Govinda dasa: Dear Dhirasanta Prabhu, the words you are saying with regards to the need of ISKCON to change ring true. The only concern is that although you have pinpointed some of the problems. your solutions are very naïve. Swarup Prabhu has nailed it, in one way, but he too does not see clearly what is actually happening, even though he offers himself as an advisor.
There is no way known on this earth that these guys will listen to Swarup prabhu, or anyone for that. To think that they will take good counsel means that you have not fully understood the complexity of the issues at hand. These devotees are not bewildered or confused. They are in full control of all their faculties. All they lack is true intelligence to understand who Srila Prabhupada is and what his purpose is.
If you still refuse to believe, you will certainly have to accept what I am saying when you consider that these guys more or less defeated Windel Turley in the Class Action Suit against them for the child abuse that went on in their gurukulas. This is the same highbrow legal firm that won the case for the children who were abused in the Catholic Church! This is no minor accomplishment. The Catholic Church, organizationally speaking, is akin to the MacDonalds Corporation and ISKCON is like the corner short-order burger joint in comparison.
If they had actually engaged in devotional activities for all these years they would have earned enough bhakty-unmukhe sukati to be able to see that what they are doing is wrong. They would, in fact, understand that by committing such horrendous acts against Krishna’s pure devotee, they would suffer a hell worse than one can ever imagine. Even a rudimentary understanding of karma or reincarnation would find the semi-intelligent person shying well away from such activities. But they stand in their defiant self righteousness, firm in their belief that they must destroy the true ISKCON at all cost.
Dhirasanta prabhu, the ISKCON that stands today is definitely not the same ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada established. It has been purposefully taken over by a certain group of individuals, most of whom come from the same cultural background. The true ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada started — not only with old age at hand, but with all the problems associated with an aging body, sailing across the ocean to a foreign land, bled gallons of blood to not only teach us everything that he knew, holding nothing back, while writing volumes and simultaneously building a worldwide Society, therefore fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s desire – that ISKCON has been usurped.
The most amazing thing, Dhirasanta prabhu, is that the devotees who you suggest as the ‘solutions’, Devamrita Swami and Radhanatha Swami, are some of the very same people who I am writing about. They have never, ever, ever followed Srila Prabhupada. These people may have different styles, but their objective is one and the same: To aid in the supplanting of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON, turning it into a modern day corporate pseudo (cheating) religious institution so it will become spiritually impotent and therefore be unable to create the “spiritual cultural revolution” that Srila Prabhupada instructed us to achieve. They are against Dharma.
You admit that Devamrta Swami’s Lofts are not owned by ISKCON. What does this mean? He is a GBC, Rubber-Stamped Guru and an ISKCON Sannyasi — how can he be both inside and outside ISKCON with his preaching? What is he afraid of? Not the ISKCON that he has helped to create, surely? Maybe he is afraid that when he finally gets kicked out for being offensive, rebellious and independent, that he will still have a fallback income and status.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECnVJrUsV0Y
Radhanath has the same escape plan. His Chowpatty Temple is not in ISKCON’s name either. You must remember that if he is able to get any disciples at all, it is only due to Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and knowledge. If it was not for him having a senior position in the ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada has created, he would be no different to anyone else who walks the street. The devotees that he or anyone else makes belong to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. They are not his, or the fake institution’s that they are attempting to set up. Nor is one single dime that he gets to fly him around the world and open up centers in New Zealand, Australia or anywhere else for that matter.
As for Radhanath, his greed, ambition, and fake persona are famous, or should I say infamous? The only thing that differs between Devamrita and Radhanath is that Devamrita tries too hard for approval from his audience, while Radhanath is the consummate Thespian. The other members of the New Vrindavan Circus such as Bhaktisiddhanta Swami and Veda Vyas Swami are no more than clowns (well maybe Veda Vyas’s sexual appetite makes him a pervert) who no one takes
seriously.
Devamrta Swami was sent to take over Australasia and to team up with Ramai Swami. Their Grand Master, the ubiquitous Radhanath, is doing the same with the rest of the world. Radhanath has been very successful and now has controlling interest in most of the important temples and projects in ISKCON.
Who is this Grand Master and future Acarya, Radhanath Swami, anyway? He is coming from a criminal family background (the fruit does not fall far from the tree), and his history in ISKCON reads like a murder mystery paperback novel. His present ‘rebirth’ into ISKCON history reads like a corporate crusader fictional paperback novel. He now stands on the threshold of being offered the long awaited crown of the next Messiah of ISKCON. The old Rubber-stamp Guru regime tout him as the next Grand Master Acarya… that is, only after Tamal was unceremoniously booted out of his body, of course.
These guys need a Messiah to lead them. Bir Krsna Goswami can’t be their leader; he has money and position, but not the charisma or stamina. Ravindra has the charisma of black salt. Only Radhanath can pull it off with his dramatic theatrics and swooning manner. And we all know that the sentimental devotees run after swooners… don’t we Dhirasanata prabhu?
The real picture is…
This New ISKCON Order has hijacked the true ISKCON and has successfully set-up a “shadow” ISKCON. We believe that the ISKCON we are dealing with is the real ISKCON. But it is not. It is a mere shadow. In actual fact, the true ISKCON has been secreted away to the realm of history, and is found under the title of ‘Myths and legends of Krishna Consciousness in the west’. The author is the BBTI (BBT International).
As evidenced by its activities, the ultimate purpose of this shadow ISKCON is to make the Sankirtan Mission that Srila Prabhupada established, lie crippled and useless. Right before our very eyes they have swapped the true ISKCON for one of their own creation. We have all watched them create a new management in the form of the Bengal GBC, the Deputies, BBTI and now the Strategic Planning Committee. They have successfully created an ISKCON that looks like the true ISKCON, but has a vastly different infrastructural and superstructural orientation. The Infrastructure and Superstructure that Srila Prabhupada initiated is no longer there. The shadow ISKCON now has a very secular and pseudo-religious infrastructural and superstructural orientation.
The base (economy) of the true ISKCON is by the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s unchanged books and the superstructure is under the auspices of Srila Prabhupada, derived from his books, lectures conversations and letters, etc. The infrastructure is delineated in Srila Prabhupada’s DOM, Constitution, Will and other relevant instructions. Whereas the individuals who have created the shadow ISKCON have simply installed an ISKCON “skin” (like one would do if one had XP and thought that Vista looks cool, so they installed a Vista Skin for their XP, making it look and feel like Vista when it is really XP) over the materialistic pseudo-religious organization that they have created in the disguise of devotees and in the name of Srila Prabhupada – they have fooled us all!
Now we all bow to the Shadow ISKCON, which is the Bengal Incorporated GBC and the BBTI, whose main concern is the total dismantling of everything “Prabhupada” from the true ISKCON. The BBT does not represent Srila Prabhupada anymore. He is nothing but a “Hired author” of the BBTI. Try and get a copy of the 1972 Bhagavad-gita from the BBT. No? Oh it’s out of print… But the BBTI version, the shadow version, is available in abundance! Does this not strike you as funny?
This imposter ISKCON has no use for us. They think of us as resources. Like baby fur seals, which are clubbed to death by the demons who only want their fur, the hunters only use for seals is that they produce cute white baby seals for the hunters to club to death so they can sell their skins. Like them, we are used, misused and then abused by this shadow ISKCON. They don’t care about us. They don’t care about farming communities for either us or the devotees that they have made, so we can live simply and think high. If we had farms, we would have no use for this shadow ISKCON. After more than thirty years they have never given any attention to farming communities — only the harvesting of new bhaktas and money collection in their urban centers.
What have they done about brahminical culture, cows or farms? Nothing! All they are interested in is pushing bureaucracy, urban centers and academic schools and colleges.
They have more or less harvested all they can out of the U.S., Russia, Europe and Australasia. Now they have their sights set on China. With Umapati Swami finally revealed as a homosexual predator, and therefore no longer controlling China, they can all come swooping in. I can almost hear the gnashing of their teeth and the smacking of their lips as they circle for the inevitable kill. Ah yes, the Chinese will make good devotees and coming from a Buddhist background, they are used to giving donations as well… Later they will lie back with full bank balances and smirk at how easily they have fooled us…
Just see who is going to China now.
Well, that is the story of the old “Rubber-stampers/Prabhupada deniers”, sucking their godbrothers and the western country disciples dry and leaving dried-out husks behind in their wake.
Now the second wave Provincial Grand Masters and corporate lackeys like Braja Bihari, Gopal Bhatta, Sesa, Badrinarayana and Pragosh are pushing ahead with the secular infrastructural and superstructural changes needed for the smooth transition of the old to the new ISKCON. These guys are not so interested in disciples. They are more suited to careers in the corporate world, as opposed to the guru racket.
The usurping BBTI Trustees: Gopal Bhatta – irregular chanter, does not follow the four regs, shrewd businessman/lawyer; Nareswar – Nasty Embezzling, Sexual Predator; and Satsvarup’s “Naked Reiki” Therapist, Pranada dd is handling all the legal work to make sure that everything is tight and secure with regards to Srila Prabhupada’s books being kept raja-guhyam.
The GBC stonewalls any attempt by the rank and file to hold them accountable.
The Deputies provide further buffering interference to the GBC.
The rubber-stamped gurus will use the new franchised goshalas (temples) to milk the human cows.
The Justice Ministry headed by Sesa will make sure that injustice is upheld against the true followers of Srila Prabhupada under the new ISKCON Lawbook/New Constitution.
The Ministry for Educational Development is busy teaching our kids to be nice, consuming secularists.
Our concerns and problems are dissolved by ISKCON Resolve.
The cover-up of the abuse of children is handled by the pseudo International Child Protection Office.
The media is handled by Dandavats, Chakra and ISKCON Communications.
All corporate positions will soon be filled by career devotees (employees) who get salary packages.
Adult devotees who are trained in western academic-style management in their colleges will go on to take over the paid positions in the New ISKCON Institution, and will be loyal and subservient to their employers.
All farming communities sold off and only one or two kept as retirement estates for the rich and wealthy ex-Sannyasis/Gurus/GBC’s and CEO’s of the Shadow ISKCON.
Devotees will be counseled in the multi-tier pyramid counseling system of Radhanath.
Australasian devotees will be held aloft from the true ISKCON in Devamrita’s private Lofts, and slowly milked.
Their extra income will come from this multi-million dollar Gas Deal with the New Vrindavan Temple. Now that all the main movers and shakers in ISKCON are the GBC of the New Vrindavan Temple and they have their old Temple President back in place… Braja Bihari, Gopal Bhatta from the Strategic Planning Committee will oversee that this whole shemozzle is being properly implemented… It is more or less a done deal.
Soon there will be no need for Sankirtan. New devotees will simply read the BBTI’s books, live at home, work or borrow money to do one of the academic courses in their colleges and get a job in one of their franchised projects (temples). Like a mini Catholic Church. Even now the Shadow ISKCON churches lie empty.
So if you are actually serious about doing something about the problems of ISKCON that you speak of, then I would strongly advise that you try and understand what is really happening in ISKCON. If anyone really wants to do something about this, then they have to do something. Not just sit there and watch it happen, complain or reach for a Red Herring solution that is based on sentiment or ignorance. Educate yourself, then speak up. Make a stand, not for yourself, but for Srila Prabhupada.
There is no denying what is happening. We are fully informed. This is not the ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada established, which is something that even the usurpers would not deny. They openly say that Srila Prabhupada is old hat and they are the new hat. That they know better than Srila Prabhupada. That only they can truly understand what Srila Prabhupada has said and it is all a mystery to us poor innocent fools.
Not one of us, the ones that have had our eyes opened, will bow to them. They know this. We know this. So what will we do about it? Keep reading stuff on the Internet, stay away from the temples and only go in to the temple for Janmastami and pay for the self-service feast?
The older devotees are truly struggling to make ends meet after a lifetime of service to Srila Prabhupada. We are all aging now and have basically nothing for our future. The women especially have been terribly neglected for way too long. Does anyone really care about that? Do the new devotees know what the older matajis of our movement have given to Srila Prabhupada? Our children have been abused and tortured by the Shadow ISKCON and now lie in ruin at our feet. The Hindu community is taking over the temples that the GBC are not selling off…
Surely more than a handful of devotees who write into sites like this care? Or is it too late? Are the devotees that Srila Prabhupada bled for, lying there like the antelope who is taken by the lion? Its parasympathetic nervous system has placed it into the “fright” mode, as it watches with casual disinterest while the Lions feast on its body…
What about the new devotees — surely you can read? What do you think of all of this? Do you still believe in your gurus, who stand in front of Srila Prabhupada and keep you like a mushroom -in the dark and fed cow stool? Why do you still support them? Why do you give them your hard earned money when it does not go to the movement, but it goes to their own pockets, projects and households?
It amazes me how much we can let happen to our dear Srila Prabhupada’s movement and our own lives. We have given so much to this ISKCON – this movement of Krishna Consciousness, this beloved body of our Srila Prabhupada; our blood, our heart, our struggle, our very life, and this Shadow ISKCON has taken it all without so much as a thank you, and used it to build their evil empire.
We have the power to stop them. It is not too late. More and more devotees are being well educated as to what is actually happening to us and ISKCON. We just have to make a stand. Their weakness is that they are relying on our doubt, our ignorance, our silence, our apathy, and our sense of impotence. But surely we can take them? Surely the Antelope has one last kick left?
GOVINDA DAS
Now you are dealing with Bengal Incorporated GBC and the BBTI and not Iskcon. That is why they can legally get away with anything they want. Old Iskcon is gone legally. So, IRM can’t reform anything anymore. That is why they are starting new centers like in Budapest instead of reforming. Their problem is books and that is why the legal case against BBT. They already know the real situation that Iskcon is gone the GM way and GM as represented by this monkey NM is helping them. The real battle is starting all over provided you secure Prabhupada’s books.
There is an old expression about being afraid of one’s own shadow. While it may be worrisome to see shadow organizations running “our worldâ€, I propose there are far more frightening shadows (and their sources, which should concern us far more.
Similarities with the ongoing satanic New World Order operations and Maya-ISKCON’s continuance makes me suspect they are related and/or one and the same. In the Kali Yuga age, what can one expect? Surely, the days of devotional nectar and roses were scheduled to end, before they even began.
The books are the greatest irony. So many were printed. So many original, unchanged Prabhupada versions STILL do exist. As long as that is so, Maya-ISKCON will always be revealed as simply: IS-A-CON… It is not that Prabhupada’s teaching no longer exists, but rather that too few continue to possess the energy and devotion to maintain their relationship to the true Spiritual Master.
Rather than keeping unwavering faith in Prabhupada, they stray here and there, but always with regret and sadness. Rather than establishing new enclaves, steeped in Prabhupada’s teachings, they either wallow in their complaints of the faux organization and/or establish new faux organizations, usually also specializing in complaining… It is easier to complain than take action.
What to do? Simple: Follow the 4 regs, save the books, work for/on varnasrama, plant heirloom crops, protect a cow or two, etc., etc… ALL easier written than done, especially as individuals.
Where to start? Also simple: Organize and work together in order to accomplish those things Prabhupada taught, preached, and wanted us to finish — such as establishing varnasrama.
Therein lies the essence of the problem…
Without cooperation between supposed true devotees, all possibilities vanish into the chaos and strife of arguing children. The great malaise of the NWO/Kali Yuga/brainwashed era is the recycling disease of false ego and selfishness, leading to ostracism, increasing alienation, and hopelessness. The aging generations of “devotees†suffer from the same. They are not exempt.
Every king wants his castle. Every indian (native American) wants to play chief. Every soldier wants to play general. Everyone knows more, is more, and so, deserves more… All legends in their own minds… But who is qualified?
Thus, the criticisms of Maya-ISKCON continue unabated, without any real tangible solutions in sight.
Prabhupada’s positive spiritual energy, that rare source, was the transcendental fabric that kept all ‘the children’ in order (or at least most of them). Now these ‘children’ are old, cranky, tired, rapidly aging ‘adults’ — whose hobby is complaining about an organization that they actually (knowingly or unknowingly) helped, assisting in the very corruption of their own lives. Thus, bitterness.
The fatherly Guru is physically not present to cajole and scold, but occasionally the ‘children’ practice their other hobby of chanting and reading spiritual literature. Before any real devotees become offended, we must ask, are these persons, these generations in question, still really devotees? Were they ever really devotees? For that matter, what constitutes a real devotee? Have we forgotten? Did we ever really know?
I believe these “devotees†are, for the most part, simply old children; spiritual seekers who just refused to grow up. Why do I think that? Well, for one thing, true spiritual life makes (is supposed to) one stronger, more capable — not less. True seekers, on a path of surrender to the Lord, become experts in self-sufficiency, frugality, and all related virtues leading to true material independence and detachment. Yet, in too many cases, among these bitter, used up, “milkedâ€, former ISKCON servants, we see the opposite. For most, the minimum daily practice never reached a point of unwavering steadfastness.
In addition, the landscape is strewn with the wreckage of endless, inane political debate… On and on go the rounds of accusations, condemnations, judgments, and the defensive maneuvers they demand. After a certain point, it matters not whether all the indicted are guilty or not (and I am sure they are all quite guilty); the energy and time has already been repeatedly spent, over and over. Like a broken record, the skips in the horrid music plays, until all we hear are the scratches… But what of recovering the movement, spiritual progress, and our own lives?
When we decide and commit to the life we truly want and need, instead of serving the inner materialist monster; when we tend to our own garden, so we have something to bring to the table… when we keep the door open to all the possibilities that await us, if we can put away our childish toys — then the days of the KCON will end. We will realize (or remember) the simple truth(s). It is our own shadow which puts the future of the movement in darkness.
In essence, it seems the answer and cure begins at home, with our Selves, starting with our own practice and progress.
Unfortunately, the cure is often more painful than the disease.
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Govinda prabhu, someone who read your article passed it on and I thought it was very wonderful. You describe the situation accurately with understanding and thought. My one doubt is where you say, “We have the power to stop them. It is not too late”, I ask HOW? I see the same underlying disease which is posioning ISKCON is there among the reformers. Reform is weakened and fractured by the inhouse fighting, the outcome is now many different groups of ambitous men with different egos wanting the leadership position amongst the reformers. As a consquence different ideals are being created so as to increase the followers of each group. These promises for the purity of ISKCON by reform has made even an idealist such as myself wonder, thinking it just ain’t gonna happen. Nonetheless, support for the ideal of what purity in reform is all about is there, but I do ask why replace one bunch of tyrants with another?
pamho agtACBSP
Thank you for posting this article. Actually it’s not easy at all even to reside in that so called shadow of iskcon, i mean it’s very hard to get some pukka sat-sanga nowadays because most of the time so many known and unknown forces take away our peace of mind, and although everything will get forgotten as our previous lives already got forgotten we are still struggling with this fake reflection of iskcon through the false designation coming from all the temporary and polluted guru hoaxers.
They don’t care how ridiculous they are by making a global show with their smashed ego, and very often therefore we also don’t care about their future darkest hellish destination. The utility is the principle that means to come alive again to save ourselves, as our jagat guru SRILA PRABHUPADA is still teaching us through HIS eternal vani seva. All the guru hoaxers don’t know who they really are in this life, neither they will know who they will be in their next life because they are just wasting time by acting under the three gunas of material nature still. Without any parampara order they self promoted themselves to that illegal position destined to die as their unwanting pratistha.
We don’t want this kind of hearing and association in the real reflection of iskcon, we want steady and perfect things as SRILA PRABHUPADA did on this planet when HE was still physically present. So everything changed, but there is still something that is unchanged and that’s the bona fide connection with SRILA PRABHUPADA. If you loose it then you will loose everything by becoming victim of the shadow in the fake reflection of iskcon through false designation until death, then everything will get forgotten. I, mine, is this, is not this, including all the future and past gandharva pura castles in the air, the utility is the principle, come alive again by saving ourselves from all this ghostly rubbish created by false spiritual institutions not mentioned in any sastra neither in the parampara succession where our guru maharaj is the number 32 of the guru parampara, therefore they are just making more gandharva pura which will disappear again altogether with all their stink rubbish.
agtSP ys haribol
I found the article very exposing particularly:
“Radhanath has the same escape plan. His Chowpatty Temple is not in ISKCON’s name either.”
Stashing the loot in their OWN names too! He has BIG Hospital added to his list of properties now – Bombay?. Just see the hypocrisy. When these folks die I suppose they want some worship of the Carcass too? Will they also put on ISKCON calander a separate day for Fasting also – Jaya!!! How humble.
These folks came so close to Srila Prabhupada – ONLY TO DENY HIM. Maya is very powerful she will NOT allow them to surrender to Srila Prabhupada because they have ulterior motives. They want to cheat Srila Prabhupada by playing at Diksa Guru. They can not see God. Krsna does not talk to them BUT they want to play at being REPRESENTATIVE of God – so maya gives them some toys some building, adoration, power etc ENJOY to hearts satisfaction. BUT NO DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. Devotional Service is not so cheap. Devotional service is the ONLY way to capture Krsna. They want to want MATERIAL lifestyle – and they get this.
PHALGUN KRISHNA PANCAMI By His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, at Radha Damodara temple, Vrindavana, India in 1961
Sixth Vasistya
55. Wearing a two paisa string a man is called a brahmana. Wearing a saffron cloth he has become a sannyasi.
56. The householders beg from the sannyasis, and why not? The sannyasis have tens of millions of rupees in the bank.
Srila Prabhupada’s directions re ‘welfare work’.
In Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Ch.13, text 46, Srila Prabhupada explains in his Bhaktivedanta Purport >>
“…The best remedy for getting out of the clutches of the cobralike Kala or it’s integrity, the modes of nature, is bhakti-yoga, as it is recommended in Bhagavad-gita (14.26). The highest perfectional project of philanthropic activities is to engage everyone in the act of preaching bhakti-yoga all over the world because that alone can save the people from the control of maya, or the material nature represented by kala, karma and guna, as described above. The Bhagavad-gita (14.26) confirms this definitely.”
Also on ‘cheating gurus’.
Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Ch.13 Text 48, >>
“….One should look unto the Lord…..By His order only, one should become a spiritual master and cooperate with the Lord. One should not become a spiritual master for one’s personal benefit, for some material gain, or as an avenue of business or occupation for earning livelihood. Bona fide spiritual masters who look unto the Supreme Lord to cooperate with Him are qualitatively one with the Lord, and the forgetful ones are perverted reflections only.”
Yhs, Balaram das.