Jul 07, 2010 — CANADA (SUN) — This is a commentary on Hridayananda das Goswami, in general, and specifically the latest information that has been made available to us in the Sun a letter he sent to his disciples and followers recently while on summer vacation.
We have published many articles on Hridayananda (Dr. Howard J. Resnick) in the Sun, from many sources and writers. With the exception of a few supporters, all have been critical of this ISKCON personality. While one could comment on so many aspects of Hridayananda's life, the things he said in his recent 'vacation letter' help us to understand and analyze his state of consciousness at this particular point in time. In brief, he is in maya. He's not Krsna conscious, and there's not much anyone can do but accept that fact.
In a previous Sun article, we published a letter Hridayananda addressed to Tamohara dasa and members of the GBC's North America Executive Committee ("Hridayananda on Regulating the Sannyasa Asrama"), which he posted to the North American Temple Presidents forum. In it, he was explaining or justifying his position in regards to his sannyasa status.
As most followers of Srila Prabhupada would agree, Srila Prabhupada's conception of Krsna Consciousness should be presented and spread around the world, just as he preached it during his ISKCON lila period. Granted, Hridayananda played a prominent role during that lila period. There's no question that Hridayananda has been endowed in this lifetime with many assets and potencies, and his position in ISKCON reflects that fact. He's been benedicted with a brilliant mind and is very eloquent, and is therefore a brilliant speaker and writer. When Srila Prabhupada departed, Hridayananda was thus qualified to be part of the Zonal Acarya program, set-up by himself and his friends
As a Zonal Acarya, Hridayananda made a huge impact on Srila Prabhupada's society. I don't have sufficient time, nor is it the purpose of this article to give the readers a detailed description of Hridayananda's Zonal Acarya pastimes, but they have been mentioned in many past articles. Of course, one of his major claims to fame was his position outside his duties as a GBC/Zonal Acarya during that period when, with the sanction of the GBC and with funds provided by Srila Prabhupada's BBT, he and a group of friends finished the Srimad Bhagavatam, giving the translation and purports. (Although several devotees worked cooperatively on the last cantos, Hridayananda takes primary credit for the work.)
So at that point in time, ISKCON invested a lot in Hridayananda. With Srila Prabhupada's funds, they published these Srimad Bhagavatams, which they still present as part of the BBT's offering of book titles. Hridayananda's commentaries and purports are even considered to be sastra by some ISKCON devotees, and the material is quoted as sastra as verifiable evidence by preachers and writers in ISKCON.
As a result of his position as a Zonal Acarya, Hridayananda accumulated and initiated many thousands of disciples. I won't attempt to map out chronologically how Hridayananda deteriorated over the years, but suffice to say, from the time Srila Prabhupada left until now more than 30 years have passed, and we have witnessed a steady public demonstration of the gradual deterioration in Hridayananda's Krsna consciousness. We are assuming that at the time Srila Prabhupada was present, Hridayananda was at the height of his Krsna consciousness, and compared to where he is now, there's obviously a tremendous difference.
The statements Hridayananda has made on his life in the sannyasa order, and his more recent summer vacation letter speak for themselves. They will be recognized by anyone who understands our philosophy as clear indications of Hridayananda's declining Krsna consciousness.
Hridayananda wants to have his feet in both worlds, and thinks that because of his past activities and his claims to fame within ISKCON, he can get away with it. He doesn't want to relinquish any of his titles, although recently he's been obliged to resign from the GBC. Of course, to his mind and circumstances, this doesn't change much of anything. What Hridayananda clings to, however, is his status as a sannyasi and an initiating guru. Although these are positions that he does not live up to by any sastric standard, he's strongly attached to these circumstances and is holding onto them tightly.
Obviously in the minds of the GBC and his friends in positions of power, Hridayananda is the Teflon king of ISKCON. Those persons in ISKCON who have a duty to oversee the institution's diksa gurus and sannyasis have done little or nothing over the many years Hridayananda has not performed his duties up to standard. The leaders have decided to take a 'hands off' position with Hridayananda, just as they have with Satsvarupa and the remaining few other Zonal Acaryas who are supposedly still functioning in ISKCON. Hridayananda is obviously considered to be in a special category, and no one can deal with him in a way that would change his status as an ISKCON-approved diksa guru and sannyasi.
On the sannyasa platform, the GBC has supposedly empowered HH Prahladananda Swami to be their man in charge of the Sannyasa Ministry. It is his duty to see that the sannyasa order is properly maintained in ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada has made very clear his position on the standards for sannyasa, and his position is non-different than sastra. But for whatever reason, Prahladananda Swami has not been willing or able to see to it that Hridayananda remediates his behaviour, or steps down from his sannyasa role.
Whether from the angle of sannyasa or diksa guru, Hridayananda is not at all living up to Srila Prabhupada's standards, and he frankly and openly admits it. Furthermore, he informs us that he's never going to change. The sad reality is that by virtue of the GBC and Ministry of Sannyasa allowing him to maintain these titles, they are lowering Srila Prabhupada's standards. Any new or existing sannyasi in ISKCON can now point to Hridayananda and say, 'Well, Hridayananda's doing these things; he's earning a karmi salary; he's not following the sannyasa principles; he's being seen out and about with women; he's taking mundane vacations", etc.
What sannyasi takes a vacation to the Rocky Mountains in order to renew himself spiritually? For that matter, why would any sannyasi need a vacation to recuperate from preaching? And if they did, wouldn't they instead be going to the holy places of pilgrimage, like Vrindavan or Mayapur -- places on this planet that are far more spiritually surcharged than the Rocky Mountains of North America?
It's true that the Rockies, as Hridayananda describes them, are pleasant places for a few months out of the year for a non-devotee to go and visit. In fact, such places are meccas for the materialists. It's where they go to worship nature as God, or as God's creation, and they go there for just the sort of reasons stated by Hridayananda: to recuperate or rejuvenate themselves. They need to recuperate because they're materially exhausted by all their karmi activities.
Mount Resnick
Hridayananda wants his readers to believe that he works so much harder than everyone else that he deserves to take this vacation, he needs to do it. In fact, it's Lord Krsna Who is actually directing him to do this. Sri Krsna is personally serving as his tour guide, arranging for him to visit the most beautiful spots. Of course, why Lord Krsna would direct Hridayananda to do this to take a vacation in the Rockies is anybody's guess. In reality, this is just maya, not Krsna.
I currently have to earn a living to support my asrama and our preaching work, including the Sun, and my job just happens to be taking people to the Rockies. At this time of year, I spend four days out of every week in the Rockies, so I get to see first-hand what Hridayananda is taking about: 'places with majestic snow-capped mountains, clear, flowing rivers, verdant valleys, etc.'
Fortunately, I'm able to apply Srila Prabhupada's knowledge, the knowledge of sastra, to my position, seeing it for what it really is. Yes, the Rockies are God's creation, compared to man's creation in the cities, and you can't argue that. But basically, you can find such natural places anywhere outside of the city any city. You can go to the ocean, or the forest, etc. The Rocky Mountains are not much different. You have a range of snow-capped mountains that are basically uninhabitable. They're nice to look at from a distance. It's fine, you can sit in a nice vehicle, look out the window, get out for a few minutes, hopefully at a spot where there's not innumerable bugs attacking you and no wild animals to endanger your life. But other than the fact that they're national parks, such places are fairly inhospitable to humans. Yet Hridayananda wants us to believe something totally different. He doesn't mention the reality of the material world, or even the reality of the Rockies.
By writing things like this 'summer vacation letter', Hridayananda is encouraging his followers to do the same thing he's doing -- that the Rockies are a good place to go rather than Vrindavan or Mayapur, or some holy place of pilgrimage. He's suggesting that the Rocky Mountains are the equivalent of these places. While many devotees have to work very hard to save enough money for a trip to India, Hridayananda is financially capable of doing anything he wants. I wouldn't doubt for a moment that he's staying in the finest accommodations available in the Rocky Mountains. He could easily get on a plane and fly anywhere on the planet in order to recuperate and rejuvenate himself spiritually, but instead of going to the Holy Dhams to prepare for the 'thrilling service opportunities' that Krsna and Srila Prabhupada are making available to him, Hridayananda tells us that his service at the moment is to rest. I think any senior devotee, at least, would agree that it is Hridayananda's mind and senses not Krsna and Srila Prabhupada who are taking him on vacation in this particular circumstance.
Hridayananda is not following in the footsteps of the great Acaryas. Instead he's flaunting his ability to compose letters, making the foolish and vulnerable believe that he's doing this for reasons other than what is actually the fact. And just like in his position as sannyasi and diksa guru, he's setting a precedent. He's setting a standard of deviation, leading other people astray. He's the Pied Piper, and he's simply inducing and seducing uninformed people to follow in his footsteps.
The mind and senses want to believe that this is a fine and honorable thing to do as a devotee -- that you can get in your car and drive to the Rockies, and it's the equivalent of going to a holy place of pilgrimage. But anyone who can't see through this, and who can't see through the GBC's position on Hridayananda, is a fool. How the sincere devotees in ISKCON sannyasis, gurus, and leaders -- can stand by silently and allow this to continue is difficult to understand. Hridayananda has become the personification of offense to Srila Prabhupada. This is an offensive activity; it's devious and conniving activity, cheating activity, and the GBC and Sannyasa Ministry are doing nothing to stop it.
Even the SAC paper dealing with the guru issue states that the problem with the GBC is that they're not proactive in dealing with people who are deviating after taking sannyasa, or diksa gurus who are deviating from the standard set down within our Sampradaya. Of course, when it comes to approving people to become sannyasis or gurus, they want to maintain that position of power. They've created a bureaucratic structure and process to do that, and they claim they need to have this power 'in order to protect us'. But what the society of devotees needs, what the preachers of Krsna Consciousness need, is for the GBC to be proactive with people after they've taken sannyasa, after they've begun to offer diksa initiation. This is especially true of a devotee like Hridayananda, who is claiming to be a bona fide member of the Sampradaya, and who is GBC-authorized as being qualified to actually give direct commentary and purports to the Srimad Bhagavatam.
It's obvious to me, and I'm sure to many other followers of Srila Prabhupada, that Hridayananda is someone the GBC should be dealing with immediately. Prahladananda Swami, as head of the Sannyasa Ministry, should spend less time doing Hatha yoga, and more time doing his duty, dealing with Hridayananda. And if Hridayananda cannot or will not be corrected and remediated, then he should immediately be stripped of his status as an ISKCON-approved diksa guru and sannyasi. Of course, no one can correct him. He's made it clear that he's not going to be corrected. He's become an old man who is set in his ways, and this is what we have to deal with now. The GBC and its ministers continue to prove themselves impotent in taking proper action, and upholding their own duty to the community of devotees, Srila Prabhupada, and Sri Krsna.
Consider this a warning to anybody who is taken in by Hridayananda's flowery words and is attracted to following in his footsteps, or taking so-called shelter of him. Please read and carefully consider the many articles found in the Sun and elsewhere in regards to Hridayananda das Goswami. If you want to make progress in Krsna Consciousness, if you want to go back to Godhead, if you want to please Srila Prabhupada, then you will reject this person. Do not follow him to the Rocky Mountains, because he has misinterpreted what Srila Prabhupada stated: punar mushiko bhava -- again become a mouse by doing such things. In Hridayananda's case, if he loves the Rockies so much, he might become a moose again. A moose or a mouse, but not a guru, not a sannyasi, not a spiritual leader, and not a bona fide commentator of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Since Hridayananda enjoys George Harrison songs, he might like this Beatles tune -- a little more in line with his summer travels:
