VNN Editorial - A Challenge To Nityananda Dasa

EDITORIAL

October 21, 1999 VNN4979 Related VNN StoriesComment on this story

A Challenge To Nityananda Dasa

BY RAVINDRA SVARUPA DAS

EDITORIAL, Oct 21 (VNN) — Nityananda das (Niko Kyut), a Prabhupada initiate expelled a decade ago from ISKCON, is lately the author of a self-published 408-page book- - designated, weirdly, on cover and title page as "a letter"--with the title "Someone Has Poisoned Me: The Facts About Srila Prabhupada's Poisoning By Arsenic."

In this bloated missive, then, the author purports to demonstrate conclusively that Srila Prabhupada was assassinated by gradual and deliberate arsenic poisoning. He says: "We have sufficient evidence to assuredly and unequivocally state: Srila Prabhupada was poisoned. The mass of corroborating evidence herein establishes this fact as a certainty" (p. 286).

Not only that, the author names and relentlessly indicts the purported chief assassins: Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu Swami, and Jayapataka Swami.

Accusing them of the greatest possible crime, he remorselessly assaults their devotion, their honor, and their reputation.

The author pulls all the emotional stops to incite the readers into the frenzy of a lynch mob:

"It does not take a rocket scientist to guess as to what motive someone may have had in poisoning Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada stood between them and something they very much wanted, namely the absolute position, absolute power, tremendous assets, and prestige of taking Srila Prabhupada's place as leader and virtual owner of ISKCON." (p. 276)

"Our Divine Guide and Master was poisoned in front of our eyes, and He decided to leave our association. The pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, the ambassador from the spiritual world, was cruelly and horribly tormented with arsenic, a most painful and despicable poison. Srila Prabhupada was frustrated in His mission and we were frustrated in His consequent departure.

"Is there any greater crime?" (p. 277)

He instructs us: "The assassins are almost certainly still inside ISKCON in positions of power and leadership. . . .We must of necessity completely purge the saboteurs from ISKCON . . . ." (p. 287).

To be sure, the author lays down some pro forma disclaimers. While asserting that Srila Prabhupada was murdered beyond a doubt, while accusing certain leading devotees of this crime of crimes, while advising the world that these very assassins still run ISKCON--while doing all this, he states, with sublimest duplicity, "this publication makes no accusations as to who poisoned Srila Prabhupada" (p.281). Then, in a move the reader has come to recognize as typical, he immediately proceeds to make the accusations again.

It is clear enough what Nityananda dasa is up to.

He is accusing some devotees of a monstrous crime. But I believe that in writing and publishing this book Nityananda dasa has himself committed the monstrous crime. He deludes us--and perhaps himself--when he says that his assertions and accusations are based on credible evidence. In fact, the "evidence" has been carefully selected, artfully tweaked, tendentiously interpreted to yield the preordained desired result.

And he wants those preordained results widely broadcast. He has printed 5,000 copies of his book. In India, certain people, with a political agenda, have profusely distributed this work among ISKCON congregations and have seen to it that Nityananda's conspiracy theory has been widely echoed in the newspapers.

If Nityananda dasa is wrong, then he has much to answer for.

Recently Bhakti Charu Swami, has responded to Nityananda's monstrous accusations. Bhakti Charu Swami's response includes this statement:

"Let the omniscient, omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead judge me. If I committed such a heinous crime towards the most dear devotee of the Lord, to whom I owe everything, including my very existence, then let me suffer eternally in the darkest region of the hell."

Now I accuse Nityananda dasa of a monstrous, heinous crime in making his lying accusations. And I challenge him to take a pledge corresponding to the one by Bhakti Charu Swami.

Let Nityananda dasa match Bhakti Charu Swami's pledge with his own:

"Let the omniscient, omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead judge me. If I committed such a heinous crime of making it falsely appear that Srila Prabhupada had been murdered by his own devotes, and further, of falsely accusing innocent devotees, who actually loved and cared dearly for Srila Prabhupada, of that crime, then let me suffer eternally in the darkest region of hell."

Let Nityananda dasa support his own convictions in the same way the Bhakti Charu has supported his.

Nityananda dasa may remember that at one time, he sent out a "challenge horse" to the GBC.

Now, here is my challenge to him.

Ravindra Svarupa dasa
Member, Governing Body Commission.