BY: KRISHNA DASA
May 18, 2011 — CANADA (SUN) — This is in response to Rocana prabhu’s recent articles, “Joyriding” and “Renunciates on Holiday“, which mention the activities of HH Bhaktimarg Swami.
Bhaktimarg Swami is a kind and approachable devotee. He is very gentlemanly in his dealings, and very loyal to Srila Prabhupada in the sense that he is well suited in his role as an ambassador of good will. In his three walks across Canada, Bhaktimarg Swami did a wonderful job of interacting with the public, showing people that Hare Krishna monks are approachable, friendly and have something to offer.
These walks, calling for tremendous determination, dedication and austerity, provided tremendous opportunities for preaching. As devotees, we should feel that our topmost priority is to see that persons of influence – media, politicians and the like have access to the books of Srila Prabhupada, so they can have first hand exposure to the teachings of Sri Krishna. Bhaktimarg Swami, by dint of his personality, inspires many people to take to spiritual life. One instinctively feels comfortable taking knowledge and guidance from him.
In a movie produced by the CBC on the trails of Canada, Bhaktimarg Swami was briefly featured. This would have been a primary opportunity to say something about Srila Prabhupada and Krishna Consciousness. Srila Prabhupada was once given three minutes on Dutch television to present the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. He felt that three minutes was enough to speak the philosophy.
When one sees a monk, it is understood that the monk will speak of one thing and one thing only – God and His service. There may be idle chit-chat at first, but the conversation should eventually get to that point. If one keeps it on a mundane level, despite the niceties and pleasantries – the exchange was a failure. All the more so, if the person was in the right frame of mind to accept a book.
One can only wonder then, why Bhaktimarg Swami does not emphasize the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books. In the BTG coverage of his walk, at no point was there any mention of anyone being presented Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Bhaktimarg Swami feels that the public had been burnt out in the 1970’s by immature devotees using unscrupulous methods to distribute books. In fact, the purpose of his walk was for friend-raising, NOT direct preaching. My personal feeling is that if I met someone who was genuinely happy, the first thing I would want to know what is their formula.
Srila Prabhupada emphatically stated, “What will your five minutes of preaching do? Better get someone to take a book.”
Any kind of a publicity raising event – be it a walk, a swim or a run, cannot expect to have any long-lasting benefit if there is no distribution of transcendental literatures. No back-up vehicle accompanying such a venture should be considered complete without the full range of Srila Prabhupada’s books on hand.
Sannyasis are expected to preach – about Krsna and His service. If one spends their time at home programs, speaking ad nauseum on the necessity of strengthening personal relationships, commitment in marriage and experiences on the walking trail, then unfortunately, they are cheating their audience and failing to fulfill their spiritual duties – despite the best of intentions.
Some of the Indians in the audience, no doubt feel jilted, as they have come to these programs expecting to hear something from the Gita or Bhagavatam. Instead, at one of Bhaktimarg’s gatherings, they are more likely to be regaled with tales from the journal of a well intended pilgrim.
Those devotees who are working in academic circles as preachers should present the pure and undiluted teachings of Krishna consciousness, rather than highlight things of lesser significance – i.e., the color of one’s robe, the significance of tilak, sleeping hours and the vegetarian diet.
If they are personally uncomfortable about speaking on these matters, then let them not get in the way of the preaching by failing to mention Srila Prabhupada’s books or making them readily available.
Indeed, Srila Prabhupada was very unenthusiastic to answer questions of reporters that concentrated on the visual aspects of our movement. Only when Srila Prabhupada was asked a question on the philosophy would he take a genuine interest.
Likewise, it is incumbent upon the preacher to be mindful of his spiritual responsibilities to present the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
“Srila Prabhupada was very unenthusiastic to answer questions of reporters that concentrated on the visual aspects of our movement. ”
Since the spiritual master is the external manifestation of Krishna, (Prabhupada: Guru is the external manifestation of Krishna.) Prabhupada expertly dovetailed any foolish question by answering with enlightening knowledge. In fact, Prabhupada never even would let people know that they were asking a stupid question.
My own unfortunate experiences with Bhatkimarga Swami is that he colludes with the other criminal GBC-lovers and has email-connected spies in the Canadian temples, such as Nrsmha-Caitanya, (Rotten-a-lot Swa) and Veda Vyasa (Sad-svaroop) , to secretly and clandestinely, as may be required, or to actively and challengingly approach associates etc and find out anyone who dares criticize the GBC, or otherwise suggest that Srila Prabhupada is the real guru of all ISKCON, not BMurkhaS, Rat-alot et al.
Anyone who dares not kowtow to he or Radhantha in the Toronto or Montreal Temples is quickly run out by his paid sycophants. Yes, they are not devotees, they are merchants on salaries. Dozens of devotees who were of pure intent to serve were run out of the Eastern Canadian temples in this way, leaving a weak core of dependents and yes-persons only. Thus, they started importing Russian green-card slave/devotees and allowing pretty-much only caste Hindus on the altars to please the now almost exclusively Indian-bodied attendees.
Montreeal temple utilizes Bengali devotees who are slaves of Jayapotatohead. They do mundane poojas for money in front of Radha Manohara. I won’t even get into it, suffice to say we have all heard the hinduization and rascisim showing up on Canadian temples nowadays.
Example. When taking vanaprastha in 2004 ish, I was staying at the Toronto Radha Gopinatha temple. The temple commander put me in with a nice French Canadian devotee, but who liked to play his instruments at all hours, such that no one could stay with him, he lived alone. Later, other temple personnel told me they had put me in with this devotee to share a room, as they hoped to drive me, as Prabhupada disciple, away. This has been the pattern for years; Swamiji does not like his Godbrothers around his stolen temples and empire. He occupies the temples, and likes only paid shombies to be there, while his godbrothers have all been run out by sycophants of the poisoner gurus. After all, we wouldn’t want any disturbances to the constant flow of congregational worshippers and money sources. Bhaktimarga is a gutless self-serving back-stabbing lowlife piece of work.
I was warned by the secretary treasuer there to always keep my mouth shut, as no Prabhupada disciple ever was allowed to last there for more than a few months.
In Montreal, 2008, the above mentioned devotees actively accosted me and did everything as Bhaktimarga’s agents to find an excuse to make me leave this, my home temple, also. I knew of their reputation in Montreal from hearing sad stories from devotees in Toronto, but was astounded to actually see the lying and dirty low tactics they employ there against Prabhupada disciples. Curiosly enough, almost all the Tulsi devi plants had died of neglect, and there was only ONE plant left alive when I got there, and it was not growing or producing any leaves or manjaris. In a couple months, I had her producing manjaris and looking green and healthy again, but no one ever said a word. I was feeling very sad at their neglect of the Tulsis and the disciples of Srila Prabhupada, whose very temples they were now forcibly and illegaly occupying.
One day we were visiting the home of one of BMS’s disciples. We joined ISKCON within two years of each other. At one point, the two of us sat down, but the hosts made me get out of the seat and sit on the floor at BMS’s feet. He was fine with that.
His disciples tell me they wouldn’t dare even tell me what goes on on these “walks” of his, except to say they are prepared to leave his association over the waste and deviance they found involved. Why has this sannyasi stayed comfortably as king in the same temple for decades, further corrupting the insides of Iskcon in Canada? Time to ship him to India, methinks.
PS I have seen the list of candidates for sannyasa in the bogus bizzcon cult, and one is a Veda Vyasa dasa. Be forwarned ; I see a huge falldown coming and hurt devotees. Is this the same Veda Vyasa of my above description above as spy in Montreal, who was kicked out of Vancouver and Winnipeg temples for sexual improprieties, ie unwanted sexual advances on women devotees ? Is this Veda Vyasa the same Bhaktimurkha’s sycophant yes-boy backstabber expert? THIS man is a candidate for SANNYASA ? No wonder all your gurus are falling down all over the place. What to speak of saintly, if this is the same devotee, Canadian, he should definitely always stay grhasta, though he never married and wears white. I have seen; He likes too much to be a center of attention. He is more an insincere career clown.
I am a foolish clown also, no doubt. Pamho.