The black side of Bhakti Charu – business and money schemes

The black side of Bhakti Charu – – business and money schemes

ACHTUNG – ATTENTION – ATTENZIONE

Do NOT give your money to this cheater-guru Bhakti Charu alias Caru-Swami, engaged in illegal business activities to increase his bank balance.

Bhakti Caru justifies his involvement as a sannyasi in business by saying:
“Referring to making arrangements for economic development, Guru Maharaja said, “Why do I do it? Because YOU are not doing it. Since nobody is doing it, then I’ll do it. And is it important? Yes it is important. And that is the meaning of Sankirtana, ‘do whatever is required.” (BCS Istagosthi, 22/4/2006)

Srila Prabhupada however states differently:
“Business must be done by the grhasthas, not by the sannyasis or brahmacaris.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 22nd, 1976) “The brahmacaris and sannyasis must stick to the temple activities.” (SP Letter, 4/9/75)

THE ORIGINAL ISKCON POLICY ON CHEATING DONORS

Nothing is more dispiriting and disgusting than realizing you have donated money to an unworthy cause or to an organization you find to be dishonest. It is an assault on your principles as much as it is a form of outright theft. Rather than merely fuming and cursing yourself for being such a fool, it is far better to confront the thieves and, if at all possible, to get your money back. If this fails, it behooves you to warn others about the people who have robbed you under the pretense of philanthropy.

Its very true that ISKCON’S bogus gurus are earning money by making fool to hindus. Indeed, the ISKCON saffron beggars have made hard-working, prosperous Hindus the primary target of their fund-raising schemes for many years now. This is true no matter if they live in India or abroad. Now many Hindus are learning the truth.

To add insult to injury, ISKCON treats donors and prospective donors alike as cash cows by carefully cultivating them via lavish programs and events that both flatter them and appeal to their cultural interests. Unfortunately, they also serve to detract donors and prospective donors from learning the truth about the poisoning of the founder acarya Srila Prabhupada, the hijacking of ISKCON and ISKCON’s self-appointed bogus gurus.

ISKCON’s removal of Srila Prabhupada as the initiating guru and its implementation of an unauthorised guru system has naturally alienated intelligent people from joining the mission in the same numbers as they were before. This alienation is further completed by ISKCON’s increasing dependence on local Hindu communities at the expense of other communities. As a result, ISKCON has deviated from its original spiritual mission and adopted commercial business practices that are increasingly following new age philosophies and the Hindu dollar than they are Srila Prabhupada’s original teachings.

Bhakti Charu hase a long history of mistreating devotees once the innocent have been milked dry of their resources. Misappropriations of a few thousand dollars seldom hit the headlines. But now with the figures running into astronomical amounts things have gotten out of hand in Ponzi-land. The GBC might be unable to answer letters or phone calls when a lender or donor would like an explanation, although their wolf-like grins continue to greet potential benefactors at their open doors.

Bhakti Caru Bankuptcy program update (ISKCON)
Bhakti Caru money fraud investigation expands (ISKCON)

As far as Bhakti Caru is concerned, his self-congratulatory blurb on Wikipedia states, “In 1987 Bhakti Caru Swami became a member of the Governing Body Commission and an initiating ISKCON Guru. He has gained respect throughout the movement for his scholarship and Vaisnava qualities.” Despite the fact that the Wiki puff piece alludes to his huge scholastic contributions, it lists only one actual article written by Bhakti Caru. It is significant that the Wiki article minimizes Srila Prabhupada by omitting “His Divine Grace” from the proper name of the empowered representative of Lord Krishna from whom Bhakti Caru’s supposed authority is obtained. Divinity is handed down the sampradaya, it is not stolen.

It is too bad that the trusting persons in their innocence whose lives Bhakti Caru has nearly ruined did not do some homework about the swami’s character here on the Sun. This so-called leader of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON is well-known to be a chronic minimizer of Prabhupada, as you can read here. Some weak arguments opposing that article by Bhakti Caru’s flock quickly followed it. Defending that a half-naked woman was featured on a poster advertising Bhakti Caru’s New Age festival, the arguments were put forth that if Prabhupada is featured prominently at the festival, then who will attend it? Well, apparently Srila Prabhupada did not attend, because the pure devotee does not go where cheating is carried out in the name of the Supreme Lord. And that is why Bhakti Caru’s business activities, mundane altruism and mayavadic New Age preaching is also doomed to failure. Srila Prabhupada is not there either. When the Spiritual Master is not pleased by one whose spiritual bankruptcy is shown by his minimization of the paramahamsa, them moral and economic bankruptcy are not far behind.

Perhaps in response to the worldwide Internet criticism for his failed economic schemes, Bhakti Caru’s flock has begun some damage control. They have published some recent articles about how he is ecologically conscious and saves money, too, with some pretty nifty solar energy devices. Well, when Bhakti Caru saves $20,000,000.00 he should whip out his fat checkbook and repay the fantastic sums to his poor “investors” who were suckered into his pie-in-the-sky schemes. In the interim, by all means those investors who have been left high and dry by Bhakti Caru should definitely proceed with whatever legal action that the law allows. Even a bankrupt person finds the money he owes when his back is put against the wall by the legal system.

It is said in India that whether one steals a khira (cucumber) or hira (diamond) he is still a thief. That is why Srila Prabhupada was so particular to keep an honest standard, especially among the Society’s leaders. He knew that if the self-appointed elite members allowed themselves the privilege of cheating in small amounts by ripping off trusting devotees for fifty dollars here, or a hundred dollars there, then it would only be a matter of time before such a cheating propensity would balloon to grand schemes involving millions of dollars. And that is exactly what has happened in the case of Bhakti Caru’s unlicensed plans for easy money. It is heartbreaking for the sincere rank and file members of the sangha to look on helplessly while callous swamis in silk trample upon the faith of the genuine devotees.

We can learn something from the followers of Christ who often remind us, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16.26). We wonder what answer Bhakti Caru has to this Biblical inquiry now that his using Krishna’s money for risky investments has been exposed.