that you openlyexclude the company of those aspiring vaisnavas? The mad elephant willeasily destroy your garden in one or two steps if you keep up this agitatedprodding you demonstrate in your thoughts on Ritvik "heresy". Your writtenrejections of those devotees trying sincerely to understand the orders ofour spiritual master His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami SrilaPrabhupada, make it clear you may have forgotten how, by the grace of Krsnaand GURU, you have arrived to the scholarly post you so "humbly" occupy.

You make it evident by all the thousands of academicians' and scientists'commentary, that you are not handling the big limelight you find yourselfin GRACIOUSLY, COMPASSIONATELY, AND EMPATHETICALLY LIKE YOUR SPIRITUALMASTER HIS DIVINE GRACE SRILA PRABHUPADA ALWAYS DID.

The SOURCE of your success, beyond your karmatically, astrologicallysupplied fertile brain, is the DIVINE GRACE OF SRILA PRABHUPADA. I ambegging you to reevaluate kindly, what an honor it is that you have such agreat preaching field to HONOR YOUR SPIRITUAL MASTER'S GIFTS TO YOU. Youcan be a great messenger of his wish to preach to the intelligent class ofsociety. Please refrain by thoughtful introspection, from creatingunnecessary agitation within the hearts of the public preaching field andthe family of devotees. Often times, when there is really not so much timetaken to think carefully before writing, we may convey things that latercreate harm. We all have done it. Please remember the FRIENDLYcharismatic, yet firm in faith personality that Srila Prabhupada sharedwith integrity, even in those annoying circumstances, he kept his coolhead!

I read your bio-data as you share your love of research and writing. Youproperly credit your beginnings to your contact with the Hare KrsnaDevotees and ISKCON. Yet, in all the connecting sites that I took time toread, it is also made clear that you have a streak of mean-spirited naturethat prods you like a hot iron, to enjoy stirring up agitation and creatingdiscomfort- in the name of Srila Prabhupada and the Puranic evidence yousite.

To say you think that ISKCON may just "downsize" to a mere one hundred- forall you care- as though all of the family of devotees should be removedfrom your list of friends, is very pathetic to be honest with you. Withall your wisdom and years of academic training, you must certainly admitthat any abnormal psychology curiculum includes case studies of childrenwho develop the habits of creating agitation (temper tantrums!) and mentalcruelty in youth, and unfortunately fail to later grow out of it as adults. Often, the common sense solution is to "ignore" or "redirect" the negativebehavior with the useful or positive. With such a huge preaching field youhave entered- consider how the same abnormal cases find the need forpersonal validation and reassurance in their inner family circle- unmet-and can then escalate later to unhealthy displays and strategies of gainingpersonal validation- in negative ways..... Unibomber, Charles Manson, ErnestHemingway, Sadam Hussein.......

Another important commentary from your many web pages, one of notablereference!:

"How did the scientific establishment respond to this cogent challenge toits deeply held beliefs?Ê Forbidden Archeology's Impact documents theexplosive reactions to this underground classic, which ranged from severeridicule...."

"Your book is pure humbug and does not deserve to be taken seriously byanyone but a fool." Richard Leakey, Anthropologist

Please prabhu, honestly, you are sitting on a powder keg of your owncreation. The scientific topics you currently embrace and utilize in yourpersonal success as a scholarly author, researcher and world traveledlecturer- ARE THE BRAIN CHILD AND AUTHORSHIP OF HIS DIVINE GRACE. YOU HAVETHE HONOR TO BE HIS REPRESENTATIVE TO A WIDE WORLD OF INTELLIGENT FOLKS WHOLOVE WHAT THEY KNOW AND STUDY, WHO DEDICATE THEIR ENTIRE LIVES TO SUCHKNOWLEDGE- IN A WAY SIMILAR TO OUR DISCIPLES OF KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS. PLEASE BE CAREFUL NOT TO ALIENATE THEM FROM COMING CLOSER TO EXAMINING OURVEDIC INHERITANCE THAT SRILA PRABHUPADA LEFT IN OUR CARE.

And, perhaps take more time to kindly intelligently debate or mediate adebate with the sides of our "family matters" in your alienated family ofthousands- How about Los Angeles? Soon?

Ys, Papaharini dd