03/20/98 - 1705

Gour Govinda Swami

USA (VNN) - by Upananda Dasa (see also VNN story# 1699)

If I may offer some thoughts on the posting by Rasamanjari devi dasi to VNN on the 17th of March, three years after the dissappearance of His Divine Grace Gour Govinda Swami, then perhaps others may in your forum return some words of enlightenment for myself and others. I read the offering and am anxously awaiting the continuation but have pondered the thoughts of the acharya-post Srila Prabhupada and wondered if it is wrong to come to the following conclusions:

Our present GBC has offended a Vaisnava of the highest order.

A certain number of our leaders or GBC are not actual Vaishnava's due to the fact that they are still exhibiting an envious nature.

Because of this we have displeased our paramguru Srila Prabhupada.

The offenses have taken place in the holy dhama where offenses are multiplied 100 fold and to a mahabhagavat devotee which further implicates us. (Prabhus,remembering the events which occured with Iskcon and Sridhar Maharaja is history repeating itself here?)

That furthermore the discussions of the GBC in this instance was hurried and hot-tempered. Does that indicate the mode of passion to you also?

As Buddhadeva had to adjust his preaching according to his audience so Srila Prabhupada also had to make some adjustments in presenting jiva-tattva to us thirty years ago.

That the conclusion of Satyanarayana das in his book, "Not Even A Leaf Falls" is actually correct. That being the case the GBC also should appologize to him and his associates and remove the ban placed on him and his publications.

That the opinion of a pure devotee mahabhagavat should be valued more than the votes of conditioned souls despite there having high managerial positions.

The fact is we have suppressed the truth of jiva-tattva and perhaps others tattvas by our inability to hear from those who follow the mahajans and at the same time have dishonored a real sadhu.

The future of the world , ourselves and all others are in grave jeapardy due to the decisions and actions that our Iskcon leaders have taken specifically in regard to this humble soul Gour Govinda Swami.

If we do not pray for the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda Prabhu we shall surely be placed in a most terrible chain of sinful reactions. For this to happen to the society which is supposed to save the world it is the saddest tale ever told.

These are some conclusions I could not but help draw just from one reading of the offering of Rasamanjari devi. I am very poor in intelligence and weak-hearted, so I do ask for the kind help from others who may be able to better understand what has been inferrred here in the words of Srila Gour Govinda Swami. But as it now rests in my heart I am feeling so sad that I cannot express my pain anymore.

Upananda Dasa
2651 Ariane Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
(619) 270-0692 fax-270-0696