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EDITORIAL October 2, 1999 VNN4851 Related VNN Stories Kutinati BY MAHAVEGAVATI DASI EDITORIAL, Oct 2 (VNN) — Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, who in his infinite kindness, has given Krsna consciousness to the whole world. Coming to USA at such a "late" age, Srila Prabhupada left his home of the Vrndavan, but in actuality, never left, as He carried Srimati Radharani and Her beloved Krsna and Their servants and pastimes wherever Srila Prabhupada went. Please accept my fallen obeisances. In CC Madhya lila 19.159 purport, Srila Prabhupada writes: "Kutinati, or diplomatic behavior, cannot satisfy the atma, the soul. It cannot even satisfy the body or the mind. the culprit mind is always suspicious; therefore the dealings should always be straightforward and approved by Vedic authorities. If we treat people diplomatically or duplicitously, our spiritual advancement is obstructed." Reading through the forums, I saw Pratyatosh prabhu's post "GBC Member to Raghunath Stocker" and I clicked on one of the URLS, (or whatever they are called), that was enclosed. Up came this letter, which was an answer to Raghunath prabhu's letter concerning the abuses he had to suffer as a Gurukula student. Besides the content of the letter itself, I also KNOW the author VERY well, (since I served faithfully under him for TEN years, and have gone through so many years of experiences with him afterwards). Thus I felt a VERY GREAT sense of disturbance reading Bhaktitirtha Swami's letter, and because of these factors, I felt very compelled to write this submission. Sometimes one just becomes THAT SICK and TIRED of, (DISGUSTED with), the HYPOCRACY one experiences from, not all, but enough of the ISKCON leaders. Bhaktitirtha Maharaja's letter brought up remembrances of so much exploitation, dishonest dealings and abuse I personally sustained under him. His letter reflects his TYPICAL WAY of dealing, (or rather, NOT dealing STRAIGHTFORWARDLY), with issues, (ESPECIALLY ones that involve his OWN dishonesty and exploitive, abusive dealings). BTS will offer kind, "sweet" and gentle words that do NOTHING, but are offered simply with the intention of trying to "pacify" the listener. These words are offered with hopes that the person will be fully placated by those words and will eventually GO AWAY. I KNOW, because I went through this for SO MANY years with Bhaktitirtha Maharaja, right up till July of 1998. I will not go into the nasty details of the abuse I experienced under Bhaktitirtha Maharaja because 1) I do NOT feel that it will serve to help anyone for me to do so. (If I thought it WOULD HELP BT Swami for me to post the details of the situation, I would make the effort to publicly post it, but with the situation as it stands, Bhaktitirtha Swami is STILL in SUCH DENIAL, (even to the point of his LYING in the presence of EIGHTEEN SILAS), that I am convinced that posting the details would NOT help him to take a look at himself and his hypocracy. 2) The details are so numerous and the submission of them would make this post VERY lengthy, and 3) they are STILL SO VERY painful to me. EVEN TO THIS DAY, due to Bhaktitirtha Swami's NOT being honest and his trying to cover up the truth with his LIES and character assasination, I am STILL experiencing the repercussions from his PURPOSEFUL continued LACK of honesty. I can only use the word "hypocrite" to adaquately and PROPERLY describe his policy of "apologizing" for atrocities on the part of OTHER leaders, (saying how HE "feels so much for the devotees and 'loves' them"), preaching to other leaders and devotees in general that they have to "clean up their acts," and yet, he can NOT apply his own advice. He can not admit, own up to, and rectify the personal atrocities that HE has committed to certain devotees, (not only me). ("Love" is a VERY easy word to say, to just throw off from the tongue, but to put it into practice, THAT is another thing. PROOF of love, comes through ACTION.) Although Bhaktitirtha Maharaja has a very charismatic personality and a "sweet tongue" for speaking, he, LIKE CERTAIN OTHER "LEADERS" in ISKCON who possess similar character, will LIE and do whatever he feels necessary, (character assassination, etc.), to COVER UP the truth as opposed to dealing with the issues STRAIGHTFORWARDLY, and doing what is necessary to make a proper HONEST rectification. Srila Prabhupada explains in a purport to SB 1.9.26, "One cannot be called a civilized person if he does not have the nine preliminary qualities, two of them being 1) supporting servants and subordinates and 2) avoiding lying." Normally one should NOT speak like this about someone, especially a devotee. (We ALL KNOW the first offense against the Holy Name.) And we know the BG verses, 9.30, 31. Everyone can change and for a devotee there may be some "remnants" of previous conditioned behaviors. Yet I DO speak in this manner because the position of a leader is SO important, his influence so great, and it is ESPECIALLY important for leaders to always be reflecting upon themselves and STRIVING to become pure, because their leadership, (proper or improper), HAS SUCH an effect on the people under their jurisdiction. A leader is CHOOSING to place himself into a postion where he WILL be scrutinized, especially when he is NOT doing his duty properly. Within ISKCON, there are so many devotees in positions of leadership who are NOT being honest with devotees, who are NOT supporting their subordinates and who are not acting as PROPER leaders, (including chanting their rounds and following the FOUR regulative principles. I see this as a direct reason for the present FAILINGS of the ISKCON institution. Thus, I am coming forth with the truth even if it seems to sound unpalatable. PURITY is the force, and impurity, when it is affecting Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON society in such a DRASTIC way, MUST be exposed. (See "satyam" in BG 10.4 purport.) Following is Bhaktitirtha Maharaja's letter with my comments: GBC Member to Raghunatha Stocker By Bhakti-tirtha Swami My Dear Raghunatha, BTS: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to ISKCON's Founder-Acarya, Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for this letter that you have submitted to the Vaisnava community. It is very profound, to the point and very embarrassing. mvvd: Yes, it is VERY embarrassing, and the fact that the ISKCON leaders are NOT properly addressing this issue is even MORE embarrassing. WHY is it that ONLY when the ISKCON leaders feel THREATENED, (in terms of ASSETS), they THEN APPEAR to become "concerned"? THAT in and of itself, SAYS something of the nature of the character, (or lack of it), of these leaders. WHY AREN'T THE LEADERS DOING SOMETHING? WHY HAVEN'T THEY DONE SOMETHING, AND WHEN WILL THEY DO SOMETHING to CORRECT that embarrassing situation rather than simply trying to smooth over things with just words. The LEADERS SHOULD do something. WHY WHY WHY is Satadhanya - can we use the word "prabhu"? - STILL there WHEN THE LEADERS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE DID??? It just SHOWS where our leaders' CONSCIOUSNESSES are AT. OBVIOUSLY if the leaders REALLY DID CARE about the matters at hand, Satadhanya would NOT be there. Is Krsna so limited that he "NEEDS" someone in a position ONLY because that person "has contacts"? I hardly think so. I think Krnsa is MORE CONCERNED with HIS devotees than with the assets, laksmi, "contacts" and the like. Krsna Himself says, ye me bhakta janah partha na me bhaktas ca te janah mad bhaktanam ca ye bhaktas te me bhaktatamo namah, "One who says he is my devotee is not my devotee, but one who says he is the servant of my devotee, he is my devotee." In SB 9.4.68, Krsna also explains the nature of the loving relationship between Him and His devotees, (They hold one another within Their hearts.) Thus, the DEVOTEES are SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than ANY of the "assets". It is THE DEVOTEES who are the REAL ASSETS to Krsna, not the buildings, laksmi, etc. BTS: Every time I hear how the youth have suffered so much in this movement I realize even more how merciful Srila Prabhupada was and how fallen we are. mvvd: Amazing what realizations different people get. I CAN understand and relate to your realization. I very much appreciate it. Srila Prabhupada is INDEED patita pavana and so many of us ARE so fallen. With these realizations that you say you have, I would think also that you would simultaneously want to SO MUCH TRY to give a proper address to these issues of child abuse, (and other abuses), and do what is necessary to CLEAN them up, ALL of them. OBVIOUSLY, people HEARING about these issues will NOT be able to understand or realize Srila Prabhupada's mercy unless we can PROPERLY represent HIM, and that ALSO means CLEANING up the problems. If we don't clean them up, then people will give NO credit to Srila Prabhupada, and they will simply see the fallen part. By TRYING to clean up at least some of the problems by making the PROPER EFFORTS, it would help to RAISE people from their fallen condition and it would give so many MORE people the opportunity to GLORIFY Srila Prabhupada as he DESERVES. After all, isn't that what Krsna consciousness is about? BTS: It is overwhelming to think that a movement that is supposed to offer solutions to the world is so full of contamination. mvvd: Yes, and THAT is WHY the ISKCON LEADERS should DO something PROPER to rectify that contamination. FIRST the leaders have to CLEAN UP the CONTAMINATION that exists within their OWN consciousnesses. THEN they can do something to rectify so many of the other problems that directly and indirectly are a RESULT of the leaders' deficits. (Either that, or they should STEP DOWN from their leadership position.) HOW can we "save the world" when we are NOT taking proper care of the devotees WITHIN? THAT is the leader's DUTY. If is a nice thing to preach with words, but it is another thing to PRACTICE and FOLLOW those words. (See CC Antya lila, 4.46,47). BTS: It would have given Srila Prabhupada so much pain to know we have not protected women and children in this movement. mvvd: Yes, and you should turn your statement BACK to yourself as well and think about it. You are ALSO guilty of these specific things mentioned. Look at Antya lila 4.102, (what to speak of a mataji who has served under you FAITHFULLY and for SO MANY years and did NOT leave of her own volition, but rather got PUSHED out by you because of your fear that she KNEW about your difficulties in spiritual practice. ONLY due to YOUR difficulties and your PARANOIA (and embarrassment), that I MIGHT tell someone about your difficulties, you did so many things to keep me out of the movement. (Funny thing is that I NEVER would have said anything, but because of your tactics, character assassination, etc., and the circumstances CREATED by YOU, I was forced to speak to devotees.) BTS: It would have given Srila Prabhupada so much pain to know we have not protected women and children in this movement. This in one of the dangers when one is in the mode of ignorance and one is in the mode of passion. In other words so many of our devotees are not working out in the mode of goodness which then naturally connects us with transcendence. mvvd: Yes, it WOULD give Srila Prabhupada pain, and thus, the leaders SHOULD work on correcting ALL of these things, NOT just offer words that sound nice. We should STOP giving Srila Prabhupada pain, especially those leaders who SRILA PRABHUPADA wanted to PROTECT his devotees, rather than exploit them and later FORCE them out. We NEED action, (PROPER action). This BEGINS with the leaders setting the PROPER example and doing THEIR duty as leaders. If the leaders would act PROPERLY as leaders, (stop being so MATERIALLY concerned about their position, name, fame and the rest), then they could HELP the devotees by their good instruction, example and proper consciousness, to RAISE the consciousnesses of the devotees under their jurisdiction. It ALL begins with the top, the leadership. BG 3.21 yad yad acarati sresthas... BTS: I actually hate the fact that I am a leader in a movement that has such a poor history. mvvd: If you REALLY "hate" it that much, then maybe you should set the example, and either step down, or change your own consciousness and RECTIFY the wrongs that you do as a leader. (If nothing else, we can at least change ourselves.) THEN you can preach to your fellow leaders and get them to do the same things. Through these efforts, THEN you can at least CHANGE the future history for ISKCON, where everyone will be able to GLORIFY Srila Prabhupada and HIS ISKCON, its devotees and the ISKCON leaders. BTS: At the same time, however, there is such fantastic ordinance, philosophy and many wonderful individuals. Just as the movement has wonderful people who make so many amazing sacrifices, the movement also has so many dysfunctional people and so many hypocrites. mvvd: So LET'S PUT THE PHILOSOPHY INTO PRACTICE. And those "wonderful individuals" who are capable of taking leadership position, should be the FIRST to do so. It is the DUTY of leaders to KNOW HOW to engage and lead the devotees, for the good of each individual under that leader's jurisdiction and for the society as a whole. CERTAINLY, "dysfunctional people" and "hypocrites" should NOT be leaders. Rather, they should be under the jurisdiction and PROPER control of GOOD, BONAFIDE, and CAPABLE leaders, so that they will NOT be able to cause harm to other devotees, and they can also be engaged nicely in Krsna's service. As Rshabhadev said, SB 5.5.18, it is the leader's duty to be so Krsna conscious and capable, that he can deliver his dependents. BTS: Of course, we as adults can alter our environment much more than the children could or can, but we make up the environment that the children experience. If I had experienced some of the things that you had experienced maybe I would have committed suicide or have taken someone else's life. If we can't find shelter from the representatives of God, what is the value of anything? mvvd: Your last question is EXACTLY what so many devotees are questioning with regard to ISKCON. NOW we have to ask, "Are our ISKCON leaders 'representatives of God' or do some of them have some other agenda? "Representatives of God" DO give proper instruction, and DO behave properly - after all, THAT is what it MEANS to BE a REPRESENTATIVE of God - and they DO care about the praja who are under their jurisdiction. To be a "representative of God" REQUIRES THE PROPER consciousness. (It is NOT just a position.) BTS: However, I do know a little bit of what it is like to be disappointed and mistreated by being a minority. Although I have lived with it most of my life, I have learned to feel sorry for those who act in such dehumanizing ways. Of course, I realize they actually harm themselves much more than any harm given to me because those that have abused you will have to undergo terrific karmic punishment. mvvd: Sounds "nice," and it is a fact; a thoughtful person, especially a devotee, (who by nature is para dukha dukhi), WILL "feel sorry" for his purportrators due to his own insight, KNOWING from where it is that they are coming, but we ALSO have to deal with the PRACTICALITIES of the matter. REAL leaders DEAL with the issues. It is THEIR DUTY to DO so. They don't just "wait" for Krsna to deal with abusers and give them their "karmic punishment". As a matter of fact, that IS the MERCY of the leader, TO DEAL with the issue and the purportrator. Srila Prabhupada EXPLAINED that it WAS the MERCY of the king to punish a criminal, ie. to kill a murderer, because by killing the murderer, he would be relieved of the reactions to his sin of murder, and would NOT have to suffer any reactions to that sin in the next life. I seriously doubt that Maharaj Yudhisthira or Maharaj Pariksit, (or even our Srila Prabhupada), would simply answer with these words. Yes, the philosophy IS there, but part of that philosophy says that we should put it, (the philosophy), into PRACTICE - ie. APPROPRIATE action. The philosophy ALSO speaks of the DUTY of leaders. Thus philosophically, ESPECIALLY with regard to LEADERS, it is they who are SUPPOSED to be the persons who are the INSTRUMENTS for seeing to the proper implementation of the philosophy and they are SUPPOSED to be ACTING on KRSNA'S BEHALF in that connection. BTS: You can blame the institution, but what is an institution? It is an aggregate of individuals. There are so many different types of devotees in the Hare Krsna institution that is unfair to not to appreciate so many souls who would sincerely go on from day to day. You may say, "but the nature of the leadership is very poor that it has allowed such abuses to go on," or you can turn this around and say "how amazing Srila Prabhupada was that he was so kind to try to pick up so many low class men and try to make us gentle Vaisnavas." mvvd: TYPICAL BTS; trying to deflect it OFF of the REAL issue, and then.......... Who is saying that Raghunath prabhu or other devotees who have been exploited and abused, (by either a leader, or another devotee who abused them), do "not have appreciation" for other individual devotees? (I did not get that understanding from my reading of his letter.) Many devotees who have been exploited and abused have negative feelings towards a particular leader or to the ISKCON leadership in general, but at the same time, they DO have A LOT of appreciation for SO MANY OTHER individual devotees. Yes, Srila Prabhupada IS AMAZING. He was THE KINDEST to do as he did, (pick us all up and offer to us His association and the process of Krsna consciousness as well, and so much more). But Srila Prabhupada ALSO put into leadership positions, devotees who he WANTED to represent him, to act on his behalf, to help him push on this movement, and as leaders, to PROTECT, SERVE, and GUIDE devotees PROPERLY, etc. Thus, it IS the DUTY of the leaders to DEAL WITH and CORRECT ALL of the abuses, or at LEAST to make an HONEST try. And these leaders should ALSO NOT abuse and exploit devotees under their jurisdiction. They should NOT make ANY excuses for their NOT doing so, and they should NOT TRY to divert devotees from these facts by tactics of deflection. As far as "blaming it on the institution" goes; yes, it is a fact that "the institution is an aggregate of individuals." And yes, "there are so many different types of devotees in the Hare Krsna institution..." But this is ALSO the fact: Srila Prabhupada set up this "institution" in such a way, that its individual leaders, the GBC and TPs were supposed to ASSIST Srila Prabhupada in management. It was the DUTY of the GBC to see to their own Krsna consciousness, (setting the best possible example through their own individual Krsna conscious behavior as leaders, their sadhana, etc.), and to see that the devotees were keeping to their spiritual practices, and that they were being maintained properly. The GBC were to visit temples to encourage devotees, to see that the temple presidents were making sure that their individual temples were being properly run and maintained. The GBC was to implement statagies for the increased preaching of Krsna consciousness. IF the GBC would do these things, AS SRILA PRABHUPADA WANTED, then SO MANY of these problems that exist today, would NOT have come. So no, we can not place "blame" on the institution per say, (the buildings, etc.), but we CAN place a blame on the GBC as a body, and on those GBC individuals who do NOT do these things that Srila Prabhupada wanted them to do. BTS: So, do we say that for the most part Srila Prabhupada has failed? I think it would be more accurate to say we have failed him. mvvd: Yes, THAT IS THE FACT and IF we are INTELLIGENT, then we will GET BACK on track, and that STARTS with the leadership. Srila Prabhupada has NEVER "failed" us; it is WE who have FAILED Him, those of us who have NOT kept our vows, chanted our rounds, etc., and those particular GBC leaders who are also guilty of failing. Failing on these things, (chanting their prescribed rounds, and following the four regulative principles), and failing in their duty as GBC leaders to do their presecribed duty as GBCs. BTS: What you and those like you have experienced we ca never fully apologize for, although we must continually apologize. mvvd: When a GENUINE HEARTFELT apology comes, then it CAN serve to cleanse both the purportrator and the victim. Of course there is the fact that sometimes the hurt may be so deeply inflicted, that the victim may not be able to just simply "forget" the pain, even after an HONEST apology is given. In that case, the purportrator, GENUINELY feeling sorry, must ask the victim what it is that s/he can do to try to make up in some way for the offenses, and TRY, as far as he is able, to satisfy the victim of his offenses. Usually when a person who is possessed of some higher consciousness, is offered a GENUINE apology, s/he WILL accept the apology, and that apology in and of itself WILL be enough to "mend" the person's heart and free one from the pain, at least with regard to the negative feelings s/he may feel towards the purportrator of the offenses. (But one may not always become freed from the deeply embedded psychological damages caused by the actions.) BTS: However, our real apologies are based on how we each do our part to strengthen our spiritual culture of ISKCON. We can surely minimize this ever happening again. mvvd: Yes, so WHEN is all of this GOING to happen??? WHEN will our leaders act as proper leaders so that these things WILL be PROPERLY rectified? WHEN will the leaders start acting as proper leaders so that ALL of the devotees under their jurisdiction can feel that GENUINE sense of love, REAL love? It ALL starts with the leaders: BG 3.21, yad yad acarati sresthas. By the leaders GOOD example and PROPER guidance, devotees will feel inspired and they WILL develop ALL good qualities. Thus, it begins with the leaders to set the proper example. So many of us, including your peers and the Gurukulis have been WAITING for years, and when we say anything in this regard, we are called blasphemers and are ostricized from the movement. BTS: Is their anything that I can personally do in the present as well as your future? Actually, I pray that there is something. We need such opportunities to assist and to serve for our own rectification and purification. mvvd: TYPICAL BTS - So many nice words but WHERE is the action. (He used to do that with me, offer so many sweet sounding words, but I NEVER saw ANY action. Worse yet, was the abuses along with the sweet sounding words.) I think that if Raghunath prabhu wants anything from you, he should let devotees know PUBLICLY WHAT his request is, and then he should tell us if you fulfill it. I say this so that Raghunath prabhu and devotee internet readers will know that you MEAN what you are saying, that this will NOT be simply a matter of your making a "public appearance" on the internet only with the intention to give the readers a particular image of yourself, and then when it comes into putting the offer into practice, it simply becomes one of empty words. (I say this because of what I have experienced SO MANY TIMES for SO MANY YEARS with Bhaktitirtha Swami. Nice words and that is ALL they are worth - just the sound that they make. BTS said practically the EXACT same things to me SO MANY TIMES. He would even promise to send me to India, (and WOULD HAVE ME GIVE HIM the laksmi for the ticket, but I NEVER went, NOR was the laksmi ever returned to me. There are so many more examples of I could give of his "sweet" words and NO action, but I will not go into them.) I will only say that from my own personal experience I know BTS as a hypocrite and a pretender, (and it gave me great pain, because I felt such a sense of sisterly love towards him. I STILL, despite my harsh words, have many of those sisterly feelings, but sadly, because of the lies, etc., those feelings are not without some sense of mixture. (Again, this has been my own experience for years with serving under him and the aftermath, and he may not do this with everyone, so I can only speak for my experience, and for those things which I have known him to do to SOME other devotees.) I do try to give him credit that in his words of advice to other leaders, he does have some good intentions, (beyond trying to create a particular image of himself), but he has never been able to rise above his false ego to act on his own words of advice which he gives to other devotees and leaders, which always SOUND so good but which he was not able to put into practice yet for himself.) BTS: What is the value of all of these big projects? What is the value of this entire institution if our own children hate this institution mvvd: GOOOOOOD question. Now WHAT is the answer? WHY is it that SO MANY devotees, (Gurukulis, disciples of Srila Prabhupada, and older devotees who took diksa from one, (or more), of Srila Prabhupada's disciples), have LEFT ISKCON? So many of the leaders will quickly answer, "MAYA!!!" and have even convinced so many of the newer devotees that this is the case, but if one looks at things HONESTLY, then there are MORE answers than simply the answer, "Maya." BTS: that has made them misfits and dysfunctional? mvvd: I HOPE this is not some psychological tactic, (one of the many that I KNOW that you use). By calling people "misfits" and "dysfunctional" these definitions serve to DETRACT from their credibility as persons. Thus, if and when they speak, being labled as "misfits" and "dysfunctional," most people, (usually NO ONE), will listen to them. If you have used these terms in this way..... Anyway, I HOPE that you have NOT. Sadly, I do KNOW you, and as YOU admitted to me personally, I KNOW you BETTER than ANY devotee in this movement. So, knowing you as I do, I will say that I am HOPING that you are NOT using these words for the specific purposes mentioned above. BTS: But how wonderful it is for those who do connect with the institution mvvd: IS IT? Or is it wonderful that they CONNECT with the ESSENCE that the institution was MEANT to offer, (and it is now QUESTIONABLE as to whether or not the present day institution as a general body, is or is not offering THAT product). BTS: But how wonderful it is for those who do connect with the institution or the unconditional love coming down from Krsna, Lord Caitanya, the Goswamis and Srila Prabhupada. Now the question is that with the experiences that you have had, will you use it to try to help others and try to bring out the real institution or will you also make other innocent people suffer by trying to destroy the basic vehicle that Srila Prabhupada tried to establish? mvvd: THERE it IS; RIGHT there. TYPICAL BTS tactic, (and that of SO MANY other GBCs and purportrators); TRY to make the VICTIM feel GUILTY. THIS was the HIT! The WHOLE paragraph, and most specifically, the last sentence. Like an orchestrated move, the music played, gradually leading, slowly, slowly, slowly, and THEN, the CRESENDO!!!, "Now the question is that with the experiences that you have had, will you use it to try to help others and try to bring out the real institution or will you also make other innocent people suffer by trying to destroy the basic vehicle that Srila Prabhupada tried to establish?" Come on Bhaktitirtha Maharaj, you went to Princeton and studied psychology and political science. That, as well as sociology was your major, and what about the minors of parapsychology and occultism?. You KNOW how DEEPLY a person is affected by sexual abuse as a child. Srila Prabhupada and the previous Vaisnava acaryas, the Six Goswamis and Lord Caitanya ARE and HAVE given UNconditional love. But is THAT being given through this PRESENT DAY ITS GON? NO, it is NOT. Even they are CHANGING Srila Prabhupada's books which MADE devotees. And there is SO MUCH MORE that is NOT right. Thus, the vehicle for transmitting that PURE love, has become CLOGGED UP due to our digressions, and thus that PURE love is NOT being transmitted through ISKCON in its present condition. How can the "little" ("regular"), devotees MAKE this institution become the REAL ISKCON when its "leaders" so STUBBORNLY CLING on to their positions, (including you), and are SO ATTACHED to name, fame, laksmi and the rest, including "image" - the EXACT word that you once used to me with respect to yourself being seen by others as a leader. When a building is beyond repair, the foundation HAS to be torn down, and then rebuilt. I am NOT saying this of ITS GON, (that it has to be "torn down" and rebuilt), but it MAY have reached that state. WHY do you think that Krsna has taken away in the past, and MAY take away so much now. Do you think your words of placation and questioning, (that last paragraph), will make all of the Gurukulis change their mind about the law suit? I am CONVINCED that it will NOT. Maybe if the leaders have a CHANGE OF HEART, then the Gurukulis will also, but I highly DOUBT it. You said the following words before in your letter, "If I had experienced some of the things that you had experienced maybe I would have committed suicide or have taken someone else's life. Well, Raghunath prabhu did NOT take his own life as you say you might have. He did not take someone else's life as you say you might have. Thus, he is obviously so strong in many ways, and he has exercised control in his life. This IS to be commended, and does say something very positive about him. He is thoughtful. Your next sentence, "If we can't find shelter from the representatives of God, what is the value of anything?" That is a GOOD question, but a thoughtful ISKCON devotee will see that there IS a value to so many things, INCLUDING the process of Krsna consciousness. At the same time, seeing the deficiencies and MOST IMPORTANTLY, the DISCREPENCIES and HYPOCRACY in the leadership, a devotee will not see the value in an ADULTERATED ITS A CON which is SO MISrepresentative ot THAT ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada gave us and wanted. Thus, one may not feel any sense of guilt in filing a suit against such an institution. BTS: will you also make other innocent people suffer by trying to destroy the basic vehicle that Srila Prabhupada tried to establish? THIS is the tactic that purportrators use to TRY to make their victims feel guilty. Thus, YOU are GUILTY of TRYING to ABUSE this devotee by TRYING to make him feel "guilty". ANYONE WITH ANY INTELLIGENCE CAN AND WILL SEE THROUGH THIS. Go look in CC under the branches of the Caitanya tree. Maybe then you will understand. After you read Adi lila, chapters 9-12, then read verses 67 to 69 in chapter 12, and see if that could POSSIBLY apply to the present day ISKCON. BTS: Yours in Srila Prabhupada's service, With love Bhakti Tirtha Swami mvvd: Yes, "love", (as signed by you), is such an easy word to say, but to put it into practice, THAT is another thing. BTS: Ps. I hope those authorities in India will respond to your specific concerns in reference to His Holiness Gopal Krsna Maharaj's interview as well as Satadhanya's involvement. mvvd: Do YOU REALLY CARE? If so, why don't YOU bring these things up with them. Why don't YOU tell all of the other GBC devotees to attend to these things. And so much more. WHEN will the GBC as a body "get it together" to PUT INTO PRACTICE THAT WHICH SRILA PRABHUPADA WANTED THEM TO DO? WHEN WHEN WHEN??? And my final two questions to you, Now I wonder, will YOU ever RESPOND to me properly? When will you PRACTICE what YOU preach? (Bhaktitirtha Maharaja's letter I accessed from the VNN forum under Pratyatosh prabhu's post "GBC Member to Raghunath Stocker". He got this letter from the Chakra website. So if any devotees want to read BT Swami's post intact, it can be found there.) Submitted for the sake of satyam, truthfulness. I remain your servant, Mahavegavati Dasi About the Author  Other Stories by this AuthorRelated VNN Stories Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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