12/13/97 - 1350

Bhagavat's Reply to ISKCON's Report and Rocana's Response

USA (VNN) - Bhagavat Das Reply to ISKCON's Official Report and Rocana's Response

My Dear Prabhus:

PAMHO! AGTSP! I read with interest the statement by the GBC and the response from Rocana. To be honest I am amazed at everyone's inability to focus on the most important point of this investigation, which are the words of His Divine Grace "Someone is poisoning me". These words were the reason for launching the investigation and they continue to remain the most compelling reason for the investigation to continue. After conducting a closer examination of the tape, to ascertain whether there was more information on the tape that might shed more light on the statements of His Divine Grace, the whispers were found. Unfortunately everyone has chosen to focus on the whispers instead of the statements of His Divine Grace, which are the real evidence in the case for his being poisoned.

First of all even if we approach this from a practical point of view Srila Prabhupada was, during his grihasta days, the manager of a pharmaceutical house. Furthermore he designed, manufactured and marketed his own pharmaceutical preparations like De's liniment. Srila Prabhupada was very conversant with how herbs, chemicals and poisons interacted with the human body; these are things he would have to know in order to work in that industry. Srila Prabhupada also owned his own pharmacy in Allahabad where he sold prescriptions to people another business where he would have to have knowledge of drug interactions with the body. So even if we approach this from a practical point of view we must concede that Srila Prabhupada was educated enough in practical medical science to know if he were being poisoned just from the reactions he was feeling in his body.

Secondly, and more importantly, he is the Nitya Siddha pure devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna. This means that he is by the grace of Supersoul fully conscious of the hearts and minds of his devotees. Once in 1974 there was some controversy over this statement. At that time there were several leaders in our society who were claiming that Srila Prabhupada was not a magician and that it was foolish to think that he knew what was going on in his temples and in the hearts of his disciples. At that time I argued against such nonsense and when I was in Bombay Srila Prabhupada received a letter from one of his disciples Sarva Mangal dasi. In that letter she explained that there were devotees making these opposing statements and that she personally believed that he did know what was going on the hearts of his disciples and in his temples but she wanted His Divine Grace to please confirm her understanding. Srila Prabhupada responded to the secretary by saying, "for a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord this was not difficult". The secretary then asked Srila Prabhupada, "so I should tell her that you know this" Srila Prabhupada responded by saying, " that's not what I said". Srila Prabhupada then went on to say, "I said a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord would know these things, I am not a greatly advanced pure devotee, I am not even a devotee, I am just trying to be a devotee". The secretary then said, "so I should tell her that for a greatly advanced pure devotee this is possible" "yes" Srila Prabhupada said, "for a greatly advanced pure devotee this is not a difficult thing at all, it very easy". There are other pastimes where Srila Prabhupada states that Supersoul tells me whatever I need to know.

If we examine these points that Srila Prabhupada is making about his relationship with Supersoul we must come to the following conclusions. That Srila Prabhupada is a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord and he most certainly knew that he was being poisoned and who was doing it. If, however, for some foolish and offensive reason you cannot accept that, then you must at least accept that Srila Prabhupada could not possibly be left in the dark by Supersoul about the fact that he was being poisoned. Is anyone able to present any argument against the fact that Srila Prabhupada is a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord who knows what is going on in the hearts and minds of his devotees? Can anyone refute Srila Prabhupada's statements about the abilities of a greatly advanced pure devotee? If you can prove that Srila Prabhupada was not a greatly advanced pure devotee and did not know he was being poisoned, then whoever this person is please publish your foolish and offensive argument on VNN so we may all know who you are.

Unfortunately during this investigation there are some devotees who have been diminishing the words of the greatly advanced pure devotee Srila Prabhupada by portraying him as an ordinary man. Even more amazing is that some of them are the same devotees who I argued against over twenty years ago about the same thing. I have heard statements like "he was old and sick and could not understand", "he was senile", "usually old Indian men who are dying think they are being poisoned", "he was confused", and other mundane assessments of His Divine Grace. If these assessments of Srila Prabhupada are accurate then how was it possible for him to translate Srimad Bhagavatam until close to his disappearance, are we to accept that the last chapters of the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam are the ranting of a confused senile old man. If any devotee thinks he can substantiate such statements please make your case and publish it on VNN so we can all know who you are.

Just because doctors have been examining Srila Prabhupada does not mean that they could ascertain that he was being poisoned, unless they tested him for it specifically. Many poisons cause the rapid onset of certain diseases (like heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, etc.) and death. It was said in certain circles that when Indira Gandhi held Jayaprakash Narayan under house arrest she had poisons slowly administered that caused the deterioration of his kidneys and his death. This kind of poisoning cannot be ascertained by routine medical tests. That is why when foul play is suspected in spite of a medical doctor's exam an autopsy is performed to ascertain the truth. Let me make something abundantly clear right here and now I am neither suggesting, requesting, or in any way insinuating that Srila Prabhupada should be exhumed for an autopsy I am totally against it. I am using the example purely for the purpose of establishing the fact that a routine and oftentimes even a through medical examination cannot always turn up evidence of poisoning unless the doctor is looking for it, and even then an autopsy is often needed to establish the truth. So the statements of some devotees that the doctors did not notice poisoning is not evidence that he was not poisoned, especially if they were not looking for it. The fact that Srila Prabhupada was conversant with the effects of many herbal, chemical, and pharmaceutical substances on the body and that he was experiencing it first hand makes him the most likely person to ascertain the truth of the situation. What to speak of the fact that he is the greatly advanced pure devotee who is aware of what is going on inside the hearts of his devotees, which is the primary reason he was able to ascertain the situation.

This is also the truth that is being obfuscated by all this rhetoric about the whispers and whether they are real or not. As far as I am concerned the whispers don't even matter! What matters most is that the greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord, my spiritual master, said, "someone is poisoning me". Doesn't the Nectar of Instruction warn us that to consider the spiritual master, as an ordinary human being is greatly offensive? Are there not many other versus that say the same thing? How many versus are there, which state that faith in the words of the spiritual master is the real key to enlightenment? Doesn't Krishna ask Arjuna to declare my devotee will never be vanquished? Srila Prabhupada states in the purport that Krishna asked Arjuna to say it because the words of a pure devotee are never wrong!

Now some of you are asking and have been asking how is it that Srila Prabhupada the greatly advanced pure devotee could be poisoned? How could he be vanquished? Didn't Jesus Christ accept the crucifixion after praying to the Lord "let this cup pass from me but thy will be done"? Didn't Jesus Christ forbid Peter from fighting with the Roman soldiers when they came to take him? Srila Prabhupada died for the sins of his disciples that is the covenant that he made with us at the time of initiation. He could have done anything that he wanted, he said, "Krishna said it is up to me I can stay or I can go, I want to know what do you want". Obviously there was a Judas amongst us who wanted him to go and so he departed. That does not mean however that he was vanquished. "He reasons ill who says that vaishnavas die when living still in sound" Srila Prabhupada left us his words, his voice beckons us to bring him justice. Which devotee is there who will argue that the words of the spiritual master are wrong? Please come forward and publish your argument that when Srila Prabhupada the greatly advanced pure devotee said, "someone is poisoning me" he was wrong. Please let us know who you are.

What is really at the core of this issue is faith in the eternally transcendental position of the spiritual master and his words. The entire political diatribe and semantics is just a desperate attempt to conceal the truth. We know that somebody poisoned Srila Prabhupada! How? Because he said so! The only question now is who? The failure of the whispers to prove that (if in fact they do not) is not the end of the case! It is only insufficient evidence! Maybe Srila Prabhupada wants us to look at it from another angle maybe the whispers will not bring out the whole truth of who and what is involved! Therefore he is leading us in another direction. One thing we can be sure of he is in control! It is up to him when and where and how we find the truth and the price we will have to pay for that is complete faith in the words of His Divine Grace.

There are many devotees who were in Vrindaban during Srila Prabhupada's last days who feel that it would have been impossible for them to not notice that this was going on. How many times were we involved in difficult situations with Srila Prabhupada in trying to push on this movement and the only person who knew what was really going on was His Divine Grace, we didn't even have a clue. Remember no one knew about Judas except Jesus Christ and he did not reveal whom it was just what was happening. Still none of the apostles got it. Didn't Srila Prabhupada tell us he was being poisoned and still we did nothing about it. How sadly history repeats itself. There are those who will take me to task for writing this letter. They will try to distract you from the truths written in this letter (which are based on quotes from His Divine Grace and Scripture) by discrediting me. This letter is not about me it is about Srila Prabhupada and his words. Since they cannot discredit him or his words they will discredit me. They will tell you that I do not attend the morning program, that I do not chant my rounds, that I do not do so many things. I am easily discredited, there are so many things I do not do, but one thing I have never done is considering my Spiritual Master to be an ordinary man or doubted his words. I can say with conviction, however, that anyone who follows all the rules but fails to accept that Srila Prabhupada is a Shaktavesh Avatar, Nitya Siddha, greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord whose words are never wrong is a spiritual failure. The real issue is do we believe our Spiritual Master when he says, "someone is poisoning me"? Do we believe that the words of our Spiritual Master are never wrong? Do we believe that this greatly advanced pure devotee would make a mistake about something so serious as this when he is receiving his information from the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna? Do we believe? It is faith that is on trial here, faith in the Spiritual Master and his words. The line is drawn on one side are those who doubt the words of the greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord. On the other side are those who believe that if the spiritual master says it's a rope then it's a rope and if he says it's a snake then it's a snake. I know which side I am on, for me it is abundantly clear. My spiritual master, right or wrong he is always right, he is never wrong. Which side of the line are you on?