07/20/98 - 1929

Who's Tricky?

USA (VNN) - by Kalarupa das

Dear Vaishnavas,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glory to Srila Prabhupada! All glory to Shree Shree Guru Gauranga!

Recently there appeared a letter on Chakra written by Badrinarayana prabhu which was laced with half-truths and outright falsehoods in an apparently ill-motivated attempt to malign His Holiness Srila Bhakti Vedanta Narayana Maharaja. Although a rebuttal to that letter has already been published, I would like to more specifically address Badrinarayana prabhu's false accusations regarding Srila Narayana Maharaja's visit to Houston's Iskcon temple two years ago.

His accusation from that letter:

Here is a simple, clean-cut example you can easily confirm. Last year Srila Narayan Maharaj repeatedly claimed that when he came to Houston, "the doors were locked and I was barred from entering the temple."

I have asked Syamasundar prabhu (the president) and others who were present at the time and they cannot understand why Narayan Maharaj is saying these things. Syamasundar personally greeted him at the temple door, garlanded him, and after Srila Narayan Maharaj took Deity darshan and caranamrta, Syamasundar gave him a tour of the temple compound, and then saw him off with prasadam and sweet words.

The fact is that Srila Narayan Maharaj has said that as Krsna is "tricky" in His Vrndaban lila, those who are followers of Krsna "in the Vrndaban mood" can also be "tricky" in dealing with others.

There is a Bengali proverb which states: *ardha-satya mithya apeksa bhayankara*, "Half-truth is more dangerous than falsehood."

Srila Narayana Maharaja did not visit the Iskcon temple in Houston last year. Nor has he ever claimed that the doors to the Houston temple were locked. Nor has he ever "repeatedly claimed" such a thing. Nor has Shyamsundar das ever greeted Srila Narayana Maharaja at the temple. Nor has Maharaja ever been given a tour of the Temple compound. Nor has he ever taken prasada at the Houston temple. Being that Badrinarayana prabhu does not associate with Srila Narayana Maharaja in any capacity whatsoever, how he can make such seemingly definitive claims about Maharaja is truly far-fetched.

First of all, during the past three years in which Maharaja has visited Houston, his only visit to the Iskcon temple there occurred two years ago, not last year. Also, there are several interesting facts surrounding that visit which Badrinarayana prabhu has conveniently omitted. I have obtained an account of that visit as personally witnessed by one of Maharaja's Indian disciples in Houston who accompanied him when he made that brief visit to Houston's Iskcon temple back in 1996. Let the fair-minded reader decide who is the "tricky" one here.

Srila Narayana Maharaja's visit to the Houston ISKCON temple in 1996

(from a Houston disciple of H.H. Srila Narayana Maharaja)

I will give a detailed account of what happened in Houston in 1996. But before that I want to state that never has Maharaja ever said that the doors of the Houston ISKCON temple were locked upon him (although the way they received him at the temple can be taken metaphorically as locking the doors on him.) Actually, he has said contrary to this and I will quote his statements from a recorded conversation that the devotees had with him in the evening of the day he visited the temple. Those who try to malign him by attributing such statements as coming from him should at least present a tape of a lecture or conversation in which he made such a statement. He is a perfectly pure personality with no interest in such matters.

Maharaja came to Houston in 1996. A few days before his arrival the temple president told me that Tamal Krishna Goswami along with Jayapataka Goswami will like to meet Maharaja. I passed on the message to him. Bhudhara prabhu called the temple president (Shyamsundara das) and then talked directly to Tamal Krishna Goswami and said that Maharaja would be very happy to meet them but his secretary and a couple of disciples will accompany him along. However, Tamal Krishna Goswami refused to meet Maharaja along with his disciples.

Of course the question then arises that if one thinks he is truthful why should he be afraid of meeting publicly? Why don't they publicly challenge Maharaja and discuss the issues in front of everyone instead of spreading rumors and back-biting?

Then to cover up the fact that Tamal Krishna Goswami had refused to meet Maharaja, the ISKCON temple spread the rumor that they had invited Maharaja and that the reason Maharaja refused to visit the temple was because the ISKCON Houston temple was not established by Srila Prabhupada and hence was not authorized. We were amazed. We are very surprised that instead of engaging their minds in Hari-Bhajan, these spiritual leaders instead spend their time to make false stories about pure Vaishnavas. Only the Lord knows that Maharaja had never made such a statement. Another rumor that they had spread was that Maharaja was going to come along with his disciples during the Sunday evening program and try to disrupt it. And they had asked all the devotees to be prepared to meet any eventuality. Amazing! Is there any history so far of Maharaja encouraging such an activity? Then why do they spread such rumors and try to poison innocent devotees and other people?

In any case, Bhudhara prabhu then called the temple president and humbly asked him if Maharaja could visit the temple along with his disciples. Shyamsundar das said that Maharaja could come on Monday only after 9:00 a.m. Even though Maharaja was not required to comply with such an order (can they restrict someone's freedom of choosing a time to come to a place of public worship?) he insisted that we should go to the temple only at the agreed time. We went there with over 15-20 devotees who were accompanying Maharaja and with some local Indians (who can confirm that this account is true.) When we reached there the temple was almost deserted. Only one devotee, Krishna Kripa das, was there to receive Maharaja and his party. Shyamsundar das was neither there (unless he was observing from a secret hiding place), nor did he ever come to meet Maharaja either during the 1996 visit or the subsequent visits of Maharaja to Houston. So I wonder how can he claim that he personally received Maharaja. Can he announce that publicly??

Krishna Kripa das offered a garland to Maharaja. He then just stood by the entrance door of the temple while Maharaja walked up to Srila Prabhupada's Deity and offered him a garland, chandan and then did full dandavat pranama (obeisances). Then he took darshan of the Deities. When he came to the altar of Sri Giriraja Govardhan he closed his eyes for some time and prayed. This Deity of Sri Giriraja (Govardhan Shila) was given to the Houston temple by Maharaja himself. It was heart-breaking to see how the same Maharaja was being treated by the temple authorities.

Out of his humility Maharaja asked permission from Krishna Kripa das if he could speak something about Govardhan. Krishna Kripa das nodded, but when Maharaja began to speak, Krishna Kripa das was not interested in hearing from him. Then Maharaja narrated the story of how Govardhan came to Vrindavan and explained his glories. After speaking for about 10 minutes he paid obeisances, took charanamrita and then left the temple. Krishna Kripa das never even once offered to give him the tour of the temple.

This was the short visit that Maharaja paid to the ISKCON temple. We came to know later on that everyone had been ordered to stay away from the temple property when Maharaja visited. Is this how an advanced Vaishnava is supposed to be greeted? Srila Vishwanatha Cakravarty Thakur says that maintaining a tatastha (marginal/impartial) mood towards a Vaishnava is also an offence.

That evening all the devotees were sitting with Maharaja. Everyone was feeling very hurt by the way he was received at the local ISKCON temple. A devotee asked Maharaja how he felt. He said that he was happy that they let him take darshan of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and the Deities and even let him speak about Giriraja (all this is recorded). A devotee asked him if he had taken any offence. He replied, "No. When a little child does a mistake we should not get disturbed or angry. I have not taken any offence."

Then a devotee said, "Maharaja, it is said that even if a Vaishnava does not take offence, the dust of his lotus feet and Bhaktidevi take the offence and never forgive the offender." Maharaja said smilingly, "I will tell my dust and request Bhaktidevi also not to take any offence and forgive them". Then someone said, "Maharaja your disciples are like the dust of your lotus feet. And we have been very much hurt". To that he replied, "You also have to follow me and not take any offence. If any one of you ever meets them give them my heartly blessings."

We were all very moved and amazed at his magnanimity and the great integrity of his Vaishnava qualities. Anyway, these are the qualities of a Mahabhagavat. Their heart is very soft and they embrace one and all. Unfortunate are those who due to their offensive minds always find faults in them and are deprived of their association.

(end of Maharaja's disciple's first-hand account)

It has also been forwarded to my attention (from yet another devotee living in Houston, a long-time member of the Iskcon community), that H.H. Maha Vishnu Swami, a well-respected Gujarati sannyasi from London was sent to Houston to hold parallel programs as well as to confuse and divert those devotees who were interested in meeting with Srila Narayana Maharaja. Not only that, but a devotee named Hari Lila prabhu was asked to call up the devotees in order to persuade them to cancel Srila Narayana Maharaja's programs in their homes! (Which, to his credit, he refused to do.) More trickiness.

Badrinarayana prabhu concludes his letter by saying:

Let others do whatever they like and judge by the results. We wish them well and all success in their endeavors. All we in ISKCON ask for is the right and respect to maintain and follow the traditions, standards, and philosophy Srila Prabhupad personally crafted for his society. No more, no less.

In reply, let me just say that I feel 100% certain that Srila Prabhupada never ever established the sort of tricky, underhanded traditions which are currently in vogue within the institution which he founded. And yes, by all means, may we each be allowed to pursue Krsna Consciousness according to our respective levels of sincerity and shraddha and then let everyone judge by the results.

It has not been my intention to embarass Badrinarayana prabhu in any way. I respect him and I do wish him the very best. What I sincerely hope for is that he will in the future kindly refrain from such public misrepresentations and such public attempts to vilify His Holiness Srila Bhakti Vedanta Narayana Maharaja as he has recently done in his letter which was published on the Chakra page.

dasanunasa,
Kalarupa das