The Costa Rica Issue
BY: YADU DAS
Jan 25, INDIA (SUN) —
Part 2 - Answer to Nrisimhananda’s Letter
Dear readers: The following article was published in Costa Rica, in the website managed by Guru Prasada Swami’s followers. It is the perfect answer to Nrisimhananda Prabhu, who requested:
“I am hardly alone in calling for a rapid, full disclosure of these matters. Right now, based on the information in this letter [“Guru Prasad Swami’s Testament”], it is easy to conclude that the Iskcon authorities have erred, but they haven't spoken. So godbrothers/sisters like myself want to hear”. Maharaja's?!?!”
In this article everything is clear, and I request the readers to read it very carefully, for it was very carefully prepared. They have put in it time and intelligence, and I humbly present it to all of you.
The name of the writers is not published, but there is no doubt that it is an official statement from Guru Prasad Swami’s side.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
Yadu Das
-o-
ISKCON-Costa Rica Official Website
The Problem in Costa Rica
The Official History - ISKCON-Costa Rica
This website is a temporary meeting point for whoever is interested in the development of Krishna Consciousness in Costa Rica. In the near future we will move to our official website which is currently in the process of being designed.
As you will notice, we are trying to provide the best information so anyone interested in this issue can have the option to choose between any of the two versions circulating about the situation of our institution in Costa Rica, and thus facilitating the reader to reach his/her own conclusion.
Of course all histories have so many details which can be explained or not according to the particular circumstances. We think it would be a great help to start writing a brief historical account to inform the general public -trough this far-reaching medium: the web- and at the same time create an open space for anyone who sincerely and “politely” asks for more information to clarify any hazy point.
BRIEF HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION
Finca de Cartago, ISKCON - COSTA RICA
Around 1987, Sri Padambuja Prabhu, known at that time as Bhakty Abhay Caran Swami, received the Cartago farm as a donation from Srimati Radha Govinda dd for the purpose of establishing a Krishna Conscious community based on ISKCON’s principles as they used to be taught by Srila Prabhupada.
During the years Sri Padambuja worked as spiritual leader and director of the community, many spiritual programs took place and many people got involved in spiritual practices, and about 40 persons moved to live at the farm.
In 1994 murtis of Nitay-Gaurasundara were acquired and installed, and for a long time They were properly taken care of, and They showered blessings that generated a true enthusiasm among the members of the community for several years.
Around 1997 begins the critical period for our community. Based upon a psychological approach of our philosophy, philosophical deviations began to take place and these deviations gradually clouded the devotional approach that Srila Prabhupada taught us.
This new philosophical approach began to undermine the trust and faith in the managerial authorities of ISKCON (GBC), paving the way to a gradual collective loss of trust in our institution and its leaders. This in turn brought about the fall down of the spiritual standard of the sannyasi (the community’s spiritual leader) and of the majority of its members.
From 1999, year of the fall down of the sannyasi (the local leader), to this very day different unfortunate situations tarnished the former enthusiastic and spiritual environment, and finally ended in disintegration, chaos and anarchy.
A summary of some of the events that took place before this unfortunate outcome, and its results, is given herein:
- A totalitarian environment
- An underlying consciousness of doubting the GBC
- An attempt is made to chase away the farm’s fauna, throwing stones at them for considering them noisy and annoying to the leader.
- The seed of mistrust to the GBC is sown.
- The cows were handed to karmis who killed them
- The forest was burnt irresponsibly
- They allowed a whole karmi community of squatters to construct houses at the far end of the farm, all with their respective electricity meters.
- They are accepting as leaders and advisors persons who, don’t live at the farm, don’t know all the community, and who in some cases have links with other Vaisnava groups.
- Failure to pay taxes to the Government by those who were in charge of that service, and who received money for that purpose.
- Negligence in taking care of the Deities, even to the point that nobody would serve as a pujari from a group of 9 brahmanas, of whom about 5 didn’t chant gayatri mantra or the prescribed rounds. Some devotees would go to awaken or put the Deities to rest without taking bath, and other similar faults.
- Increasingly and ultimately constant antagonism against the authorities of our institution (ISKCON) and its members.
- Failure to pay the rent on the part of those who have signed a contract.
- Some members of the community took reinitiation from Sripad Narayan Maharaja.
- A new group of persons who are not members of the institution (independents, reinitiated, etc.), and who are known all over the world in the Vaisnava circles for their dubious and problematic behavior in relation to their loyalty to ISKCON, are the intellectual authors of all this offensive campaign of slander and destruction of our community in Costa Rica.
- Offensive publications, many of them groundless and malicious. Others are only different philosophical disagreements.
- Threats to devotees and GBC leaders.
- A prevailing philosophy of “transforming the farm into a sort of meeting place for different Vaisnava lines”.
- Negative results according to Vastu studies made by several experts from India and other countries, giving evidence for the present and past difficulties in pushing forward the sankirtana mission, which are all due to the evil influences of the place.
- In the last months just before the Deities left the farm, often the pujaris didn’t take bath and didn’t feed Them (according to the impression from other members of the community).
- Unauthorized rental of a portion of the farm to people outside the community, without giving the usufruct to the authorities of the institution.
- Drug and alcohol consumption by persons permitted to live in the community.
- The Deities left the temple because They weren’t properly served, and due to constant offenses against the Vaisnavas, insults to the GBC’s and senior devotees in the sacred areas, such as the pujari room, the Temple room, etc.
- Srila Prabhupada (in his Deity form) also left the community.
- Total refusal to follow any ISKCON official authority.
For the sake of the organic development of these families and for the harmonious integration between them and the institutional policies of Srila Prabhupada, and with a profound desire of walking and growing together as a community which values differences, trying to achieve unity in diversity, but at the same time without compromising the principles established by Srila Prabhupada, practical solutions have been offered by the authorities of our institution.
Different devotees from all over the world have visited the Costa Rica yatra offering their help for implementing dynamic and feasible projects, but none of their ideas were accepted by the occupants of the farm. Land as well as agricultural community projects were offered for helping the two or three families who always acted in an antagonistic manner towards the authorities of the institution. In order to help them, plots of land were offered to them; nonetheless they declare that they will only accept to have the whole property in their names, and never in the name of ISKCON.
Of the occupants of the farm, a 70% have no guru, a 10% don’t obey their guru, and the remaining 20% are reinitiated by Sripad Narayan Maharaja; therefore the GBC consider that these persons are not representatives of our religious institution, and that they are not qualified for pushing forward the preaching programs according to the standards established by Srila Prabhupada and his GBC.
NOTE: Any disciple of other acharya may live in our community provided he or she can accept Srila Prabhupada as the acharya, the ultimate authority, and the leaders of his institution (ISKCON).
Because they don’t cultivate the land of the institution, nor they allow the institution to cultivate it, the decision was taken that these people should leave the place to clear the way for the strategic plans of Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
Due to the slowness of the judiciary system of the Republic of Costa Rica, these people are temporarily staying at the farm as squatters (“precaristas”), occupying a land belonging to the institution without permission, but the lawsuits are going on and eventually the true owners, Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON, will again take possession of it.
As a consequence of these inauspicious activities in a place which once upon a time was a sacred Dham, and due to the almost nil functionality and practicality to develop a community that will show to the world the Vaisnava values, and also for the reason of not facilitating the preaching mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the authorities of ISKCON-Costa Rica (GBC members) have contemplated a change in the administrative strategy to infuse more dynamism to the preaching mission in a healthy, safe, and transparent environment, by opening a new preaching center (Temple) and by acquiring a new farm that in all fronts will exhibit more auspiciousness than the current one, and in this way be able to begin to implement one of the most cherished desires of our Founder-Acharya, which is the establishment of God conscious rural communities all over the world.
Please take note that this paper is only for the purpose of making an “official” brief historical description about the general situation of ISKCON-Costa Rica. Our intention is to give to all interested persons the opportunity to know the real position of our institution in this country, by hearing directly from the lips of our spokesmen authorized by our GBC. It is not our desire to attack anybody or to defend ourselves from anyone, but only to give the interested reader a chance to know the other version -the official one- of the events, because for so many months we have avoided to talk or answer letters of highly offensive content, since our intention is not to discuss in a non-devotional and aggressive platform, as the one adopted by some devotees antagonistic to the working plan of our leaders.
On the other hand, it does exist a group of enthusiastic and sincere devotees in Costa Rica who are attuned to the principles of ISKCON and have opened a center in San Jose (the Capital City), wherein the Deities offer Their darshana daily, and who are doing their best to carry on the sankirtana movement.
We wish with great affection that all persons interested in Krishna consciousness in Costa Rica access our website to share with us the darshana of the most beautiful Sri Sri Nitay Gaurasundar, and get information about our humble programs which the sincere devotees of this yatra are endeavoring for and trying to establish for the propagation of the Bhakti Cult in this country.
Thanks for your interest.
ISKCON-Costa Rica
-o-
A few notes from Yadu for the readers of the Sampradaya Sun and other forums:
1. This is an official statement from Guru Prasad Swami’s side. Of this there is no doubt, although no individual devotee has sign it.
2. It is said: “It is not our desire to attack anybody or to defend ourselves from anyone” . For this reason no direct answer is given to such objections as the one raised by “Guru Prasad Swami’s Testament” .
3. The paper is not a defense of Guru Prasad Swami’s behavior but a series of accusations of what has gone wrong in Costa Rica, and in that sense it is an indirect answer, and a justification.
4. It focuses on two main points: offensive attitude and disloyalty to the GBC. For this reason I have considered it a “perfect answer” to Nrisimhananda’s letter.
5. At least it is perfect enough to continue with the discussion about Costa Rica.
A further analysis will be presented soon, under the title: “The Legitimacy of the Hare Krishna Movement in Costa Rica”. Please keep in touch.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
Yadu das
