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| WORLD November 15, 1998 VNN2509 See Related VNN Stories Mayapur Washes Its Linen In Public FROM EXPRESS RELIGION INDIA, Nov 15 (VNN) — Harikesh Swami was drugged, led astray by a German woman, say some disciples, his voice was against the system. ISKCON grapples with its soul after its chief falls for a woman EXPRESS RELIGION ASHIS CHAKRABARTI MAYAPUR (WEST BENGAL), NOVEMBER 12 A religious cult guru, a woman, a tantrik, "slow poisoning" drugs and a network of conspirators spread across the globe - at least, that's how ISKCON's chief Harikesh Swami's affair with a woman in Germany, his subsequent fall and the current turmoil in the cult are being presented by his disciples at its spiritual headquarters here. Not that visitors to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) ashram here can feel this turmoil. It remains serene as ever, the grand temple ringed by manicured lawns, rows of beautiful buildings overlooking the Ganges, saffron clad sannyasis and white clothed brahmacharis quietly filling past streams of devotees chanting their prayers. Yet, all's not well ever since members and devotees were jolted by the news that the Chairman of the ISKCON's governing body commission (GBC), Harikesha Swami, who is of German origin, had fallen "for a woman" in the temple at Arbentur, a small town near Cologne in Germany, and left the order. This wasn't just another setback. For not only was Harikesh Swami the elected chief of the rich and powerful global cult-founded by Srila Prabhupada, a Bengali from Calcutta, in 1965-he had also become something of an icon. There are stories of his risking his life spreading "Krishna consciousness" in the former Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc countries in East Europe for the past 30 years. The founder himself called him ""my greatest grandson." So this was no ordinary fall. The chief guru was "involved with a woman" in a place where sannyasis aren't allowed to sit with women in private. And what shocked the entire order was that Harikesh Swami, when he left, criticized, disowned ISKCON --and its founder, Prabhupad. "All this shook us," says Jananivas Das, a British sannyasi who became the founder's disciple in 1971 and is now the head pujari (priest) of the Chandrodaya Temple here. He's quick to add : "Individuals may fall but the organization remains." Says Hari Sauri Das, another British sannyasi who was the founder's "personal servant" and GBC member : "Prabhupad created ISKCON in such a way that no one person can run it, ruin it or run away with it." Still, when the GBC suspended Harikesh Swami in July, many of his disciples, particularly in Russia and East Europe, revolted. The temple in St. Petersburg broke away from ISKCON. "But we stuck to our decision. Which shows we deal firmly with deviants, no matter how important they may be," says Dayaram Das, chief executive officer at the ashram here. But how did this all happen? The answer, according to some like Advaita Das and Jagatartiha Das, two of Harikesh Swami's disciples, lies in a "murky conspiracy" that involved not only the woman but a tantrik from Orissa who administered some drugs to the Swami for many years. Also part of this "ring" were "some people within ISKCON who were jealous of him. And "maybe even the KGB wanted to kill him for his role in spreading ISKCON in Communist countries." The conspiracy theory says that the drugs affected Swami. "It was like slow poison," says Advaita Das. Dayaram Das claims that the drug's dangerous effect had been "proved" in a German laboratory. The Swami's two disciples also suspect that the women, who was supposed to be a New Age faith healer, was sent to their guru in a "pre-planned manner to lead him astray." The problem is that news of the Harikesh Swami affair has come along with other disturbing reports like the allegations of sexual harassment of a disciple's daughter by a sannyasi of the ISKCON's New Delhi temple and of child abuse by cult members in the US. Following (such) reports, our members were attacked in places like Howrah, Durgapur, Bankura and even in Assam," complains Dayaram Das. "The media has presented things with a slant as if we were a bunch of homosexuals or sex maniacs. Even some of our devotees have started wondering if it's safe to send their daughters to our ashram." But there is a growing voice of dissent within ISKCON which dismisses the conspiracy theory. The "deviations" of Harikesh Swami, according to the dissenters who have formed the ISKCON Reform Group, are a direct fallout of "guruvad" or the guru system. The founder, they say, is the "only guru" and he never wanted "gurus" in succession after his death, only ritwiks (priests) to initiate disciples. Guruvad, in their opinion, is at the root of the cult's evils. "Rubbish from some over-intelligent people," reacts Hari Sauri Das. "The guru-disciple tradition is as old as Vaishnavism. Besides, I can vouch that Prabhupad left no scope for ambiguity on the question." Both sides swear by letters and taped conversations of the founder shortly before his death in 1977. But then each camp is accusing the other of "tampering" with evidence. It's a cloak and dagger debate, quite like the mystery over Harikesh Swami'' fall from grace. See Related VNN Stories |
