Eight volumes of Gold, Guns and God are published,
plus Killing For Krishna and Eleven Naked Emperors.
Killing For Krishna
Eleven Naked Emperors
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 1—“A Crazy Man”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 2—“A Pioneer Community”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 3—“Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 4—“Deviations in the Dhama”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 5—“The Murder and the Mandir”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 6—“The Guru Business”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 7—“Trials and Tribulations”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 8—“The City of God”
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 9—“Pushed Out Completely” (coming in February 2023)
Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 10—“The Final Pastimes” (coming in May 2023)
SUMMARY: Volume 8—THE CITY OF GOD
[includes historical photos]
Volume eight of Gold, Guns and God tells the story of Swami Bhaktipada and his vision to de-Indianize, or Westernize, Krishna consciousness in an effort to make it more palatable to westerners. He incorporated various aspects of western and Christian culture into the temple liturgies and daily life of New Vrindaban residents, such as translating the Sanskrit and Bengali prayers into English for temple services, and asking disciples and followers to wear unisex orange-colored garments, something like Franciscan monks’ robes, not shaving the head nor beard for men. He also commissioned new tunes in a Western classical style for the English Vaishnava prayers, which were sung daily at temple services. A pipe organ was purchased, and a choir and temple orchestra was created, as well as a children’s choir, Gospel band, folk music ensembles, and even a rock band.
Bhaktipada advocated chanting the mahamantra in English and chanting silently in the dark. Women were initiated into the renounced order of sannyasa, an honor and responsibility previously only accorded to men. A life-size statue of Jesus Christ sitting in a lotus posture was commissioned and installed next to the murti of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the temple on Christmas Day 1988.
Bhaktipada also envisioned an interfaith City of God at New Vrindaban, and at eleven other locations around the world, in which all religions would be recognized and respected. For a few years New Vrindaban included about a dozen interfaith residents: Marion Catholics, a Unitarian minister, and others, who wanted to help build a City of God in West Virginia. The design of the Temple of Understanding also changed from a traditional South-Indian Dravidian style (1985) to a modernistic edifice with Native American influences (1990). In November 1990, a giant forty-foot tall statue of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wearing a turban and sitting in the lotus position was constructed in the proposed “Garden of the Spiritual Masters” behind the Palace.
Bhaktipada’s liturgical reforms and emphasis on interfaith preaching attracted some people to come and live at New Vrindaban, but they also alienated some residents and visitors who were attached to the Bengali-style which Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada advocated. The Interfaith Era at New Vrindaban lasted about eight years, from 1986 to 1994. The reasons for its dissolution will be described in detail in Gold, Guns and God, Vol. 9.
The truth always comes out.
Looks like a great endeavor with grand revelations, I am sure. Not a topic or read that I am interested while in the autumn of my life. Somebody has to reveal this history. Re reading from the original Gita chapter 16 The Divine and Demonic Natures will give the reader a much greater depth into the general topic of these volumes.
It would be nice to add a full copy of the original Gita to these historic volume’s. Prabhupadas Gita is ever fresh each time it is read. More revelations are grasped by the reader with each read.
“Srila Prabhupada is our leader the holy names are our main weapon and the original Bhagavad Gita As It Is is our war plan”
Good luck prabhuji
Let the people of Earth have the knowledge to counteract these evil indiscretions with real knowledge.
Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth.
From Chapter 10 of the Gita Opulence Of The Absolute Chapter 10
TEXTS 4-5
buddhir j�ānam asammohaḥ
kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo ‘bhāvo
bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca
ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis
tapo dānaṁ yaśo ‘yaśaḥ
bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ
matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ
SYNONYMS
buddhiḥ—intelligence; j�ānam—knowledge; asam-mohaḥ—freedom from doubt; kṣamā—forgiveness; satyam—truthfulness; damaḥ—control of the senses; śamaḥ—control of the mind; sukham—happiness; duḥkham—distress; bhavaḥ—birth; abhāvaḥ—death; bhayam—fear; ca—also; abhayam-without fear; eva—also; ca—and; ahiṁsā—nonviolence; samatā—equilibrium; tuṣṭiḥ—satisfaction; tapaḥ—penance; dānam—charity; yaśaḥ—fame; ayaśaḥ—infamy; bhavanti—become; bhāvāḥ—natures; bhūtānām—of living entities; mattaḥ—from Me; eva—certainly; pṛthak-vidhāḥ—differently arranged.
TRANSLATION
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.
PURPORT
The different qualities of living entities, be they good or bad, are all created by Kṛṣṇa, and they are described here.
Intelligence refers to the power of analyzing things in proper perspective, and knowledge refers to understanding what is spirit and what is matter. Ordinary knowledge obtained by a university education pertains only to matter, and it is not accepted here as knowledge. Knowledge means knowing the distinction between spirit and matter. In modern education there is no knowledge about the spirit; they are simply taking care of the material elements and bodily needs. Therefore academic knowledge is not complete.
Asaṁmohaḥ, freedom from doubt and delusion, can be achieved when one is not hesitant and when he understands the transcendental philosophy. Slowly but surely he becomes free from bewilderment. Nothing should be accepted blindly; everything should be accepted with care and with caution. Kṣamā, forgiveness, should be practiced, and one should excuse the minor offenses of others. Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth.
Self-control means that the senses should not be used for unnecessary personal enjoyment. There is no prohibition against meeting the proper needs of the senses, but unnecessary sense enjoyment is detrimental for spiritual advancement. Therefore the senses should be restrained from unnecessary use. Similarly, the mind should not indulge in unnecessary thoughts; that is called śamaḥ, or calmness. Nor should one spend one’s time pondering over earning money. That is a misuse of the thinking power. The mind should be used to understand the prime necessity of human beings, and that should be presented authoritatively. The power of thought should be developed in association with persons who are authorities in the scriptures, saintly persons and spiritual masters and those whose thinking is highly developed. Sukham, pleasure or happiness, should always be in that which is favorable for the cultivation of the spiritual knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And similarly, that which is painful or which causes distress is that which is unfavorable for the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anything favorable for the development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be accepted, and anything unfavorable should be rejected.
Bhava, birth, should be understood to refer to the body. As far as the soul is concerned, there is neither birth nor death; that we have discussed in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Birth and death apply to one’s embodiment in the material world. Fear is due to worrying about the future. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has no fear because by his activities he is sure to go back to the spiritual sky, back home, back to Godhead. Therefore his future is very bright. Others, however, do not know what their future holds; they have no knowledge of what the next life holds. So they are therefore in constant anxiety. If we want to get free from anxiety, then the best course is to understand Kṛṣṇa and be situated always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In that way we will be free from all fear. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. it is stated that fear is caused by our absorption in the illusory energy, but those who are free from the illusory energy, those who are confident that they are not the material body, that they are spiritual parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are therefore engaged in the transcendental service of the Supreme Godhead, have nothing to fear. Their future is very bright. This fear is a condition of persons who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhayam, fearlessness, is only possible for one in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ahiṁsā, nonviolence, means that one should not do anything which will put others into misery or confusion. Material activities that are promised by so many politicians, sociologists, philanthropists, etc., do not produce very good results because the politicians and philanthropists have no transcendental vision; they do not know what is actually beneficial for human society. Ahiṁsā means that people should be trained in such a way that the full utilization of the human body can be achieved. The human body is meant for spiritual realization, so any movement or any commissions which do not further that end commit violence on the human body. That which furthers the future spiritual happiness of the people in general is called nonviolence.
Samatā, equanimity, refers to freedom from attachment and aversion. To be very much attached or to be very much detached is not the best. This material world should be accepted without attachment or aversion. Similarly, that which is favorable for prosecuting Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be accepted; that which is unfavorable should be rejected. That is called samatā, equanimity. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has nothing to reject and nothing to accept unless it is useful in the prosecution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Tuṣṭiḥ, satisfaction, means that one should not be eager to gather more and more material goods by unnecessary activity. One should be satisfied with whatever is obtained by the grace of the Supreme Lord; that is called satisfaction. Tapas means austerity or penance. There are many rules and definitions in the Vedas which apply here, like rising early in the morning and taking a bath. Sometimes it is very troublesome to rise early in the morning, but whatever voluntary trouble one may suffer in this way is called penance. Similarly, there are prescriptions for fasting on certain days of the month. One may not be inclined to practice such fasting, but because of his determination to make advancement in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he should accept such bodily troubles which are recommended. However, one should not fast unnecessarily or against Vedic injunctions. One should not fast for some political purpose; that is described in Bhagavad-gītā as fasting in ignorance, and anything done in ignorance or passion does not lead to spiritual advancement. Everything done in the mode of goodness does advance one, however, and fasting done in terms of the Vedic injunctions enriches one in spiritual knowledge.
As far as charity is concerned, one should give fifty percent of his earnings to some good cause. And what is a good cause? It is that which is conducted in terms of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not only a good cause, but it is the best cause. Because Kṛṣṇa is good, His cause is also good. Thus charity should be given to a person who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. According to Vedic literature, it is enjoined that charity should be given to the brāhmaṇas. This practice is still followed, although not very nicely in terms of the Vedic injunction. But still the injunction is that charity should be given to the brāhmaṇas. Why? Because they are engaged in higher cultivation of spiritual knowledge. A brāhmaṇa is supposed to devote his whole life to understanding Brahman. A brahma-jana is one who knows Brahman; he is called a brāhmaṇa. Thus charity is offered to the brāhmaṇas because since they are always engaged in higher spiritual service, they have no time to earn their livelihood. In the Vedic literature, charity is also to be awarded to the renouncer of life, the sannyāsī. The sannyāsīs beg from door to door, not for money but for missionary purposes. The system is that they go from door to door to awaken the householders from the slumber of ignorance. Because the householders are engaged in family affairs and have forgotten their actual purpose in life-awakening their Kṛṣṇa consciousness-it is the business of the sannyāsīs to go as beggars to the householders and encourage them to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. As it is said in the Vedas, one should awake and achieve what is due him in this human form of life. This knowledge and method is distributed by the sannyāsīs; hence charity is to be given to the renouncer of life, to the brāhmaṇas, and similar good causes, not to any whimsical cause.
Yaśaḥ, fame, should be according to Lord Caitanya, who said that a man is famous when he is known as a great devotee. That is real fame. If one has become a great man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and it is known, then he is truly famous. One who does not have such fame is infamous.
All these qualities are manifest throughout the universe in human society and in the society of the demigods. There are many forms of humanity on other planets, and these qualities are there. Now, for one who wants to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa creates all these qualities, but the person develops them himself from within. One who engages in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord develops all the good qualities, as arranged by the Supreme Lord.
Of whatever we find, good or bad, the origin is Kṛṣṇa. Nothing can manifest in this material world which is not in Kṛṣṇa. That is knowledge; although we know that things are differently situated, we should realize that everything flows from Kṛṣṇa.
It is good that the story is told although there is a lot of he said/she said, but we get the general picture!
I personally don’t want to get into all the gory details but it would be handy for research purposes and as this is now in print other future ‘fairy tales’ that enablers want to present can be discredited and debunked!
Well said. Prabhupadas Gita constantly discredits and debunks all mischief while giving the reader the tools and knowledge to apply it to their daily lives in completely practical ways. Light is not affected by darkness but darkness cannot stand before light.