Apr 17 2009, ILLINOIS, USA — I’m writing in relation to Mahavidya Prabhu and Bhaktivedanta Manor. Large temples tend to run into such problems. Non-transparency, accounts – unaccountable, wages – sky high, some devotees included – some excluded. The atmosphere ripe for deviation.
Examples spring to mind: the Krishna Balaram guesthouse in Vrindavan had the same manager for 30 years, no accounts, no profits? One of the rooms at the guesthouse was turned into a brothel. The girls were certainly operating out of one of the rooms, with the help of one of the managers. This racket was busted by Devamrita prabhu just as soon as he became Temple President.
He also sorted out the Govindas. Remember two years ago, when the Govindas restaurant at Krishna Balaram was nearly lost? Somebody was claiming the profits and serving rotten food, and to get it back, devotees had to build a brick wall and move all the Brahmacaris in to live there.
It used to be the case where an ashram or temple devotee felt a need to have his own facilities and thus he would leave the temple, get a job, or start a business and live outside. His free time he could use for Krishna’s service or donate some money. If you create a situation where it is more profitable to remain in the temple, then there is the danger of deviations. Just as with the case of Gauri das, who breaks at least two laws: 1) the ISKCON CPO restrictions, and 2) the ISKCON law on child abusers. He is making a mockery of those who would like to think that our society has ethics.
Large temples require transparency of accounts and strong leadership to implement it. ISKCON law clearly states before a child abuser is employed by an ISKCON temple, the community has a right to know. Technically it really only means something IF everyone is prepared to accept ISKCON law. The ISKCON CPO is something different. Although it can pass judgment on somebody, technically it has no official legal power whatsoever. As in the case of Gauri das, and others, you can blatantly disregard both and get away with it. Gauri das is banned from any form of management at the Manor, which he openly disobeys.
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