Elevated to the Altars, Part Two
BY: ANIRUDDHA DAS
Feb 22, GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA (SUN) — The "Fatal Attraction" affair between Hridayananda and his attractive looking Brazilian disciple Devamrita began in Brazil. When local devotees in leading positions saw this disgraceful relationship, they began to make private comments between themselves. I remember hearing that Mahavir, the pioneer who opened the Brazilian yatra, was pretty annoyed upon seeing this awkward liaison. But I remind you that in the first ten years of the reign of the "Eleven suddenly risen pure devotees," the GBC members —after implementing their first fiasco of appointing them as "acaryas"— literally forced devotees worldwide to worship them on the same level as Srila Prabhupada, to honor them "as good as Krishna".
Within the institution nobody could dare to question or denounce any of the "maha-bhagavatas" activities, because magically, matter-of-factly, they were one hundred per cent transcendental. Why? The Great Eleven were personally appointed by Srila Prabhupada! Incidentally I also remember Bhagavan saying in 1978 to a throng of devotees gathered outside a pilgrimage place in Mayapur: "Srila Prabhupada created eleven pure devotees. But he wants more: You must be very sincere and make the strenuous effort required to become one of them".
Of course, since the very beginning of the above-mentioned GBC's maha-aparadha, there have always been mentally sound and morally upright devotees —men of integrity— who refusing to give up their internal voices as well as their understanding of Krishna consciousness, have dared to question the bizarre deviations and also pinpoint, one after another, the Guinness record-breaking list of nonsense committed by ISKCON's "ultimate managing authority". Even though these brave, honest Prabhus all along have supported their complaints not only with logic and reason, but adding to their analysis the monumental weight of sastra and the irrefutable proof of hard facts, still they were unable to break thorough the thick and tall wall of irrationalism the GBC has kept building ever since. For the sin of voicing their objections and concerns, they were either kicked out of Srila Prabhupada's movement or, unable to cope anymore with the all the nonsense, voluntary chose to leave Srila Prabhupada's movement altogether.
Anyway, let's get back to Hridayananda. When he realized the climate was becoming tense in Brazil, he moved to Miami to avoid having the "neophyte devotees minds get disturbed," but mainly to keep his intimate relationship going with Devamrita. After all, his old-time fan Bir Krishna Goswami had cleared the way for him after politically maneuvering to get rid of Balavanta as GBC of Florida. So Hridayananda then established his headquarters in a new property in Miami Beach, which he named "Govinda's Vaikuntha Building".
Unblushingly, Hridayananda imposed on all the devotees his affair with Devamrita. But soon many devotees from all corners of the continent kept moving to the Miami Beach temple, and they also noticed the scandalous relationship between these two inamoratos. To tell the truth, all devotees, male and female, witnessed the affair, but the majority chose to turn a blind eye to it. Just the straightforward or well-wishing like me, stepped over the line and challenged (of course, bowing humbly the head, because the man is so angry and volatile, he could explode at any objection to his activities).
Just to give you an idea of the degree of denial among general devotees, I will tell you one particular episode. In Brazil, a group of senior devotees (Advaita, Isvara, Harinamananda and Param Gati) witnessed an incident that took place inside Hridayananda's little palace in Nova Gokula (the ISKCON farm at Pindamonhangaba, Sao Paolo). For more than an hour, Hridayananda had been alone in the house along with a young, attractive lady devotee who devotionally was doing a maha-clean in the mansion of her so-called "spiritual master". Without announcing themselves, the four devotees entered the residence to greet him, but they froze when they noticed a most unusual scene: the young lady was standing barefoot on top of a stool, and on the tips of her toes was making an effort to reach with her hands the upper part of the windows in the living room, carefully and with difficulty wiping and shining them. She was also exposing the stretched lower part of her torso (she was wearing a sari and choli) and showing one of her hairless armpits. Hridayananda was barely one meter away from her, seated and moving back and forth on his rocking chair, all the way staring intently at the woman's form while talking to her in Portuguese. Because Hridayananda was backwards, he immediately turned around the moment he heard the devotees, and then nervously cut a joke and began a casual conversation with them. I do not mention the name of the lady out of respect for her. But the truth is that for at least three of the four devotees, it was very obvious that Hridayananda was sexually aroused.
Because everyone was shocked, the conversation didn't last long. Once outside, Harinamananda approached Param Gati and privately asked him: "Did you see what I saw!?" Param Gati then answered cowardly: "I have not seeing nothing. I don't know nothing. And don't ask me nothing".
Of course it is not a major sin for a sannyasi to get sexually agitated insofar he hasn't purposely provoked such material driving. If his mind dirtily brings about such a feeling, he must run away to avoid the temptation! But in this particular case, Hridayananda —as always, having his own ways, enforcing his whims— deliberate and consciously chose to remain alone in the company of a woman. Not once, but many times afterwards, and still today. That's a capital sin for a so-called sannyasi!
So, you have a consistent and recurring pattern of lascivious conduct from this personality. As I wrote last year:
"Sastra declares that a devotee may recover from an "accidental falldown," provided he takes immediate and decisive measures to rectify his mistake and atone for his sin. The Gita says: "He quickly becomes righteous." But this is a far cry from a so-called spiritualist who repeatedly, habitually commits the same sinful activity. Guru, sastra and sastra never condone such a rascal." Of course, the Master of all masters, the Sampradaya Acharya, Srila Praphupada writes: "A sannyasi is restricted from even hearing a woman's name, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu conducted Himself very strictly in His vow. (Purport to Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 12.59) One should not even think of women or look at them, to say nothing of talking with them. This is called first-class brahmacarya. (Purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.3) And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, declared: "I am a sannyasi," He said, "and I certainly consider Myself renounced. But what to speak of seeing a woman, if I even hear the name of a woman, I feel changes in My mind and body. Therefore who could remain unmoved by the sight of a woman? It is very difficult."
Now let's read what "Krishna das," wrote in his article, entitled "Nourished By Loving Exchange". He is referring to Rocana Prabhu:
"Your actions in this "field of endeavor" do not represent the six loving exchanges cultivated by aspiring Vaisnavas under the guidance of Srila Rupa Goswami. When devotees discover a problem between themselves and another Vaisnava – born out of general or specific misrepresentation of pure Krsna Consciousness – we are advised to humbly and sincerely approach each other "in confidence" and reveal our concerns to each other with a sincere desire to ameliorate the situation with reciprocal give and take that leads to improvement in all ways, for all parties involved.
Srila Prabhupada states in Nectar of Instruction in his purport to Text 6:
"The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees. This Society was started single-handedly, but because people are coming forward and dealing with the give-and-take policy, the Society is now expanding all over the world."
This is our method of approach to resolving all problems amongst devotees. Your scattershot approach has never done anything more than place huge quantities of essentially useless chatter in the public domain. Your method only introduces dilemma but it offers no lasting and tangible resolution to any of the real or imagined problems you consistently insist exist and need addressing. It is completely divorced from real human exchange and interaction; the kind that we all know is how real problems are actually solved.
What is pressing to you – is not too pressing for countless others. In fact, correctly or incorrectly, most have embraced the simple present day reality in these matters since the "reform" of 1986 which you claim to have worked so hard to establish: the freedom to voluntarily choose which devotee(s) they will take inspiration from and serve with heart and soul under the wonderful guidelines of Srila Rupa Goswami's "Six Loving Exchanges".
…I affirm that it is precisely because this entire method of yours is so divorced from the six loving exchanges emphasized by Srila Rupa Goswami – that nothing good ever results from all this expenditure of your time. The real world works differently. Genuine effort, reflective of genuine concern and personal and reciprocal exchange of ideas and service are the only means by which real differences are ever truly worked out.
This might surprise you but many devotees also view the cautious counsel given us by Srila Prabhupada in the 6th Verse of Upadesamrta as being vital to one's spiritual health in Krsna Consciousness. …"
What a pharisaical word jugglery!
Once again, I'm ready to repeat this history in front of Srila Prabhupada and in front of the Deities. When the "Fatal Attraction" affair was at its peak in Miami Beach, Ravanari, Maha-kala, me and two other devotees conferred and exchanged views as to what was the best course of action to persuade Hridayananda to terminate his illicit liaison with Devamrita. We were genuinely worried. I personally had told him more than once that this "association" could ruin his name and eventually send to the garbage can his translation of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. But he didn't heed my good advice.
Finally we took the decision that both Ravanari and Maha-kala, the senior-most members of the group, would ask for a private appointment with Hridayananda, and putting into practice the loving exchange of "confidentially revealing the mind", would personally and privately tell him, with all good manners and kindness, how inappropriate was his courting Devamrita. But guess what!… As soon as a very humble and well-meaning Ravanari started to make his delivery, Hridayananda stop him cold and full of arrogance exclaimed: "I would never allow a subordinate like you dare to tell what to do!!!" When Maha-kala, who is the personification of composure and meekness, tried to mediate, he received the same dose of humiliation. Hridayananda is so overbearing, so vain and impudent, he couldn't take the fine love his God-brothers were offering him.
I must add that by no means was this the only occasion when Godbrothers lovingly, respectfully approached Hridayananda and pleaded with him to come to his senses and sever once and for all his immoral relationship with Devamrita. But I purposely withhold their names for confidentiality reasons.
Of course, in this history there are also the little prabhus who saw Hridayananda's entanglement as "divine". Jaya bogus bhakta vrinda! There was a close circle of followers composed of both disciples and Godbrothers (and a couple of Godsisters), who unable to discriminate, unable to aptly apply the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and the injunctions of the sastra, actually glorified such an aberration. They would tell me: "Prabhu, Acharyadeva is above sex life!" "Acharyadeva and Devamrita are eternal associates who have met together again in order to perform their eternal pastimes." And yeap, there was the stupid, absurd line like Bhakti Caru's—the favorite of blind followers: "Devamrita is a demigoddess who came down to Earth to assist Srila Acharyadeva for accomplishing his preaching mission". What crap!
Finally, yesterday I forgot to add to Tamal Krishna's lack of substantive Krishna consciousness and list of grave wrongdoings, the ominous but well substantiated charge of being the main figure behind the conspiracy of murdering Srila Prabhupada by poison. Unless the GBC stop to sabotage all attempts made by truth-seeking God-brothers and God-sisters to initiate in Indian courts a class action against all the suspects, Tamal Krishna would remain forever as the culprit of committing the most horrible, heinous crime in the history of man. As the Spanish saying goes, "el que calla, otorga" -- 'He who keeps quiet, grants/consents'.
