12/17/97 - 1374

"Poison The GBC"

USA (VNN) - VNN has received the following text that was posted on the GBC COM forums, appearently written by Ravindra Svarupa das (GBC):

"I think I have to reject Naveen Krishna's conviction that Prabhupada was poisoned. The more I reflect the clearer it becomes that there was not-- and indeed could not have been-- any poison administered to Srila Prabhupada. I believe, on the contrary, that the conviction, expressed so vigorously by Naveen, that Prabhupada was poisoned is the actual poison intended to kill Srila Prabhupada's movement. This poison is clearly now working its way through the GBC, and it may already be fatal. We have to act quickly if we are going to save ISKCON. The poisoners are the ritviks. If we investigate and see where this story originates, how it was pushed forward, how some leaders became induced into giving it credence, we will find the ritviks assiduously at work. Even though I tried to conceive the possibility of Prabhupada's being poisoned, I found it was impossible for me to do so.

I tried to understand why. I realized finally that the impossibility arose not from my being unable to reconsider our movement's history or our leaders of 1977, but rather from my inability to change my idea of who Prabhupada was. It violates my conviction about Prabhupada. It violates the teaching of Krishna consciousness. Someone shall have to answer these questions for me: How was Kali finally able to destroy such a one as Srila Prabhupada? To negate, by this untimely removal, his work? How was a demise so evil and inauspicious--to be murdered by one's own disciples, as Jayatirtha was--able to be dealt to a shaktyavesa avatara? Didn't Prabhupada himself state that when he left was in Krishna's hands?

Wasn't Prabhupada always under the complete protection of Krishna? When he had a heart attack, didn't Krishna come personally and massage his heart? These philosophical questions have to be answered. Prabhupada was not an ordinary man, and the ritvik theory of his inauspicious departure--just like the ritvik theory of his strange inability to give clear directions--implicitly make him into an ordinary man. And then, on another level, who would be capable of such a deed? I know the weakness and shortcoming of our leaders at that time, yet a deed of such utterly demonic nature was beyond any of them; it could only be done by someone who had no tinge of devotion or even human feeling. You have to imagine a demon of the most implacable and monstrous kind, utterly devoid of conscious, yet who could live and work with devotees on a day by day basis. And would such a person, guilty of the most heinous sin, be able to go on in the movement for years and years after? Would he not be destroyed by his own guilt, or by Krishna? It may not be impossible for a Prabhupada disciple to have done this, but it closely approaches it. We have heard from many devotees who were with Prabhupada in his last days. Not a single one of them believes he was poisoned. They heard Prabhupada's statements directly; they heard his tone of voice. Better than a tape, they were there in person and they understood what he said in context. (Or else all of them were in on the plot. Not one monster, but a gang of them.) As a basis for his conviction that Prabhupada was poisoned, Naveen Krishna cites the incriminating statement about being killed by Ravana or Rama.

Well, here it is from folio, where it has been sitting there innocently for all these years:

Tamala Krsna: This seems like suicide, Srila Prabhupada, this program [Goverdhana parikrama by ox-cart]. It seems to some of us like it's suicidal.
Prabhupada: And this is also suicidal.
Tamala Krsna: Hm. Prabhupada said, "And this is also suicide." Now you have to choose which suicide.
Prabhupada: The Ravana will kill and Rama will kill. Better to be killed by Rama. Eh? That Marica_if he does not go to mislead Sita, he'll be killed by Ravana; and if he goes to be killed by Rama, then it is better.
Tamala Krsna: Who is this Prabhupada's talking about?
Devotees: Marica.

What, in this context, suggests that Prabhupada is talking about poison? Nothing. No one there--TKG, Svarupa Damodara, Jagadish, Bhakticaru--seemed alarmed. Rather, every one seem to understand: it was better to die by the roughness of going on a ox-cart around Goverdhana than by the devastations of his disease. In either case death will be there. Tamal Krsna Maharaja and Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaja certainly seems to think this is the meaning, for they then point out that now his health seems to be improving, so that the choice is not between dying one way or the other. In context, it is perfectly straightforward. I think it is possible to read this passage in a sinister light only if your hypothesis is that Prabhupada has been poisoned, and now you are looking for evidence to show it. Now how sinister it looks. TKG (and perhaps others present?) really want Prabhupada to stay back so the poison can continue to be conveniently administered. In this way, you can read all kinds of diabolical things into this, but "reading in" is exactly what you are doing. Taking this as a sample of the work of the "independent investigation" , I have to say that its intelligence has been shanghaied by Kali's agents. I have got no confidence in it at all. It is being manipulated and used by the enemies of ISKCON. For this "analysis" of the conversations is the old ritvik modus operandi all over again. We have seen what they have done to read their meanings into the appointment tape, and how the whole thing depends on the forced interpretation of one word, "henceforward." Now in this case, the statements of Prabhupada are going to be systematically interpreted to fit a theory, the context ignored, and the whole thing will depend upon how one hears a nearly inaudible whisper. I can't imagine a more sinister poison administered to destroy the trust of devotees in one another. Are we supposed to sit together on the GBC wondering who among us poisoned Prabhupada?

That's precisely what the ritviks want: to poison the GBC against each other, and poison the rest of ISKCON against the GBC.
Now my question is: why are we helping them? I don't think we have to wait any longer. It is clear from Naveen Krsna that the poisonous, fatal conviction is already established, the "investigation" over. This business should never have been given the imprimatur of the GBC. What to do? Since we are running out of time, perhaps we should not wait to declare that we have evidence that our "independent investigation" has been compromised, and disown it. Then let's issue a strong statement to everyone that this is working out of an insidious plot to destroy ISKCON. Of course, those who want to believe Prabhupada was poisoned will never change their minds. Nevertheless, we shall have to prepare a day by day account of Prabhupada last days, using all the available evidence--tapes, memories, diaries, etc.--and show how the simplest, most straightforward account of those days gives no support to the poison allegations. Maybe we can protect some innocent, and administer an antidote to the poison we are now helping to spread.

I believe that as the "appointment tape" issue began look less and less fruitful to ISKCON's enemies, they found something even heavier: the "poison tapes." This will clearly not go away. It will, as experience indicates, most certainly get worse. Be prepared therefore for the next escalation, which will happen as the "poison tape" proves more and more inconclusive.

I hearby prophesize that they will next produce the "confession" of a "witness": some marginal figure, some half-deranged chump, a (name removed) type (remember him), who will, with much wailing and show of remorse, "confesses" that yes, he was part of it, he was put up to it by TKG (and whoever else) to participte in the poison plot, and now he can only expiate his sin by "confessing" to "all the Vaisnavas" that (tabloid headlines:) They Made Me Do It! Please Forgive Me!

This is what the script of this type of fiction routinely calls for, and as our opponents show a distinct lack of originality, I feel confident that this will be the next instalment in this soap opera. > We should recognize that the real issue is political. Svavas Prabhu told me that after Balavanta's announcemnent was posted, the ritviks were in the streets around the temple high-fiving each other. Yasodananda came down to join Puranjana for the kill. Puranjana bicycled through the streets passing out poison tapes and transcripts, and one ritviki gloated: "Now Puranjana and Yashoda have got the GBC by the b---s!"

It is, in other words, pure power politics, an attempt to overthrow the present leadership and replace them with: guess who?

Let us be prepared this time, and let us try to establish, with funds and personnel, an effective group to counter this attack, and root out, expose,and disarm the poisoners of ISKCON.

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It might not be anything but then again I have been less than happy with Naveen's role in much of this. You may note NNVd's comments about TKG have called Prabhupada "a senile old man" TKG says this is entirely bogus. However NNVd no doubt put this in his text because Naveen put it out recently that TKG had rung him one night and declared that "we will have the hardest time convincing the devotees that Prabhupada was old and delirious and didn;t know what he was saying." I questioned TKG on this and he categorically denied having said anything like it. Rather he stated to me what he ahs always said about SP- that he was in perfect KC and completely aware at all times. When I asked Naveen why he said that since TKG denies it, Naveen was evasive and didn't want to discuss it. I am not accusing him of deliberate wrong doing here but the simple fact is that his loose tongue has contributed to the blasphemy of a senior vaisnava.