02/16/98 - 1612

ISKCON Kicks Out Another Nice Devotee

USA (VNN) - by Dasanudas Vanacari

Hare Krsna Pratyatosa Dasa Prabhu,

Please accept my humbles obeisances; all glories to Srila Prabhupada. I have followed with interest the development of your NYC preaching efforts through postings on Garuda. I would like to share with you a little story about my recent adventures. I am a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who spent years in India and got completely burnt out by the politics there. I spent some years recovering and just recently came back into association with ISKCON devotees. I was surprised and amazed to see the presence of many Godbrothers on the Internet. After reading the arguments pro and con the rtvik system I have come to a firm conclusion that Srila Prabhupada wanted rtvik-acaryas to initiate in ISKCON in his behalf after his departure.

When I mentioned this opinion of mine to a devotee friend here in Dallas, his reaction was to become extremely upset. However, he could not offer any compelling arguments to change my conclusion. Instead of keeping our con versation confidential, he immediately began to discuss it with his wife and members of the temple council. I met again with the devotee and a member of the council, and we discussed the matter of Prabhupada's instructions. Again the devotees could not offer any powerful arguments, and again the devotee in question merely became upset and left the meeting, although my tone was one of quiet conviction and open philosophical inquiry.

The temple council soon met and voted to have me leave the Dallas community. However they did not advise me of this meeting, did not allow me to submit evidence, and did not even inform me of their decision until some time later. Late one evening, as I was chanting mantras and preparing to take rest, two members of the temple council entered my dwelling and knocked on my door. Their intention was to inform me to leave the community. However I could already understand their minds and so rather than interrupt my puja, I told them I would leave as soon as possible. I might add that at no time did I attempt to convert any of the devotees, or indeed even mention my feelings, except to my so-called friend.

So now I am living alone in a rented room in some karmis' house. They are nice people but of course, they are meat eaters and drunkards. This is ISKCON's solution to the "rtvik problem." If a devotee, after careful and prolonged scrutiny of the evidence, and due consideration and deliberation in his heart, sincerely decides that Srila Prabhupada knew what he was doing and gave us appropriate instructions, have a secret vote to remove him from the community. Don't preach to him, don't give him any association, don't have a sober philosophical discussion based on sastra. Just politicize the issue, turn the devotee into a political football and kick him out of the temple.

That was a couple of weeks ago. Now that I have calmed down, it seems to me that the ISKCON devotees are admitting their weakness in refusing to confront the rtvik issue on a philosophical platform. They cannot offer any convincing argument to counter the rtvik conclusion. Their only defense is to attempt to isolate devotees who have accepted the rtvik conclusion from the other members of the community, in some vain hope that the knowledge of Srila Prabhupada's actual orders will not spread and reveal the intransigence of the GBC. They themselves are the cause of the divisions in our society. In my opinion their intelligence is influenced by the mode of passion.

My conclusion about how to address the current situation is that we do not need to enter into conflict with the present leadership of ISKCON, either by making propaganda against them or by litigation. The bogus philosophy will be known by its result. Those who have deviated will gradually lose their preaching potency. We do not need to do anything to hasten their fall. It is already ordained by Krsna.

To me the solution is for all the senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada to establish independent preaching centers that implement his final order. Let Krsna show who is actually following. Therefore I applaud your efforts to preach in the mood of following Srila Prabhupada's final order. I would like to know more about your activities. Please inform me about your program, especially your long-term vision for your center. At some point I may want to visit and see how I could get involved.

Anticipating your reply with interest,

Dasanudas Vanacari