09/04/1998 - 2135

LA Vice-president Commits Vaishnava Apparadha

LA, USA (VNN) - by Nrshimha Dev Das

While the ceremony of Radhasthami was taking place at the LA temple this past Sunday, His Holiness Bhakti Hrdaya Mangala Maharaja entered the ISKCONtemple to participate in the auspicious event.

In the mean time, I saw some devotees asking Sva Vasa, the temple president, to please let the elderly and senior Vaishnava give the pravachan. However, Sva Vasa denied the petition.

As soon as the ceremony was over, Nirantara dasa, the vice-president jumped on the vyasasan so that nobody would try to give the seat to the Senior Vaisnava. However, to his unexpected an astonishing surprised a Mataji screamed at him saying: "Nirantara, how dare you not to give a Senior Vaishnava the proper Vaishnava etiquette. Nirantara continued adamant. The Mataji screamed again "NIRANTARA IF YOU CONTINUE YOU WILL GO TO HELL", and then she addressed the audience saying: "and all of you who listen to him will also go to hell."

Bhaktivedanta Mangal Maharaj did not understand what was happening, but a devotee explained the situation to him. Humbly, he said not to worry, and he stayed to listen to the offender.

Nirantara ordered to kick the troublesome and revolutionary mother out of the temple. A couple of devotees pushed her out in a rude way with Sva Vas's approval.

Many devotees (names omitted for protection purposes) were very unhappy with this incident because they wanted to listen to Maharaja's speech since there are letters of the late 60's where his Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada requests HH Bhaktivedanta Mangal Maharaja to come to America to assist Prabhupada in his preaching mission.