TROUBLE IN RUSSIA

Indradyumna Swami aka Brian Tibbitts

TROUBLE IN RUSSIA

Problems in ISKCON Siberia
BY: CONCERNED RUSSIAN DEVOTEES

(Names withheld to protect the devotees in Russia)

Is this the proper Krsna conscious behaviour of an ISKCON Regional Secretary?

We would like to bring to your attention the very strange behaviours, preaching ethics and attitude, lifestyle and behaviours of the current ISKCON Regional Secretary of Siberia, Vadim Boris – aka Visnu Tattva das – is a former disciple of Prabhavisnu Swami, re-initiated by the GBC guru for Russia, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami.

He has been Regional Secretary in Siberia for many years and we see he is becoming self-absorbed more and more, like a materialistic pop star and mundane yoga preacher. This concerns us greatly. What’s worse is, he has Russian followers who see nothing wrong in his materialistic behaviours.

As aspiring devotees and followers of Srila Prabhupada who read his books, listen to his lectures and read his letters to his disciples, we question this Regional Secretary’s standards and practices, odd behaviours, pride and way of preaching in ISKCON Russia. We also question why he his promoting mundane yoga in his centre as a Regional Secretary of ISKCON in Siberia. Why is the Russian GBC allowing this disgraceful conduct by a Regional Secretary?

This latest video is one among many television appearances he is making recently, promoting and singing mundane pop music and culture and at the same time promoting himself as an advanced leader and ISKCON devotee. We see it as hypocritical, as he is compromising his Krsna consciousness.

In his recent appearances in Russia on a mundane TV program, we see him singing mundane songs and dancing, like some sort of Russian Michael Jackson. Is this Krishna consciousness? On TV, he openly tells the public he is with ISKCON. Is this pleasing to Srila Prabhupada? Is this Srila Prabhupada’s standard for a Regional Secretary… to be a mundane yoga pop star?

We also see this as a bad example to Russian devotees and its contradicting all the rules of Krsna consciousness. One of the ten offences to the Holy Name is to maintain material attachments, even after understanding not to be attached and still chanting with material attachments and behaviours. This confuses Russian devotees.

Moreover here in Siberia, he has allowed himself to rise to personality cult status in ISKCON with his blind followers. Anyone who questions him to his face about his compromising Krsna consciousness is banned by him, regardless of their seniority. We also see his behavior of false ego, disrespect and arrogant behaviour to many devotees as unethical.

Please review this video and approach the proper ISKCON GBC men to investigate and correct this embarrassing ongoing situation we have here in ISKCON Russia.

Thank you.
A Group of Concerned Russian Devotees