05/14/98 - 1797

"I Tried to Serve You"

USA (VNN) - VNN has obtained the following document which is currently being circulated in the Internet:

A Confidential Report on 10 years experience trying to serve HH. Kavicandra Swami by by Gaura Mandala Bhumi dasa, Regional Secretary, ISKCON Indonesia:

Background:

First of all I should admit that personally I have no good qualities at all, and have all bad qualities. I am writing this simply with the desire that the person concerned can be helped, both for his own benefit, and for the benefit of our Society.

I first met HH. Kavicandra Maharaja on the bank of the Ganges in Mayapur, during the 1987 Mayapur Festival. He invited me to visit Japan. I visited Japan for the first time in November 1987. Since that time, I was regularly spending about 6 months of each year in Japan until November 1996. In Japan, I performed all varieties of service for Kavicandra Maharaja, especially BBT work.

You could say I was like Maharaja's assistant for 10 years. Due to our association, Kavicandra Maharaja was also made GBC of Indonesia in 1989, a position which he continues to hold till now. I also spent time with Maharaja in Thailand, Singapore and India. During this time, I had many months of daily association of Kavicandra Maharaja. In fact, often we lived together in the same room for months on end. I should say that I am not writing this report out of malice.

However, I feel that Kavicandra Maharaja's service and position may have put him in a situation not altogether appropriate to his qualities and abilities. It has got to the point where if some adjustments are not made, then ISKCON stands to suffer losses both materially and in terms of personnel. It is my sincere desire that Maharaja can be helped, and I do not feel that I would be helping Maharaja if I remain silent on this matter any longer.

I should add that I have been preaching in Indonesia for the past 20 years, and I speak Indonesian language fluently, and also basic Japanese language.

Sadhana, Lifestyle and Style of Management:

With the exception of the annual Mayapur festival, Kavicandra Maharaja's sadhana is mostly unregulated and sometimes non-existent. He admitted to me that he sometimes does not chant 16 rounds. I have seen myself on many occasions, where it would already be 11 or 12 PM at night, and Maharaja had not begun to chant his rounds. Also, several devotees have remarked, and I would have to confirm, that he does not chant the Maha-mantra correctly, especially the end of the mantra. Maharaja is very rarely able to attend the full morning or evening programme.

It is quite usual for him to stay up very late at night, and rise in the middle of the day. Maharaja's poor sadhana seems to be a chronic problem for him, and is connected with his poor health, which I will discuss also below. No doubt as Maharaja is an initiating guru and GBC, his poor example in the field of sadhana is a cause of great concern to everyone, though many (his disciples) are not in a position to comment openly about this.

Maharaja is also frequently late for giving class, and other programmes. Maharaja's lifestyle could best be described as anarchy. His room, as described by the words of one of his own disciples, is always like a "dog kennel". Maharaja seldom plans ahead more than a few hours. He suddenly embarks on local and international travel without any planning, everything at the last minute, and frequently changes his plans also at the last minute. This habit is the cause of considerable stress, both for Maharaja himself and also for those who have to work under him.

Maharaja spends many hours of the day just lying around, and also many hours in the toilet. Maharaja's management style is also mostly anarchy. At the same time, he sometimes wants to control everything under his jurisdiction, right down to small, unimportant details. He does this by making random, numerous, long international telephone calls to individual devotees. He seems to prefer not to put even important things in writing.

He rarely delegates clearly, and sometimes forgets what he asked his subordinates to do. Maharaja's concept seems to be that he will be the lone authority, and everyone else is a foolish peon, who should just jump and carry out his latest orders at any time, no matter how irrational they may be.

For example, once Maharaja ordered that I throw out installed 4 ft. Gaura Nitai Deities in the ocean, because he did not like the proportions of Their bodies. Another time, he ordered, and personally demonstated for a few days, that the devotees in our temple should perform loud guru-puja and sandhya arati kirtana in the temple for 2 hours every day (meaning there would be no Bhagavatam or Gita class) -- our temple is on the edge of a Muslim village, so we have to control the volume and duration of the kirtanas). Needless to say, these orders could not be carried out.

In Japan, for example, Maharaja is the GBC, Initiating Guru, Temple President, BBT Manager and Sankirtana Leader. There has been no genuine attempt to delegate authority to any of the local devotees. In Indonesia also, Maharaja has unilaterally stopped the endeavour to organize and delegate authority to the 1200 devotees in Indonesia. Maharaja also appears to have little understanding of or respect for normal, legal practices of running an organization.

His favourite motto is "go with the flow" (hippy philosophy). Maharaja once described his service as, "Sitting around and trying to manipulate people." Maharaja certainly does not follow a system of plan-discuss-do-evaluate-adjust.

Maharaja seems to have difficulty working with anyone who is not unthinkingly subservient to his authority. He does not teach his disciples to respect his godbrothers, save and except those who follow him. In fact, he uses his disciples against his godbrothers. I have experienced this, and so have others.

Response to the 6 Pushings:

The Urge to Speak

Anyone who knows Kavicandra Maharaja will tell you about his habit of talking constantly about anything and everything. Many times, I have sat and listened to Maharaja talk for up to 8 or 10 hours, without a break, and after it was all over, often I could not really say that anything of real value had been discussed or resolved. One GBC member, after a 5 hour meeting with Kavicandra Maharaja, when asked about what was discussed, replied, "nothing in particular." It is virtually impossible to hold a dialogue with Maharaja-- it is almost invariably a monologue.

He will speak, and everyone else will listen. In talking, Maharaja does not discriminate according to the sex of the listener, time, place or circumstances. Maharaja often talks to Matajis for hours on end, both directly, and also over the telephone, about anything and everything, including sexual and intimate health matters. No matter what important business may be there, everything and everyone must stop and listen to Maharaja ramble on and on for hours about nothing in particular.

Some of the things Maharaja talks repeatedly about are quite surprising coming from one who is supposed to be a sannyasi. These include sex, masturbation, homosexuality, Japanese "love hotels" and "feely bars", sports, health, making money, etc. etc. A favourite topic is what Maharaja passed out in the toilet that day (stool).

The Mind's Demands

Kavicandra Maharaja seems unable to fix his mind and listen to someone else speak for more than about 30 seconds. His method of speaking (no agenda, no logic, no resolution and plan of action, no time limit) seem to indicate that his mind is constantly wandering aimlessly. When we were living in the same room, often I had to resort to writing letters to Maharaja rather than talking, because he would not let me speak long enough to get anything across, or get any matter resolved.

The following e-mail, sent to me by Maharaja on 12th October 1997, gives some idea of the condition of his mind:

[Text 843191 from COM]

Thank you for your kindness. Why waste it on such a demon? Why not show your full mercy and punish me properly so that I can be freed from my sinful reactions. Others are fooled and think that I am some kind of devotee. Only you know the truth. Thank you for always reminding me. Should drown myself in the ganga or just jump in front of a train in SHinjuku, not being worthy of drowning in the Ganga. Little Hansadutta."

Taken at face value, this statement seems to indicate that Maharaja may be contemplating suicide.

The Force of Anger

Maharaja often loses his temper. His anger, as well as his pleasure, often seem to have no direct connection with the situation at hand. In other words, he does not express pleasure when someone does something right, and anger when they do something wrong. Sometimes it is the opposite. Many times I have seen Maharaja blasting his Japanese disciples for hours on end, and they are forced to sit there meekly and take it all.

The Pushings of the Tongue, Belly and Genitals

Maharaja does not eat normal prasadam at regular times. At irregular times, he drinks all kinds of juices and medicines, according to his own conconctions. He likes extremely bitter things like papaya leaf soup. He often consumes glasses of highly pungent ginger juice. On the other hand, sometimes Maharaja goes to the kitchen and consumes all the mangala arati milk sweets.

After eating, Maharaja sometimes induces vomiting, and he also uses an enema kit several times daily. He often engages in fasting. Though Maharaja does not feast on opulent food, yet both in terms of eating, and in terms of speaking, I would have to say that it seems that Maharaja's tongue is out of control.

Maharaja usually does not consume large volumes of opulent food. He does actively and frequently criticise devotees who are eating normal prasadam, often while they are eating. In fact, for a long time, I used to have to sneak away and hide, so I could eat prasadam in peace. Sometimes Maharaja talked to me the whole day, so I could not go and take prasadam at all. Maharaja does not understand that others need to eat at regular times, as Srila Prabhupada did.

Over my years of service in Japan, partly as a result of all the stress which Maharaja has placed on prasadam, I developed gastritis. Regarding the genitals. I have frequently obeserved Maharaja freely associating with both married and unmarried Matajis. He is often alone talking to matajis. He often talks to them over the phone. For example, he knows about the menstrual periods of all the matajis in Japan, and talked to me about this.
He mentioned to me many times about the subject of masturbation in the bathroom -- there is no proof of whether he himself engages in this practice or not. I have seen on some occasions Maharaja drive off in the van with a Mataji, and be gone all day "on sankirtana". There have been a few rumours about Maharaja's being alone in rooms with matajis. There was one in Bangkok in 1995 (not proven).

Several devotees reported to me that in April-May 1997, Maharaja stayed at the asrama in Bali for 16 days. During that time, though many brahmacaris were present, Maharaja chose to be served by one of his female disciples, a notorious mataji named Haresvari dd, who already had affairs with 2 married men (Maharaja also knows about this). She was serving him his prasadam, talking with him, he asked her to give class, though senior men were present, and finally on leaving, said that she could occupy his room in the temple (the sannyasa room). In September 1997, several devotees in Bali told me that they thought that Kavicandra Maharaja and Haresvari had been acting "just like husband and wife". I understand that Maharaja has used his influence to have Haresvari sponsored and given service as a pujari in a temple in Australia.

Maharaja sometimes talks about sexual matters using quite vulgar words. As far as I know, there is no direct evidence of Maharaja's having engaged in illicit sex life, however, Maharaja does regularly associate with matajis in excess of what is proper for a sannyasi.

Health and Playing Doctor:

Kavicandra Maharaja is well known to have chronic bad health problems. This is one of the main reasons for Maharaja's poor sadhana. Sometimes Maharaja has been practically bed-ridden for months at a time. Recently he was in a coma for 5 days in the ICU in Germany, suffering from cerebral malaria. Maharaja is totally unregulated in matters of eating and sleeping. He claims to have no digestion. He spends hours each day in the toilet, doing enemas.

He also reads all kinds of books on Nature Cure, Reikei, Magnet Therapy, Ayur Veda, Colonic Cleansing, etc. etc, and considers himself qualified to treat himself. Once some devotees in Indonesia discovered what seemed to indicate that Maharaja had been drinking his own urine. Maharaja also practices what he has learned about various kinds of medicine on his disciples and others. Lately Maharaja has taken to dispensing medicines from a suitcase after giving class.

Maharaja has taken 4th degree initiation in Reikei, and initiates his disciples in Reikei, besides initiating them into Krsna consciousness. Maharaja regularly orders his disciples to take certain medicines, fast, perform enemas, etc. though he is having no qualification or licence as any kind of medical practitioner.

Many years ago, one Japanese mataji died in a Nature Cure hospital in India, where she had gone on the advice of Kavicandra Maharaja. Another Japanese Mataji, a disciple of Kavicandra Maharaja, almost died in an Ayurvedic hospital in Jaipur, where she was also staying on the order of Maharaja. It was only by good fortune that a regular devotee-doctor intervened and saved the Mataji's life. Maharaja always carries around an emema kit in his pocket, and performs enemas on himself many times a day, sometimes even in a public toilet.

He also has many of his disciples performing enemas. As mentioned above, he does not hesitate to advise Matajis on health matters concerning their reproductive systems, which is hardly a topic for discussion by sannyasis.

Maharaja is a strong advocate of Ghost Busting, as practiced by Chitesvara dasa of Orissa. He regularly forces all the Japanese devotees to be “de-ghosted” every year, the present cost being about USD 100-300 per person. Japanese devotees, after de-ghosting, have remarked that they felt no effect. Maharaja tried to force me to be de-ghosted by Chitesvara in Mayapur in 1995, and he insisted that my reluctance to be de-ghosted was simply “further evidence of my being ghostly haunted”.

Maharaja's room is always strewn with all kinds of books on medical subjects, medicines, massaging equipment, juicing machines, enema kit, etc. etc.

If Maharaja really wants to be any kind of doctor, he could enroll in Medical School, then after becoming qualified, he could engage in medical practice. His present "amateur" status does not do himself or anyone else any good.

Bali:

The situation in Bali is a long and complex story, I will not relate it all here. By practicing his anarchist management style as given above, Maharaja has created chaos in Bali, where there are 700 devotees. Because of this, our Krsna-Balarama temple in Bali, with installed Deities, is in grave danger of being lost into the hands of the donor of the land. Maharaja's behaviour with Haresvari dd, and his shouting at the husband of the donor of the land, who lives with next door to the land, has certainly aggravated this situation. A structured organization called Bhagavat Dharma, set up (with the blessings of Maharaja) on Central, Provincial and District levels all over Indonesia wherever there are devotees, to coordinate our activities and negotiate to remove the 14 year old ban on Krsna consciousness in Indonesia has been broken up by a single ill-considered phone call by Maharaja, and no one is allowed to comment about this decision. The temple is in danger of falling into the hands of the Narayana Maharaja people. In fact, the person KCM has allowed to become in charge of a new trust supposedly to run the temple in Bali is a known Narayana Maharaja sympathiser.

Singapore:

Kavicandra Maharaja has for many years supported the local temple president Sundar Gopal dasa. Now the situation is such that not only are foreigners not allowed to visit the temple in Singapore, but also many Singaporean devotees are not allowed to come. There are serious problems with the government. Sundar Gopal is reported to have sent out a com message saying that the Singapore temple has no connection with ISKCON. Kavicandra Maharaja himself is not allowed to visit the temple, or even send an e-mail or phone.

Japan:

Kavicandra Maharaja is "zonal acarya" of Japan, as described above. Noone is allowed to do anything without his direction. He had someone tell one Japanese disciple of Srila Prabhupada, "Either you surrender to Kavicandra Swami, or you get out of the temple." Sadly the devotee left. ISKCON has been in Japan for nearly 30 years, but KCM does not see that any of the Japanese devotees are qualified to be elevated even to the level of "temple president". He has a very negative attitude towards Japanese people, and refers to them in derogatory terms. Though large numbers of books are distributed in Japan, yet because of the poor quality of the translations, craziness in the administration set up by Kavicandra Maharaja, and no organized plans to spread Krsna consciousness, the development is stunted.

Attempts at Book Publication:

I was involved in publishing many volumes of books in Japan. I can honestly say that had I not worked hard on those books, none of them would have been published, or the publication would have been painfully slow. Kavicandra Maharaja told me that the Japanese government should scrap the use of Japanese language and change to English. The present rate of new book publication in Japanese language is one new book every 2 1/2 years.

Maharaja refuses to allow anyone who is not his disciple or follower work on translation of Japanese books, no matter how qualified that person may be. He dictates everything about Japan BBT according to his whims. Maharaja has no systematic plan about publication and printing of books in Japanese language.

Maharaja felt that he should personally print and distribute BBT books in Indonesia, so in late 1996, he had his disciple Vyasapuja dasa print a bootleg edition of the Indonesian Bhagavad-gita, violating copyright and bypassing both the Indonesian BBT and ISKCON. The BBT Trustees did not approve of Maharaja's action. Maharaja's idea, which he practices in Japan, is that any individual should be able to buy books at the same price BBT sells to the temples. In other words, ISKCON is not allowed to make profit by acting as the distributor of BBT books.

Then lately, he has encouraged his disciples in Indonesia to demand books at printing cost, or below printing cost, from Indonesian BBT. In other words, neither the BBT nor ISKCON can make any profit from selling books. I don't think this was Srila Prabhupada's way of running BBT or ISKCON.

Suggestions:

Kavicandra Maharaja has great abilities in preaching Krsna consciousness and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books. He does not seem to have much ability in the field of management. Perhaps he would be better to engage more in the activities where his abilities lie. It is not my position to pass judgement on Kavicandra Maharaja. I myself have unlimited faults, however that does not mean that what I have said in this report is automatically untrue. Of course, Kavicandra Maharaja should be given a chance to respond, whether what I have said is true or not.

I am his well-wisher even now, and I am prepared to work with and for him even now. However, perhaps Maharaja needs to hear some advice from his senior colleages on the GBC, for the benefit of himself, his disciples, and ISKCON in general. If the GBC feels that any action is to be taken on this report, either in regards to Kavicandra Maharaja, or in regards to myself, I request that this be done directly and in confidence, and Kavicandra Maharaja may have to be directed not to speak about this in public, or attempt revenge, either directly or indirectly, for example, by having his disciples put me on the immigration black list.

It is not my intention to fight with Kavicandra Maharaja, who is after all one of the leaders of ISKCON, a GBC and initiating guru. However, if I detect that there has been any attempt to take revenge on me as described above, I will be forced to respond in kind. Begging forgiveness for my offences in writing this report.

Gaura Mandala Bhumi dasa