“How to Turn the Tide at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and ISKCON”

"You can't hide Prabhupada's truth with politics, banning devotees, and compromised ISKCON programs."

BY: JAYA MADHAVA DAS (ACBSP)

Nov 05, 2010 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA (SUN) — Hare Krsna, and my sincere humble obeisances to all the devotees in England. This article will address the sad ongoing downhill spiritual path of ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor. It’s a story of an era of denial and unaccountability in U.K. ISKCON, and how money and success = corruption, compromises that spoiled and changed Srila Prabhupad’s original ISKCON in the United Kingdom for the worse spiritually.

This is evident to anyone who joined the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the 70’s and was a preacher for Srila Prabhupada. How you can live with what it’s become today is beyond my understanding!

It’s not evident to those who make a professional living as an employee at the expense of ISKCON, how bad things got. We will see how it got to become a Hinduized temple and what we could do to rectify its mistakes.

First, let’s take a stroll down memory lane a few years, way back to 1987-1989, the three years I lived in the U.K. I served at the Manor and Soho St. Temple as well as mostly lived outside the temple (not by my choice). I personally saw the various damage done by ISKCON managers and Jayatirtha and Bhagavan das in England ISKCON. The Manor was always the premier place of worship for the `Indian Community in England’. That’s OK! Yet, after the battle for saving the Manor, ISKCON’s direction for preaching went too far to the Indians, at the expense and demise of ISKCON’s own prime directives.

After Bhagavan’s falldown, things went a bit sour there… Many devotees left the temples and a huge manpower and financial gap was created. Love and trust was damaged. A once tight loving huge community of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and followers became disenchanted by ISKCON. Tribhuvanatha das, Antirdwip das and myself tried to heal the wounds and set-up a Vaishnava Community monthly meeting at Soho St. Temple, and a monthly newsletter for all. An istaghosti of sorts. It worked.

This was done with some success and book distribution and the Brahmacari ashrams were still strong and a high priority at the Manor in 1987. All that changed when the local people wanted to close the Manor. I was there from 1987 to 1989, and I even lived in the Bhaktivedanta Manor and Soho St. Temples. The problem was the local neighbors in Letchmore Heath were on the verge of shutting down the Bhaktivedanta Manor as a legitimate place of worship, and ISKCON went full force playing the Hindu card to get the massive support to fight off this awful attack.

The residents’ complaints were about excessive traffic and noise and the like. It was getting so serious they could have closed down the Bhaktivedanta Manor forever. The Temple President, Akhandadi das, spearheaded the defense, with huge rallies in London, and contacting all the Indians in the UK as well as India and elsewhere. The end result was that ISKCON won, but no one foresaw the heavy price that was to come by getting the Indians support. It slowly became their ISKCON Hindu temple by their support, by default.

At the Manor, the focus was now more on the Indians then on the Brahmacari and Brahmacarini ashrams, book distribution and Hari namas, which are the core programs for Srila Prabhupada in England and ISKCON. Preaching to the Hindus for money, for support, somehow or other ISKCON U.K. lasped into this Hinduized version of ISKCON, which was profitable — more so then the hassle of book distribution or maintaining a bhakta program for the local English people… Christians, Muslims, and non-Hindus.

By promoting ISKCON as Hindu, they did exactly the opposite of what Srila Prabhupada intended for His ISKCON, and portrayed ISKCON on a mundane Hindu religious sectarian platform, which naturally will put off Muslims, Christians and non –Hindus, who would be discouraged to come to such a temple.

For example: How would the Hindus react if ISKCON went out of their way in the U.K. to preach to non-Hindus like the Muslims? I bet the donations and attendance would drop for the Indians. But look at the damage ISKCON did to Bhaktivedanta Manor for so-called success with the Indians and their donations. It was a total sellout, and it’s never been the way Prabhupada intended it to be since the sell out.

Will the GBC admit it went off course? Are they honest enough to admit their mistakes? I urge all devotees to research Srila Prabhupada’s own words and instructions on preaching in the West and at The Bhaktivedanta Manor in England and you will see the full truth. It will shock you, what’s been done wrongly in the UK/USA/Canada for Indian support and money.

The Bhaktivedanta Manor made the serious sin of disobeying Srila Prabhupada’s direct instructions on preaching in England, and this is a big aparadha. This is dangerous and unprecedented in ISKCON history, that Indians be given so much unquestioned and poorly supervised management and freedom to interfere. Non-devotees with money also have noticeable power and influence in ISKCON in the west, to the point of compromising ISKCON.

A careful study of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions about preaching in the West and England clearly shows a very different ISKCON then the one they have today in the Bhaktivedanta Manor and worldwide. So this battle to save the Bhaktivedanta Manor was won, a road was built, millions of Indians now give millions, and the money is flowing in the door, but out the door went the devotees and something else.

The end result was a so-called rousing success, but sadly the Manor would never again be the same as Srila Prabhupada intended it to be. Other people had other plans. I do not know who was responsible for this huge deviation and compromising, but it’s tragic and offensive to many, many devotees. Who exactly takes credit for this? I would not want to be in their shoes. This is so offensive to Srila Prabhupada. To disobey his orders in ISKCON and be shameless about compromising ISKCON’s teachings and goals in the West.

To make this Bhaktivedanta Manor a Hinduized ISKCON center for mostly Indians, at the decrease and demise of Srila Prabhupada’s core programs — book distribution, brahmacari ashram, etc. Openly disobeying his instructions for preaching in the UK. See Srila Prabhupada’s letters to his UK disciples for positive proof.

Srila Prabhupada’s programs of massive book distribution, Hari Namas and Bhakta Program took second fiddle to all your so important Indian donations… to the point of car blessings and demigods worship, etc., etc., and it continues to this day without question! How is this right? Does not one ISKCON UK manager have the backbone to defend this huge compromise?

Srila Prabhupada’s programs were altered completely at the Manor, and this is rogue and bandit behavior. The Indian community needs to know the truth about what is actually is Prabhupada’s ISKCON. This is done by directly telling them the truth… something ISKCON U.K. forgot to do. Money talks louder.

I’m sure Srila Prabhupada is not pleased at the deviations at the Manor, including the paid salaries, the unauthorised Hindu weddings, car blessings, Diwali, Shiva Yatri, Hindu school, etc., etc… all not true ISKCON. Not Prabhupada’s ISKCON, anyway. And this is being done shamelessly at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. And copied worldwide as the template for ISKCON success!

For all your information, here’s the truth:

The present GBC and Temple managers would not dare get away with the stuff they are doing and allowing in Srila Prabhupada’s temples and at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and elsewhere if Srila Prabhupada would be with us now, in his physical body. This Hinduized ISKCON would end. I’m certain that’s a fact, and they know it, too! We who see the hypocrisy in ISKCON are called a minority and not listened to by the GBC. This is called cheating.

Moreover, devotees like U.K.’s Kripamoya das prabhu have the nerve to insult us and call us a minority, when in reality most of us live outside ISKCON’s politics and mismanagement. We are in the thousands, and you are in the small minority of power cliques in ISKCON. Kripamoya das is asking on his Vaishnava Voice webpage, ‘Just what do you mean by Hindu?’ Are you serious, prabhu? This is laughable, the way you dismiss so many devotees outside the power elite in your new, compromised and improved version of ISKCON.

My dear Godbrother, Kripamoya das, at what point did you decide to sell out for money and guru-ship? Bhaktivedanta Manor is your employer and the Hindus your extra gravy train. Some of us do get it.

Kripamoya is sadly the voice of the ignorance and cheating done now in ISKCON, not a Vaishnava voice, but the voice of professional Brahmins who sell out for money. Tragically, it’s all about personal money, power and control. Will you now hold a meeting at the Bhaktivedanta Manor about Jaya Madhava das (ACBSP), who questions you? Why not ban me and everyone who disagrees with you and your compromise to Srila Prabhupada’s true ISKCON?

Will you ban me from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, just for speaking out the alternate opinion – the truth? Have you no shame? Why don’t you all in your ISKCON club just do something novel, like ban yourselves! Resign from your posts.

Even better, to the British temple managers and GBC, excuse me, but did GOD suddenly empower you to ban prabhus from Prabhupada’s temples? Because they don’t agree with your actions and deviations in ISKCON? Who gave you the right to ban anyone from ISKCON? Show me the proof! Is Srila Prabhupada pleased by such politics and backstabbing and wishy washy changes and deviations to his ISKCON? I think not.

Mahavidya das is not a crackpot, rather the managers of ISKCON in the UK are crackpots. The fact is, Mahavidya das really cares and is upset about the deviations at the Manor. It’s evident in his own heartfelt words of frustration. It’s not a valid reason to ban him from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, and reveals the corruption that money has made to the U.K. devotees, who see money as the honey instead of Srila Prabhupada’s exact instructions, and use politics to ban those who see the deviations in U.K. ISKCON, and run the Temple into the spiritual ground of Hinduism, as the USA and other zones follow their very bad example.

Such is the sad state of ISKCON 2010. Will it change? What can we do? How to turn the tide at the Bhaktivedanta Manor?

One way is pray to the Deities for ISKCON’s reform (no one will know, and no one can stop you or ban you). Go directly to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and pray for real reform in ISKCON. Pray each day. The world needs it. ISKCON needs it. Preach and serve the devotees with humility, do humble service for Prabhupada and KRSNA.

When preaching, just speak Srila Prabhupada’s words and encourage people to read and listen to

Prabhupada’s words daily. You can’t hide Prabhupada’s truth with politics, banning devotees, and compromised ISKCON programs.

I say, speak the truth to the Indian Community, not the watered down Hinduized preaching which is found today in ISKCON, and which has damaged and weakened the preaching in the West greatly. People all over are suffering now in Kali yuga. Give all people in the U.K. Srila Prabhupada’s unedited books (the originals). Let Srila Prabhupada speak to them.

Preach like anything to all non-Hindu’s in the UK and send them to the Bhaktivedanta Manor! Why? So they will be forced to deal with the local non-Hindus and preach according to Srila Prabhupada’s own words! Not a Hindu compromise!

If they fail to change directions, it’s only a matter of time before their ISKCON ship is sunk, like the Titanic which hit an iceberg. ISKCON’s iceberg is Hinduism. Warnings have come. Acts of GOD. Warnings already are coming from devotees and Krsna, but ignored by the GBC’s and managers, be it by theft or caved-in temple explosions or politics or lawsuits which may come as a warning from Lord Krsna. Get your act together, ISKCON U.K./U.S.A/ Canada. GBC and Temple Presidents, it’s your move… Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krsna are still waiting.