ELEVEN NAKED EMPERORS
The Crisis of Charismatic Succession in ISKCON (1977-1987)
A HISTORY OF THE “ZONAL ACHARYA” ERA OF ISKCON
© 2019 Eleven Naked Emperors
DEDICATION
This book, “Eleven Naked Emperors,” was written for my godbrothers and godsisters: members of ISKCON who lived through and remember those turbulent times in the late 1970s and 1980s when all hell broke loose after the Founder/ Acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness passed away. Of course, many of us fondly remember the good times during those days: chanting Hare Krishna in the company of like-minded souls, dancing ecstatically during kirtans, worshiping the deities, eating sumptuous Krishna prasadam (when not fasting), visiting other ISKCON centers, going on pilgrimage to India, worshiping our own zonal-acharya spiritual master (allegedly Krishna’s confidential representative on earth), and watching Lord Chaitanya’s movement expand, in no small part due to our efforts and the efforts of many thousands of godbrothers and sisters throughout the world, all working together to save the world from illusion and bestow on suffering souls the blessed balm of Krishna consciousness.
For many, many years, that is how I perceived the world. Some called me a “bliss boy,” a devotee who simply likes to chant and dance and eat prasadam, work hard all day for the spiritual master, and associate with similarly-inclined godbrothers. I faithfully followed the four regulative principles, chanted sixteen rounds daily, ate only Krishna prasadam, avoided the “fringies” and others who were not strict in their sadhana, refused to indulge in gossip, or think or speak about anything but Krishna-katha: talks about Krishna or his service.
All else was maya—illusion—or so I was taught. When the nineteenth-century German philosopher, Karl Marx, declared, “It [religion] is the opium of the people,” he was speaking of me, and millions and billions of others like me. We had shut our minds and hearts to the real world and created (along with many other bewildered souls) a fictional fantasy world which existed only in our minds.
We saw the outside world through self-imposed rose-colored glasses. Everything looked rosy to us. “What me worry? Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!” But factually we had been deceived. All was not what we assumed. Behind the idyllic scene, an undercurrent of evil lurked and silently permeated the “holy” atmosphere.
The “self-realized spiritual masters” whom we worshiped as good as God were actually pretenders; stealing our intelligence, our minds, our bodies, and our lives, allegedly for the glory of God, but just as importantly: for the aggrandizement of their own imperfect and greedy selves. We had been taught that our gurus were on the highest platform of Krishna consciousness; in previous lifetimes they had been personal associates of Lord Chaitanya and maidservants of Radharani. We daily sang “Nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā,” from Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur’s Sri-Sri Gurvastakam Prayers: “The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gopis, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Radha and Krishna’s conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vrindaban.”
It is said, “Ignorance is bliss,” and we were certainly blissful (as well as ignorant), but was the ephemeral bliss we felt worth all the deception? I don’t think so, and I, for one, am glad that sad chapter of ISKCON history has ended (or so I have heard from ISKCON leaders). When my first book about the Hare Krishnas, “Killing For Krishna—The Danger of Deranged Devotion” (2018)—was published, I received many, many letters of laud from current and former ISKCON godbrothers and sisters thanking me for documenting an important chapter in ISKCON history which had been hidden from most of the world for thirty years.
Yet I also received queries from others who doubted and challenged my qualifications (and motives) to write a book on the history of ISKCON. One devotee woman went so far as to write a negative 3,000-word online review of “Killing For Krishna” in which she boasted, “I have not read the book, and have zero plans to do so.” As far as I am concerned, anyone has the right to write a book about anything they want, and I am doing it, whether others like it or not. Researching and writing is my dharma, for I am, by nature, both a reporter and a historian.
Reporters dig into the story in an attempt to discover the truth, and then they report it. Historians research and write about the past. That is what they do. I heard that once Prabhupada said that a dancer dances whether she find herself in heaven or hell. The dancer’s dharma is to dance. Similarly, my dharma is to research and write, and I will do that whether I’m in heaven or hell, or whether people praise me or condemn me. It makes no difference to me. Regarding my qualifications to write about the Hare Krishna movement: I faithfully served ISKCON and my spiritual master for fifteen years during a very formative time in my life. Since then, my life has been influenced to a great degree by those fifteen years as a Hare Krishna devotee.
I still feel the effects today, both positive and negative. Why can I not write about things which affected me greatly? Those who speak ill of me or my book without even bothering to read it, in my opinion, are just envious. “Why don’t you write your own book?” I ask them. “Who is stopping you?” Others challenge my motivations: “You’re just looking for fame, adoration and distinction.” “You’re in it for the money.” “Do you follow the regulative principles?” “You must want to hurt Prabhupada’s movement.” “Do you believe Srila Prabhupada is a perfect paramahamsa saktya-vesa avatar and the Jagad-Guru, the Savior of the World?” I see no need to defend myself or reply to such inquiries.
As far as I am concerned, a great thinker picks up the best even from the worst. A truly intelligent man picks up nectar even from a stock of poison, accepts gold even from a filthy place, accepts a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family, and accepts a good lesson even from a teacher who comes from an abominable caste. I do not claim to be a “pure devotee.” I do not even claim to be a devotee. I am not a disciple. I am not a follower. But I am a friend to the disciples and followers. I claim only to be a historian.
A historian researches the past and writes about it. In my opinion, historians are very important. How can one understand the present if one does not understand the past? Regarding my detractors, some of them may have legitimate complaints, and I am grateful to them and I thank them for revealing the errors in my writing. I have never said that I (or my work) am perfect and infallible. However, some others appear to be simply looking to denigrate my work for unknown reasons, perhaps because they want to protect the status quo in ISKCON. Regarding them, I reply: one can never satisfy a fault-finder.
Despite the opposition, I carry on. The dogs will bark, but the caravan passes them by and moves forward, and the dogs remain stuck in their tiny backyard, restrained by a collar and chain of envy, only to bark at the next passerby. “Row, row row!” (This is the sound Prabhupada made when he imitated the barking of a dog.) My books, “Killing For Krishna” and “Eleven Naked Emperors,” were written for thoughtful readers who may be curious to discover an alternative viewpoint about what happened in the Hare Krishna movement after the passing of its founder. I think those readers will learn something and benefit, as I have learned and benefited from my research. Om Tat Sat.
The author
(Henry Doktorski)
Table of Contents
DEDICATION xii
PREFACE xvi
CHAPTER 1: GAUDIYA VAISHAVISM COMES WEST…. 1
CHAPTER 2: KRISHNA GAVE ME ONLY SECOND AND THIRD CLASS MEN…. 17
CHAPTER 3: SENIOR DISCIPLES QUESTION THEIR MASTER…. 27
CHAPTER 4: ELEVEN RITVIK PRIESTS…. 35
CHAPTER 5: A TAKE-OVER CONSPIRACY…. 53
CHAPTER 6: THE RISE OF THE ZONAL-ACHARYAS…. 62
CHAPTER 7: CRUSHING THE OPPOSITION…. 92
CHAFFER 8: ISKCON GURUS BEGIN TO DEVIATE…. 108
CHAPTER 9: EXPOSED BY A WOMAN…. 131
CHAPTER 10: THE GURU REFORM MOVEMENT…. 148
CHAPTER 11: PREPARING FOR BATTLE….. 167
CHAPTER 12: THE FALL OF THE ZONAL ACHARYAS…. 178
CHAFFER 13: THE RITVIK QUESTION…. 196
CHAPTER 14: NONE ARE PERFECT…. 219
CHAPTER 15: AFTERMATH—ZONALS AND REFORMERS…. 224
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…. 233
TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT EVENTS…. 237
REFERENCES…. 244
ENDNOTES…. 250
Timeline of Important Events
1922: 26-year-old Abhay Charan De meets for the first time the Gaudiya-Vaishnava preacher and Founder/Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada (1874-1937). The guru orders him to “Preach Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message throughout the world.”
November 21, 1932: Abhay Charan De accepts diksa initiation from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada. At his Brahmin initiation some time later his guru gives him the name Abhay Charanaravinda.
January 1, 1937: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada passes away. His disciples begin fighting between themselves almost immediately.
1944: Abhay Charanaravinda begins publishing Back To Godhead.
1947: Abhay Charanaravinda’s writings are recognized by the Gaudiya Vaishnava Society of India, and he is awarded with the honorific name “Bhaktivedanta.”
September 17, 1959: Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta becomes A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami at a sannyasa initiation ceremony in Mathura.
August 13, 1965: A few days before his 69th birthday, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami boards the freighter Jaladuta from Calcutta, India. While crossing the Atlantic, he survives two heart attacks.
September 19, 1965: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami arrives in New York City.
July 13, 1966: ISKCON is incorporated at the tiny “Matchless Gifts” storefront at 26 Second Avenue, New York City.
August 28, 1967: Kirtanananda becomes A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s first sannyasa disciple in Vrindaban, India.
December 1967: Bhaktivedanta Swami’s disciples begin addressing him by the venerable title “Srila Prabhupada.”
December 1967-July 1970: ISKCON expands from three temples (New York City, San Francisco and Montreal) to thirty-five: 28 in the U. S. and Canada, and seven overseas.
July 1970: Prabhupada creates a committee within ISKCON—the Governing Body Commission (GBC)—and begins training his senior-most disciples to take over the management of his society.
August 14, 1971: Prabhupada, however, is not always pleased with his senior-most disciples, and laments, “I set up the GBC with the hope that I shall get relief from administration of the mission, but on the contrary, I have become the center for receiving so many complaints.”
April 11, 1972: Prabhupada asks, “What will happen when I am not here, shall everything be spoiled by GBC?”
October 31, 1972: Prabhupada warns, “Self-made guru cannot be guru, he must be authorized by the bona fide guru. Then he’s guru. This is the fact. Nobody can be self- made anything.”
December 22, 1972: Prabhupada notes, “I do not think the leaders are themselves following, nor they are seeing the others are following strictly. That must be rectified at once.”
June 1976: Prabhupada says that he is training his senior disciples to become spiritual masters themselves, who will initiate their own new disciples after his demise.
April 22, 1977: During a room conversation in India, Prabhupada agrees that none of his disciples are presently qualified to become genuine gurus, but he hopes that as soon as someone becomes qualified—when his training is complete—he would appoint him. If a disciple were to begin initiating without being fully trained, he would become a “rascal guru.”
May 27, 1977: Prabhupada prophetically warns a few leading men to be on guard lest some charlatan imposters pose as gurus, bewilder his disciples, and usurp the position of acharya in ISKCON after his death.
May 28, 1977: In India, Prabhupada speaks to GBC members about initiations in the future.
May 1977: Certain GBC members begin talk about how they will become spiritual masters themselves and seize control of ISKCON after Prabhupada passes.
June 4, 1977: Prabhupada dictates his “Declaration of Will.”
July 9, 1977: Prabhupada names eleven men to serve as Ritvik Acharyas, as he is too ill to initiate new disciples.
October 26, 1977: Bhavananda admits to Prabhupada, “We [your senior disciples] have not grown that much. . . . We’re still children.”
November 2, 1977: When Prabhupada is asked, “Who will succeed you as the leader of the Hare Krishna movement?” instead of suggesting, as he did earlier, that his leading GBC secretaries and sannyasis would become his successors, he responds with a broad statement, “All of my disciples will take the legacy. . . . I—one—may soon pass away, but they [my disciples] are hundreds, and this movement will increase. It’s not that I’ll give an order, ‘Here is the next leader.’ Anyone who follows the previous leadership is a leader. . . . All my disciples are leaders, as much as they follow purely.”
November 10, 1977: Prabhupada speaks in Bengali, four days before his death, “Someone has poisoned me.”
November 1977: Prabhupada, nearing the end of his life, speaks in Bengali to his godbrother Bhakti-Vaibhava Puri Maharaja, “I have done my duty. Now the rest depends upon the Lord. What can I do?”
November 14, 1977: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder/Acharya of ISKCON, passes away in Vrindaban, India at the age of 81.
November 19, 1977: At Prabhupada’s funeral in Vrindaban, his disciple Siddha-Svarupa- Ananda Swami (Chris Butler) warns, “Now that Srila Prabhupada is no longer here, all disciples have become guru. Srila Prabhupada did not appoint any particular persons as his chosen successors.” Around this time, more or less, Gurukrpa Maharaja, Achyutananda Maharaja, Sudama Swami (and later, Puranjana dasa) are offered positions as initiating gurus. All refuse.
December 25, 1977: Kirtanananda Swami becomes the first of the eleven appointed ritvik priests to initiate his own disciples.
February/March 1978: GBC members visit B. V. Sridhara Maharaja in Navadvipa, India, for guidance. On his advice they form a committee within the GBC: the Acharya Board. The GBC recognizes the eleven as zonal acharya diksa gurus of ISKCON, and erroneously claim they were appointed to that position by Srila Prabhupada. Soon the eleven adopt honorific titles, accept extravagant guru-puja worship, and sit on ornate vyasasanas. They also begin fighting amongst themselves for disciples, money and power.
August 7, 1978: Pradyumna writes to GBC chairman Satsvarupa dasa Goswami warning of serious repercussions which will result from the Zonal Acharya System.
Late-August 1978: Tamal-Krishna Goswami and Bhagavan dasa are visibly upset when they do not receive pada-puja upon arriving at the Krishna-Balarama Mandir in Vrindaban, India.
September 16, 1978: Giriraja Swami writes an essay for the GBC in which he describes the exalted qualities of the uttama-adhikari and gives warning that a devotee situated on a lesser stage of realization (such as the eleven zonal acharyas) should not imitate those with the highest realizations.
Late-February 1979: Debate between the eleven zonals and Pradyumna in Vrindaban, India, organized by Yasodanandana Swami. Kailasa-Chandra writes the reformers’ position paper, signed by 36 disciples. During the debate, however, the eleven ignore the rules of civil debate and bully Pradyumna in a noisy tirade. Pradyumna leaves the meeting early and declares, “These men are not honest.” The reformers are threatened. Most leave ISKCON.
March 1980: Police raid Hamsadutta’s Mount Kailasa farm and confiscate a grenade launcher, seventeen rifles and shotguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
April 1980: The GBC, at an emergency meeting in Los Angeles, forces Jayatirtha dasa to take sannyasa. Hamsadutta and Tamal-Krishna are also punished. Soon after, Jadurani devi dasi is forced to leave Los Angeles, due to her criticism of the zonal acharyas.
Summer 1980: Jadurani is beaten bloody by two women at New Vrindaban for blaspheming Kirtanananda Swami.
July 26, 1980: Ramesvara Swami, the guru for Southern California, renounces his uttama- adhikari worship and has his vyasasana removed from the Los Angeles temple. He presents a paper to the GBC and notes, “If the madhyama guru presents himself as, or allows himself to be presented or worshiped, as an uttama guru, then he is simply cheating his disciples.” The other gurus pressure him to reinstall his vyasasana and go on with the charade. Ramesvara complies.
August 1980: the GBC approves a paper written by Satsvarupa, Jagadish, Bhagavan and Jayapataka. One section, titled “The Philosophical Understanding of Discrepancies and Their Rectification,” explains that even uttama-adhikari devotees fall down from time to time and if there are “failures and setbacks” they should be seen instead as “pillars of success.”
December 3, 1980: The Los Angeles Pyramid House talks. Tamal-Krishna Goswami (still under probation) admits that Prabhupada only ordered the eleven to officiate as ritvik priests, not as diksa gurus. After his period of probation has ended, he once again sits on the vyasasana and accepts worship.
February/March 1982: In Mayapur, Satsvarupa Maharaja requests the GBC to allow him to reduce his worship. The GBC refuses him.
July 8, 1983: In an emergency meeting, the GBC passes a resolution removing Hamsadutta from all his ISKCON responsibilities.
March 6, 1984: During their annual meeting, the GBC declares, “Resolved that Hamsadutta Swami is hereby removed from his membership on the GBC, his position as BBT Trustee [and] his position as an initiating guru. He shall no longer be considered a Sannyasi. All of Hamsadutta’s disciples are directed to accept initiation from another ISKCON recognized guru.”
August 1984: Hamsadutta goes off the deep end and shoots up a Cadillac dealership and liquor store in Berkeley, California.
November 1984: Ravindra-Svarupa completes a paper expressing his ideas about the need for guru reform, which he titles, “The Next Step in the Expansion of ISKCON: Ending the Fratricidal War.”
Summer 1985: With the help of his editor, Kailasa-Chandra, Sulochan dasa (Steven Bryant) self-publishes his book, The Guru Business.
August 1985: Emergency GBC meeting at New Vrindaban. Ravindra-Svarupa presents his new paper, “Under My Order.” The “guru” Bhavananda “Goswami,” when confronted with proof, admits to having had sex with an underage brahmachari in Vrindaban, India.
September 16-19, 1985: North American GBC and Temple Presidents’ meetings at New Vrindaban. The Guru Reformers flex their muscles and demand change. Kirtanananda Swami reads his paper, “On His Order,” a rebuttal to Ravindra-Svarupa’s “Under My Order.” The GBC resolves: any disciple of Srila Prabhupada in good standing can become an ISKCON initiating guru if he receives endorsements from three GBC members. Ravindra-Svarupa becomes an official guru during the meetings after receiving endorsements from Tamal-Krishna Goswami, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, and Hrdayananda Goswami.
February 1986: the first issue of The Vaishnava Journal is published. The July issue features the first-known published recommendation of the Posthumous Ritvik System for initiation of new disciples.
February/March 1986: At their annual meeting in Mayapur, the GBC voids the resolutions from the September 1985 New Vrindaban meeting because the meeting was not properly called and held according to the existing rules and procedures. Bhavananda is reinstated as a guru. Guru Reformers, however, win a few concessions: in every ISKCON temple, Prabhupada’s vyasasana must be “substantially more prominent” than the zonal acharya’s vyasasana. Local temple leadership is allowed to determine the practical details of guru worship and protocol. These include vyasasanas, photographs, altars, etc. Krishna-Balarama ISKCON management promptly tosses the zonal acharya vyasasana out the window.
May 22, 1986: Sulochan dasa, one of the most vociferous critics of the zonal acharyas and author of The Guru Business, is murdered in Los Angeles by a disciple of Kirtanananda Swami.
November/December 1986: While on pilgrimage in Vrindaban, India, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami is finally convinced that he should give up the trappings of an uttama-adhikari guru: the big throne, the pranam prayers, the extravagant worship and the honorific name: Gurupada.
December 1986: Tamal-Krishna Goswami astutely observes a change in the wind, and wants to make sure he’s on the winning side. He jumps ship; he abandons the zonal- acharya camp and joins the Guru Reformers’ camp at the North American GBC meeting in Dallas, Texas, where he is elected chairman.
c. January/February 1987: Guru reformers meet at Towaco, New Jersey ISKCON and hammer out the details to present to the GBC at Mayapur. The Radical Reformers, led by Rochan, Bahudak, and supported by Kailasa-Chandra, want all disciple initiations by the zonal acharyas to be declared null and void and start from scratch, as if Prabhupada had just passed away. They are, however, outnumbered and defeated by the Moderate Reformers, led by Ravindra-Svarupa, who compromise with the zonal acharyas in an attempt to avoid a schism in ISKCON. The Radical Reformers are later shunned by ISKCON.
February/March, 1987: Stringent guru reforms are enacted at the annual GBC meeting in Mayapur. The Zonal Acharya era of ISKCON officially ends. Kirtanananda Swami and Panchadravida Swami are expelled from ISKCON. The resignations of Satsvarupa and Bhagavan are accepted by GBC. Bhavananda, Bhagavan and Ramesvara are suspended as ISKCON gurus. Ravindra-Svarupa elected to GBC.
November 13, 1987: Jayatirtha Swami is decapitated on his 39th birthday in London by a disciple who was known as “a man on the edge with a fanatical and unpredictable streak, who proclaimed himself to be the topmost disciple.”
August 12, 1988: B. R. Sridhara Swami passes in Navadvipa. His disciples note, “His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti-Raksaka Sridhara-Deva Goswami Maharaja departed from this world, to enter into his eternal pastimes. His departure did not herald the departure of one of the great stars of the Sri Gaudiya-Vaishnava firmament, but that of the moon itself. Even the Earth herself trembled on two occasions, forecasting and punctuating the event. A divine temple, ‘The Temple of Union in Separation,’ was erected at his holy shrine at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Navadvipa, and worship will continue throughout the generations.”
December 1989: Nityananda dasa and the editors of Vedic Village Review issue a “Challenge Horse” to ISKCON and challenge them to refute the Posthumous Ritvik System.
January 7, 1990: North American GBC meeting in San Diego during which Rupa-Vilasa, Karnamrta and Nityananda participate in over four hours of debate and discussion about the Posthumous Ritvik System of initiations.
Gaura-Purnima, 1990: ISKCON Journal, No. 1 is published. Every single article attempts to refute the Posthumous Ritvik System.
April 18, 1996: Kirtanananda Swami pleads guilty to one count of mail fraud. He serves eight years in federal penitentiaries in Missouri, Oklahoma and North Carolina.
October 1996: Krishnakant Desai submits a paper titled, “The Final Order,” to a select committee of ISKCON GBC members in which he “raises important theological questions concerning spiritual authority and its transmission, the relationship of the disciple and Krishna’s representative, the guru, and the proper objects of devotional worship.” His paper becomes a rallying point for those who advocate the Posthumous Ritvik System.
Summer 1998: Harikesh Swami collapses due to stress, and soon after resigns from all ISKCON duties. He resumes the jazz/rock musical career that he abandoned when he joined ISKCON nearly thirty years earlier.
March 1999: GBC offers apology to Pradyumna dasa for disregarding his warning about the Zonal Acharya System and pressuring him to leave the Society twenty years earlier.
March 2002: GBC announces that B. V. Sridhara Maharaja is not to be blamed for the zonal acharya fiasco. Tamal-Krishna Goswami dies in a car crash at Phuliya in West Bengal, India. He had been working on his doctorate in religion at Cambridge University.
2002: Satsvarupa dasa Goswami suffers a physical and emotional collapse from chronic migraine headaches and agrees to cease initiating disciples. Soon after he is discovered having a romantic relationship with a female disciple.
June 16, 2004: Kirtanananda Swami is released from prison and goes to live with his few remaining American disciples at his Interfaith Sanctuary in New York City.
March 7, 2008: Kirtanananda Swami moves permanently to India, where he is greeted by hundreds of adoring disciples and thousands of followers, who still regard him as Jagad- Guru.
October 2008: Jayapataka is incapacitated with severe brain hemorrhage resulting in permanent disabilities.
October 24, 2011: Kirtanananda Swami dies in India from kidney failure.
July 2019: Henry Doktorski’s second book about the Hare Krishnas, Eleven Naked Emperors: The Crisis of Succession in the Hare Krishna Movement (1977-1987), is published.
From His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
From the 1972 edition of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is
SRILA PRABHUPADA IS OUR LEADER, THE HOLY NAME IS OUR MAIN WEAPON AND THE ORIGINAL BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS, IS OUR WAR PLAN!
Counter Punch!!
Chapter 16: The Divine and Demoniac Natures
TEXTS 1-3
sri-bhagavan uvaca
abhayam sattva-samsuddhir
jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih
danam damas ca yajnas ca
svadhyayas tapa arjavam
ahimsa satyam akrodhas
tyagah santir apaisunam
daya bhutesv aloluptvam
mardavam hrir acapalam
tejah ksama dhrtih saucam
adroho nati-manita
bhavanti sampadam daivim
abhijatasya bharata
SYNONYMS
sri bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; abhayam—fearlessness; sattva-samsuddhih—purification of one’s existence; jnana—knowledge; yoga—of linking up; vyavasthitih—the situation; danam—charity; damah ca—and controlling the mind; yajnah ca—and performance of sacrifice; svadhyayah—study of Vedic literature; tapah—austerity; arjavam—simplicity; ahimsa—nonviolence; satyam—truthfulness; akrodhah—freedom from anger; tyagah—renunciation; santih—tranquility; apaisunam—aversion to faultfinding; daya—mercy; bhutesu—towards all living entities; aloluptvam—freedom from greed; mardavam—gentleness; hrih—modesty; acapalam—determination; tejah—vigor ; ksama—forgiveness; dhrtih—fortitude; saucam—cleanliness; adrohah—freedom from envy; na—not; atimanita—expectation of honor; bhavanti—become; sampadam—qualities; daivim—transcendental; abhijatasya—one who is born of; bharata—O son of Bharata.
TRANSLATION
The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion for honor-these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
PURPORT
In the beginning of the Fifteenth Chapter, the banyan tree of this material world was explained. The extra roots coming out of it were compared to the activities of the living entities, some auspicious, some inauspicious. In the Ninth Chapter, also, the devas, or godly, and the asuras, the ungodly, or demons, were explained. Now, according to Vedic rites, activities in the mode of goodness are considered auspicious for progress on the path of liberation, and such activities are known as deva prakrti, transcendental by nature. Those who are situated in the transcendental nature make progress on the path of liberation. For those who are acting in the modes of passion and ignorance, on the other hand, there is no possibility of liberation. Either they will have to remain in this material world as human beings, or they will descend among the species of animals or even lower life forms. In this Sixteenth Chapter the Lord explains both the transcendental nature and its attendant qualities, as well as the demoniac nature and its qualities. He also explains the advantages and disadvantages of these qualities.
The word abhijatasya in reference to one born of transcendental qualities or godly tendencies is very significant. To beget a child in a godly atmosphere is known in the Vedic scriptures as Garbhadhana-samskara. If the parents want a child in the godly qualities they should follow the ten principles of the human being. In Bhagavad-gita we have studied also before that sex life for begetting a good child is Krsna Himself. Sex life is not condemned provided the process is used in Krsna consciousness. Those who are in Krsna consciousness at least should not beget children like cats and dogs but should beget them so they may become Krsna conscious after birth. That should be the advantage of children born of a father or mother absorbed in Krsna consciousness.
The social institution known as varnasrama-dharma-the institution dividing society into four divisions or castes-is not meant to divide human society according to birth. Such divisions are in terms of educational qualifications. They are to keep the society in a state of peace and prosperity. The qualities mentioned herein are explained as transcendental qualities meant for making a person progress in spiritual understanding so he can get liberated from the material world. In the varnasrama institution the sannyasi, or the person in the renounced order of life, is considered to be the head or the spiritual master of all the social statuses and orders. A brahmana is considered to be the spiritual master of the three other sections of a society, namely, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, but a sannyasi, who is on the top of the institution, is considered to be the spiritual master of the brahmanas also. For a sannyasi, the first qualification should be fearlessness. Because a sannyasi has to be alone without any support or guarantee of support, he has simply to depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he thinks, “After leaving my connections, who will protect me?” he should not accept the renounced order of life. One must be fully convinced that Krsna or the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized aspect as Paramatma is always within, that He is seeing everything and He always knows what one intends to do. One must thus have firm conviction that Krsna as Paramatma will take care of a soul surrendered to Him. “I shall never be alone,” one should think. “Even if I live in the darkest regions of a forest I shall be accompanied by Krsna, and He will give me all protection.” That conviction is called abhayam, without fear. This state of mind is necessary for a person in the renounced order of life. Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many rules and regulations to be followed in the renounced order of life. Most important of all, a sannyasi is strictly forbidden to have any intimate relationship with a woman. He is even forbidden to talk with a woman in a secluded place. Lord Caitanya was an ideal sannyasi, and when He was at Puri His feminine devotees could not even come near to offer their respects. They were advised to bow down from a distant place. This is not a sign of hatred for women as a class, but it is a stricture imposed on the sannyasi not to have close connections with women. One has to follow the rules and regulations of a particular status of life in order to purify his existence. For a sannyasi, intimate relations with women and possessions of wealth for sense gratification are strictly forbidden. The ideal sannyasi was Lord Caitanya Himself, and we can learn from His life that He was very strict in regards to women. Although He is considered to be the most liberal incarnation of Godhead, accepting the most fallen conditioned souls, He strictly followed the rules and regulations of the sannyasa order of the life in connection with association with woman. One of His personal associates, namely Chota Haridasa, was personally associated with Lord Caitanya, along with His other confidential personal associates, but somehow or other this Chota Haridasa looked lustily on a young woman, and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He at once rejected him from the society of His personal associates. Lord Caitanya said, “For a sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature and go back to home, back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material possessions and women for sense gratification-not even enjoying them, but just looking toward them with such a propensity-is so condemned that he had better commit suicide before experiencing such illicit desires.” So these are the processes for purification.
The next item is jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih: being engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. Sannyasi life is meant for distributing knowledge to the householders and others who have forgotten their real life of spiritual advancement. A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door for his livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a beggar. Humility is also one of the qualifications of a transcendentally situated person, and out of sheer humility the sannyasi goes from door to door, not exactly for the purpose of begging, but to see the householders and awaken them to Krsna consciousness. This is the duty of a sannyasi. If he is actually advanced and so ordered by his spiritual master, he should preach Krsna with logic and understanding, and if he is not so advanced he should not accept the renounced order of life. But even if he has accepted the renounced order of life without sufficient knowledge, he should engage himself fully in hearing from a bona fide spiritual master to cultivate knowledge. A sannyasi or one in the renounced order of life must be situated in fearlessness, sattva-samsuddhih (purity) and jnana-yoga (knowledge).
The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the householders. The householders should earn a livelihood by an honorable means and spend fifty percent of their income to propagate Krsna consciousness all over the world. Thus a householder should give in charity to such institutional societies that are engaged in that way. Charity should be given to the right receiver. There are different kinds of charities, as will be explained later on, charity in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Charity in the mode of goodness is recommended by the scriptures, but charity in the modes of passion and ignorance is not recommended because it is simply a waste of money. Charity should be given only to propagate Krsna consciousness all over the world. That is charity in the mode of goodness.
Then as far as damah (self-control) is concerned, it is not only meant for other orders of religious society, but it is especially meant for the householder. Although he has a wife, a householder should not use his senses for sex life unnecessarily. There are restrictions for the householders even in sex life, which should only be engaged in for the propagation of children. If he does not require children, he should not enjoy sex life with his wife. Modern society enjoys sex life with contraceptive methods or more abominable methods to avoid the responsibility of children. This is not in the transcendental quality but is demoniac. If anyone, even if he is a householder, wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must control his sex life and should not beget a child without the purpose of serving Krsna. If he is able to beget children who will be in Krsna consciousness, one can produce hundreds of children, but without this capacity one should not indulge only for sense pleasure.
Sacrifice is another item to be performed by the householders because sacrifices require a large amount of money. Other orders of life, namely the brahmacarya, the vanaprastha and sannyasa, have no money; they live by begging. So performance of different types of sacrifice is meant for the householder. They should perform agni-hotra sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature, but such sacrifices at the present moment are very expensive, and it is not possible for any householder to perform them. The best sacrifice recommended in this age is called sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the best and most inexpensive sacrifice; everyone can adopt it and derive benefit. So these three items, namely charity, sense control and performance of sacrifice, are meant for the householder.
Then svadhyayah, Vedic study, and tapas, austerity, and arjavam, gentleness or simplicity, are meant for the brahmacarya or student life. Brahmacaris should have no connection with women; they should live a life of celibacy and engage the mind in the study of Vedic literature for cultivation of spiritual knowledge. This is called svadhyayah. Tapas or austerity is especially meant for the retired life. One should not remain a householder throughout his whole life; he must always remember that there are four divisions of life, brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. So after grhastha, householder life, one should retire. If one lives for a hundred years, he should spend twenty-five years in student life, twenty-five in householder life, twenty-five in retired life and twenty-five in the renounced order of life. These are the regulations of the Vedic religious discipline. A man retired from household life must practice austerities of the body, mind and tongue. That is tapasya. The entire varnasrama-dharma society is meant for tapasya. Without tapasya or austerity no human being can get liberation. The theory that there is no need of austerity in life, that one can go on speculating and everything will be nice, is neither recommended in the Vedic literature nor in Bhagavad-gita. Such theories are manufactured by showbottle spiritualists who are trying to gather more followers. If there are restrictions, rules and regulations, people will not become attracted. Therefore those who want followers in the name of religion, just to have a show only, don’t restrict the lives of their students nor their own lives. But that method is not approved by the Vedas.
As far as simplicity is concerned, not only should a particular order of life follow this principle, but every member, be he in the brahmacarya-asrama, or grhastha-asrama or vanaprastha-asrama. One must live very simply.
Ahimsa means not arresting the progressive life of any living entity. One should not think that since the spirit spark is never killed even after the killing of the body there is no harm in killing animals for sense gratification. People are now addicted to eating animals, in spite of having an ample supply of grains, fruits and milk. There is no necessity for animal killing. This injunction is for everyone. When there is no other alternative, one may kill an animal, but it should be offered in sacrifice. At any rate, when there is an ample food supply for humanity, persons who are desiring to make advancement in spiritual realization should not commit violence to animals. Real ahimsa means not checking anyone’s progressive life. The animals are also making progress in their evolutionary life by transmigrating from one category of animal life to another. If a particular animal is killed, then his progress is checked. If an animal is staying in a particular body for so many days or so many years and is untimely killed, then he has to come back again in that form of life to complete the remaining days in order to be promoted to another species of life. So their progress should not be checked simply to satisfy one’s palate. This is called ahimsa.
Satyam. This word means that one should not distort the truth for some personal interest. In Vedic literature there are some difficult passages, but the meaning or the purpose should be learned from a bona fide spiritual master. That is the process for understanding Vedas. Sruti means that one should hear from the authority. One should not construe some interpretation for his personal interest. There are so many commentaries on Bhagavad-gita that misinterpret the original text. The real import of the word should be presented, and that should be learned from a bona fide spiritual master.
Akrodhah means to check anger. Even if there is provocation one should be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his whole body becomes polluted. Anger is the product of the modes of passion and lust, so one who is transcendentally situated should check himself from anger. Apaisunam means that one should not find fault with others or correct them unnecessarily. Of course to call a thief a thief is not faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much offensive for one who is making advancement in spiritual life. Hrih means that one should be very modest and must not perform some act which is abominable. Acapalam, determination, means that one should not be agitated or frustrated in some attempt. There may be failure in some attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should make progress with patience and determination. The word tejah used here is meant for the ksatriyas. The ksatriyas should always be very strong to be able to give protection to the weak. They should not pose themselves as nonviolent. If violence is required, they must exhibit it.
Saucam means cleanliness, not only in mind and body but in one’s dealings also. It is especially meant for the mercantile people, who should not deal in the black market. Natimanita, not expecting honor, applies to the sudras, the worker class, which are considered, according to Vedic injunctions, to be the lowest of the four classes. They should not be puffed up with unnecessary prestige or honor and should remain in their own status. It is the duty of the sudras to offer respect to the higher class for the upkeep of the social order.
All these sixteen qualifications mentioned are transcendental qualities. They should be cultivated according to the different statuses of the social order. The purport is that even though material conditions are miserable, if these qualities are developed by practice, by all classes of men, then gradually it is possible to rise to the highest platform of transcendental realization.
When I joined ISKCON in 1982, shortly after the downfall of Jayathirtha which was kept secret until I accidentally found out about it 2 years later, Srila Prabhupada was the focal point of everyone and everything. New devotees were joining and the temple atmosphere was joyful. Several months later Bhagavan came on as the new GBC. The mood in the temple quickly changed to one of apprehension and fear. Preaching became focused on devotees vs. non-devotees and the need to increase revenue (laksmi). While the temple was seemingly in unending debt Bhagavan held lavish receptions and lunches for his guests while surrendered devotees lived in near-total poverty. I had to raise donations for my basic needs such as toothpaste, clothing and champals.
Bhagavan was soon joined by Giriraj as co-GBC. My perception of this duo was that Bhagavan was a king-like alpha-male and Giriraj his effeminate subserviant companion. Within a short time I rejected Bhagavan as guru but made the mistake of giving benefit of doubt to Giriraj. Working under him, I found him to be an insidious bully with a marked intolerance for married men. He administered the ‘coup-de-grace’ to any male devotee he ex-communicated by publishing an announcement in the national press with a photo of the devotee and a warning against him. When I eventually mustered the courage to confront him about his treatment of devotees, in a single accusatory breath he replied “You people only join ISKCON to take advantage of material facilities. Srila Prabhupada wanted his temples to be for his (initiated) disciples and only for sannyais and brahmacharis”. He then ordered me and my wife to leave ISKCON.
His retort confirmed everything I had perceived in him, his contempt for his subordinates, his pride of being sannyasi (but we found on his bed a photo of himself dressed as a woman and he keeps an American Express Gold card with $1 million worth of credit from his late father). By attacking me as he did, he revealed the humility for which he was famed was nothing but a carefully nurtured public persona. He also revealed he entertained a sense of hereditary entitlement to ISKCON and was willing to defend his ecclesiastic position by attacking a honest subordinate devotee who had presented him with legitimate concerns.
For two years, knowing that Bhagavan was, in South Africa, having an affair with the wife of one of their godbrothers, he remained silent and allowed Bhagavan to initiate young devotees. When Bhagavan eventually eloped with the woman and abandoned his disciples, he strongly defended Bhagavan as having “done more service than Lord Brahma” and as having been one of the best leaders of ISKCON. He was also quick to replace Bhagavan as guru to secure a power base for himself.
Tired of the hypochrisy and power games I had witnessed I eventually left ISKCON in 1990, preferring to live a ‘normal’ life than that of a pretend vaisnava. To me, the fact that in September 1978 Giriraj wrote against the zonal acharyas but then joined them, defended them and to this day enjoys the system they created is in itself powerful testament of the toxic and corrupting legacy of the zonal Golden Boys Club.
In my view, the only way to remedy to this is to honestly and vigorously preach what is real guru, but I am not holding my breath for this.