Radha-Govinda devi: Impersonalism pervades ISKCON

Radha-Govinda devi, posted 3 April 2009: Dear Richard Brown prabhu, Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. PAMFO. I didn’t get your email, but I am seeing Urdhvaga prabhu’s here. Please note the following Sri Isopanisad (#11) verse as well as Srila Prabhupada’s words from His BG 10.4 purport:

“Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.”

“Asammoha, 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. Ksama, 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.”

Srila Prabhupada also quoted: Sach bale tomare lutha jutha jagat mohaye: When one tells lies, everyone is enchanted, but when one tells the truth, s/he is beaten with sticks.”

Certainly no one “likes” (or I’m assuming they don’t “like”) to hear what Jiva Atma prabhu wrote. It just sounds “too ‘graphic'” and “UGLY”. And of course, people do NOT “like” (or “want”) to hear such things ESPECIALLY about their “heroes,” what to speak of if / when such “heroes” are gurus, (and ISKCON gurus).

What TOTALLY AMAZES me is HOW HORRIBLY Im-personal, yes HORRIBLY Im-personal SO MANY “devotees” are that we just are SO READY to “write off” and / or CHASTISE someone like Jiva Atma prabhu, who has (whether using his actual devotee name, or like so many – being AFRAID to do so DIRECTLY BECAUSE of how devotees who speak up with something like this ARE treated – is using a “hide-behind” name) “come forth” to speak what has PROBABLY HAUNTED him for MANY YEARS!!!

IF we even “give a slap on the hand” to someone who has done some HORRIBLE things, we will PUNCH (either by words, OR fists, OR BOTH) the victim or witness who has (in OUR minds) “DARED” to speak (the truth).

WHAT ever happened to a Vaisnava’s para dukha dukhi compassion? OK, now we get the “speeches”: “But that (compassion) has nothing to do with the body. The Vaisnava is compassionate for the soul, NOT the “dress”.

AND, we get the SO MANY “mantras”: “You’re not that body.” “It’s your karma prabhu.” The “trinad api sunicena…” and “tat te nukampam…”, meaning our way of (often enough), NOT BEING MATURE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DEAL (directly) with the person’s pain, and NOT being honest enough to TELL them that (we’re not mature enough…), OR, (due to our OWN LACK of personalism), “writing someone off”  with however we choose to do it, OR, telling someone “Put up and shut up.”

SOME devotees do not seem to remember how, when in their exiled state, Bhimasena and Draupadi would reflect back on the gambling match, expressing their PAINED feelings to Maharaj Yudhisthia. (Maybe some elevated prabhus might want to say they “were in maya?”)

And Jada Bharata: ONLY when Maharaj Rahugana MADE HIS APOLOGY! did Jada Bharata become freed from his “waves of dissatisfaction”. (I suppose someone is going to say that Jada Bharata “was in maya” in feeling such waves of dissatisfaction, when it was ONLY some “not so nice” WORDS that were said to him.)

SB 5.13.24: Srila Sukadev Goswami continued: My dear King, O son of Mother Uttara, there were some waves of dissatisfaction in the mind of Jada Bharata due to his being insulted by King Rahugana, who made him carry his palanquin, but Jada Bharata neglected this, and his heart again became calm and quiet like an ocean. Although King Rahugana had insulted him, he was a great paramahamsa. Being a Vaisnava, he was naturally very kindhearted, and he therefore told the king about the constitutional position of the soul. He then forgot the insult BECAUSE KING RAHUGANA PITIFULLY BEGGED PARDON AT HIS LOTUS FEET. After this, he began to wander all over the earth, just as before.”

SOME of these GBCs, gurus, SINyasis have RAPED devotees, children, and done OTHER HORRIFIC things; a LOT WORSE than King Rahugana’s speaking insulting words to Jada Bharata. So according to THIS verse, even PURE devotees have FEELINGS. (Thus, if we can NOT understand that not only pure devotees, but “aspiring to become” devotees, ALSO have feelings, and to be SO IMpersonal to just WRITE THEM OFF, the we are in VERY SAD shape.)

WHY did we come to Srila Prabhupada? (Well, maybe some devotees came because “the Prasada was good.”) But I beleive that MANY came because we could perceive the OCEAN OF LOVE that was Srila Prabhupada, and He told us that we could also become like Him if we followed this process. That’s why I came. I BELIEVED what Srila Prabhupada was talking (writing) about.

Your servant,

Dasi, B. Radha-Govinda
Hare Krsna