Mar 23, 2013 — NEW YORK, USA (SUN) —
Brhatasloka das wrote:
"In Rupanuga's article he states that Ramesvara was made a BBT trustee, that is not correct. Ramesvara created a shell of the BBT which was never authorized by Srila Prabhupada. See the complete details and deviation of the BBT here."
I pray to be excused for a strong reaction which may seem offensive, but this is an attack on my eternal relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Does this nonsense actually require a response? The reason Srila Prabhupada authorized moving ISKCON Press to New Dwaraka in 1975 was to consolidate the production and publishing under one BBT manager - myself, his lowly eternal BBT servant.
Following the 17 book BBT marathon in 1975 Srila Prabhupada personally appointed me a BBT Trustee at the 1976 Mayapur Festival. At that same festival his Divine Grace personally appointed me GBC for the Western USA zone, and moved Jayatirtha to England. Following that, I was the only signer on the BBT bank accounts for the North American BBT. My appointment was handled publicly and personally at the 1976 Mayapur festival, unlike other appointments which may have happened at times other than the annual festival. In those other instances, Srila Prabhupada would have to write and mail a letter of appointment to a devotee in an overseas zone, appointing that devotee as a BBT for that particular area of the world and for the languages in that area. That's how Hrdayananda Maharaja was appointed, how Bhagavan was appointed, and just before his departure, how Harikesa was appointed. In fact, Harikesa took over the region originally assigned to Hansadutta. During Srila Prabhupada's last years with us, it's hard to see how Hansadutta had any service at all for any BBT division.
In my case no letter was required to be mailed, because we were all at the Mayapur Festival when Srila Prabhupada announced it publicly. Everyone knows that except someone with such a warped agenda that their memory or intelligence is polluted by
maya.
There were meetings of BBT Trustees at the Mayapur festivals which stated in 1976 that I attended as the BBT Trustee for the North American BBT. There are letters back and forth between myself and Srila Prabhupada where I am identified as a trustee in numerous letters.
The question to ask anyone else who may be claiming that they were a BBT Trustee for the main BBT, the North American BBT, is: "can you kindly show if you ever had anything to do with BBT publishing of Srila Prabhupada's manuscripts as first editions in English, or anything to do with the BBT Press in New Dwaraka (production, art dept, archives, etc), or anything to do with BBT loans from the North American BBT, or any projects funded by the North American BBT- other than Ramesvara dasa?"
I know that no one could show that they ever had anything to do with the North American BBT in any way from 1975 onwards.
When Tamal Krsna Goswami had to leave China, Srila Prabhupada added him as a trustee with a specific portfolio or ministry of focusing on increasing book distribution. But even though Tamal returned to North America, he never had anything to do with managing the BBT, or publishing Srila Prabhupada's books in English, or the BBT divisions, or the BBT Press or the North American BBT loans, etc. after he returned from China. His BBT "ministry" was limited to trying to inspire book distribution.
And Hansadutta never had any say in the North American BBT or the BBT Press, ever. He never consulted, and never was consulted by Srila Prabhupada or me involving any decisions affecting the North American BBT other than the one BBT meeting held at the 1975 Mayapur Festival to consider my proposal. That was the meeting in which Srila Prabhupada ordered that ISKCON Press in its entirety move to New Dwaraka to be managed by me.
As for the other nonsense of calling the BBT a shell, that is another example of Hansadutta having no idea of conversations, meetings and decisions Srila Prabhupada made and orders he gave, which I simply followed. These meetings were about the legal structure and tax exempt status of the BBT operating in North America. Hansadutta and Jayatirtha supported the idea of an umbrella corporation, with the BBT as a separate subsidiary. Once Srila Prabhupada firmly rejected that scheme, Hansadutta was never again involved in any of those conversations or meetings about the alternative structure that Prabhupada did approve. In fact, his absence from those meetings is another example of how he had nothing to do with the main BBT during Srila Prabhupada's years with us from 1975-1977, and for 9 years thereafter
while I was at New Dwaraka.
Again my sincere apologies if I have offended anyone by speaking so bluntly.
I beg to remain your aspiring servant,
Ramesvara dasa
