VNN Europe - More Fallout From Manor Suicide

EUROPE

February 2, 2000 VNN5390 Related VNN StoriesComment on this story

More Fallout From Manor Suicide

BY SATYAM DAS

BAHKTIVEDANTA MANOR, ENGLAND, Feb 2 (VNN) — Apparently there were some instant reactions to the VNN story "Suicide At Bhaktivedanta Manor" about the tragic suicide-death of Ambarish Prabhu. Vipramukya Swami was not happy, to say the least. He posted retaliatory articles on Chakra that were up for 6 hours yesterday but apparently have been taken down. We do not know if he acted of his own volition or was instructed by a "higher authority", to retract his knee jerk reaction.

(Since Chakra has pulled the piece in question immediately after publication off their main page VNN has appended the piece in question below. The piece was still accessible through the Chakra TOC here at the time of this publication, but may no longer be there.)

“When Ambarishs' widow saw this report on Chakra she was extremely upset to read such lies.”

In his Chakra posts he said he had nothing to do with the boy's death. According to one observer, who read the posts before they were lifted. Virpamukhya wrote something unsubstantiated. He said in one of the retracted Chakra articles that Ambarish Prabhu was married to a woman who he didn't love and was in love with someone else and killed himself because of that disappointment. This was a complete fabrication based on speculation which he used to try to clear himself of guilt.

When Ambarishs' widow saw this report on Chakra she was extremely upset to read such lies. This was the first she had heard of any such rumor about her husband and herself. Not only is she trying to cope with her grief, but now has to deal with a fabrication like this posted world-wide in an effort to save the TP's own neck. This seems pretty low. We are not happy to re-report them, but Vipramukhya's dirty dealings should be known for what they are.

Ambarish Prabhu's widow wrote a heart-rending letter to temple management which was read at an emergency meeting held last night (January 31,00) comprising of the whole temple management, devotees from the community, and representatives of the massive Indian (sacred cow) congregation. As additional reports come in from UK we will send them on to the VNN news page.

We do not want to endanger any of the UK devotees who still work for the Manor, so we are not presenting any names in this report. Let us see what happens, and if Vipramukhya and other managers will act with as much integrity as British politicians who are implicated in a scandal. The question remains will they do the honorable thing? Will they resign their positions, or will they cling to them tenaciously (like Charles Degaule or Napolean) and only leave their posts forced out by the inexorable indefatigable influence of time, and/or political considerations. The real leadership of The Manor, or any truly spiritual organization must come from a Mahabhagavata's guidance. We can only pray that any managers there, present or future, will accept advice and association from such non-motivated Vaisnavas.

The opinion of this reporter is that The Bhaktivedanta Manor should be managed by fair-minded local devotees who can treat each other with decency and Krsna conscious consideration. The Manor should be much more than a "Hindu Temple" or gathering place for fireworks on Dhiwali. There should be an opportunity there for heart-felt practitioners of bahkti yoga to serve the Deities and our guru param-para in an atmosphere of love and affection.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written in a Cc. Purport to the 117th verse of the Adi lila Chapter 1:

"Imitation devotees, who wish to advertise themselves as elevated Vaisnavas and who therefore imitate the previous acaryas but do not follow them in principle, are condemned in the words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.24) as stone-hearted. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has commented on their stone-hearted condition as follows: bahirasru-pulakayoh sator api yad dhrdayam na vikriyeta tad asma-saram iti kanisthadhikarinam eva asru-pulakadi-mattve 'pi asma-sara-hrdayataya nindaisa.

"Those who shed tears by practice but whose hearts have not changed are to be known as stone-hearted devotees of the lowest grade.

Their imitation crying, induced by artificial practice, is always condemned."

(Cc, Adi 1.117 purport)

Let us hope that devotees with real hearts will take on the management of The Manor and have learned by this tragedy not to follow Vipramukhya's poor example of insensitive non leadership, vaisnava aparadha.

Your servant,
Satyam Das

The article that was removed from Chakra:

Devotee in England Commits Suicide

Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK - (January 30, 2000): A devotee in England recently committed suicide. Although he was having difficulty in his service and was recently relocated from the Kitchen department back to Life Membership, it is not thought that these were the major factors in his decision to end his life. He was not a resident on ISKCON property, but had been involved as a daily participating householder employed by Bhaktivedanta Manor to do needed services centering around preaching and cooking. He was an initiated disciple of Lokanatha Swami.

He left two notes, one to his wife and one addressed to the devotees. Both notes said exactly the same thing. They said simply that he was “sorry” for all the “trouble” he had caused. They said nothing more.

CHAKRA would rather not have to publish the details of this unfortunate incident, but being forced by inaccurate and insensitive reporting on anti-ISKCON website VNN, we have decided to set the record straight.

VNN reported, “According to reports, some local temple devotees have consequently leveled allegations against Vipramukhya Swami to have caused the tragedy, who is said to have left the country shortly after the incident.” Vipramukhya Swami is the temple president of Bhaktivedanta Manor.

It is unfortunate that VNN should use this sad incident to promote political agendas. The suicide took place while Vipramukhya Swami was visiting the Long Island temple in New York, USA. He returned to England as soon as he was able to do so, cutting short his trip abroad. Those who are aware of the situation know that Vipramukhya Swami is not being accused for having caused the tragedy.

According to sources, the deceased devotee was in love with another woman who refused to marry him, and he “went ahead and married somebody [else] he didn’t really love.”

His reason to marry his wife may have been partly fueled by the desire to spike his former lover “as well as to get on with his life.”

Devotees who witnessed the married couple interact reported that the marriage did not seem to be a happy one. In the early summer of 1999, the deceased again contacted his former lover informing her he was in difficulty and needed to talk to her. She was in a similar situation. One thing led to another and an affair ensued. His wife was unaware of what was happening.

In November of 1999 his wife went to visit her mother, and around the same time the deceased girl friend called off their extramarital affair. Since that time there was no contact between the deceased and his lover except an occasional “Haribol” exchanged in corridors.

He also had a high lifestyle and liked new cars and a big house, all of which he purchased beyond his financial means to maintain the payments. His debts began to mount beyond his ability to pay.

Temple authorities, seeing that he was growing a beard and not showing up for services he was supposed to do, went to him on several occasions, but he consistently refused to “reveal his mind” and always remained secretive about his problems. “He was a very private person. We tried to talk with him, but he would not talk with anyone,” reported one Temple Council member.

On Tuesday the 18th of January, he was working hard with Bhakta Lee doing up his garden. During the day he had spoken to Kaveri whom he had confided in on previous occasions. At this time he had made no mention of any suicidal intentions, however for one-week prior he had been observed as being extremely depressed, and temple authorities endeavored to counsel him. He hung himself in his own home on the evening of the 18th of January.

“He had a dark side one he didn’t want the congregation to know, yet at the same time he thrived on the attention and love his friends in the congregation showered on him,” reported one person close to him.

“At the end he was in complete dilemma with everything to lose. The girl he loved and had an affair with wouldn’t marry him. He was caught in a mortgage buying his house. He had a wife he was increasingly unsatisfied with. When the truth broke about his adulteress relationship he would lose his job, his reputation amongst the congregation and his family back in South Africa. His reputation with the temple was already breaking. He had debts with his friends with no real means to pay them back, and perhaps a lifestyle which he could not maintain. A party going man trapped in a movement with high morals and stringent repercussions for the devotees in the public eye. It seemed he was about lo lose everything in his life. Personally I can feel what made him do what he did.”

Referring to changing his service from the kitchen back to Life Membership, those close to him say that, “The temple management played a role in it, a role they could not avoid.”