Letter to BBT Trustees re. impounding Srimad Bhagavatam boxset
By: Vyapaka das
Dear BBTI Trustees,
Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This is an open letter regarding BBT India’s legal attack against Jitarati Prabhu, who printed a box-set of the original Srimad Bhagavatam, resulting in the books being impounded. It is being sent to Bhima das for distribution to all the BBTI Trustees.
Recently, it has come to light that Jitarati offered to donate the entire printing of the 5,000 sets held by court order to the BBT Archives. The profits from their sale would be split between future printings of the Bhagavatam and building a world-class facility for the Bhaktivedanta Archives.
In addition, he would dovetail his 40+ years of successful business experience into marketing the Bhagavatam sets globally.
This offer was turned down because you stated that you had no interest in seeing future printings of the Srimad Bhagavatam sets.
The exact words are: “Well the BBT devotees are ready to have the donation to the Archives. They will take care of the distribution and make sure that the proceeds go to the Archives. They are not interested in having a perpetual arrangement. Where the Archives keep this set in stock. But agree bbt should keep the pre 78 in sock [sic].” (email from Bhima das, BBT India)
Your logic escapes many rank-and-file devotees as this seemed to be a win-win situation for the Archives, book distribution and the spreading of Krishna Consciousness.
Another one of Jitarati’s printing efforts was the pocket Bhagavad Gita As It Is, beautifully printed on Bible paper. He sold 250,000 copies and it was widely accepted and appreciated among devotees worldwide. To condense the contents to pocket-size, the word-for-word and transliteration needed to be eliminated. The BBTI’s reaction was a resolution prohibiting future publications employing this format.
However, it soon came to light that other BBTI publications employed this same setup with no adverse reaction from the Trustees. This double standard strikes many of the 250,000 readers of the pocket Gita as underhanded and reflects poorly on your group.
Thirty cases of the pocket Gita were delivered to the BBT and Delhi temple. You obviously appreciated the printing as your reaction was to take out the page listing KBI as the publisher and then replace it with the name of the BBT before distribution. Doing so is illegal, immoral, improper, hypocritical and corrupt. Shame on you!
Perhaps your reaction was because you are against the publication of the original books. If so, this raises two questions:
1. Why did the BBTI grant a license to Krishna Books International (KBI) to print the originals, if this is your frame of mind?
2. And, why did the BBTI recently print Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad Gita?
Perhaps you feel Jitarati, at heart, is against the BBTI. If so, then:
1. Why did he give the BBTI the complete digital format of the original Gita?
2. Why did he introduce you to all of his printers in China in the hope that it might be beneficial to the printing of Srila Prabhupada’s books?
3. Why did he give a generous $10,000 donation to the Bhaktivedanta Archives to improve their facilities and service to Srila Prabhupada?
4. Why has he donated monthly to the Archives for years?
5. Why does he continue in his efforts to support Srila Prabhupada’s Archives by donating the profits from this and future printings of the Srimad Bhagavatam boxset?
6. Why did he advise BBT India on the best way to print their original Gita on Bible paper, based upon his research and experience with the pocket Gita?
7. Etc., etc., etc.
You seem to have quite a chip on your shoulder regarding a devotee, who has gone out of his way, to assist you in the mission of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Your reaction was to impound them and drag it into the corrupt India legal system. The alleged crime was that he paid for the printing from his business account rather than funnelling it through KBI. To many this seems to be an overly harsh reaction.
What does it take to satisfy you? It causes many of us to question your motivation? Do you think Srila Prabhupada would be pleased with all this; or does that even matter to you?
Jitarati is personally financing the project, will single-handedly arrange distribution and then dedicate profits to the Bhaktivedanta Archives and further book printing.
To summarize, many, many devotees are deeply disappointed with your action. You are supposed to be leaders of the movement, entrusted to protecting Srila Prabhupada’s most important contribution to humankind, his books.
And look at what you do.
We pray that you change direction and embrace Jitarati’s generous offer. It is a win-win situation for BBTI, BBT India, Jitarati, the Bhaktivedanta Archives, and most importantly, the countless conditioned souls needing the knowledge and direction found in Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental literatures.
Hare Krishna,
Vyapaka das
Email sent for distribution to:
Bhima das
BBTI Trustees
GBC Executive Committee
copyrights@bbt.org
———–
Please also read:
BBT India Impounding Srila Prabhupada’s original books
Hare Krsna Vyapaka Prabhu,
Obeisances. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
The BBT India’s attack on KBI by impounding the books and refusing Jitarati’s generous compromise makes absolutely no sense. Well, it doesn’t make sense if you think that the BBT India is run by devotees. If you think that the BBT India is run by demons, suddenly you realize that their actions are perfectly in line with their nature.
Those of us who are trying to be devotees and who want to help Srila Prabhupada should stop trying to interact with ISKCON and the BBTI (a corporation, not a trust) as though they are just misguided devotees and realize that those institutions have been taken over by actual, not metaphorical, demons. We have a mission to push on and these demons can only hamper our efforts.
Wishing you the best,
Anuttama
Thank you Vyapaka prabhu
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to those in the fight to keep Lord Caitanya’s mission alive and alive and growing it is. This update is very important to all those dedicated to serving Srila Prabhupada and taking the fight to maya. Please continue to keep us all updated.
ISKCON expects us to adapt to their control and in that way be defeated. We are not in a thesis antitheses function and never have been. They are not our leaders and we do not recognize any of their so called control. We are simply carrying on with the original mission. They are being defeated by their own continual faulty creations because of their false egos. We have given our false egos up to Srila Prabhupada’s service. Therefore he is leading us. Leading ourselves independently would tear us away from his lotus feet and the worst thing a devotee fears is forgetting Krsna.
“Srila Prabhupada is our leader, the holy name is our main weapon and the original Bhagavad Gita As It Is is our war plan”
Ys Hasti Gopala dasa
These Anti Ritvik CROOKS are DEMONIAC they will NOT listen:
THESE PSEUDO RELIGIONISTS ARE HEADING TOWARD THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR SPIRITUAL MASTER BUSINESS, WHICH THEY CONDUCT SIMPLY FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=44093#more-44093
Hare Krishna Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Can any of us imagine a world without Prabhupada’s books? The ones he gave us. Can any of us think of preaching without Prabhupada’s books?
Will Lord Chaitanya’s plan of every town and village manifest without Prabhupada’s books?
How many of us are aware that there is a concerted effort to completely wipe out Prabhupada’s books and that the plan is in the final stages?
Aside from this case of impounding these 5,000 sets of Bhagavatams, there are many other signs.
– Have you seen an ISKCON book table recently?
– Are you aware that BBT California was never made active as per Prabhupada’s instructions.
– BBT Trustees are simply an imagination as there is no active Trust to watch over and protect. BBT Bombay signed over all it’s rights to BBTI in 1990.
– BBTI is a corporation with no trustees but with directors who’s business is to revise Prabhupada’s books and introduce other books by conditioned souls.
– Anyone who objects must be vigorously defeated. (Resolution 11 from 1986 BBT International Trustees meeting in Dallas.)
Ok, that’s their plan, but Krishna has a plan also. Sure, He can do it without us, but what is the purpose of Bhagavad-gita then? Krishna didn’t think too well of Arjuna’s plan to avoid the fight.
Could we organise a thousand devotees to file a class action case in the USA to get back our rights to print and distribute Srila Prabhupada’s original books and even take back the BBT and use it as Prabhupada instructed. If we just each gave $100 we would have enough to get going and the rest would come guaranteed.
Could one devotee in India step forward and file a special case against the illegal activities of the BBT. I can’t do it because I am involved in the other case. It is time for action.
Hare Krishna, Your servant,
Jitarati das
Hare Krsna Prabhus
Please accept my obeisance, All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Any action that needs to be taken must happen in USA or Europe.
In INDIA, forget about getting anything done. ISKCON is too powerful, unless you have millions of dollars like MPD’s elite “all Indian” group who keeps fighting ISKCON in the courts, making their lawyers very rich.
Srila Prabhupada’s assets are controlled by the “big three gurus” in INDIA,
as planned, Tamal’s right hand man in charge of GBC , Bhakti Churu Swami.
JPS and his Bengali mafia controls Mayapur. Radhanath Swami and disciples control Juhu/Mumbai. Gopal Krishna Goswami strictly in control of Vrindavan, especially in New Delhi where he quickly stop Thompson press from releasing the 5000 sets of S.B. books, he is controlling Bhima das & BBT India, in his pocket judges and dollars to bride them.
Count me in for a donation if we can organize legal action outside INDIA and/or will contribute to finance book printing of original Srila Prabhupada books outside INDIA.
Bhima das told me in Juhu he will supply original books if asked for distribution here. You have to do what you can with the powerful ISKCON here.
Living here approx 10 years and going to ISKCON temples for association (no leaders or gurus please) the good ole boys club rule with an iron hand, with Russians and Indians waiting to be initiated by the big three and their co-conspirators, enriching their power & bank accounts.
It is time for action, best in California courts, India is too corrupt!
Sincerely
Rathayatra dasa
Humble book distributor
Hare Krishna Prabhus,
Please accept my obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the Real Acharya for the Golden Age.
This incident reminds me of the time when all the books of the Six Gosvamis were stolen by a rogue king’s men when Srinivasa Acharya and Syamananda Gosvami were carrying them from Vrindaban to Bengal.
The mayavadis and sahajiyas, who sometimes pose as Vaishnavas, try to keep the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and the previous Acharyas under “lock and key.” And they find many faults in the original editions. They would rather sell their own editions and writings in the manner of businessmen.
Coincidentally, I just read today Srila Prabhupada’s “Note” at the end of the last chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya Lila– regarding His books and the writings of Srila Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami.
“Now even the higher priestly ciricles are appreciating this movement. They have concluded that this movement is very nice and that they have something to learn from it. Nonetheless, in India there are some people who say that they belong to this cult but who are actually very envious of the Acharya. They have tried to suppress our activities in many ways, but as far as we are concerned, we follow in the footsteps of Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami and take them as envious pigs and hogs. We simply wish to present the pastimes of Lord Krishna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the best of our ability so that those who are really honest can cleanse their hearts….”
Interestingly, in the next chapter it is described how a dog went back to Godhead by the mercy of Sivananda Sena and Lord Chaityana. A dog is just as filthy as a pig and hog, but it has one good quality: it may eagerly become loyal and submissive to a Vaishnava. This is often seen. I hog will never do that.
I agree with what Anuttama said. It is a waste of time to try to reason with persons who claim to be Srila Prabhupada’s followers yet try keep Srila Prabhupada’s original editions and other important instructions, such as the July 9th Order, under their own locks and keys.
I believe it would also be a mistake to negotiate with them or promise them anything in return for their cooperation. We should never donate to any of their endeavors in any way, shape or form. In other words, they should be completely ignored and rejected– as far as possible.
yours in Prabhupada-seva-smaranam,
Narasimha das