Bhima Prabhu, 06 February 2009: When we first received this news, it was in the shape of an email. Initially we thought it was some kind of joke, something like what gets published over at The Onion. But then we saw it on Chakra.org, and googling the names of the parties involved, we found it published in Spanish over at Agenia de Noticias da Aids, and uncovered more discussion of it over at Audarya Fellowship. Stupefying. ISKCON Guru Hridayananda das Gosvami once again in the center of controversy over contradiction of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, this time on the matter of homosexual marriage and “true love”. His Holiness has openly sanctioned the marriage between Joshua Einhorn and Stanley Harris, a gay couple, and, moreover, has referred to their connection with one another as “true spiritual love”. We note so far the absence of any response from ISKCON GBC.
Back in August, Hridayananda das Gosvami distinguished himself by openly arguing for selective rejection of aspects of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings that he finds unacceptable. This was brought to our attention by Ameyatma Prabhu (see “In Defense of Srila Prabhupada’s Authority and Position”). Three months later, Joshua and Stanley got married with the blessings of Hridayananda das Gosvami. This in spite of Srila Prabhupada’s denunciation of homosex marriage and illicit sex, both homosexual and heterosexual.
For the younger generation of devotees who might not have read Srila Prabhupada’s books or might not have heard his recorded conversations, here are some of the results that turn up in VedaBase, unequivocal statements of Srila Prabhupada’s position on homosex, same-sex marriage and its endorsement by the so-called religious order.
This is not to say that Joshua and Stanley are not great guys. They may be devotees of Krishna. This is not a condemnation of them. It is a condemnation of Hridyananda das Gosvami’s endorsement of homosex union. We recognize that many of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were/are homosexuals, and Srila Prabhupada himself knew of their propensities and loved them no less for it. But inclination and acting on it are two different things. Srila Prabhupada could love the sinner, but not the sin. He admonished his disciples, both homosexual and heterosexual, to strictly keep to the four regulative principles (no eating of meat, fish or eggs; no intoxication, including coffee and tea; no illicit sex; and no gambling). What his disciples did and did not do was up to them — Srila Prabhupada did not go around policing them, but he did speak out against sex life in general and illicit sex in particular, including homosex, which he held to be degraded conduct. He also criticized the Catholic priests who supported homosex and gay marriage, so where does this leave Hridayananda das Gosvami? He clearly has some different opinion from that of Srila Prabhupada.
And this, more so than the issue of homosex marriage, is a serious problem. Hridayananda das Gosvami has crossed the line, stepped outside the boundaries set by the Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada. He has compromised the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, undermined Srila Prabhupada’s authority with his wishy-washy, diluted, feel-good and PC New Age speak, in direct contradiction of Srila Prabhupada’s words on the subject. In other words, Hridayananda das Gosvami has rejected Srila Prabhupada’s opinions, and instead gives his own. We have to point out that this means Hridayananda das Gosvami does not represent Srila Prabhupada; he is an independent operator.
But see for yourself. Here is a sampling of what Srila Prabhupada has said about homosex and gay marriage.
Not the business of priests to support homosex
excerpt from conversation with GBC, Los Angeles, May 25, 1972
PRABHUPADA: The people are foolish, they have forgotten God. We are delivering them. Best service. And without God, it is all useless, zero, all this civilization. Zero. Whatever they are making advancement, it is all zero. And nonsense. But actually it is. Now the priestly order supporting homosex. I was surprised. They are going to pass resolution for getting married between man to man. The human society has come down to such a degraded position. It is astonishing. When I heard from Kirtanananda Maharaja there is a big conference for passing this resolution. In India still, if there somebody hears about homosex, “phew.” [exhales]. Homosex is there but nobody will support publicly. People are going down and this is the subject matter for priestly order? It may be subject matter for the legislator. Priestly order, they are discussing for one week. Just imagine. Phalena parichiyate, one has to study by the result. Not that superficially you show that “We are very much advanced.” Phalena, what is the result? Phalena parichiyate, your—that is in English word also—end justifies the means. The end is this [priestly order endorsing] “We are going to support homosex.” Getting married. There are many cases the priestly order has actually got married. I read it in that paper, “Watch”, what is called?
DEVOTEES: “Watchtower”.
PRABHUPADA: “Watchtower”. They have complained. So we have nothing to [do with] them. The world is degrading to the lowest status, even less than animal. The animals also do not support homosex. They have never sex life between male to male. They are less than animal. People are becoming less than animal. This is all due to godlessness. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna [Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.12], godless civilization cannot have any good qualities.
Cheater Priests
excerpt from conversation, Los Angeles, Sep 28, 1972
PRABHUPADA: Christ says that “Thou shall not kill.” They are killing every moment, and still they say, “What we have done?” How nonsense they are, and they are heads of the Christian religion. They are violating in every step…
SVARUP DAMODAR: The leaders.
PRABHUPADA: …the injunction of the scripture, and still they say, “We do not know.” So many drunkards priest, they are going to hospital for treatment, and they are eating, and they are getting married man to man, and still they say, “We do not know what we have done.” Just see how cheaters they are.
JAYATIRTHA: In the last six years…
PRABHUPADA: Hm?
JAYATIRTHA: In the last six years in the Catholic church, 25,000 priests have left and taken up…
PRABHUPADA: 25,000?
JAYATIRTHA: 25,000 in six years.
PRABHUPADA: What is that?
JAYATIRTHA: Have left the Catholic church, priests.
PRABHUPADA: Left.
JAYATIRTHA: Ordained priests, they have left and gone off to marry or whatever. Especially they are concerned that they can’t marry. Catholic priests are not allowed to marry.
PRABHUPADA: Marrying? They are marrying man to man, what to speak of marrying. Sodomy.
JAYATIRTHA: So that’s the alternative. Either they’re leaving or they’re marrying man to man.
PRABHUPADA: Homosex. They are supporting homosex. So degraded, and still they say, “What we have done?” They do not know what is degradation, and they are priest. They are teaching others. They do not know what is the meaning of degradation.
Sanctioning homosex, spiritually bankrupt
excerpt from conversation, Los Angeles, Dec 8, 1973
YASHOMATINANDAN: It’s better sometimes to approach a person with no religion, Prabhupada, than to approach a Christian.
PRABHUPADA: Yes.
YASHOMATINANDAN: These Christians are very blasphemous.
PRAJAPATI: Very blasphemous.
PRABHUPADA: Yes.
KARANDHAR: Party spirit.
PRABHUPADA: No no, what is their value? When they are sanctioning abortion, homosex, now they are finished. They have no value.
Stop illicit sex
excerpt from conversation, Perth, May 13, 1975
PRABHUPADA: Nescience, yes. That is pravritti and nivritti. Pravritti means sense enjoyment. And nivritti means self-negation. So when we say that “You shall not have illicit sex,” and their inclination is illicit sex, so therefore it is revolutionary. They are materialistic persons. They want sex enjoyment to the best capacity—homosex, this sex, that sex, naked dance, all sexually inclined, pravritti. And we say, “Stop this,” nivritti. They do not like it because asura [demonic]. …They do not know this is essential. They do not know it. This is essential. Tapasa brahmacharyena [SB 6.1.13]. Tapasya [penance or austerity] means brahmacharya [celibacy]. The so-called swamis, they are coming for this so-called yoga practice, but they are themselves victims of sex. This is going on. Actually, it is a bluff—they have become swamis and teaching some yoga system—because they do not know that one has to stop this first of all. Brahmacharyena. So this bluffing is going on all over the world, and we are speaking just against them. … If you give instruction to the rascals, he will simply be angry. He will not take advantage of it. This is our position. All the so-called professors, philosophers, they are all in the pravritti-marga [path of sense enjoyment]. Therefore they are bringing somebody, “Our interpretation is like this.” Because if they can find out some support from the shastra [scripture], then they think, “We are secure.” This is going on. Pravrittim cha nivrittim jana na vidur asurah. The whole world is full of asuras [demons], descendants of Hiranyakashipu, and it is very difficult. But if we give them chance to chant Hare Krishna mantra, gradually they will understand. Our difficulty: the so-called swamis, priests, popes, they are also in the pravritti-marga. All these, priests, and they have illicit sex. Pravritti-marga. So they are passing, “Yes, you can have homosex with man.” They are getting man-to-man marriage. You know? They are performing the marriage ceremony between man to man in the open church. What class of men they are? And they are priest. Just see.
Ideal character will not advocate homosex
excerpt from conversation with Director of Research of the Department of Social Welfare, Melbourne, May 21, 1975
PRABHUPADA: No. There is no question of high percentage. I said that even a small percentage, there must be some ideal men. At least people will see that here is the ideal man. Just like we are having. Because they are chanting and dancing, many outsiders are coming and they are also learning, they are also offering obeisances. And gradually they are offering their service: “Please accept me.” The example is better than precept. If you have an ideal group of men, then people will automatically learn. That is wanted. But don’t mind, I don’t find any ideal group of men. Even in the priests they are going to hospital for their drinking habit. … In a hospital, five thousand patients, alcoholic patients, priests. Priest should be ideal character. And they are advocating homosex. So where is the ideal character men? If the priestly class they are going to hospital for drinking habit, and they are allowing man-to-man marriage and homosex, then where is ideal character?
DIRECTOR: But homosexual is a sickness. It’s an illness. It’s just like a person can’t see, you would punish him for not seeing. You can’t punish a person for being homosexual. That our society says.
PRABHUPADA: Well, anyway, the priestly class, sanctioning homosex.
DIRECTOR: Pardon?
PRABHUPADA: Sanctioning. They are allowing homosex. And there was report that man and man was married by the priest. In New York there is a paper, “Watchtower”. That is a Christian paper. I have seen in that paper. They are condemning it, that priest is allowing man-to-man marriage. And they are passing resolution, homosex is passed, “All right.” And in Perth you said that the students are discussing about homosex, in favor of homosex. So where is the ideal character? If you want something tangible business, train some people to become ideal character. That is this Krishna consciousness movement.
DIRECTOR: What you people say what ideal to you is not ideal to somebody else?
PRABHUPADA: I am giving the example ideal character.
DIRECTOR: Yeah, but that’s one opinion.
PRABHUPADA: No. It will not depend on opinion. Opinion… What is the value of opinion if the people are all asses? There is no opinion. One should take as it is enjoined in the shastra. No opinion. What is the use of taking opinion of an ass? So the people are trained up just like dogs and asses, then what is the use of their opinion? If you are to enforce, you must do like this. Just like when we introduced this “No illicit sex.” I never cared for their opinion. The opinion… immediately there will be discussion. And what is the use of taking their opinion? It must be done. That is the defect of Western civilization. Vox populi, taking opinion of the public. But what is the value of this public? Drunkards, smokers, meat-eaters, woman-hunters. What is the… they are not first-class men. So what is the use of such third-class, fourth-class men’s opinion? We do not advocate such opinion. What Krishna said, that is standard, that’s all. Krishna is the Supreme, and His version is final. No opinion, no democracy. When you go to a physician, doctor, for treatment, the physician does not place his prescription for opinion of other patients: “Now I am prescribing this medicine for this gentleman, now give me your opinion.” Does he do that? The all patients, what they will think? The physician is the perfect person. Whatever he has written prescription, that’s all. But here in the Western… everything, public opinion. What is the use of such opinion?
No difference in behavior between a priest and a gross atheist
excerpt from conversation, Mayapur, Feb 16, 1977
PRABHUPADA: They announced that there is a hospital for drunkard priests.
TAMAL KRSNA: Alcoholic priests.
PRABHUPADA: And they have introduced gambling.
TAMAL KRSNA: And homosex.
PRABHUPADA: Homosex, what is that religion? And they’re passing to homosex, religion. They’re getting married man to man. Most degraded.
HARI-SAURI: There’s no difference between the behavior of a priest and the behavior of a gross atheist…
PRABHUPADA: Yes.
HARI-SAURI: …except he’s dressed as a priest.
PRABHUPADA: That’s all. Dress only.
True Love
Apart from the homosex issue, Hridayananda das Gosvami appears to have altogether misunderstood the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, the goal of love of Krishna. He assigns so much importance to the love that Joshua and Stanley have for each other, “in the spirit of God’s love for them”, and in his last sentence writes, “May their relationship lead them, patiently and steadily, back to our real home in the spiritual world, where all relationships become eternal and perfect.” Feel-good stuff we’d expect to hear from a New Age guru, NOT from a disciple of Srila Prabhupada! Srila Prabhupada wrote bluntly to a disciple that engaging in homosex jeopardized his spiritual advancement.
Homosex is illicit sex
letter to a disciple, Hawaii, 26 May, 1975
Hawaii
26 May, 1975
75-05-26My Dear _______ dasa,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 13rd, 1975 and have noted the contents. I am very sorry that you have taken to homosex. It will not help you advance in your attempt for spiritual life. In fact, it will only hamper your advancement. I do not know why you have taken to such abominable activities. What can I say? Anyway, try to render whatever service you can to Krishna. Even though you are in a very degraded condition Krishna, being pleased with your service attitude, can pick you up from your fallen state. You should stop this homosex immediately. It is illicit sex, otherwise, your chances of advancing in spiritual life are nil. Show Krishna you are serious, if you are.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Love for others is a reflection of God’s love for us. That’s nice. BUT Srila Prabhupada calls it a “perverted reflection.” Whatever we suppose to be love in our relationships with each other is not love at all, but lust. Real love exists between the living entity and Krishna; otherwise it is not possible. This is Srila Prabhupada’s explanation.
Misplaced love
excerpt from lecture, Seattle, Sep 30, 1968
Because this human form of life is meant for developing love for God. Because in all other life we have loved, we have loved. We have loved our children, we have loved our wife, we have loved our nest in the bird’s life, in the beast’s life. There is love. There is no necessity of teaching a bird or beast how to love the children. There is no necessity, because that is natural. To love your home, to love your country, to love your husband, to love your children, to love your wife, and so on, you go on, all this love, more or less they are all in the animal kingdom also. But that sort of love will not give you happiness. You’ll be frustrated because this body is temporary. Therefore all these loving affairs are also temporary and they are not pure. They are simply a perverted reflection of the pure love that is existing between you and Krishna. So if you want really peace, if you really want satisfaction, if you don’t want to be confused, then try to love Krishna. This is the plain program. Then your life will be successful. The Krishna consciousness movement is not something manufactured to mislead and bluff the people. It is a most authorized movement. Vedic literature, the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedanta-sutra, Puranas, and many, many great saintly persons adopted this means. And the vivid example is Lord Chaitanya. You see His picture, He is in the dancing mood. So you have to learn this art, then our life will be successful. You haven’t got to practice anything artificial and speculating and bother your brain and… You have the instinct for loving others. That is instinctive, natural. Simply we are misplacing love and therefore we are frustrated. Frustrated. Confused. So if you don’t want to be confused, if you don’t want to be frustrated, then try to love Krishna, and you’ll feel yourself how you are making progress in peacefulness, in happiness, in everything that you want.
Not love, but lust
excerpt from discussions with Hayagriva das on Kierkegaard
PRABHUPADA: Yes. Love in the material world is impossible. In the material world everyone is interested for his own sense gratification. The love between man and woman, young boy and young girl, that is not love, that is lust, because both the parties are interested in sense gratification. But that is not love. Love means the parties, they will not think of his own sense gratification but the sense gratification of the beloved. That is pure love. That is not possible in the material world, but we see the example of love in the picture of Vrindavana. In the Vrindavana village, everyone—man, animals and fruits, flowers, water, everything—they are only for loving Krishna. They do not want any return from Krishna. That is real love, anyabhilashita-shunyam [Brahma-samhita 1.1.11]. If one loves God with some motive, that is material love. Pure love is simply to satisfy the desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore in the material world the love, word “love,” is misused. The propensity of lusty desires is going on as love. Real love is only with God—individually, collectively, any way. And that Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the supreme object of love, either by adoration or by serving or making friendship with Him, or loving Him as child, or loving Him as beloved—there are five different relationships: shanta, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya—that is real love.
Actual love means love of God, Krishna
excerpt from Science of Self Realization, “Exploring the Spiritual Frontier”
Krishna tells Arjuna, His disciple, that “It is lust only… which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.” (Bhagavad-gita 3.37) In the Vedic language there is no word for materialistic “love,” as we call it in the present day. The word kama describes lust or material desire, not love, but the word that we find in the Vedas for actual love is prema, meaning one’s love of God only. Outside of loving God there is no possibility of loving. Rather, there is lusty desire only. Within this atmosphere of matter, the entire range of human activities—and not only every activity of human beings but all living entities—is based upon, given impetus and thus polluted by sex desire, the attraction between male and female. For that sex life, the whole universe is spinning around—and suffering! That is the harsh truth. So-called love here means that “you gratify my senses, I’ll gratify your senses,” and as soon as that gratification stops, immediately there is divorce, separation, quarrel, and hatred. So many things are going on under this false conception of love. Actual love means love of God, Krishna.
So much for love and marriage going on in this material world. Srila Prabhupada did not believe in it.
It seems that Hridayananda das Gosvami has allowed himself to be swayed by popular opinion rather than keep to the uncompromising words of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada cared not for public opinion; he faithfully presented the shastric conclusions without fear that they might be dismissed or set aside as irrelevant by disbelievers. How should we regard Hridayananda das Gosvami’s work to complete the 10th through 12th cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatan, knowing now that he has faith in neither Srila Prabhupada’s words nor in the verdicts of the predecessor acharyas that are recorded as shastra?
yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakashante mahatmanah“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” [Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.23]
Srila Prabhupada speaks of safety in keeping to the spiritual master’s instructions:
PRABHUPADA: …I cent percent believe in the words of my spiritual master. That’s all, nothing else. Guru-mukha-padma-vakya, chittete koriya aikya, ara na koriho mane asha [“My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth.”]. Don’t think of any nonsense. Simply execute what your guru has said. That is success. You are daily singing, guru-mukha-padma-vakya. You know the meaning?
PRITHU-PUTRA: Yes. Chittete koriya aikya, ara na koriho mane asha.
PRABHUPADA: This is the instruction. And the child decides it that “Whatever my parent says, that’s all I shall do. I shall do nothing,” then he’s safe. [excerpt from room conversation, Bhuvaneshvar, Jan 28, 1977]
As disciple, Hridayananda das Gosvami has only to accept whatever Srila Prabhupada has said, without argument, without speculation, without proposing anything different.
PRABHUPADA: Here is a technique. The same Krishna and same Arjuna, they are talking as friends. Then what was the necessity of Arjuna accepting Krishna as spiritual master? The same Arjuna and same Krishna, they’ll talk, but what is the necessity of accepting as spiritual master? That means after accepting spiritual master he’ll not argue. He’ll simply accept whatever He says. That is the technique. Friendly talks, equal level, He, Krishna was talking something and he was replying. So that argument has no end. But when he accepts Him as spiritual master, there is no more argument. One has to accept whatever He says. Therefore he’s accepting as spiritual master. After this, Arjuna will never say, “This is wrong, this is, no,” or “I don’t agree.” No. He’ll accept. So acceptance of spiritual master means to accept anything, whatever he says. Therefore one has to select a spiritual master whom he can completely surrender. That is the technique. Veda-vakya. Just like in the Vedic injunction, nobody can deny. Similarly, spiritual master is also representative of Veda. Acharyavan purusho veda. So similarly, it is just like Vedic injunction. So spiritual master has also got the great duty. He has to instruct the disciple in such a way that he may not be misled, and that is not possible because a spiritual master is he who will simply speak from authoritative sources. He’ll speak from Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavata, or what was spoken by Narada, Vyasa, that is his authority. He does not say, “In my opinion it is…” No. Therefore it is perfect, it is coming from the disciplic succession, and if one agrees to such instruction, then he’s also perfectly advancing. It is not difficult to understand. So he’s accepting. “Now I accept You as my spiritual master. You teach me.” [excerpt from lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.1-10, Los Angeles, Nov 25, 1968]
We are dismayed that Hridayananda das Gosvami continues to present himself as an ISKCON guru, representative of Srila Prabhupada, and that ISKCON GBC do not take steps to discipline him and bring him back in line. But then, Hridayananda das Gosvami, along with his other GBC and guru godbrothers, have not truly represented Srila Prabhupada in all these last 31 years since Srila Prabhupada’s departure. Early on, they turned their backs on Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to act as rittvik representative of the Acharya and initiate new disciples on his behalf, and instead regarded themselves qualified to become guru and initiate their own disciples. Over the years they have disregarded and disobeyed so many of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions—with regard to initiation of new devotees, with regard to management of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, with regard to preserving the integrity of his books (the books have been changed), with regard to management of Society properties, execution of his last will and testament, and with regard to management of the Temples (neglecting to implement the “Direction of Management”, so ordered by Srila Prabhupada in 1970), and have belittled Srila Prabhupada, going to the extent of calling him a “hired worker” in court documents. Even as one after the other of the original 11 “gurus” were implicated in scandalous affairs, the GBC tried to hush the matter and prop them up, until their disgraceful conduct could no longer be contained, and then also, the GBC launched into damage control mode every time, issuing an obscure proclamation of “The GBC gratefully acknowledges the service of So-and-So, and with regret accepts his resignation and looks forward to his return again one day.” So expecting that the GBC will take action to correct Hridayananda das Gosvami is like expecting the Mafia heads to correct one of their own for conducting business as usual. As long as he does not disrupt the business of the others, he is one of the family. So there you have it: gay marriage, love and family according to ISKCON.
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