We Want the ISKCON Srila Prabhupada Wanted
BY: B. RADHA-GOVINDA
Jul 16, 2011 — USA (SUN) —
Keshava Krsna prabhu wrote: "I am trying to make readers aware that Iskcon is the place to be. We do not dwell on the past, but do not forget either." Any devotee dedicated to serving Srila Prabhupada and His desires knows that Srila Prabhupada's (intended) ISKCON is the place to be. Such devotees very much want to serve Srila Prabhupada, His desires and instructions, within ISKCON, if ISKCON leaders would allow them to, and would allow ISKCON to be run according to Srila Prabhupada's directions.
Many serious followers of Srila Prabhupada, due to their love for Srila Prabhupada and integrity of purpose, serve Prabhupada outside the present-day ISKCON institution due to such deviations, misrepresentations and corruption in the institution: they will not contribute directly or indirectly to the falsity, are hated by ISKCON authorities because they are honest sevaks, and for some, know they can or will be subject to any (or all) of the following; getting kicked out (again as so many devotees were kicked out already by various ISKCON leaders), getting beaten up, and/or getting murdered if they dare (even with humility) to legitimately question something that could be extremely off.
It's also an embarrassment to serious devotees to live in the present-day ISKCON temples where so many of the ISKCON leaders (and many in-temple devotees) are very philosophically (and in other ways) individually deviated. Some devotees are also giving a misrepresentation of the Vaisnava philosophy in general, and are cheating people (including ISKCON devotees living in the temples), on so many different levels, spiritually and materially. One example includes making people think that sahajiyas in positions of ISKCON authority (certain GBCs and gurus included), some of whom are not following the basics - 16 rounds, 4 regulative principles - are "pure" devotees, "just as good as (or better than) Srila Prabhupada".
There are so many devotees who want to live and serve in Srila Prabhupada's (real) ISKCON, but not the present-day deviated institution with so many abominations, falsities, misrepresentations and cheating/cheaters in all positions.
We want ISKCON to be the ISKCON Srila Prabhupada wanted. Forget dwelling on the past. We want, and TRY to deal with the present, but with GBCs who want to maintain the status quo, and will not make or even give any consideration to making the appropriate changes, and consider devotees who try to approach them with humility in regards to attempting such discussion, "trouble makers to be dealt with," then how are things to be accomplished? Understand also, that sometimes in order to deal with present issues, it may be necessary to address something in regards to the past.
Srila Prabhupada is not happy with what's going on in present-day ISKCON; the lies, pretensions, diversion of huge!!! sums of money into GBC, guru and sannyasi bank accounts, compromising the philosophy (for material gains), people "imported" to the US and Canada, to "serve" in the temple in exchange for green cards and salary, many of these people cooking an offering here or there, but spending the rest of their day in maya - not chanting, not attending the sadhana programs, but going out to movies, restaurants, and other "fun" places (or to some Life Members' houses to watch TV, use their computer, and/or play video games, have some "fun stuff" to eat, etc.)
So is this the ISKCON that we want to take part in? We want to see it corrected, but if we dare to, even in humble mood, try to speak with this or that temple president, GBC, guru, well... maybe you can figure out the rest.
Devotees LOVED (STILL LOVE) Srila Prabhupada and LOVE HIS ISKCON. Present-day ISKCON is NOT Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, but a different entity, being used by certain people for overstuffing their kurta pockets and bank accounts; for climbing further on the position and power, name and fame ladder, (NOT for the service and glorification of Srila Prabhupada and Krsna, but for themselves).
Their (demonic) mentality is described by Krsna Himself, Bhagavad-gita 16.13-15:
"'So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.' In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance."
A wo/man whose consciousness has succumbed to and is overruled by wealth, power, position (and the desire for such), has lost their frame of sane mind. They are likened to a person intoxicated. Intoxication causes one to lose the quality of mercy.
From Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam 1.17.25 purport:
"The principles of religion do not stand on some dogmas or manmade formulas, but on four primary regulative observances, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness...By pride, either artificial or real, the resultant action of austerity is spoiled; by too much affection for female association, cleanliness is spoiled; by too much addiction to intoxication, mercy is spoiled; and by too much lying propaganda, truthfulness is spoiled. The revival of of bhagavata-dharma can save human civilization from falling prey to evils of all description."
Purport to verse 38:
"Following in the footsteps of Maharaja Pariksit, it is the duty of all executive heads of states to see that the principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, are established in the state, and that the principles of irreligion, namely pride, illicit female association or prostitution, intoxication and falsity, are checked by all means."
Purport to verse 42:
"Gold is certainly a generator of falsity, intoxication, prostitution, enmity and violence, but under the guidance of a proper king or public leader, or a brahmana or sannyasi, the same gold can be properly utilized to reestablish the lost legs of the bull, the personality of religion.
Maharaj Pariksit, therefore, like his grandfather Arjuna, collected all illicit gold kept for the propensities of Kali and employed it in the sankirtan yajna, as per instruction of the Srimad Bhagavatam. As we have suggested before, one's accumulated wealth may be divided into three parts for distribution, namely fifty percent for the service of the Lord, twenty-five percent for the family members and twenty-five percent for personal necessities. Spending fifty percent for the service of the Lord or for propagation of spiritual knowledge in society by way of the sankirtan yajna is the maximum display of human mercy."
Kesava Krsna dasa wrote:
"Needless to say, there is much bad feeling, sore memories and general negativity related to past experiences, expressed with ever fresh anger and vigour. Yes, I could palpably feel the hurt, sense of injustice and victimisation. It is very sad."
Is it possible that devotees writing with such "ever fresh anger and vigour" are doing so, not necessarily because of their past experiences, but because of what they are seeing in the present STILL going on? That they feel such major things should have (already) been addressed and already corrected?
What's really "very sad" is the fact that the ISKCON GBC can change all of this, but they DON'T. They don't, because they DON'T WANT to change it.
It's also "very sad" that the GBC won't do what Srila Prabhupada wants and had instructed them to do, and in fact does exactly the opposite of what Srila Prabhupada wanted and instructed.
You wrote:
I chose never to leave Iskcon, nor allow these events to hold me back spiritually.
Many of us had NO choice: We did NOT leave. We got KICKED OUT! - some devotees beaten, and or MURDERED - because of the particular GBC / guru in authority who wanted and ordered it.
You write that you were "initiated by two fallen gurus." Wouldn't it then have been good if there were devotees writing what constituted bona fide guru, so that possibly through reading such writings you might have been prevented from having made this mistake? Anyway, no problem. Present-day ISKCON leaders make it easy: "Just go find another one and take initiation again." (After all, there are many to chose from. Let's just hope the next one you've accepted doesn't mess up - or kick you out, or...) I met a devotee who was on their fifth ISKCON guru, and looking for another one because...
Please don't anyone misunderstand: I am NOT telling ISKCON devotees to not accept initiation. Accepting initiation (from a bona fide guru) is part of the process of Krsna consciousness, and very important.
I've had devotees thank me for certain critical things I've written, their telling me that it helped "to wake them up to be able to understand the truth." And there are so many more devotees, who write articles to Sampradaya Sun, who present things so much more clearly, much more well-written than me. So I'm sure there are many devotees who appreciate the various articles written by devotees, who in their love for Srila Prabhupada, and caring enough about truth, caring about Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, and caring about people, that they should be protected against falsity and being cheated, write the articles they do; articles which you don't agree they should be writing or that Rocana prabhu should be posting, but are appreciated by other readers. Obviously not everyone is going to agree that they all like or don't this or that article. The article(s) you don't agree with, may be helping another person in their spiritual life. So why not think about that?
You wrote:
"We have what appears to be, a vocal grouping of devotees who feel, or have purposely marginalised or distanced themselves from Iskcon... Does not "Action" speak louder than words?"
Though this is your perception, it doesn't mean you're correct in your conclusion regarding other's motivations for their writings. In fact, your consideration of certain writers' motives is totally wrong, and many of the writers, have not "purposely marginalised or distanced themselves from ISKCON," and in fact what they are doing, they are feeling is a part of the solution.
Yes, action does speak louder than words, yet sometimes, putting out the words (for others to see and hopefully learn from) is the action.
It could be very easy for a person, not understanding the background behind the Kuruksetra war, to think that the Pandavas were fighting "because they were 'envious' that their cousin was sitting on the throne, and they wanted the throne for themselves." So we may have to be careful of our understandings, because there's always a possibility we could be wrong.
I know factually that many devotees who are writing, are doing so because of their genuine love for Srila Prabhupada, their genuine desires to see the deviations of ISKCON corrected, so that ISKCON will be the ISKCON of Srila Prabhupada's desires and intentions. I know factually that many devotees want to be and serve in THAT ISKCON, and will not compromise themselves to serving a so-called ISKCON which is of such misrepresentation that we know Srila Prabhupada would not want us to be a participant directly or indirectly to such deviations, misrepresentations, lies, abominations and cheating.
You've written more things, but I feel I've said enough here. You're attributing what you feel to be "the reasons," for other devotees' writings, but you are not in the hearts of these writers, and don't necessarily know their motives. It is your feeling that certain things being written are not beneficial to others. Though obviously because you've expressed this in different articles, it is not to your liking to read such articles, that doesn't mean that other readers are not getting benefit from doing so: In fact, for certain readers, it's doing them so much good; clearing up a lot of confusion, and bringing some people back to Krsna consciousness who have left as a direct result of the deviations and misrepresentation ISKCON people presented to them.
So prabhu, there are cases where the written word was the action, and because of that action, someone was brought back to Krsna consciousness. The writings of many are intended to be and are part of the solution. And yes, so many of us want to be serving Srila Prabhupada in His ISKCON, but the GBC won't allow this. (So maybe you can convince them to bring us back, because even when we want to come, they won't let us come.)
Here is what Gadadhar Prabhu wrote:
"At the 1977 Mayapur GBC meeting, Srila Prabhupada proposed a Resolution that: "It is the responsibility of each GBC to bring back the devotees who have gone away from their zones" and GBC passed it. " However, after Srila Prabhupada's departure, this Resolution was conveniently forgotten for the next 17 years. Not only was nothing done to bring back the devotees who had already gone away, but more devotees left or were intentionally driven away. Then in 1994, Naveen Krishna Prabhu happened to find this Resolution and put it before the Annual Mayapur GBC meeting. Again it has been forgotten for another 17 years. So the conclusion is that ISKCON has been hijacked by liars and cheaters."
Your servant,
B. Radha-Govinda
