© 1999 VNN
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USA May 18, 1999 VNN3897 Comment on this story A Society Of Pride BY LOCANANANDA DAS NEW YORK, USA, May 18 (VNN) — The stories of mistreatment of senior devotees by current ISKCON managers are no exaggeration. What we are hearing on VNN is just the tip of an iceberg of mad elephant offenses. Just hours ago, I personally witnessed a most poisonous tirade of insults aimed at a highly dedicated follower of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayan Maharaja come spewing out of the foul mouth of a deputy GBC temple president here in New York. Our dear godbrother Puru Prabhu was accused of being "a thief", "full of envy", "contaminating the congregation by his preaching", "living off of ISKCON", "turning his back on Prabhupada" and many other vicious untruths. Puru Prabhu had set up a book table across from the Brooklyn temple and was speaking to old acquaintances who were very happy to see him. He was selling the original Bhagavatams that had been reprinted, some of Narayan Maharaja's books as well as other vaisnava publications and a collection of his own writings. I had prepared some simply wonderfuls to give to visitors at the book table. The temple president came over like a wolf in sheep's clothing, exchanged some niceties, and then began his hateful accusations against this innocent godbrother. His venom became more concentrated the more he felt challenged. By resorting to threats and intimidation, he was doing whatever was in his power to discourage Puru Prabhu and others from preaching Krishna consciousness according to their realization. I warned him several times that he was committing vaisnava aparadha, but he could not be reasoned with. He continued his blasphemy even as he crossed the street to return to the temple. His final message was a death wish to Puru Prabhu: "How long ago did you have bypass surgery? It won't be long now." Is this leadership? Is this vaisnava behavior? And who does one complain to? Our local GBC, whose insipid impersonal nature prohibits him from even conversing with a godbrother? Or to one of the other GBC men, who either never reply to letters they receive, or who consider whatever happens in another zone to be a local matter in which they have no interest. When vaisnava aparadha is rampant in a society, it is no longer a local matter. When saintly persons are ostracized from a society originally based on love of God, that society is instead deemed to be based on self-pride. In fact, at this point, it appears to be based on envy of pure devotees and of one's own spiritual nature. The temple president said, "I know where I'm going when I die. I have prayed to Krishna that I want to take birth twenty more times to serve as His pujari." This is not a humble prayer, but rather a display of pride in one's area of expertise. It is better to leave this in Krishna's hands, if he wants us to come back at all, and be willing to acccept whatever Krishna desires concerning our future life. The behavior of the temple president was even more deplorable for two reasons: First, there were other young devotees present who overheard his hateful remarks and who were disturbed by his harsh treatment of a senior devotee. Secondly, a devotee friend who drove by afterwards called out of her car window, "He taped the whole conversation!" The temple president obviously intends to use this tape recording in some nefarious way to show how he defeated an "envious traitor with no integrity". (His Grace Puru Prabhu was initiated nearly thirty years ago by Srila Prabhupada and has been responsible for preserving many of our spiritual master's personal effects and paraphernalia as the curator of the Bhaktivedanta Memorial Museum and Library. He regularly distributes trascendental literature and prasadam at Tompkin's Square Park on New York City's Lower East Side. He also lectures at home programs and performs elaborate Deity worship in his home with installed Radha Krishna Deities, a Deity of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a life size murti of Srila Prabhupada. His siksa guru, Srila Narayan Maharaja calls him Puru Maharaja and advised others to take strength from his association.) Trying to deal with such people by presenting the truth is like feeding milk and bananas to a serpent. It simply exacerbates what is already an intolerable situation. Personally, I am leaving their rectification in Krishna's hands. I will continue to go out with the Harinam sankirtana chanting party as often as I can and pray to Krishna that He purify the leadership of ISKCON. Perhaps one day ISKCON devotees will again enjoy the kind of loving reciprocation one expects to find within a society that is based on the teachings of a pure devotee. Otherwise, to fulfill the prediction of the acharyas regarding how Krishna consciousness will spread throughout the world, a new society will have to be created. We will see. Falling at the feet of the vaisnavas, I pray for your blessings, for how else might I become eligible to participate in the nine-fold practice of bhakti yoga and thus please Srila Prabhupada? Your servant, Locanananda Das Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
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