05/21/98 - 1809

ISKCON's Reply to the Poison CD/Tape

USA (VNN) - This paper has been issued by the Ministry For The Protection of ISKCON, and has been compiled by Jahnu dasa and Hari Sauri dasa (see also VNN story# 1810)

Over the last few months, a rumor has surfaced which has it that Srila Prabhupada supposedly was poisoned by some of his closest and most trusted disciples. Just recently a CD (hereafter called the Poison CD or PCD when quoted) and equivalent tape have been put out which, although hiding behind the banner of neutrality and claiming no other intention than getting to the truth of the matter, strongly and in not so subtle terms suggest that Srila Prabhupada was in fact poisoned by his Western disciples and that there is a conspiracy being perpetrated by the GBC to cover this up. The following will show that this proposal is without any basis. The so-called evidence that is being presented on the Poison CD is, upon closer examination, actually found to be very loosely constructed and rather insidious at its core. First we will present a few logical arguments against the idea that Srila Prabhupada was being poisoned by his disciples:

In his last days Srila Prabhupada was very keen that he be taken on a parikrama around Vrindavana. He made several statements to the effect that, "I'm just lying here idle and rotting; I want to spend my last days going out on parikrama." It is clear from the conversations that he was frustrated about the prospect of passing away in his bed. But the Kaviraja assured him that it was not guaranteed that he was about to pass away. He said that if Srila Prabhupada would just take his medicine and rest peacefully without talking he would be able to gain strength, and then he could be taken on a parikrama. The Kaviraja stated very emphatically that if Srila Prabhupada went riding on a bullock cart in his present condition, as Srila Prabhupada wanted, he would not survive for even a few hours, what to speak of the whole trip.

The Kaviraja was clear that such a tour would without a doubt kill Srila Prabhupada.Leading devotees also were devastated by the idea of Srila Prabhupada rattling about in a bullock cart and pleaded with him not to go. They said that he should wait until he had gained more strength and then they would take him in a suitable van. We should understand that at that time Srila Prabhupada had not taken any solid foods for several months and his body was mere skin and bones. At one point Srila Prabhupada said, "Let's make an experiment." Let us go on parikrama and we shall see whether I will live or die. Whether I lie here in bed or on a bullock cart, what does it matter? But the devotees who were nursing him all the time were given hope by the Kaviraja that he could get better, and therefore they would not let him go. They pleaded with Srila Prabhupada not to go.

Now, if the Kaviraja assured the devotees that Srila Prabhupada would indeed not survive a bullock cart ride, and if these devotees wanted Srila Prabhupada dead, what could be more convenient than letting him go on a parikrama and in this way speed up his death by entirely natural causes, rather than risk discovery in a poison plot? It was only after so much pleading from the devotees, and the assurance of the Kaviraja that it was possible to improve his condition if he would just take the time to let the medicine work, that Srila Prabhupada declined. After hearing the sincere plea of Tamal Krishna Maharaja, Prabhupada responded in a very loving manner:

Prabhupada: All right.
Bhakti-caru: Jaya Srila Prabhupada.
Bhavananda: Thank you, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: I cannot refuse all your request.
Tamala Krishna: And we cannot refuse your request. We will take you
all over tirtha-yatra, to all the places. Just that you get a little
stronger. You'll be free of all management. You simply go to tirthas
and take darshana of all the Deities in India. Everyone will stay in
their respective places. They'll manage. But we just want you to be
stronger.
Prabhupada: All right. That will satisfy you? (laughter)
Tamala Krishna: Babaji Maharaja also, you also thought that? We did
not talk to him.
Bhavananda: We were just on our way down the stairs to come and see
Your Divine Grace.
Prabhupada: Bhavananda?
Bhavananda: Yes, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: You are satisfied?
Bhavananda: Now I am, Srila Prabhupada, yes. (Laughter) I was in too
much anxiety.
Prabhupada: No, no, I cannot put you in anxiety. You have done so
much. You have suffered in Mayapura so much. I cannot put you in
anxiety. So I shall do what you like. (Bengali) Lefthand, righthand. I
cannot refuse....
Prabhupada: Where is Kaviraja?
Tamala Krishna: He's out again, getting medicine. This man, Srila
Prabhupada, Adri-dharana says he sits up all night worried about you,
thinking, taxing his mind how to give you just what you require.
Prabhupada: No.
Bhakti-caru: Yesterday, when I went to call him at 4:30, I saw him
sitting on his bed.
Tamala Krishna: All night. He goes in the jungle four, five hours
looking for roots, herbs to give you. He's so sincere.
Prabhupada: So many well-wishers, I cannot refuse. This is not my
business. (Bengali) All right. You take Babaji Maharaja. That will be
my going. (laughter)
Krishna dasa Babaji: Jaya.
Tamala Krishna: Yes, the bullock cart will go tomorrow.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Tamala Krishna: To Govardhana.
Prabhupada: Yes, other devotees can go. I cannot go.
Tamala Krishna: No, they'll go on your behalf, but you will go one
day. That we promise you.
Prabhupada: All right.
Tamala Krishna: Our greatest pleasure will be to take you on
tirtha-yatra, Srila Prabhupada. We wanted so much to go with you on
that.
Prabhupada: Thank you very much.
Tamala Krishna: Actually, Srila Prabhupada, we're so much attached to
you that you practically drive us to madness sometimes. Tonight we
were becoming mad.
Prabhupada: No, no, I shall not do that. Babaji Maharaja? (Bengali) So
you will take bath in Radha-kunda on my behalf.
Tamala Krishna: We'll get you better, Srila Prabhupada, and you will
also be able to take bath personally there. We'll see you get better.
Prabhupada: That's all right.

Now, if the Kaviraja assured the devotees that Srila Prabhupada would indeed not survive a bullock cart ride, and if these devotees wanted Srila Prabhupada dead, what could be more convenient than letting him go on a parikrama and in this way speed up his death by entirely natural causes, rather than risk discovery in a poison plot? This would be logical and risk-free. Furthermore, as we see from the exchange, is clear that real love and affection existed between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples and that he accepted their genuine concern for his well-being to the point of canceling his cherished idea of performing parikrama. This is hardly the scenario that points to a murderous plot or that Srila Prabhupada suspected those around him of trying to do away with him.

A further point to consider is who exactly would want to kill Srila Prabhupada and what would be their motive? Some proponents of the "Ritvik" idea of guruship have postulated that some members of the GBC who were named by Srila Prabhupada in his letter of July 9, 1977 wanted him removed from the scene as quickly as possible so that they could become full gurus in their own right rather than be proxies for Srila Prabhupada. According to their logic, Srila Prabhupada was about to state that he didn't want his disciples to be full gurus, and to prevent this and thus fulfill their own ambitions, they poisoned him to death. Obviously such a task couldn't be the work of just one devotee. There would have to have been a conspiracy. An astute observer would have to ask how is it possible to keep a conspiracy like that tight without any leaks for 20 years, especially in ISKCON? And if there was a conspiracy, how was it possible to keep Bhakti Caru Swami out of it? He would have had to be in on it. But what would be his motive? He was not one of the originally appointed gurus nor did he become one until after the guru reforms in 1987.

According to the rumor mongers, there was whispering going on, about poisoning Srila Prabhupada, while many devotees were present in his room. This clearly suggests that many devotees must have been involved, including many who had nothing to gain from Srila Prabhupada's early demise. What would be their motive in supporting such a conspiracy? This is not being explained on the poison CD. In fact nothing is being explained on this CD. We are simply left with a strong suggestion that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned but with no clear explanations or facts to back it up.

Now let us examine the claims on the Poison CD and compare these to
facts.

MEDICAL EVIDENCE

On the Poison CD it is claimed that it has not been possible to obtain clear medical records of Srila Prabhupada's physical condition prior to his departure in mid November. PCD:

It has been very difficult to get accurate and complete information about the particulars of Srila Prabhupada's health. As far as we can determine no diary was specifically kept which chronicled Srila Prabhupada's medication or the various doctors who visited Srila Prabhupada and their diagnoses.

As we shall now see, these claims are not based on facts. The authors also claim that a statement by Abhirama Prabhu regarding Srila Prabhupada's health is taken from memory. PCD:

As far as a diagnosis, Abhirama has given the following details from memory of the diagnosis made while Srila Prabhupada was at Peace Memorial Hospital in England on September 8th, 1977.

We now give you the statement from Abhirama since his words ought to bear much weight in this matter, as he was Srila Prabhupada's personal nurse up to the last month before his departure. Note how he kept a diary which often documented Srila Prabhupada's physical condition:

"As you may know, I acted as Srila Prabhupada's nurse and assistant secretary from 25th July through 16th October of 1977, and was therefore in the best position to evaluate the factors influencing his health during this time. I kept a diary which often documented his physical condition, food intakes, and discomforts. I also was the primary player when he was taken to hospital in Watford England during his last stay at the Manor. I convinced his divine grace to go to hospital, accompanied him there, negotiated with the surgeon not to give general anesthetics and intravenous feeding (as was the policy), provided most of the post operative care to Srila Prabhupada etc. I give this background to emphasize not only my intimate role in his physical care, but also to let you know that this same surgeon, Dr. McIrving, made a very clear and definitive diagnosis of Srila Prabhupada's condition:

1) He had, due to diabetes (and dropsy), suffered swelling which affected the flow in his urinary tract over many years.

2) Since birth he had a slightly constricted urethra which further reduced the urinary flow. (This was the reason for surgery, which gave a great deal of relief to Srila Prabhupada.)

3) The combination of these two major factors had put a constant and harmful back pressure on his kidneys, which along with a general deterioration due to age had inflicted serious renal damage. (Srila Prabhupada complained to me that he had difficulty urinating and finally was blocked completely, leading to this surgery.

4) The kidney failure would naturally cause an increase in uric acid in his system, which would probably affect digestion and appetite, both being prominent symptoms in Srila Prabhupada's condition.

5) The loss of digestion and appetite led to malnutrition, which caused an already aged and intensely taxed system to go into a total collapse.

The above is, I believe, an accurate account of the diagnosis of the doctors who examined Srila Prabhupada at Peace Memorial Hospital on 8th September of 1977, and all of my/our observations prior and subsequent to this generally confirmed this diagnosis."

As far as ascertaining Srila Prabhupada's medical condition goes, here is a comment by Dr. Karl Otto Jacob, M.D., internist (40 years of professional practice in internal medicine):

"Srila Prabhupada's chronic diabetes, which was never medically properly treated, was bound to lead to other serious consequent diseases which had to increasingly manifest in his body, such as premature aging and degradation of blood vessels, microangiopathy (narrowing of arterioles and capillaries), high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetic nephropathy (occurs as consequent disease in most cases of untreated diabetes).

Diabetic nephropathy (severe kidney damage due to diabetes) is usually accompanied by nephroseclerosis, pylonephritis, and again high blood pressure, tendency for heart attacks or strokes. In addition his urethra was constricted which put a constant back pressure on the kidneys, increasing the renal insufficiency and inducing further damage. Chronic renal insufficiency leads in four stages to uraemia, i.e. terminal renal insufficiency which is bound to lead to death unless treated in emergency care by dialysis.

The patient suffering from uraemia dies of the metabolic poisons that cannot be excreted anymore by the kidneys, and accumulate in the body instead. Typical symptoms of renal insufficiency leading up uraemia are: anorexia (total loss of appetite), gastrointestinal disturbances, peripheral polyneuropathy, high blood pressure and heart problems, edema, in the last stage cerebral problems up to coma. A person suffering from uraemia is literally being poisoned and feels like this, as metabolic toxins (creating, uric acid, electrolytes, and many other uraemic toxins) accumulate and intoxicate the organism in a lethal way.

It is medically utterly amazing that Srila Prabhupada reached such a high age in spite of his diabetes going on untreated for decades, being bound to lead to serious consequent diseases. The idea that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned by anything else than his own metabolic toxins is superfluous and sounds highly speculative and absurd to anybody knowledgeable in medicine."

(Editor's note: This stands as a reasonable explanation for Srila Prabhupada's statement from the room conversation dated November 8,
1977:
Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? You said before that you..., that it
is said that you were poisoned?
Prabhupada: No. These kind of symptoms are seen when a man is
poisoned. He said like that; not that I am poisoned.
We shall look in more detail at this conversation further down.)

Abhirama's statement continues:

"1) Srila Prabhupada's esoteric conditions were carefully observed by a variety of care givers and medical professionals. All diagnoses generally confirmed that his body was in an overall crisis, precipitated by his diabetes, dropsy, kidney damage, and overly stressed due to age, travel, etc.

3) His prognosis was not optimistic and death seemed imminent, at least from September 1977.

4) There were no indications of any other cause of his ill health (i.e., poisoning) noticed by me or any medical professional up to October 16, 1977 and Srila Prabhupada did not say anything to indicate that he suspected such a thing during my time with him.

5) His eventual physical departure within one month of my departure as his nurse was a logical and expected conclusion to the above- mentioned indications. I was not at all surprised, although I will remain broken-hearted over his departure throughout my life. Srila Prabhupada had Chronic Renal Failure which caused poisoning and swelling in his body. The Chronic Renal Failure was caused by his diabetes."

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The authors of the Poison CD would have it that Srila Prabhupada showed strong symptoms of someone being poisoned, but while they suggestively attribute this to sinister origins, we shall now present some more medical facts to show that such symptoms were indeed to be expected in someone of Srila Prabhupada's physical condition, as also confirmed above by Dr. Karl Otto Jacob.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

"One of the major functions that the kidney is to maintain a constant extracellular environment by regulating the excretion of fluid and electrolytes. The efficiency with which the kidney must work can be illustrated by the following example. A normal adult man has a glomerular filtration rate of approximately 180L/day (125 ml/min) and a plasma water Na+ concentration of 150 mEQ/L. Thus, the daily filtered sodium load is approximately 27,000 mEq. The normal daily sodium intake in the United States ranges from 80 to 250 mEq. As a result, maintenance of Na+ balance requires that the kidney reabsorb virtually all of the filtered Na+ and excrete less than one percent. Furthermore, a change in sodium intake of 50 mEq/day requires a parallel alteration in fractional Na+ excretion of less than 0.2 percent to maintain the steady state.

Although normal day-to-day renal function is associated with very small fractional changes in Na+ and water excretion, the range of excretion that can be attained by a normal kidney is very large. For example, a person with normal renal function can vary daily urine volume from as little as 500 ml to as much as 15 L. An appreciation of the wide range of normal excretory function is important in understanding the pathogenesis of fluid and electrolyte disorders that represent excess conditions: edema, in which there is an increase in body Na+; hyponatremia, in which there is a relative excess of water; hyperkalemia, in which there is an excess of body K+; and metabolic alkalosis, in which there is an excess of HCO3- [see Subsection II]. None of these conditions can be induced in persons with normal renal function (in the absence of a large, acute load) because such individuals will rapidly excrete the excess solute or water in the urine. Therefore, in almost all patients, there must be an underlying abnormality in renal excretory function for one of these disorders to occur."

In his last months, Srila Prabhupada would often drink juices, milk, etc. and pass urine with the amount around 100 - 300 ml a day. This is less than what is mentioned as the minimum for a person with normal renal function. Srila Prabhupada was also suffering from edema as confirmed in these conversations:

Morning Walk, Bombay, December 24, 1975:
Dr. Patel: You have taken that tablet for passing more urine?
Prabhupada: Yes.
Dr. Patel: Daily or..., yes or no.
Prabhupada: I am passing (laughing).
Dr. Patel: Yes, sir, but you have got the edema on the leg, and I
mean, when...
Prabhupada: It is cured. That one tablet, two tablets, has cured. So
explain what is the experiment with truth.

Room Conversation, Vrindavana, October 3, 1977:
Tamala Krsna: Yes. He recommends that. Anything for the swelling, did
he say, Srila Prabhupada?
?????..
Tamala Krsna: That's hot, too hot though, Srila Prabhupada? You want
us to give you powders again for taking the swelling? Hands and...?
?????.
Tamala Krsna: The swelling has increased since yesterday. It was never
so much as today. The mucus was never so much as today. (Bengali;
Prabhupada speaks little Bengali) What did Prabhupada just say?

Room Conversation, Vrindavana, October 10, 1977:
Doctor: Ad lib. As much as he likes. Because fluid intake is very
necessary, whether it is water or fruit juice or in any way he likes.
And regarding the treatment of the swelling, we can approach, we can
approach it scientifically only after the urine report. If there is
nothing wrong with that, then some diet can be increased.
????
Doctor: I want Prabhupada to do nothing for edema. Edema will
disappear as he gains again strength. When he gains strength this
swelling will disappear gradually.

It should be noted that Srila Prabhupada's liquid intake and output was very little compared to what the kidney was filtering every day. "A normal adult man has a glomerular filtration rate of approximately 180L/day (125 ml/min)." This means that the main function of the kidney is to constantly filter liquids that are staying in the body" not only to filter the incoming liquids. If the kidney is not functioning properly, naturally a lot of poison will accumulate in the body.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

"The natural history of renal disease is characterized by the predictable and inexorable loss of renal function. Once a kidney begins to fail, most patients whose glomerular filtration rate (GFR) falls below 25 ml/min will eventually require dialysis or renal transplantation, regardless of the etiology of renal disease. Renal function is lost at a fairly constant rate in each patient, but the rates can vary considerably among patients with the same underlying disease. 1.2 In some patients, the disease responsible for the initial renal injury remains active. Often, however, renal function deteriorates despite spontaneous resolution or therapeutic control of the initial disease and treatment of known risk factors for disease progression."

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

"Chronic renal failure is a state of progressive and irreversible deterioration of renal function that results from a wide spectrum of diseases [see Table 1]. Although there is frequently evidence of the primary disease process, the underlying etiology often cannot be discerned in patients with advanced renal failure. The clinical manifestations of chronic renal failure are largely independent of the initial insult that damaged the kidneys and instead reflect the general inability of the kidney to excrete nitrogenous wastes, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and secrete hormones?. However, patients with chronic renal failure may become hyperkalemic when this system is stressed by an acute endogenous potassium load (e.g., from rhabdomyolysis or heolysis) or by an exogenous load (e.g., from the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, the administration of potassium salts, or the use of certain drugs). Chronic renal failure is a state of progressive and irreversible deterioration of renal function that results from a wide spectrum of diseases [see Table 1]."

Note that in table 1 it is said that diabetes is one of the major causes of chronic renal failure.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

"Any patient with chronic renal failure whose dietary intake of potassium, particularly from fruits and vegetables, exceeds the rate of excretion may become dangerously hyperkalemic. In addition, severe acidosis, acute infection with a marked catabolic response, rhabdomyolysis, acute hemolysis, marked hyperglycemia, or any superimposed complication leading to oliguria may result in rapid development of life-threatening hyperkalemia in patients with chronic renal insufficiency."

All the doctors at that time seemed to be of the same opinion that the kidneys were the problem:


Room Conversation, Vrindavana, October 20, 1977:
Tamala Krsna: No, but all along, all of the doctors say it is a kidney
trouble. All of the doctors, allopathic and kaviraja agree kidneys are
defective. And the surgeon in London, he also said so. Even when the
urine was normal, still they said the kidneys were not in order. Just
because the urine is yellow doesn't mean kidneys are functioning
properly. That is not the only sign. They all agree that the kidneys
are not properly functioning.
?????.
Tamala Krsna: ....Because the kavirajas don't care for x-rays. They
say that simply by pulse they can see everything. Just like this man,
he took the pulse and immediately he reached for the kidneys. We did
not tell him anything, but he took the pulse and immediately he
reached for the kidneys and the stomach. And he said, "Kidneys are
completely malfunctioning, and the fire of digestion is nearly
extinguished." I think that's a very practical statement if you think
about it. Prabhupada, he's passing urine, he can pass stool, but what
is the real problem, the biggest problem? There's no taste, no
appetite. And that you have to admit?.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

"Anemia has long been recognized as a complication of chronic renal failure and, indeed, may be the cause of many of the symptoms associated with the uremic syndrome, such as fatigue, weakness, and reduced tolerance for exercise."

On the Poison CD there is a lot speculation going on regarding Srila Prabhupada's physical state during the weeks prior to his demise. At one point they even bluntly hint that he was being given arsenic. PCD:

If arsenic was used as Dr. Metha suggests, at least some of the symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning should match Srila Prabhupada's symptoms. This results in the gradual onset of skin, blood and neural manifestations and less dramatic gastrointestinal symptoms initially patients report weakness, anorexia and nausea with prolonged ingestion, there may be increased salivation, inflammation of the mouth, running nose, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss. It should be noted that Srila Prabhupada exhibited many of these symptoms, specifically anorexia and unexplained loss of appetite over an extensive period of time beginning as early as Srila Prabhupada's visit to New York in July 1976. The other symptoms of weakness, occasional vomiting, occasional diarrhea and of course weight loss were also ongoing. Other symptoms are also present but we are presently unable to obtain testimony from anyone.

We should note here that first the authors list some symptoms of arsenic poisoning, then they go on to say that Srila Prabhupada exhibited many of these symptoms. But surely it would be reasonable to expect that if someone is being given arsenic, he'd exhibit all the symptoms of arsenic poisoning and not just some of them. Yet some prominent symptoms of arsenic poisoning like inflammation of the mouth, running nose, vomiting, and increased salivation were in fact, according to eye witnesses, not visible in Srila Prabhupada's body at any stage. Couple this with the fact that the other symptoms exhibited by him, as we have already shown at great length, were rather to be expected from a person in Srila Prabhupada's medical condition of renal failure, and we see the observations about possible arsenic poisoning are extremely weak and specious. It is simply unacceptable from a medical point of view to diagnose a disease and attribute its causes to a particular outside agent simply on the basis of a few visible symptoms, especially when the same symptoms can easily be attributed to other more likely natural causes. The ethics of such a practice would surely have to be questioned.

The CD authors then claim that, "Other symptoms are also present but we are presently unable to obtain testimony from anyone." Isn't this a peculiar statement? If other symptoms of Srila Prabhupada's being poisoned were also present, except that it has not been possible to confirm it with anyone, how can the authors know that these other symptoms were also present? They neither explain what these other symptoms were, nor do they have any evidence of them. Yet still they claim that they were present in Srila Prabhupada. We should note also how it is being proposed that Srila Prabhupada's loss of appetite was "unexplained." This is again an attempt to suggest something sinister and lead the reader to a certain conclusion. However, as we have seen, it was clearly explained in the Scientific American as well as by Dr. Karl Otto Jacob that, "Typical symptoms of renal insufficiency leading to uraemia are: anorexia (total loss of appetite), gastrointestinal disturbances, peripheral polyneuropathy, high blood pressure and heart problems, edema, in the last stage cerebral problems up to coma." Thus loss of appetite is obviously one of the typical symptoms of someone in Srila Prabhupada's condition. How then is it "unexplained?" The Poison CD contains further medical idiosyncrasies. PCD:

The final step in following the evidence is to determine if Srila Prabhupada displayed the symptoms of poisoning. Dr. Metha, an Ayurvedic physician, was shown numerous photos of Srila Prabhupada in his last days. He also observed the video documentary entitled The Final Lesson. Dr. Metha has been a practicing Ayurvedic physician since 1948. He comments: "The expression of the face and the sign of symptoms I can read from his face, his eyes, and from the language he was speaking, it was all according to my knowledge ? in the medicine because I was in the medical practice too. That is the thing that it is my presumption that he was poisoned. The second thing is that he himself told that he was given poison. So both things, the signs of symptoms and what he talked before dying, both confirm that thing. The speech, the expression which we can see from the face, and that tells that he was poisoned. The way he was talking. The poison was most probably arsenic or mercury. Because this is a slow poison, it takes time. Little amount of dose every day gradually man goes to death. Especially arsenic is such a poison, it gradually takes a man to death. This is very hard for the average person to understand. Only the experienced eye can tell that there is something wrong, not a general death or natural death. Dullness of face and dullness of eyes and the aura which we can see from the body, tells us that there is something wrong."

Something wrong indeed. We are here lead to believe by one obscure doctor, who merely looked at some pictures of Srila Prabhupada and listened to one video tape, that Srila Prabhupada was being given arsenic. Yet, as will become apparent from the conversations of November 9 - 10 discussed herein later on, Damodar Prasad Shastri, the highly experienced doctor who was physically with him right up to the last moment, did not detect any symptoms of arsenic in Srila Prabhupada's body, and never mentioned the possibility of it at all, even though Srila Prabhupada himself discussed the possibility of his being poisoned directly with him on. Nor did Prabhupada's nurses, Abhirama prabhu and Bhakti Caru Swami, nor any of the other doctors who saw Srila Prabhupada. This diagnosis of Dr. Mehta is indeed odd. We have to question the objectivity of the makers of the Poison CD when they repeatedly claim that it has not been possible to obtain testimony from anyone about Srila Prabhupada's health in his last days. PCD:

Other symptoms are also present but we are presently unable to obtain testimony from anyone.

And again:
It has been very difficult to get accurate and complete information about the particulars of Srila Prabhupada's health. As far as we can determine, no diary was specifically kept which chronicled Srila Prabhupada's medication or the various doctors who visited Srila Prabhupada and their diagnoses.

The authors state this even though a great deal of testimony is available from those who were actually there with Srila Prabhupada in his last days. Instead of listening to these first-hand sources, they seem to prefer a little-known Kaviraja, show him a video of Srila Prabhupada and some pictures, and from such evidence conclude that Srila Prabhupada was being poisoned. Does this flimsy methodology really fit in with this statement of purpose? PCD:

The producers of this audio document have therefore sought to present the facts as they are known as of January 1998 to the interested public. Indeed it should be made clear that this investigation has been undertaken with the strong hope that under intense scrutiny this might turn out to be nothing more than a dreadful misunderstanding.

Now, since the producers of the Poison CD prefer to rely on "remote diagnosis" rather than first hand testimonies, to help bring things in a proper perspective, we present here an eye witness account from Bhakti Caru Swami in order to give a more reliable understanding to the concerned reader:

"During Srila Prabhupada's last days he mentioned about poison soon after Makaradhvaj was given to him. That was about three weeks before his disappearance pastimes. At that time, I felt that the effect of that medicine may have been detrimental to his condition and therefore he spoke in that way. The next time he spoke about poison was a few days before his disappearance. At that time according to the instruction of the Kaviraj from Calcutta, I was just giving Srila Prabhupada milk diluted with water and sweetened with sugar candy. The Ayurvedic doctor was gradually increasing the quantity of milk. He informed us that the milk intake would cure Srila Prabhupada. Personally I did not notice any unusual bodily symptoms in Srila Prabhupada. He used to lie on the bed all the time. Sometimes he used to express some discomfort from lying on his back all the time. Therefore, he used to ask us to turn him on his side. At that time his body had become so delicate that we had to help him to turn to his side very carefully. If we were not extremely careful then he would feel pain. Two or three days before his disappearance, His Divine Grace mentioned a pain in his left thigh and he also mentioned about poison again.

The day he left his body sometime during late morning or early afternoon it seemed that the pain in his left thigh became so acute that he started to writhe. By that time he had stopped speaking. The last time he spoke was the night before, at about 12 o'clock, and he told the Ayurvedic doctor from Calcutta about some discomfort he was feeling. When Prabhupada started writhing in pain, making some faint moaning sound, Bhavananda Maharaja, who was sitting on the bed next to him held him tightly and from that time onwards Srila Prabhupada became very still and practically did not move at all. From time to time he only opened his mouth and I poured some Yamuna water, which he drank with great relish. Although his body became totally still, yet his tongue was constantly vibrating. Srila Krsnadasa Babaji Maharaja, a god-brother of His Divine Grace, pointed out that Srila Prabhupada was chanting the holy name incessantly. Besides these his body did not display any unusual symptoms. Although His Divine Grace spoke about poison, I could not take it seriously for two reasons:

1. The Ayurvedic doctor was present, and as Prabhupada displayed quite a lot of confidence in him, I felt if Srila Prabhupada was really poisoned then this doctor would have detected it. 2. I was under the impression that when someone is given poison then his body becomes blue. However, at that time Srila Prabhupada's body became very shiny, almost golden, and he did not display any sign of pain or unusual discomfort. Apart from his usual unhealthy condition, Srila Prabhupada was quite normal. All the time he used to quietly lie on the bed very calm and composed. Sometimes he used to give advice to the senior leaders about how to manage the society; form different trusts and what to do with the funds. His consciousness was so clear that it was obvious that he was transcendentally situated. Even though he was only a few days away from leaving his body, his voice was very strong and resonant. Therefore, those of us who were present around him at that time were convinced that he was a completely spiritual personality and he was just displaying his disappearance pastime. One day, after checking his pulse, the Ayurvedic doctor, Damodar Prasad Shastri, told Prabhupada that he was completely surprised while treating him. At one moment his pulse was so weak that it seemed as if he was about to leave his body, and the next moment it was strong and healthy as that of a young man. He also told Prabhupada that he was only displaying his pastimes. From another point of view, we also saw that he was having difficulties with his kidneys. As a result of that, his legs and the back of his palms were swelling up. When the medicine started to work the swelling went down. He obviously had some kidney problems and the doctors gave medicines accordingly.

I also want to mention something that I consider was a mistake on our part, yet we could not really do anything about it. One night when I was attending Srila Prabhupada in Hrsikesa, he told me that the time had come for him to leave his body and he wanted us to make arrangements to take him to Vrindavana. I ran downstairs and woke up Tamal Krsna Maharaja and told him what Srila Prabhupada had said. When Tamal Krsna Maharaja came to His Divine Grace he repeated the same words to him. The next morning we left for Delhi, and the following morning we took His Divine Grace to Vrindavana. That morning, after he settled down in his quarters, he called me and told me not to cook for him anymore, or force him to eat anything. I felt that His Divine Grace was preparing to leave his body like Pariksit Maharaja, without eating and drinking anything.

By that time the news had spread all over the world and many leaders came to Vrindavana. When they requested him, with tears in their eyes, to continue to stay, His Divine Grace agreed. Once again I started to cook for him and he started to eat. One day he asked me to fetch an Ayurvedic doctor called Vanamali Kaviraja from Gopinath Bazaar. As a result of the treatment by that doctor, Srila Prabhupada's condition started to improve. However, when his health improved, His Divine Grace wanted to go to the West to preach. When Vanamali Kaviraja got to know about Srila Prabhupada's plans, he requested me not to let him go. He told me that his medicine was working and Srila Prabhupada's condition was improving.

However, he said that Srila Prabhupada's condition had not become completely healthy yet. He was planning to give Srila Prabhupada Makaradhvaj, during winter, which would rejuvenate him completely. He mentioned that Srila Prabhupada's condition was not strong enough to absorb Makaradhvaj because it was a very strong medicine. Therefore he planned to give it to him in winter. Because by that time Srila Prabhupada's health would become strong enough to absorb it, and also the cold weather would help.

I was just a new devotee at the time and when I saw that Srila Prabhupada was so determined to go to the West I could not really make a strong enough endeavor to stop him from going. Srila Prabhupada's plan was to go to Hawaii after visiting London, New York, Gita Nagari, and Los Angeles. However, when in London his condition deteriorated so much that he had to come back after about a week-long stay. Vanamali Kaviraja resumed his treatment but Srila Prabhupada's condition had deteriorated so much that his medicine did not work and he stopped the treatment. Vanamali Kaviraja did not want to give Makaradhvaj when Srila Prabhupada's health was so much better before he went to the West. However, it was administered to him only about three weeks before his disappearance when his condition was much worse than that time. Also, it was administered by a doctor from Delhi who never even saw him.

Soon after that Srila Prabhupada started to speak about poison. Therefore it seemed to me that he was speaking about the adverse effect of Makaradhvaj. After Srila Prabhupada's disappearance I often used to lament internally - why didn't I stop him from going to the West? Why I didn't I tell the GBC members and senior devotees present in Vrindavana at that time what Vanamali Kaviraja told me? Why didn't I stop them from giving Srila Prabhupada Makaradhvaj that was brought from Delhi and given by a doctor who did not even see him? Now I cannot do anything about it besides lamenting about my uselessness."

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After this touching report from Maharaja we move on to some quotes from Hari Sauri's book A Transcendental Diary to show that the diseased condition of Srila Prabhupada's body wasn't anything new but was an ongoing thing. This further discredits the idea of the Poison CD authors , that there is a shortage of information on Srila Prabhupada's health prior to his demise, or that it was only in his last days that he displayed symptoms of serious illness.

References to swelling of Srila Prabhupada's legs and hands:

TD1
December 20, 1975:
Prabhupada is not feeling well; swelling in his legs, feet, and hands trouble him. To see his body puffed with fluid is very disturbing. During his massage I pressed gently on Prabhupada's foot with my thumb to show him the swelling. It left an indentation for several minutes. Prabhupada said this is due to uremia, a toxic condition caused by waste products in the blood normally eliminated in the urine. It makes it very difficult for him to climb the steps to his apartment when returning from the temple. Yet, he tolerates the inconvenience without complaint and dismissed the sight of the dent with a smile and a shake of his head.

TD2 May 4, 1976: Prabhupada rang his bell at 1:00 A.M. I jumped out of my sleeping bag next door and went in, followed by Pusta Krsna Swami. Looking strained, Prabhupada informed us that he was ill and would not take his usual walk or give the morning Srimad-Bhagavatam class. He is again having trouble with uremia, using the bathroom every hour. His feet are badly swollen and he is suffering dizzy spells.

May 8, 1976: Srila Prabhupada is now feeling a little better. For the last couple of days he has been taking half-tablets of diuretic medicine, and the swelling in his hands and feet has disappeared. As soon as he got the desired effect he stopped taking the pills.

TD3 New Vrindavana, June 23, 1976: Ekadasi. Prabhupada said very little on his walk and the class was short. He is experiencing disturbing heart palpitations and his uremia has caused his legs and feet to swell again. It was a strain for him to even be out.

New York, July 15, 1976: In the middle of the night Prabhupada rang the bell. When I entered his room he was sitting behind his low desk, with his dictaphone before him, but he was not using it. He was ashen, and told me he was experiencing severe kidney pain and could not translate. It was the same problem he had a few days ago. This time he agreed when I asked if we could call a doctor on our return to New York. He wasn't confident that it would do any good, but he said that there was undoubtedly something wrong, so he had no objection.

July 16, 1976: Dr. Bhagat examined Srila Prabhupada, diagnosing very high blood pressure and a weak heart. He said the uremia problem, which makes Prabhupada's hands and feet swell, meant that his body produces too much water, and was probably the result of a kidney stone. He prescribed five different kinds of medicines: Lasix, a diuretic to eliminate excess water to be taken once a day with breakfast, Kerflex, an antibiotic for the kidney infection, to be ingested four times a day, Parafon Forte, a pain reliever, Valium, a psychotropic relaxant, and a sleeping pill. He also advised Prabhupada not to take any salt or sugar. Prabhupada allowed us to purchase the medicines, but I have strong doubts that he will take them. And I know that he will never agree to a diet of no salt. He always insists that there must be some taste to his prasadam, otherwise he won't eat it.

TD4 Iran, August 8: Prabhupada spent a quiet day following his usual routine, while Atreya Rsi and Dayananda prabhus went off to work in the afternoon. Despite the high altitude causing swelling in Srila Prabhupada's legs and hands again from his uremia, he has decided to stay in Iran until the 13th of the month because the climate here is very nice - sunny and hot, around ninety degrees. Bombay, August 14, 1976: Dr. Patel, Srila Prabhupada's Bombay walking partner, showed up in the early morning with his raucous laugh and lively demeanor, bare feet and cane, to go out onto Juhu beach with Prabhupada. However, because of the persistent swelling in Prabhupada's legs caused by his malfunctioning kidneys he wasn't feeling up to it, but he happily spent the next half hour preaching.

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We asked Hari-sauri prabhu, who, apart from being with Srila Prabhupada continuously from November 1975 until March 1977, was also with His Divine Grace for almost three weeks in late May and early June 1977, and the whole month of October in Vrindavana, about Prabhupada's attitude towards his disease and curing it:

"During the whole period I was with Srila Prabhupada I never once heard him mention that he had diabetes, nor did I notice that he ever made any specific changes in his diet in response to that condition. Nor did I ever hear the cooks that traveled with us at various times (Harikesa Swami, Nandarani dasi, Jamuna dasi, Palika dasi, Arundhati dasi, Sruti Rupa dasi) mention that they were preparing any kind of specific diet for him to counter that condition. As far as medicines go, he also never took anything for the treatment of diabetes. When I was with him he took some Ayurvedic medicines, none of which were for diabetes - Yogendra Rasa, which I understood was a kind of brain tonic, every morning until the fall of 1976, when he stopped it completely; Triphala Churna on occasion for constipation; and Bhaskar Lavan (black salt), which he took occasionally for digestion.

Beyond these medicines, which were self-prescribed, he was sometimes advised to take allopathic, homeopathic and Ayurvedic medicines by a variety of doctors when he became ill, but again, he almost never took their advice nor their medicines. He stated his personal policy on medical treatment to Dr. Patel in Bombay on August 15, 1976 and I have included that in Volume 4 of A Transcendental Diary:

Dr. Patel arrived, having curtailed his usual walk on the beach early, when he didn't see Srila Prabhupada by the sea. He quickly inquired from Srila Prabhupada about his health and whether he was taking any medicine.

Prabhupada accepted his concern, but in his usual self-effacing manner, shook his head and quoted Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.4, saying that the real medicine is the chanting of the holy name. 'Nivritta-tarshair upagiyamanad. This chanting is properly done by a person who has fully satisfied his material desires, satiated, no more. Bhavaushadhi, and it is the medicine for this bhava-roga. Bhava, punar bhava. Once take your birth, then die, then punar bhava. So this is bhava-roga. So except pashughni [animal killer] nobody can be aloof from this chanting of Hare Krsna mantra. It is bhavaushadhi.' Dr. Patel laughed. 'Shall we call that Pandit Ayur-Vedacarya of India for you? If you don't believe in our medicine?' Srila Prabhupada also laughed. 'No, no.' 'What I mean to say,' Dr. Patel continued, 'is that ksetra [body] and ksetrajna [its owner] are dependent on each other; if there is no ksetra, there will be no ksetrajna to stay. So you have got to look after that ksetra, or what the ksetrajna will be happy there to live there? I think I am not wrong.' Prabhupada chuckled. 'No, you are right. Ksetra is changeable, ksetrajna is permanent.'

Although Dr. Patel knew very well His Divine Grace's opinion on taking medicine, he still tried some friendly persuasion and this led into a short discussion about Indian medicines. Dr. Patel said that there is a research plant in Calcutta that is extracting penicillin from cow dung.

Prabhupada knew about it, adding that Dr. Monmohan Ghosh, a pathologist of Dr. Jagadisha Candra Bose, conducted the original research proving the antiseptic properties of gobar. Dr. Patel said there were many medicinal properties in cow urine also. 'Go mutra, sir, there are so many hormones coming, and a big sample of hormones which can be resynthesized as human hormones.' Prabhupada agreed, saying that if drunk, it was a good medicine for liver disease.

Dr. Patel expressed his concern again for Srila Prabhupada's own health. Taking permission to raise his question he asked, 'Now then, Arjuna was so advised that he should fight out. So in that case, I mean we all consider he was right to follow Krsna's advice? Then if a man is overtaken by disease and if he fights out that . . .' Prabhupada smiled at his persistence. 'No, no, I don't say that he should not fight. It is my personal choice. Not that one should not take care of the body or one should not eat medicine, that is not . . . I like this, "Let me do without medicine." That is my personal . . 'What is medicine?' Dr. Patel asked. 'Any herb is a medicine. Even food is a medicine.'

'Whatever it may be,' Prabhupada said. 'I don't decry medicine. That is not my business.'
'No, no, I don't say decry. But you don't want to take advantage of medicine,' Dr. Patel insisted.
'Medicine,' Prabhupada said objectively. 'Just like a type of vairagya, sometimes they do not eat. That does not mean eating is forbidden. It is not. It is my personal, I am trying to avoid, that's
all.'

'You have heard the name W. C. Bannerji? He was a big barrister. He was one of the three inaugurators of Congress in the beginning. So he had his friend, contemporary, he was a brahmana. He was taking daily his bath in the Ganges, and if he was diseased, was drinking Ganges water. So he became seriously sick. So this W.C. Bannerji, he was a big man. So he asked his permission to bring some doctor. "'You'll die in this way."' So he persisted, '"No, I shall simply drink this Ganges water."' So it is not that medical science is in defeated position.'"

From all the above statements we can thus understand that Srila Prabhupada made a conscious decision not to take any precaution against his diabetic condition. This inevitably leads to the conditions described above by Abhirama Prabhu and in the Scientific American. If Srila Prabhupada showed symptoms of being poisoned this is perfectly explainable in natural terms according to the known medical conditions of his body.

Talk of arsenic poisoning is at best spurious and, even without the "intense scrutiny" mentioned by the authors of the Poison CD but with a little commonsense and an unmotivated examination of the available facts any unbiased person can understand that Srila Prabhupada's body did in fact succumb to natural causes.

On the Poison CD a case is being made out of the fact that there are seventy-five days during the period July-October, for which there are no tapes recorded. PCD:

As mentioned, it is very difficult to get the specifics of Srila Prabhupada's condition. Aside from individual devotees' notes and recollections, information publicly available about Srila Prabhupada's health can only be found in conversations recorded in his room. When we went to look for this critical information, however, we found that there were seventy-five days between July and October, out of ninety-two, for which there are no tapes recorded, including forty-five consecutive days from August 18th through October 1st. That Srila Prabhupada would have spoken less during severe illness is certainly understandable. That Prabhupada would have said nothing for such long periods of time is inconceivable. We must, therefore, ask why there were no recordings made during that time. Or, if indeed recordings were made, what happened to them?

When we examine Conversations With Srila Prabhupada, we find that from the period between July 19 until October 2, twenty-five days are missing, and then there is a gap of forty-five days from August 17 until October 2 during which no recordings are available.

Tamala Krishna Goswami explains:

We kept a small Sony tape recorder by Prabhupada's bedside and turned it on whenever possible to record whatever he said. Often two or three days or more would pass before an entire tape was filled. The tape would simply be given one of these dates, though in fact what was recorded often represented many days of conversation. This would explain why there appeared to be so many "missing" dates. Furthermore, on the 26th of August, Srila Prabhupada left Vrindavana for London. While in London he underwent an operation due to a worsening condition and became almost entirely bedridden thereafter, seeing practically no one. Although his intention was to travel on to America, he instead returned to India, fearing the worst. Arriving in Bombay on the 14th of September, he entered into a crisis situation. My diary entry for the 15th of September indicates the situation: "Throughout the day Srila Prabhupada has been lying in bed. He does not speak at all and hardly moves." When I asked Prabhupada how he was feeling, His Divine Grace simply said: "Crisis." On October 1st, Prabhupada left for Vrindavana. Obviously, this period represented days and even weeks when no recording was made.

Now, regarding how the recordings were transferred to Los Angeles. They would be sent conveniently with some responsible devotee returning to America. As an example, Isa dasa claims that one batch were brought back by HH Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami who turned them over to Isa for sending to the archives. Hari Sauri Prabhu writes that his own experience is that sometimes the tapes were mislaid after reaching the archives. At least that was his experience with recordings he made in Hawaii in 1976; he states that Krsna Kanti, who was in charge of the archives at that time, must have mislaid them.

If we look at the above dates, it would seem most likely that I would have personally carried whatever tapes I had at the time in Vrindavana with us to London, with the idea of giving them to a responsible person to take to Los Angeles. Although I cannot recall the system of recording Prabhupada in London (I don't have the same type of remembrance of the Sony tape recorder by Prabhupada's side as I do in Vrindavana), I cannot imagine that we did not record him there at least some of the time. And yet you state that there are no available tapes at all within that period of his London visit. I find it hard to believe that there were no recordings because there were some very sweet meetings between Prabhupada and his disciples there.

The question, therefore, is what happened to these tapes. Again, I wish to emphasize that I am only surmising that there must have been some conversations recorded; I cannot state certainly, but it seems reasonable. In any case, if there were such tapes, there would be no point in me bringing them back to Vrindavana. Rather I would have sent them along with whatever I had brought with me from Vrindavana with a responsible person to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, I cannot recall who that person might be. Nor can we be certain what happened to the tapes, if there were any and if they arrived in Los Angeles, once they entered the hands of those in charge of the archives at the time. It is entirely possible that they may have suffered the same fate as those recorded by Hari Sauri Prabhu in Hawaii.

SRILA PRABHUPADA TALKS ABOUT BEING POISONED

A number of devotees, although not inclined to believe that a conspiracy along the lines suggested by the Ritviks is true, are nevertheless disturbed by the fact that Srila Prabhupada himself appears to talk about his being poisoned. The following are the transcriptions from the Room Conversations in Vrindavana from November 8 to 10, 1977, where Srila Prabhupada talks about being poisoned. The Hindi conversations have been translated from the tapes held by the Bhaktivedanta Archives.

The translation we bring here appears in italics, and was done by Jan Brzezinski for the authors of the Poison CD. Another translation has been done by Bhakti-caru Maharaja. The translations differ slightly and in one place, which we indicate, they differ significantly. Note that on the Poison CD the authors offer only a fragment of the original conversations in Hindi together with their interpretation of the entire conversation. Some of the quotes that appear there are even taken out of context, so to gain an actual understanding of what was taking place we present here the literal wordings of the conversations.

ROOM CONVERSATIONS, VRINDAVAN, NOVEMBER 8,1977
(Conversation Book No.36)
Page 354
Prabhupada: Someone says that I've been poisoned. It's possible.
Balaram Misra(?): Hmm?
Kaviraja: What is he saying?
Prabhupada: Someone says that someone has given poison.
Kaviraja: To whom?
Prabhupada: To me.
Kaviraja: Who said?
Prabhupada : All these friends.
Bhakti-caru: Who said, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: They all say.
Tamala Krsna: Krishnadas? Who said that, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: I don't know, but it is said.
???..
Kaviraja: Oh, Maharaj, today, How did you say this - that someone told
you that someone has poisoned you? Did you feel something?
Prabhupada: No, not said, but when one is given poison it happens like
this. It's written in book.
Kaviraj: If you take raw mercury, it can happen, or several other raw
things. But who would do such a thing to you? For a saintly person
like you, even if someone thinks such a thing, then he is a demon.
Page 359
Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? You said before that you..., that it
is said that you were poisoned?
Prabhupada: No. These kind of symptoms are seen when a man is
poisoned. He said like that, not that I am poisoned.
Tamala Krsna: Did anyone tell you that, or you just know it from
before?
Prabhupada: I read something.
Tamala Krsna: Ah, I see. That's why actually we cannot allow anyone
else to cook for you.
Srila Prabhupada: That is good.
Tamala Krsna: Jayapataka Maharaja was telling that one acharya,
Sankaracharya, of the Sankaracharya line - this was a while ago - he
was poisoned to death. Since that time, none of the acharyas or the
gurus of the Sankaracharya line will ever take any food cooked except
by their own men.
Srila Prabhupada: My Guru Maharaja also.
Tamala Krsna: Oh, you, of course, have been so merciful that sometimes
you would take prasada cooked by so many different people.
Srila Prabhupada: That should be stopped (pause)
Page 367
Bhavananda: Prabhupada was complaining of mental distress this morning
also.
Bhakti-caru: Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Prabhupada: Hm?
Bhakti-caru: Srila Prabhupada, what was that about? mental distress?
Srila Prabhupada: Hm, hm
Kaviraja: Say it. Say it.
Prabhupada: (Hindi - mentions the word, poison) That same thing I
said, that someone has poisoned me.
Bhakti-caru: He was thinking that someone?
Kaviraja: It is possible some demon has given it. It is not
impossible. Just like Sankaracharya was poisoned over six months with
powdered glass etc. But the poisoner, after twelve months got leprosy
- one has to suffer one's karma. But whatever medicine I've given will
counteract either the effect of bad planets or poison on the body. Now
we cannot catch who may have poisoned. And if his kidneys are bad from
disease, curse, or poison, my medicine will counteract.
Devotee: Someone gave him poison here.
Tamal Krsna: Prabhupada was thinking that someone had poisoned him.
Adri-dharana: Yes.
Tamala Krsna: That was the mental distress.
Kaviraja: If he says that - there must be some truth to it. There's no
doubt.
Adri-dharana: Yes.
Kaviraja: (Hindi)
Tamala Krsna: What did Kaviraja just say?
Bhakti-caru: He said that when Srila Prabhupada was saying that, there
must be some truth behind it. (People all speaking at once)
Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada, Sastriji says that there must be some
truth to it if you say that. So who is it that has poisoned? (pause)
Kaviraja: The strongest poison is mercury. Did you read about Swarup
Goha in Calcutta. The husband poisoned the wife, gave a dose of
raskapoor. There is no medicine for it..
Bhakti-caru: Mercury was in the makaradhvaja?
Kaviraja: No, no. Not that mercury. Another form of mercury.
Bhakti-caru: Accha. [I see,]
Bhavananda: What did he say?
Bhakti-caru: He said that it's quite possible that mercury, it's a
kind of poison?
Tamala Krsna: That makaradhvaja
Kaviraja: Raskapoor. Amirasa It is very poison. Makaradhvaja is like
nectar, although not suitable for him. But That (raskapoor) is poison
for everybody.

(Editor's note: Here Brzezinski's reading is different from Bhakti
Caru Swami's. Maharaja renders the Kaviraja's statement like this:
"Kaviraja: Makaradhvaja to amrta hota hai. Inke liye abhi suitable
hota, ye bata puchate. O to sabake liye poison hota - "Makaradhvaja is
nectar (life-giving).It's just suitable for him, if you ask me. It's
really poison for everybody else." Where Maharaja's hears "Inke liye
abhi suitable hota, ye?," Brzezinski reports something like "Inke liye
bish hota hai," meaning that 'in Prabhupada's case, it is like a
poison.' (The recording of this part of the conversation is not
included on the Poison CD.)

Bhakti-caru: He was referring to a big murder case in Calcutta. The
husband poisoned the wife.
Bhavananda: Oh, yes. Our lawyer is the?
Tamala Krsna: Bhagatji doesn't think the?
Bhakti-caru: When the Lord protects, just like Prahlada Maharaja?
Kaviraja: Swamiji, (quotes Sanskrit verse)?
Tamala Krsna: No poison is strong enough to stop the harinam, Srila
Prabhupada.
(End)

The makers of the Poison CD have the following statement from Brzezinski:

After exchanging greetings, Srila Prabhupada surprises Misra by saying, (Bengali) 'He said maybe it is true. If someone says that someone has poisoned, and that might be true so this is starting to What is this sentence supposed to mean?????????? Balaram Misra who expected nothing of the sort, and the Kaviraja also asks, 'What is he (??)saying,' and Prabhupada repeats the same thing in Hindi. 'Poison has been given.' The Kaviraja asks, 'To whom?' and Srila Prabhupada answers, 'To me.' And then the question comes, 'Who says this?' And Srila Prabhupada answers, 'They say friends.' So the use of the word 'friends' in English is interesting because that would indicate that he is referring to his English-speaking western devotees, that someone amongst them has said this. So we do not know who that is because Srila Prabhupada never specifically mentioned their name. So then Bhakti Charu asks in Bengali who said this. Srila Prabhupada answers in kind of a defeated tone [as if to say, you know, well-repeating the same thing, he said, 'Who said this? Who said it?' And, well, it could either mean that 'everyone is saying it' or 'I do not know who said it' or-it's a very ambiguous statement. Tamal Krsna comes in and asks it as if was Krsnadasa he is referring to Krsnadasa Babaji because Krsnadasa Babaji had been there earlier that day and had been talking with Srila Prabhupada so Tamala Krsna thinks that it was him. And then the whole section finishes with the Kaviraja saying that 'Who would give you poison' and 'Why would anyone do that?' And Tamala Krsna of course comes in and asks in English again, 'Who said that, Srila Prabhupada?' and Srila Prabhupada says 'I do not know but it is said.'

One thing we may note from the above is that Brzezinski interprets Prabhupada's statement about friends to indicate his western devotees simply on the basis that the word was spoken in English. However, anyone with even a scant knowledge of conversational Hindi in India knows that it is very common for a speaker to drop in English words in mid-sentence without it having any special meaning or indication. It is pure speculation on Brzezinski's part to jump to this conclusion. The makers of the Poison CD have stated that Srila Prabhupada was reluctant to speak about being poisoned with his western disciples. They thus imply that this throws a suspicious light upon them-that Prabhupada himself suspected them:

The issue was raised only one other time and the conversation is entirely in English. Several questions naturally come to mind after hearing these conversations. First we note that Srila Prabhupada did not raise this issue with his disciples but first with an outsider whom Srila Prabhupada had probably not seen for many years as evidence that the fact that Balarama Misra asks Srila Prabhupada if he recognizes him. We must wonder why he did not take up the issue with one closest to him. Questioned by Tamala Krsna Goswami about this, Srila Prabhupada says, "he said like that", meaning the Kaviraja: "Not that I am poisoned." By this statement to his disciples, he denies that he is being poisoned, yet Prabhupada discusses this with the Kaviraja the very next day, and again speaks to him in Hindi stating very frankly, quote "Someone has poisoned me." The fact that Srila Prabhupada spoke openly to the Kaviraja about being poisoned and not to the devotees again leaves us to wonder. We see that Srila Prabhupada obviously did not care to speak with his disciples on the matter, as Tamala Krsna's last question about his statement is met with a long thirteen seconds of silence. Prabhupada obviously could have named his suspects at that time, but he declined. Here the makers of the Poison CD clearly jump to conclusions. First of all, from the above conversations it cannot be concluded that Srila Prabhupada did not want to speak to his disciples about being poisoned. He discussed as much with them as he did with the Kaviraja. And even if he had not, there could be many other reasons for that, one being that Srila Prabhupada simply didn't want to upset his disciples more than necessary, as they were already going through the traumatic experience of seeing him lying helplessly in bed.

Secondly, the suggestion, that because Srila Prabhupada spoke frankly, the next day in Hindi, about being poisoned, to the Kaviraja and "not to the devotees," is therefore indicative of distrust on Srila Prabhupada's part towards his disciples, is also specious since Bhakti Caru Maharaja, who spoke English, Bengali and Hindi, was also there. And it was Bhakti Caru Maharaja who was responsible for giving Srila Prabhupada whatever liquids or other foodstuffs he was taking.

Thirdly, it is not obvious that Srila Prabhupada "could have named his suspects at that time but declined." There is no indication from Srila Prabhupada whether he actually suspected any specific individual or individuals or whether he was simply concerned because others had told him there was a possibility. And the fact that he agreed with Tamala Krsna Goswami that only his own disciples should cook for him indicates that he did not suspect his immediate entourage of any such crime.

These translations and transcripts do in any case reveal a confusing scenario. Srila Prabhupada indicates first to Tamala Krsna Goswami that he had the symptoms of someone poisoned, not that he was being poisoned. Later he states more positively that he thinks he is being poisoned. While we may never know exactly what was in Srila Prabhupada's mind, or how seriously he took the suggestion that someone may be poisoning him, what we do learn from these transcriptions is that the possibility of his being poisoned is discussed with his disciples present, both from a medical standpoint with the talk of mercury, and from the idea that an outside person could be deliberately doing it. Besides that we also learn that Srila Prabhupada was not the first one to take up the matter of his being poisoned, rather he referred to "someone" telling him that he was being poisoned. No conclusion, however, appears to have been reached. From this we can only say that Srila Prabhupada did not seem to think that his intimate servants were doing anything of the kind. Further, if one considers the intense loving exchanges that went on in the last three or four days, with Srila Prabhupada expressing his appreciation for the concern of his secretaries that he not go out on parikrama by calling them his "left hand and right hand" etc., one would have to conclude that he did not feel in any way threatened by them. On the contrary, it is perfectly clear even to someone who was not present to witness it firsthand, that he was reciprocating in a loving way with them to a degree not seen practically at any time in ISKCON's history.

WILL-O'-THE-WHISPERS

It has been alleged that a number of "whispers" have been found on tapes of conversations which contain the word "poison" in various phrases. This "evidence" has been taken so seriously that at least three different parties have sent the tapes to forensic labs for professional analysis. Modern techniques of spectrographic sound analysis as well as standard enhancement of the "whispers" by sophisticated audio playback equipment have been employed to ascertain whether there is any truth to this idea.

To any neutral devotee it is nothing less than inconceivable that a person or persons serving Srila Prabhupada in such an intimate manner as existed in the last days in Vrindavana could, as the theory goes, whisper "the poison is going down [giggle], the poison is going down," as they watch Srila Prabhupada gulp down a deadly potion. As we shall see from the following evidences, their credulity and faith need not be stretched for there exists no evidence to support such a notion. The GBC appointed an independent investigator, Sriman Balavanta Dasa, to oversee a professional forensic analysis of the tapes to ascertain if there is any truth to these claims. These results are still pending but after preliminary tests and feedback from the labs, Balavanta Prabhu has expressed doubt that any definite evidence proving the claims will be found to exist. Apart from this, several GBC men have conducted tests themselves using sophisticated equipment and the results are indeed interesting. According to their analyses, the word "poison" simply does not appear.

Comment by Harikesa Swami:

"After hearing that the whispers said what everyone thinks they said, and especially the latest-which was not a whisper but a spoken statement by Tamal Krsna Maharaja ("Put poison in different containers" or something like that)- Brahma Muhurta dasa and I decided that we were going to do our own investigation into what the tapes actually said. Of course, no one has yet explained why Prabhupada said he was being poisoned. I am still interested in what this actually meant. This remains the most important piece of evidence in the whole affair. Indeed, it may be the only piece of evidence there is. As far as the original whisper is concerned, the one that supposedly said, "Let's not poison him and go," we have listened to that one the most. We cannot hear the word "poison," nor the words "him and go." I cannot make out what this is saying even after putting enormous amounts of equalization and noise filtering (we did this in our studio in Korsnas where they process my tapes), but if there is anything that comes close to what is said, it is "That's not part of the treat...milk." Of course, this makes little sense. But definitely there is no mention of poison, as was originally ascertained. Further, it is clear that this statement is being whispered to Prabhupada himself (!), who is acknowledging what is told to him with two "uh-huhs" or whatever it is he said.

Concerning the VNN statement that "the poison is going down (giggle), the poison is going down," we found that there is again, no mention of poison. All we could get out of that section was "ishvarya going down, ishvarya doing down." At least that is what is sounds like. Again, no "poison" there, and how they can hear the word poison is beyond us. We have no idea what "ishvarya" is. Maybe it is some medicine? As far as the statement made by Tamal Krsna Maharaja-the one behind the Hindi statements of the Kaviraja-which supposedly say something about "poison in different containers," we have got the definitive explanation of what is said, and it makes perfect sense in the context. The context is that Hansadutta has been saying that Prabhupada is a pure devotee, and if he wants to go on parikrama then they should arrange it. Tamal Krsna Goswami then says, "We're placing different opinions, that's all right," or "We're posing different opinions . . . ." (An extraneous noise makes it difficult to decide between "placing" or "posing.") Either way, this makes perfect sense. He is simply saying that it is not maya to have a different opinion, considering the weight of the situation. Please listen to this section carefully, and you will hear this or something very close to this.

Again: no poison.

The other sections which were highlighted by VNN were not on the tape we had. By doing this exercise I have seen that when one has an idea in his head as to what is being said, the ears and the mind oblige us to and make us hear that very thing. One can completely reprogram his hearing by just wanting to hear something else. It is extremely hard to understand what is being said if one has a preconception. And hearing it again and again simply solidifies that conception unless one is very liberal.

We finally gave up with this exercise, but we're glad we did it. In any case, it is very subjective and boils down to what you think you are hearing on a tape. I doubt that the so-called labs will do a better job. It seems to be a complete waste of money. There are only just so many things you can do to process audio sound and after this is done one simply sits there and listens. The processing of the sound is the easy part, the hearing is the hard part. I doubt that a non-devotee lab can do it properly. But this is just my opinion."

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Now let's take a look at the actual conversations, in the background of which, the "poison whispers" supposedly were to have occurred.

BBT Tape 46 side A
CONVERSATIONS WITH SRILA PRABHUPADA
(beginning on page 373)
Room Conversation
November 10, 1977, Vrndavana:
Bhavananda: We should begin the parikrama in Vrndavana.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Bhavananda: Because quite honestly, Srila Prabhupada, I think most of
us are very worried. If you go off down the road and send us all back
to our different assignments, we would not be able to serve with our
full attention, knowing that our beloved father and spiritual guide
was in such weak condition. So if we begin in Vrndavana, we're all
here now, we can see so that we know what arrangements to
make for the future when you want to leave.
Srila Prabhupada: Hm. You make me flat. (break)
(Whisper #1: Poison's (?) going down. (Giggle) Poison's (?) going
down.)
Jayapataka: We heard that Your Divine Grace had a dream that a
kaviraja of the Ramanuja-sampradaya would treat you and bring you back
to strength, and this kaviraja says that in a very short time,
following the treatment, you would regain your strength. Although he
hasn't got all of the medicines yet, but within a day or two they'll
all be prepared, and he says within fifteen days you should be quite
improved in strength. So far, he seems to have been quite sincere.
Srila Prabhupada: No, no, he's sincere. I'll drink milk. Whatever
strength is obtainable, there will be.
Jayapataka: Like to follow the same treatment, only while traveling.
(Whisper #2: Let's put poison in the milk. (?) )
Hamsadutta: So we should meet and make a program for going around
Vrndavana.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Hamsadutta: You want to begin tomorrow morning?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Page 374:
Tamala Krsna: You sound like you are very determined to go, Srila
Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada: Day time we expose in the sunshine, and
(Whisper #3: Poison's (?) going down..)
camp underneath a tree at night. That has to be arranged.
Bhakti-caru: Srila Prabhupada, shall I offer you some milk now?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, give a little hot.
(Srila Prabhupada drinks milk)
Bhakti-caru: Is it hot enough?
Srila Prabhupada: It's too sweet.
Bhakti-caru: Please wipe you hand, Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada: Inaudible.
Bhakti-caru: Would you like a little water, Srila Prabhupada? You
don't want to drink water?
Srila Prabhupada: No.

One factor to consider here is that the person giggling is Prabhupada's godbrother, Krishnadas Babaji Maharaja who was known to continuously giggle due to his constantly being in good humor from his incessant chanting of the Holy Name. Is it likely that such a great soul would participate in such a horrendous crime? Neither does it make much sense to suggest that first the perpetrators whisper:

"Poison's going down (Giggle) Poison's going down," before Srila Prabhupada is even drinking the milk, and then the next moment they whisper: "Let's put poison in the milk."

To build a whole theory of a poison conspiracy on such vague statements is certainly far fetched. In any court of law such a weak case would immediately be dismissed. On the other hand it is a very serious offense to accuse someone of murder, especially without any conclusive proof.

Apart from the tests done by Harikesa Swami and Brahma-muhurta prabhu, Bir Krishna Goswami, Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu and Bhakti Caru Swami all met in Philadelphia on 17 January, 1998 to conduct their own analysis of the "poison whispers". Their report is where things get very interesting.

Ravindra Svarupa dasa:

"Bir Krishna Maharaja and I have been able to decipher another of the mysterious 'poison whispers.' This is the baffling 'whisper' heard as 'poison ishvaya rasa' or 'poison ishvara rasa,' which was the third of the purportedly incriminating whispers to be found on the tape of November 10, 1977. The so-called "'poison ishvaya rasa' whisper" is actually part of a conversation in Bengali between a Bengali speaker and Krsna dasa Babaji. The words in question turn out to be a statement entirely in Bengali. What people have heard as 'poison ishvara rasa'-or something like that-is a Bengali speaker saying to Krsna dasa Babaji the clear phrase 'kayek din pare asha? ' 'Kayek din pare' means 'after a few days,' and the word 'asha' is most likely the first part of the standard expression 'asha kari', 'I hope.' However the sentence may end, 'kayek din pare' is not 'poison.'

We played the selection to three intelligent native Bengali speakers, independently of each other. All of them heard close to the same thing. According to the Bengali listeners, the speaker on the tape is saying, 'Apne kabe jaben? Kayek din pare asha ?' This means, 'When will you go? After a few days, I hope.' And Krsna dasa Babaji answers, 'Kamon?' 'How?' or 'All right.' In context, this makes sense. Krishna dasa Babaji had just been discussing with someone in Bengali about a journey and the possible modes of transportation. It didn't take us much more than an hour's work to acquire a fairly sound and objective understanding of this statement. This raises questions in our mind about the people who started this 'poison whisper' campaign. These people have a lot to answer for.

On the flimsiest excuse for evidence they have accused devotees who love Prabhupada of committing an unspeakably monstrous crime against him, and they have systematically spread these charges. They have put the lives of devotees in danger.

Our work also confirms the recent findings of Harikesa Swami concerning other alleged 'poison whispers,' and we add to his list of illusory incriminating whispers 'poison ishvara rasa.' Our work also lends support to Harikesa Swami's misgivings about the ability of people outside ISKCON to understand the whispers. How many forensic labs have Bengalis on their staff?"

Ravindra Svarupa prabhu's last comment should be noted very carefully. According to the authors of the Poison CD, the latest spectrographic sound analysis methods were employed in trying to ascertain what the whispers actually said. Indeed, the PCD makers place great store on this process and its reliability. PCD:

Before we present this report, however, it might be helpful to hear a brief explanation of the methodology, and how it is used to distinguish between different sounds. The analysis performed by George Blackwell of Miami Sound Labs is similar to the analyses by Harikesa Swami in his studio. They both used a very subjective tool for analysis: the human ear. Speech recognition has become an extremely detailed science, however, as researchers attempt to have machines perform accurate voice-recognition.

A variety of tools have been developed, but one of the oldest is unexcelled in the definitive identification of words. It is called the "wide-band voice spectrograph." It provides detailed information about the many frequencies and intensities of various sounds which make up the spoken word. The spectrogram clearly represents the complex harmonic structure of voiced phonemes, which are the elements of sound used to construct our words. There are just forty phonemes which are combined together to produce every sound of the English language. The spectrograph is a picture of one phoneme next to the one which succeeds it. The voice spectrograph thus provides a picture, if you will, of each word, and since each word is made up of the same phonemes regardless of who speaks it, the spectrograph for each word will have a similar pattern regardless of accent, cadence, or the peculiarity of each voice. The spectrograph is thus completely objective in identifying spoken words, unlike the human ear. Voice spectrograph can accurately determine spoken words with a confidence level of greater than ninety percent. This analysis Mahabuddhi had done was performed by Jack Mitchell, an acoustic engineer of Computer Audio Engineering, Incorporated, located in New Mexico, and his techniques included voice spectrograph among others. It is not possible for us to present the full report in this audio format, as the report contains pertinent photographs, charts and so on, which are best understood by viewing. The full report can be found on the Hare Krishna.com website. The report itself is highly technical and gives an extremely detailed analysis of each phoneme.

So what exactly does the spectrograph find in these whispers? The first refers to the whisper above thought to be, quote: "the poison's going down?[giggle]? the poison's going down." Unquote. The report states, quote, "All data is consistent with the whisper-production of the two phrases, quote, "Push real hard, it's going down. The poison's going down."

The PCD makers conclude their section on the Whispers thus:

We are extremely disappointed we could find no positive manner in which to interpret these words, for they speak the unthinkable. Due to the gravity of the results, a second professional analysis will be done to confirm these findings. This report has been given to ISKCON's independent investigator.

We are also extremely disappointed. Serious accusations are being made against intimate disciples of Srila Prabhupada on, as Ravindra Svarupa prabhu says, "the flimsiest of evidence." After reading Ravindra Svarupa prabhu's report, and noting the Poison CD statement above "There are just forty phonemes which are combined together to produce every sound of the English language" we have to ask, does spectrographic sound analysis work on any language outside of English? Were the labs. technicians who conducted the tests informed that the sounds they were listening to may not be in English? Would they have been so certain about the results of their analysis if they had known there was even a remote possibility that the "whispers" were not in English?

How many who have heard the other whispers can say for sure that they are in English? As Harikesa Swami states, people tend to hear what they want to hear, or what they think they ought to hear. One thing that is clear is that many who have heard the whispers have automatically assumed that they were in English, which is a remarkable oversight when we consider that Hindi and Bengali was being spoken at frequent intervals throughout. The only thing that is clear from the "whisper" evidence is that it is not evidence at all and any responsible person could never accept them as such.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion we hope that the above has shown that no solid evidence exists either medically or through the recorded medium to establish that Srila Prabhupada was deliberately poisoned, and certainly not by his disciples. Rather, we feel that the love of those surrounding Srila Prabhupada was genuine and self-evident. It was accepted as such by His Divine Grace and as his disciples and followers, we should have no difficulty in accepting that also. This theory has sprung up after 20 years and we believe it should be dismissed and laid to rest. Sincere devotees can go on serving Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON society with a clear consciousness and should not be disturbed by elements who do not have the best interest of his society and devotees at heart. The only genuine poison is the theory itself.

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