VNN Editorial - Poison Theorists Accuse Adri Of Complicity

EDITORIAL

September 27, 1999 VNN4811 Related VNN StoriesComment on this story

Poison Theorists Accuse Adri Of Complicity

BY ADRI-DHARANA DAS

EDITORIAL, Sep 27 (VNN) — It seems that the poison theorists have now even accused myself of being involved, as the following posting from VNN shows:

"Why did Adri-dharana not follow up his knowledge of SP poisoning. [...] I know I'm walking on thin ice! But why all the Ritvik noise when you did nothing about the poison issue in '77. Are you covering up for TKG?"

Prabhupada: (Hindi--mentions word "poison") Kaviraja: (Hindi)
Devotee: Someone gave him poison here.
Kaviraja: (Hindi long explanation)
Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada was thinking that someone had poisoned him.
Adri-dharana: Yes.
Tamala Krsna: That was the mental distress.
Adri-dharana: Yes.
Kaviraja: (Hindi)
Tamala Krsna: What did Kaviraja just say?
Bhakti-caru: He said that when Srila Prabhupada was saying that, there must be some truth behind it. (People all speaking at once)
Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada, Sastriji says that there must be some truth to it if you say that. So who is it that has poisoned? (pause)
[Room Conversation, November, 8th, 1977 from folio]

FACTS

1. After this conversation I spoke at length with the Kaviraja and asked him what Srila Prabhupada was referring to when he mentioned poison. He told me that Srila Prabhupada was referring to the fact that the medicines he had been given were poisonous.

2. Thus after having satisfied myself, I saw no reason to pursue the subject further. The Kaviraja in question was trusted by Srila Prabhupada, and was very close to me, since I had found him, and lived with him and assisted him whilst he treated Srila Prabhupada. Living with him practically 24 hours a day, and being the only devotee who he really spoke with, he would tell me everything.

3. Indeed so candid was he with me, that straight after Srila Prabhupada's departure, he confided in me that Tamala Krishna was not even a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, since he had told the kaviraja that Srila Prabhupada's body must be moved 'before rigor mortis sets in'. The Kaviraja was flabbergasted and came and told me that this was ridiculous since Srila Prabhupada was a mahabhagavata, and that his body is spiritual like Ramanujacarya, and thus there was no question of rigor mortis ever setting in. And true enough, if you study the 'Final Lesson' video, you will see Srila Prabhupada's body remaining soft and supple, many hours after rigor mortis normally sets in, just as the Kaviraja had predicted.

Thus I had no reason to not trust the Kaviraja, and suspect that he would lie to me.

4. I told all this to Dhanesvara Das, over 1 year ago, when he interviewed me on behalf of the poison investigation.

Thus the idea that I did 'nothing', or that I am 'protecting' Tamala Krishna, is incorrect.

Since the subject has been brought up, this would be a good time to state the IRG's position on the 'poison theory':

"Following publication of the book Someone Has Poisoned Me, some GBC apologists have attempted to link the poison issue with the ritvik issue. No doubt they are banking on the poisoning being debunked so that ritvik is also discredited. If this is their hope then they will be sorely disappointed. The truth is that they are two entirely separate issues. Anyone looking at our web-site will quickly realise that there is not one single official IRG position paper on the poison issue. Not one. As far as the IRG are concerned ISKCON leaders must re-instate Srila Prabhupadas preferred initiation system regardless of whether some of them poisoned Srila Prabhupada in 1977. Certainly such a serious allegation needs investigation, and the GBC have commissioned Balavanta Das for this purpose. Hopefully his investigation will provide a complete view of all the facts and evidence. In particular, the test results for the key piece of evidence, the arsenic in the hair, will be presented in Balavanta's report. Once we have all the facts and evidence it might be easier to make an informed statement on the likelihood that Srila Prabhupada was murdered. If it is decided by the investigation that Srila Prabhupada was indeed most likely deliberately poisoned then we may have a motive to offer the investigation; but whatever the case, our position will not be weakened by the outcome of the investigation, and our action against the GBC over initiations will continue unabated.

Please note the key movers in bringing the poison issue to light, and pushing it:

Balavanta Das
Naveen Krishna Das
Madhusevita Das (who as GBC chairman authorised Balavanta's investigation in 1997)
Mahabhuddi Das
Isa Das
Rocana Das
Puru Das etc. etc.

are all characterised by the fact that to our knowledge NONE of them agree with the ritvik position, or are in anyway involved with the IRG.

Nityananda Das, a ritvik supporter, did get involved later, and has put considerable effort into pushing this issue, but as the above names prove, to state that the 'ritviks' were behind the poison theory' is ludicrous.