The 'Kirtaniya' Infestation in ISKCON, Part Two
BY: SUN EDITORS
Mar 02, 2013 — CANADA (SUN) —
We have been surprised by the volume of email received in support of Part One of this article series. Devotees from all quarters have been in touch, from senior leaders and Prabhupada disciples to 2nd Generation devotees. All agree that this 'Kirtaniya' Infestation is a serious problem, although not surprisingly, there is broad opinion as to how we should define the standards that should be kept.
There are quite a number of points we would like to make on this subject, and expect that it will take several more segments to complete the commentary. We would next like to offer a general survey of the 'Kirtaniya' Landscape. We repeatedly put this word 'kirtaniya' in quotes to differentiate the so-called (bogus) 'kirtaniyas' from the bona fide ones, who should not be painted with the same brush.
Today we will mention some of the main kirtan/bhajan bands and personalities, looking at the degrees of separation between them and the ISKCON family, and identifying some of those who have no connection to ISKCON at all except for exploiting it as a marketplace. We will begin to show the inter-relationships between these individuals and groups, and how bad association results in the ISKCON body being contaminated by mayavadism, sahajiyaism, demigod worship, New Age-ism, etc.
In the August 2012 article by Caritra-varnana dasa, "Spiritual Slut" and Company: A Corrupting Influence, the author mentions some of the bigger names in the 'Kirtaniya' Movement, including Krishna Das; Neem Karoli Baba and three of his disciples, Jai Uttal, Ram Dass and Bhagavan Das; two ISKCON Sannyasis - Radhanath and Sacinandana Swamis; and three well known 'kirtaniya' groups - the Mayapuris, Gaura Vani, and As Kindred Spirits. Caritra-varnana dasa also provided a diagram showing the inter-connectedness of these personalities:
His article goes on to provide a great amount of detail on the ways in which the ISKCON body is being corrupted by degenerate, mayavadic and sahajiya influences. Not surprisingly, Radhanath Swami is a central player in the field of contamination -- a hostile parasite infesting the ISKCON body.
Caritra-varnana dasa did an admirable job of documenting the influence coming into ISKCON from the Neem Karoli Baba line, which is categorically outside the ISKCON family. Today's article will concern itself more with the 'kirtaniya' players and ISKCON leaders who bring these influences into our society through a direct channel.
Central to the 'Kirtaniya' Infestation is one of Radhanath's close associates, who Caritra-varnana prabhu describes as the "Punk Monk":
"Gaura Vani, the founder of the kirtan band As Kindred Spirits, regularly performs at yoga studios, ISKCON centers, and ISKCON Ratha-yatras. He is also seen performing at larger venues and festivals—Bhaktifest, Wanderlust, and The Festival of Inspiration—along with Spiritual Slut and company and senior leaders like Radhanatha Swami and Sacinandana Swami. He combines traditional Indian kirtan music with Western elements, such as guitar, gospel choruses, and hip-hop rhythms, on the pretext of introducing Krsna consciousness to Westerners in a more "palatable" form. However, his sahajiya-like performances and watered-down presentations depict a distorted view of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. In his interview with Yoga Mates, he presents Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the predecessor of Gandhi's reform movement. [16]
[Yoga Mates:] Where did you get your name and what does it mean?
[Gaura Vani:] My mother gave me my name. It means literally "the song of the Golden One." My name refers to Gauranga, also called Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose street kirtans were a protest against India's rigid cast system and whose teachings were a predecessor to Gandhi's reform movement."
Gaura Vani's offensive concoction
"But Gaura Vani's worst and most offensive blunder is "Sita and the Hanumen," the name of his group of kirtaniyas. Jahnavi Harrison, the sole female member of the group, is referred to as Sita, and the three male members—Benjy Wertheimer, John de Kadt, and Gaura Vani—are the "Hanumen." Sitadevi, an eternal goddess of fortune and an eternal consort of Lord Rama, is always presented as such by learned persons. Yet Gaura Vani has the audacity to concoct a perverted conception of Sita in association with a group of three (Hanu)men. This is, of course, offensive, not only to Sitadevi but also to Hanuman."
Jahnavi Harrison, recently mentioned in the Sun article, "Problems with London Yatra Harinam?", is the daughter of Bhaktivedanta Manor's resident priest, Kripamoya das. She described her close relationship with Gaura Vani in a recent article on Kirtan in London, published on Dandavats.com. Having been on tour with Gaura Vani for five years, she was stopped by U.S. immigration officials while trying to enter for a kirtan tour, was deported and banned from re-entering the U.S. for five years. As a result, she came home to Londontown, where she's now infecting the UK yatra with the same Kirtaniya Movement virus that Gaura Vani freely distributes.
Our purpose here is not to personally denigrate either Gaura Vani or Jahnavi Harrison. What we do wish to illustrate are the serious effects of bad association in this Kirtaniya Movement. We want to demonstrate just how accurately the web of bad association is described by the model of infestation, with parasitic elements and carriers damaging the ISKCON body by infecting it with mayavadism, sahajiyaism, etc. Unfortunately, these individuals play a central role in the process, however well-meaning they may be. They have put their own names forward in a big way, thus cannot avoid public scrutiny.
The Life Cycle of Infestation
As we mentioned in the first segment of this article, in order to understand the phenomenon of the 'Kirtaniya' Infestation, it is important to understand how ISKCON serves as the host body, how both passive and active carriers deliver the infectious mayavada and sahajiya influences to ISKCON, and how the parasitic elements benefit by taking advantage of the host.
As one of the most prominent leaders in ISKCON, Radhanath Swami's role in the 'Kirtaniya' Infestation is significant. Having demonstrated how effective a well-managed public relations campaign can be, many other ISKCON Gurus/GBCs/Sannyasis are now trying to emulate his methods for success. Where Radhanath goes, others will follow, perpetuating whatever bad association Radhanath gets up to, and exponentially carrying the infestation back to the ISKCON congregation.
2009 marked the first annual gathering known as Bhakti Fest, a meeting of 'warm hearts for yoga' and New Age practitioners under the umbrella of so-called 'bhakti'. In 2010, the Sun first covered Bhakti Fest in an article entitled, "The Bhaktifest Mood". Radhanath was one of the feature personalities at the event that year, and attended the following two years as well. Other members of the Kirtaniya Movement who attended Bhakti Fest in 2010, or were associated with the community at other performances can be seen/heard in the video, Stay Strong, which features Radhanath, Gaura Vani, Krishna Das, and a personality we'll discuss in some detail in a segment to come -- the well known 'kirtaniya' Shyamdas, who recently died a violent death.
Bhakti Fest 2011 luminaries: (l to r) Sacinandana Swami, Shyamdas, Radhanath Swami
Photo: RadhanathSwami.com
It seems that Bhakti Fest is now branching out, adding a Midwest U.S. venue as well as a 'Shakti Fest' focus. Although their website linkage makes it difficult to be sure of who's appearing at what venue and when, several of our ISKCON notorieties are on the roster for the upcoming 2013 festival season, including ISKCON homegrown kirtan/bhajan performers, the Mayapuris and Karnamrita devi. And following Radhanath's saffron trail into the land of mayavadis and sahajiyas, Indradyumna Swami is set to take a kick at the Bhakti Fest can. The promo piece announcing him on the festival agenda says:
Pre-Festival Kirtan with Indradyumna Swami
Indradyumna Swami is a Sannyasi for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas). He is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and is known for his traveling and preaching activities around the world, that are recorded in his Diary of a Traveling Monk series. His kirtans are both sweet and ecstatic.
Thursday, May 16
8:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
$20 for kirtan; to purchase tickets, visit Shakti Fest Tickets
Indradyumna Swami has been in the news over the last year for scandals involving his photography pastimes, and his personal website postings of dozens, if not hundreds of photos of bikini-clad women and young girls on the beach. This is a harsh reminder of just how dangerous it is to have a sannyasi exposed to the lusty environment of Bhakti Fest, which is overrun with scantily clad women, warm hugs at every turn, and the most casual transmission of the 'bhakti mood' imaginable.
So Radhanath has broken trail, and is now being followed into the wilderness by other hapless preachers. But this really isn't the 'wilderness', is it? It's actually the marketplace. Not Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Namahatta Marketplace of the Holy Name, but the karmi marketplace where books, CD's and t-shirts are sold, and future business connections are made.
How long will it be before we see a more thorough mixing of ISKCON culture and the Bhakti/Kirtaniya Movement? Just run your finger down the list of names of ISKCON Gurus/GBCs/Sannyasis, and it's easy to identify the personalities most likely to show up on future Bhakti Fest rosters. At least in the case of Indradyumna Swami, he mentioned the fact that he's an ISKCON devotee, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada's, which we appreciate. Radhanath's Bhakti Fest bio was devoid of all but the usual gratuitous self-promotion:
Radhanath Swami
Special Guest—Author of The Journey Home
"Through near-death encounters, apprenticeships with advanced yogis, and years of travel along the pilgrim's path, Radhanath Swami eventually reaches the inner sanctum of India's mystic culture and finds the love he has been seeking. It is a tale told with rare candor, immersing the reader in a journey that is at once engaging, humorous and heartwarming."
Not only can we expect to see an ever increasing number of ISKCON leaders on the 'Kirtaniya'/Bhaktifest circuit, we can also expect that parasitic element to continue entering the ISKCON environment. We find it, for example, in the Krishna.com storefront, where various mayavada and sahajiya 'kirtaniyas' are selling their wares to the unaware members of the ISKCON congregation. Despite the fact that the Krishna.com website is supposed to be under the supervision of the BBT (or so we're told), there appears to be no supervision, and an absence of discernment in choosing which sound vibrations will be promoted in the marketplace. Take for example the music of Prema Hara, who frequently play the Kirtaniya Movement circuit with mayavadis and sahajiyas like Jai Uttal and Shyamdas, the Bhakti Fest crowd, etc..
This illustrates our 'Kirtaniya' Infestation model: the ISKCON host body lays itself open to be infected and exploited by both benign and hostile parasites. The market is open for business. Is it any surprise that ISKCON luminaries are being invited onto the Bhakti Fest stages when in exchange, ISKCON invites mayavadas and sahajiyas to take advantage of the huge marketplace of ISKCON consumers? They are happy to come and suck lifeblood from the ISKCON body by selling their bogus kirtan and bhajan CD's, taking laxsmi that could and should be dedicated to furthering Lord Chaitanya's Sankirtan Movement… to printing and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books.
For those readers still not convinced that the 'Kirtaniya' environment is not a bona fide marketplace of the Holy Names, let us give one more brief example. Another member of the Kirtaniya Movement that Gaura Vani and company associate with is Zat Baraka of the LA Kirtan Collective. On one festive evening, the groups got together for a night of kirtan, bhajan and dance. Of the six bhajan/kirtan tunes from that night posted on Gaura Vani's webpage one was a song led by Zat Baraka, who Gaura Vani describes as a "spiritually enlightened person". Zat's contribution to the set list, flanked by 'Hare Krishna' and 'Jaya Radhe', was the Leonard Cohen song, 'Hallelujah'.
The 'bhajan' Hallelujah is distinguished by its lyrics, which glorify the Biblical character Samson's seduction of Delilah. After having sex with him she cut off his hair and took his power. And the lyrics don't stop there. Leonard Cohen says that at one point while writing the lyrics of this song, he was reduced to "sitting on the floor in his underwear, banging his head on the floor." Somehow, that's not surprising. Among the other lyrics in this 'bhajan' are the following:
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It's not a cry you can hear at night
It's not somebody who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
This 'broken bhajan' was followed by Krishangi, doing an interpretive dance to a Gaura Vani song called 'Siksastakam'.
This is an example of the "spiritual" content shared during an intimate evening with Kirtaniya Movement notorieties. And this is the sort of rasabhasa the Kirtaniya Movement is infecting our ISKCON culture with.
