11/05/97 - 1162

PADA Calls For Truce

USA (VNN) - On 10/17/97 VNN reported of the beginnings of a dialog between Jayapataka Swami of ISKCON and PADA. This was encouraging as far as this being the first ISKCON official opening a dialog with PADA (see also VNN story# 1123). At the time VNN did not have a copy of the letter from Jayapataka Swami but only the response from PADA. Following is the letter from Jayapataka Swami and the ensuing challenge from PADA to engage in a videotaped debate in which only quotes from Srila Prabhupada could be used. "And whoever cannot defend his siddhanta from the works of Srila Prabhupada has to surrender to the other side's view", says Puranjana of PADA. The outcome of such a debate would certainly be interesting.

Jayapataka Swami letter to PADA:

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:47:10 -0400
From: Jayapataka Swami <(removed)@compuserve.com>
Subject: Guru's violence threat!

Camp: ISKCON Lima, Peru--Sri Sri Radha Madan-vihari, Gaura-Nitai, Sita-Ram-Lakshman Hanuman Mandir

PADA Editors:

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

What I can't understand is how you substantiate what you are doing in broadcasting any and all, substantiated or unsubstantiated, true or false, exagerated, constructive and counter-productive information on the internet and to innocent people all over the world.

I recently had an aspiring disciple kidnapped by deprogrammers in Europe and their favorite material to encourage this disciple to reject Srila Prabhupada and Krishna consciousness was your internet material. CONGRATULATIONS for helping those who want to destroy everything that Srila Prabhupada worked so hard to create!

Srila Prabhupada instructed that he wanted whatever he created to be at least maintained and not destroyed, but it seems you are hell bent to destroy whatever threads of faith exist in anyone in Srila Prabhupada's institution and credibility.

As far as your personal attacks against me, you really have to stretch things to drag me into your tirades on those of us who are still trying to keep our beloved spiritual master's mission going. That is why [PADA] must stand for PRABHUPADA'S ASSISTANTS DEFAMATION & ATTACKS since that is all that you seem to do.

If someone dares to offer any constructive discussion with you then you counter by accusing them in various ways. I would hope that anyone with some discrimination and intelligence would avoid this page or communication. According to scripture any false statement or unconstructive statement against a vaisnava is considered an offense and does lead one to hell.

I mentioned earlier that if I got any reassurance that some genuine reasonable dialogue could be held with you I would be happy to hold it. I did sit with RIKTVIK advocates in Los Angeles with an attemp to bridge some of the gaps. I am sure whatever we try to do constructive you can skillfully negate and denegrate with your sharp tongue, but I don't understand what possible value you see in it for helping Srila Prabhupada. Maybe you can illuminate us as to how according to sadhu, sastra and guru your particular offensive mode of discussing all devotees (remember a devotee is anyone who chants Hare Krishna) in such totally denigrating and unconstructively critical terms.

I am quite ready to reply to any accusations in any reasonable environment. The devotees on my Q & A conference didn't join it to hear your sycophants ranting and offensive statements. Since this is where they congregate for that I reply you hear. Someone was kind enough to send me your letter.

We are bringing in many new devotees and trying to regain those who have left. I realized that many devotees who left ISKCON might have stayed had more care and attention been given to them rather than concentrating so much on disciples. I am now trying to make amends for that.

You say that I have a "pedophile guru project", but this is a ridiculous statement. I never had and never can imagine a pedophile guru project. This is just your skillful way of destroying faith in ISKCON gurus.

According to the GBC stated understanding all ISKCON devotees have the mandate from Srila Prabhupada to eventually become guru's and continue the disciplic succession. He named some to start it off, but that was an order to carry out the service of being a guru. IF they didn't follow the order properly then they would obviously be responsible for that.

I have never heard of any evidence that any guru working with me was confirmed at being a pedophile (a word you love to branish about). With all the accusations about child abuse circulating I haven't heard that the person you refer to was named by any child. If someone falls down into illicit sex, either homosex or heterosex, it is certainly very unfortunate and a cause for that person to stop initiating and undergo purifying programs.

How can you say my preaching is "beating, banning and shooting some devotees"? I have very respectful relationships with all vaisnava organizations and am well respected by them. I always preach to avoid offensive behavior and to respect all who practise Krishna consciousness. I do warn about associating with persons who are of an offensive nature since sastra tells us to avoid devotees whose devotion is mixed with tamasa guna and who are always envious against others and critizing them.

We are all subject to being judged by Yama and by Lord Krishna. Let us try to do something which would please Srila Prabhupada! Do you really think your tirade against devotees is something Prabhupada authorizes and is pleased by? Please give us some quotes and examples that Srila Prabhupada condones what you are doing in simply throwing mud on devotees. What if a fallen or distant devotee tries to recuperate? Isn't that good? Isn't that what you condone? Then why do you accuse and threaten that this will cause Yamaraj to punish me if someone comes to me and I encourage them to chant Hare Krishna and practice Krishna consciousness? Isn't that what I am supposed to do? I try to talk with everyone who wants my help. I am sorry I can do so little.

How many temples for Srila Prabhupada have you built? I am not proud, but at least the world can see that we did build a Srila Prabhupada Samadhi in Mayapur, one also in Vrindavan--how many did you build? We built would class temples for Srila Prabhupada's glory in ISKCON in Ahmedabad and Bangalore and New Delhi (soon to be opened) and many other places. I can say with a clear conscience that I sincerely try to use all of Srila Prabhupada's money for his projects and service and by HDG's mercy we have been somewhat successful in that regard.

You say "I heard how Vyasaki was beaten by your thuggery preaching in India", but this is another ridiculous statement. Vayasaki Prabhu is one of my dear godbrothers and he is also co-Director with me in the Puri Project. In no way, form or shape can anything I did be a cause for his being beaten, if indeed he was beaten. I never heard that he was beaten. I was just with him in Zurich about a month ago and he never mentioned it. Some persons who are inspired by your kind of offensive and critical type of preaching are inspired to attack ISKCON leaders like Vayasaki Prabhu. I was already attacked once by persons inflamed by this kind of rabble rousing, unconstructive, hateful inciting and venemous writing and preaching. Something I personally avoid doing. I had my neck cut deep with a knife from this kind of hate tirade. I wouldn't wish it one my worst enemy, if I had an enemy, but I am afraid that your words can definately incite someone to do such kinds of violence. I beseech you to consider this and try to find out a way for having some sensible constructive dialogue instead of theunconstructive kind of hate messages that you currently come out with.

I never have seen a good word about any ISKCON guru in your pages. As if they haven't done anything for Srila Prabhupada in all these years. Your publication is so one-sided!! What can I say? You may accuse that since you are so offensive then why do I waste my time in writing to you. You have done that before. Well, you may be right. Yet Lord Nityananda Prabhu was smashed on the head with a broken wine jug and he still wanted to give them Krsna Prema.

I feel something like that to some degree--that maybe there is someone on your forum who has enough sense to see that nothing is really being positively achieved by your hate messages and some more constructive methodology would be pleasing to Srila Prabhupada. Also if you have the guts to publish my words unedited then maybe some of the more sensible people who read these things might realize that we are will to discuss if the forum was suitable to do so. Actually we are not supposed to just get into arguments since it isn't the way to arrive at spiritual conclusions. Your confrontational approach is always asking for a fight. Then according to vedic standards of debate it isn't considered reasonable to avoid the real issues and simply to attack the others character. I am just making these statements in a humble attempt to show that I am willing to discuss.

Well everyone will personally experience if they crushed or not! Surely those who are spreading Lord Caitanya's sankirtan movement through book distribution, congregational preaching, harinama and training people in practical Krishna consciousness will be embraced by Lord Caitanya rather than crushed by Yamaraj.

However I can't be so hopeful about those who simpy are finding any real or imagined fault and blowing it up and broadcasting it so that those envious against Srila Prabhupada can use it to further destroy young innocent potential devotees faith in Krishna consciousness and Srila Prabhupada. If the shoe fits then wear it!!! It's not to late to mend your ways and avoid being "crushed by Yama's agents"!!

Yours in humble service to Srila Prabhupada,

Jayapataka Swami
(end letter)

PADA Challenge:

GENTLEMANLY BEHAVIOR WANTED!

Jayapataka swami has said that we are not behaving nicely, otherwise he'd talk to us. And we, of course, have felt that his party has not been behaving nicely. So let us both put down the hatchets, and let us call a truce. We'll meet with Jayapataka swami and one scholar of his choosing, and I will be there with a scholar from our side, namely Yasodanandana dasa.

We'll debate the issues threadbare and record the whole thing on video. Thus, if we start making ugly faces and pounding on the table, as he seems to expect we might, we'll be exposed for the world to see!

This can be held right here in Los Angeles. The sooner the better! One thing is a proposal: he can ask us a question, and we have five minutes to reply, then we ask them a question and they get five minutes. Equal time, equal footing. And each party has to reply by quoting something from Srila Prabhupada, or that can be verfied as coming from Srila Prabhupada in his known existing works.

We can ask about any quote from any of his GBC's documents, unless the maharaja wants to give us an advance copy of all the GBC documents since 1978, with yellow outs of what he says the GBC no longer adheres to. We'll ask about his siddhanta and papers, and he can ask about "Our Living Guru," "The Betrayal," and other PADA literatures.

Isn't this fair and gentlemanly? And whoever cannot defend his siddhanta from the works of Srila Prabhupada has to surrender to the other side's view. Is this not the Vedic system? Let us know?

YS PADA