© 1998 VNN
| WORLD December 1, 1998 VNN2584 See Related VNN Stories Enough Is Enough At Bangalore BY ANONYMOUS (FROM CHAKRA) BANGALORE, INDIA, Dec 1 (VNN) — (a letter originally posted on CHAKRA) Dear Madhu Pandit Prabhu, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to ISKCON Guru Vrnda and ISKCON! We have been silent and tolerant for a long while and have not sent reports to the GBC about your series of misadventures here at Bangalore. As the subject heading of this mail says "Enough Is Enough at Bangalore", it is time to let the ISKCON world know that you are jumping over the moon. Last month was an unprecedented one. We saw the boldest presentation of proxy-initiation theory by temple inmates. Your tryst with Dr. Ramesh was novel. You gave him TFO, told him it was an authorised GBC document and made him swear on Sri Krishna Balarama that he would not reveal this to anybody. He promptly revealed it to us. Since Dayaram Prabhu was in Bangalore at that time we took Dr. Ramesh straight to him. Dayaram Pr explained to him many times emphatically that the TFO was an unauthorised document and not to be given by the Temple President to anybody. Other Temple inmates by their marathon sessions stretching upto 4 hours in which they present ritvik materials as so called proof have swayed innocent congregation devotees like Bhakta Natrajan and Bhakta Karunakaran, to name a few. HG Anuttama dasa whom you have appointed as your "proxy-initiation theory spokesman" is diligently doing his job. He has been calling up different congregation devotees. On 1-11-98 he invited HG Srikanta Krishna das for a discussion during which he stated clearly that temple was calling congregation devotees one by one and openly preaching proxy-initiaion theory. He said that Srikanta Krishna Pr could openly tell this to his friends. Last night he called up 2 matajis, Bhaktin Mallika and Radhasaktidevi dasi. The conversation with Radhasaktidevi dasi lasted about half an hour wherein he said that he could connect her to Prabhupada. She expressed sarcastically that she would be happy if he could connect her to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur since he is good example for all grihasthas. He ended up dissappointed that an IIT graduate could not convince a more intelligent and simple lady. Thus the proxy-initiation theory jaggernaut rolls on. Know it for certain that it is only a matter of time before the GBC puts an end to this nasty crusade. You proclaimed on 3-11-98 that few devotees from congregation met the editor of "Hi B'lore" tabloid to accuse you of misappropriating funds. To the best of our knowledge this has not happened. We would never stoop so low. When we asked you for the names of these devotees you said that you would let us know. HG VisvaPran das and HG Varada Krishna das have said yesterday that you have these names. Yet neither them nor you have come out with these names. This seems fishy. Is there more than what meets the eye? Is it a hoax, a hype that you created to divert attention? We have taken the matter seriously and would soon thorougly investigate the credentials of your allegation. If it is a sham, it has to be busted. Earlier in July HG Yashomatinandan dasa in a letter to EC stated that a few devotees in Bangalore congregation were ready to go to the press and this was averted in time by him and others. We had no knowledge of such a bizarre happening and asked you for a clarification. You were silent. Now you have landed up a second such allegation on us and once again you are silent. We'll break this silence by our investigation. Now let's turn the clock back and examine a few other serious things that have happened over the last few months. The revolution that started in your mind as you have put it in your Vyasa Puja offering took many different shades. First, you established TFO as your law book. Temple inmates were adequately provided with copies of this book. To strongly reinforce these theories in them you convened late night istagoshthis (9 PM to 3 AM ), in batches. Your unambiguous ritvik paper 'On My Behalf, On My Order' was an apt exhibition of your convictions. The conversions being almost complete, the time was right to move on to the congregation. The attempt boomeranged. Sensing trouble, you diplomatically agreed to toe the GBC line, while continuing to propogate TFO theories in a veiled manner. To divert the world attention that your attempt generated, you next began a campaign to defame Jayapataka Maharaja by trying to pass the buck on him. Realising that it was the strenght of the cell program that devasted your personal ambition, you dismantled it and replaced it with house programs. Temple devotees including your goodself who visited houses to give programs misused it as a forum to present non-bonafide ideas. Consequently many of these householders expressed their umwillingness to offer their houses for these programs. "Monkey on a Stick" was your next fad. To add to this "Hi Bangalore " tabloid came out with their first article defaming ISKCON Gurus based on this book. Fortunately he has stopped now. If you have been responsible for stopping further publication of that series, you deserve the credit. We address these different issues in this letter. 1. Monkey on a Stick. What's the idea in circulating this book? Is it sastra? HG Varadha Krishna das mentioned that you got copies of this book brought in from America. Temple inmates are well read in it and are leaking details of the book to the congregation. Two student devotees Bhakta Arun and Nila Madhava dasa have been told many details of the book. They are doing their part by speaking about it to others. Srila Prabhupada said that the process of KC is to follow in the footsteps of the Mahajanas. You may perhaps not accept Satsvarupa Maharaja as a Mahajana but atleast you should accept what Srila Prabhupada said of him "Satsvarupa is a perfect gentleman" (100 Prabhupada poems by SDG, poem #38, page 61). Here's what Satasvarupa Maharaja says about this book: Remember that sensational "true crime"book, Monkey on a stick? The thing that horrified an ISKCON member on looking through that book was how they had distorted the quality of ISKCON life. The authors had distorted facts and were even often mistaken. They did have the police-records-who killed whom, who misappropriated funds, who misled devotees, who fell down-but even in those cases, their description of what it was like for an average temple devotee was bogus and based on no experience. The author couldn't see into the devotee's hearts and he couldn't understand Krishna's statement that even if a devotee commits abominable behavior, he is still rightly situated. They don't know how precious and rare it is for someone in this world to render sincere service to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna in this movement. (Churning the Milk Ocean by SDG, page 270). This is the best way to understand this book. What could be the difficulty to simply accept the version of Satsvarupa Maharaja? To independently read this book would only result in whimsical conclusions based on speculation. This is exactly what has happened. Temple inmates and congregation devotees who know details of this book now have a crazy opinion about the purity of our movement. You are responsible for this damage. 2. The Final Order. You have often tried to say that you are not a ritvik. Why then did you provide temple inmates with this book, and also offered it to congregation devotees? The explanation that you have offered to this is that you were trying to educate. Using Krishna Kant desai's language this is the 'dumbest explanation imaginable' that anybody could give. Does it say anywhere in Prabhupad's books that 21 years after his disappearence devotees of ISKCON, Bangalore would be educated by this book? In your paper "On My Behalf, On My Order" we find the following: Thus the Parampara would continue next 9500 years by a combination of Srila Prabhupada as the Diksa Guru and many officiating acaryas together creating many generations of Srila Prabhupada's familiy with their respective geneological identity (end of quote). This conclusion is "regular vanilla" ritvik. It is best to admit that you made a mistake. Though it may take much humility to do so, it would only increase your respect and good fame in ISKCON. You have not done this. Instead we have witnessed a jarring contempt for GBC and the senior Vaisnavas of our movement especially Gurus. Almost all temple devotees exhibit this demeanor. Let us give you a few examples. HG Amrit Caitanya dasa speaking in a conspirational tone to HG Vibhav Krishna dasa asked "You know 9 Gurus out of 11 have fallen, you want to take a guess who the next one will be"? This reflects a hellish mentality. HG Seshastuta Govinda dasa presented the same to Bhakta Rajshekar and his family more loosely using the jargon of cricket Ñ 9 wickets out of 11 have fallen. HG Varada Krishna dasa in a conversation with Anukulya Kesava dasa challenged "Which Guru in ISKCON chants 16 rounds?" He also claimed that many ISKCON Sannayis roam with girls. Has he lost his mental balance? Perhaps he is badly in need of psychiatric attention. HG Sevatula dasa asserted arrogantly to Anukulya "Yes, I am ritvik, Prabhupada's purports have made me a ritvik. Who is that fellow (Jayapataka Maharaja) to interfere in my relationship with Prabhupada?" Sevatula's understanding could perhaps even surprise Sankaracharya! In a telephonic conversation with Anukulya last night Varada Krishna dasa claimed that 3 sannyasis (one of them very senior) are in line to take up grhastha ashram. The GBC has begged them to wait till Mayapur meetings. Please provide some compassionate counselling to Varada Krishna dasa. 3. Defamation campaign against Jayapataka Maharaja and Zonal acarya system. You are exhibiting your foolishness by blaming Jayapataka Maharaja for instigating the congregation. Nobody in ISKCON would accept this baloney. Through your vigorous defamation campaign against Jayapataka Maharaja you have by default gained the support of a few innocent congregation devotees. The temple devotees spearheaded by you have conveyed to even new congregation devotees that Jayapataka Maharaja is fallen, he does not chant his 16 rounds, he was suspended by GBC, he does not attend Tulasi puja. . . You must remember that amidst all this we have maintained level headedness and have not taken ISKCON law into our own hands although you are fond of consistently levelling the charge against us that we are fanatical disciples of Jayapataka Maharaja. What surprises us is the radical conversion you have undergone from your tireless implementation of Zonal Acarya system to an utter contempt for present Gurus. Two examples would suffice. A few years ago when Bhakta Jayaseela Rao expressed his decision to take initiation from Bhakti Charu Maharaja, you requested Madhusudan Hari dasa to somehow dissuade him from doing so. This is important for easy temple management, you said. HG Soma Nityananda dasa wanted to take initiation from Bhanu Maharaja or Bhakti Charu Maharaja. You forced him to take initiation from Jayapataka Maharaja. Even today he is disgusted with this and laments about it. Who else but you are responsible for these grave spiritual offenses? On the contrary when a young grashatha couple approached some of us last week to discuss their initiation, we spoke about many different Gurus and told them that choosing the Guru was their personal choice and they should take initiation from whomever they could surrender to with proper faith. Have you ever given such an advice to anybody in your life? So who are the fanatics? You or we? It is now there for all to see. Being disciples of an ISKCON spiritual master we have the right to gather to hear the tapes of our Spritual master and to discuss how to be properly surrendered to him to help carry out the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Why should you object to this? JSSS is not an organisation, it is simply a gathering of Jayapataka Maharajas disciples. To say that we are misusing this forum for political purposes here in Bangalore is the product of speculation of a fertile brain. It is purely a spiritual program. You are welcome to attend and see it for yourself. After having vigorously advocated the cell program you suddenly dismantled it. Indeed had it not been for the great success and strength of the cell program the world of ISKCON would have witnessed what could easily be called one of the most dreary coups in the history of ISKCON which you tried to stage at Bangalore. The cell program is thus a wonderful, invaluable asset for the protection of ISKCON. 4. Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja day fiasco. The people in attendance during this program were temple inmates, congregation devotees, life members and general public. You chose this most aupicious day and this public gathering to push forward your personal agenda. It was a day of great shame! You did not allow us to make our offerings. Perhaps you were frightened that your desired personal objective would be undone. You were right. We would have precisely done that but non-politically and with strong siddhanta unlike you. Here is an excerpt from your offering: Unfortunately certain belief system about Gurus in ISKCON have distanced sincere devotees from cultivating a direct spiritual relationship with YDG. The system makes devotees to distance away from YDG or redefine their relationship with you especially after they take initiation in ISKCON. This is perpetrated by misapplying the principle of "Jumping the Guru". They are really missing your direct touch, the transcendental effect, which cannot be equalled by anyone else in ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada, I have realised, by your mercy that the existence of this belief has been the biggest problem in our society today that does not actively promote its members the idea that one can cultivate a direct relationship with YDG, a relationship of eternal shelter and service. Unfortunately the present belief system makes one feel guilty of approaching you directly. This makes people distance away from you as if it is not proper ettiquete. This only limits devotees from the unlimited benefit that they can transcendentally receive from you. Today on this most auspicious Vyasa Puja day, I beg forgiveness from YDG, for being part of this system for 18 years. . . It is only when one of your senior disciples and guru of ISKCON told me that the idea of direct relationship for a grand disciple was offensive that a revolution started in my mind (end of excerpt)". Other offerings were no less sensational HG Sevatula dasa obliquely attacked Harisauri Pr by refering to him as an American who was loitering in the street. HG Visva Pran dasa and Vedanta Caitanya dasa expressed their regret that after coming to ISKCON by reading Srila Prabhupada's books they had to take initiation from someone else. It is an irony that even after serving in ISKCON for 18 years you have not understood the most basic point that Srila Prabhupada would be very displeased by such a public outpouring. What you did on that day needs to be condemned in strongest possible terms. There is nothing more to be said in this regard. THE UNAVOIDABLE ALTERNATIVE. The political atmosphere that you have created at the temple is repulsive. We would not like to have our consciousness contaminated by such association where there is overwhelming blasphemy of the senior Vaisnavas of our movement not to speak of the philosophical deviation that stinks. We are GBC fanatics and would not budge an inch from it. It is very clear to us from our understanding of Srila Prabhupada that he wanted devotees of ISKCON to fully respect the authority of GBC and follow. For years you have told all the temple inmates and congregation in Bangalore that we have to follow authority. Today you have discarded your authorities and have become authorities yourselves. This is a tinge of mayavada. We are having a parallel program at Rukmini Panduranga Temple to facilitate the desire of like minded devotees to peacefully prosecute spiritual life according to the standards that Srila Prabhupada has set and maintained by the GBC. However, we do also visit Hare Krishna Hill to get the mercy of the Deities. At the Rukmini Panduranga Temple we conduct programs according to ISKCON standards. For Srimad Bhagavatam class we hear the tapes of senior Vaisnavas of ISKCON. So far we have heard the tapes of Sridhar Maharaja, Radhanath Maharaja and Jayapataka Maharaja. Every alternate Sunday we hear the tape of Srila Prabhupada. Nobody sensible can say that we are Jayapataka Maharaja fanatics. HG Dayaram dasa also gave a class during one Sunday. We also organised all the major festivals mentioned in ISKCON calender. With all humility we should say that these programs have been very much liked by those in attendance. Since the faith of the congregation devotees in you has irreversibly broken down, we would soon be making a representation to the GBC for approval of the second chapter of ISKCON at Bangalore. There is no turning back. This is not a stance of arrogance but a plain expression of human limitation. It is simply not possible to cooperate with you anymore. So we could avoid the nasty situations that result by interacting with each other by agreeing to disagree and serve ISKCON in our own respective ways. Yours in the service of ISKCON Acintya Caitanya dasa, Vibav Krishna dasa, Madhusudan Hari dasa, Narahari Caitianya dasa, Srikanta Krishna dasa, Lilanath dasa, HariKrishna dasa, Sacidananda dasa, Anukulya Kesava dasa, Sudhir Caitanya dasa, Prasanna Caitanya dasa, Sukirti Gaura dasa, Golokeshwara dasa, Ruchi Rangada dasa, Ravindra Nitai dasa, Subhanjaya dasa, Sugathi Krishna dasa, Bala Gaura dasa, Vijay Gauranga dasa, Bhakta Sunil Narang, Bhakta Ramakrishna Agarwal, Bhakta Kanyalal Agarwal, Bhakta Guru Prasad, Bhakta Shyam, Bhakta Rajashekar, Bhakta Ganesh Murlidar, Bhakta Satish Iyengar, Prema Padmini devi dasi, Harsh Vardhini devi dasi, Radhasakti devi dasi, Veeravati devi dasi, Geeta Gamya devi dasi, Daksi devi dasi, Bhaktin Mahima Agarwal, Bhaktin Uma, Bhaktin Mallika, Bhaktin Lata, Bhaktin Rupa Iyengar, Bhaktin Swarna, Bhaktin Varsha and others. See Related VNN Stories This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/world/WD9812/WD01-2584.html |
