Sep 13, 2017 — MOSCOW, RUSSIA (SUN) — ISKCON's GBC head shows No Shame.
Today, I saw on Facebook my sincere godbrother's huge anger /disgust at the latest off the wall activities of one of our GBC-guru-godbrothers. What I'm talking about is the ''Ujjain Iskcon Luxury Boat Cruise". Without any shame, promoting a Happy New Year 2018-Luxury Cruise.
It's promoting Bhakti Caru Swami, also over the top, and it's done without shame. And the ISKCON Temple website proclaims and even boasts about it!
Darshan with HH Bhakti Caru Swami for a 2018 Luxury Boat 5 Day Cruise. Organised by ISKCON Ujjain.
From the Official Website of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami:
SPIRITUAL CRUISE With Bhakti Charu Swami
BY ADMIN • AUGUST 11, 2017
ISKCON CRUISE – Organised by ISKCON Ujjain
Beginning the new year – January 2018, you are offered a special spiritual retreat with 3 Days stay in Singapore and 3 Days stay in Sydney, followed by a Spiritual Cruise for 8 Days to New Caledonia.
Please find the detailed schedule in the poster attached herewith.
Bookings are open up to September 30, 2017. For further details on how to register, please mail us at iskconcruise@gmail.com or call us at +91 98368 30414
We hope to see you all there!
Your servants,
Team ISKCON Cruise
At first, I really thought this was a joke or hoax, but after my website research, to my utter shock and disgust, I saw it's all true. It's unbelievable. WHY?
A few years ago, the GBC and Bhakti Caru Swami and Radhanath Swami pulled the same stunt with another Luxury Boat Cruise (in the name of preaching) and they got away with it. Many devotees were amazed and disappointed that ISKCON guru's did that nonsense in ISKCON and called it preaching. It's more like dove-tailing sense gratification and so-called preaching - at the expense of others.
Take into consideration that this is no cheap event and will cost hundreds and thousands of hard earned dollars for the devotees who are misled into this utter nonsense. I suspect the Ujjain ISKCON Temple make's a profit from this Luxury Cruise too and that's despicable, that Indian devotees in ISKCON are now doing this nonsense. All promoted as KRSNA Consciousness, but in fact the direct opposite of Prabhupada's intended Vedic ISKCON.
So what we see here is a huge deterioration of HDG Srila Prabhupada's original ISKCON Movement, and it's done with no consideration of the wishes of the Founder-Acharya, who wanted his leaders to show the highest examples of Krsna consciousness at all times, no compromise in Krsna consciousness. The thing is that it's totally insulting to Srila Prabhupada. To me this is a slap in Srila Prabhupada's face by his disciples. It' not dove-tailing Krsna consciousness. It's preposterous that a sannyasi/guru behaves like this and promotes Luxury Cruises as Krsna conscious preaching. Plus, he's from a Bengali background. They are doing this in India now... nowhere is safe from ISKCON Mission Drift.
We see this often now from within ISKCON… concoctions by corrupted and dishonest sannyasis, GBCs and gurus. The end result is, it will destroy Srila Prabhupada's real intended ISKCON.
For many years now we have seen ISKCON go further and further away from Srila Prabhupada's program for Krsna Consciousness and His strict original Krsna consciousness Standards and Practices. In the name of preaching Krsna consciousness, we see Bhakti Caru Swami not only wasting Krishna's money, but also giving the wrong example to all his disciples! A sannyasi on a Luxury Boat Cruise is doing nothing more than enjoying sense gratification in the name of preaching.
How can the GBC chairman abuse his position to allow devotees to promote such Maya as Krsna consciousness?
Any Srila Prabhupada disciple will attest to the fact of Srila Prabhupada's respect for Laxmi (money) and his very, very careful use of it, to not waste it (even on devotees), is a fact. Apparently the new improved ISKCON ignores this.
So as the GBC and gurus are supposed to represent the Krsna consciousness wishes and standards and practices of only the pure devotee Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada, but they don't now. How in God's name can Bhakti Caru Swami, a sannyasi and guru, allow such a waste of money and time and call it preaching Krsna consciousness? This exposes him and the GBC Body as complete frauds. We see these fake GBC, fake gurus, just using ISKCON for their sense gratification and enjoyment. Bhakti Caru Swami is allowing promotion of himself, like Radhanath Swami and so many other gurus are doing in ISKCON now. The result is that Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON has lost its mission and is going down the hill, faster in Mission Drift… faster than you can say HARE KRISHNA.
On the Luxury Boat promotion, devotees will say it's preaching, but I say it's a waste of money, time and a misrepresentation of Krsna consciousness in the public eye. This is downright embarrassing, to see the GBC and gurus have sunk so low. No accountability, as that factor for GBCs and gurus is gone in ISKCON now. (The New York Temple hijacking we see now is a prime example.)
What ever happened to Simple Living and High Thinking? How about restoring Original ISKCON?
Bhakti Caru Swami, and a few other gurus/GBCs, are basically letting devotees worship them and promote them on an equal level as HDG Srila Prabhupada, and they have no accountability. It's obviously wrong and offensive to Srila Prabhupada, the nonsense being done IN HIS NAME now in ISKCON. Moreover, they are using ISKCON to promote themselves and their bogus concoctions and bogus programs. This is unacceptable for real true, loyal Prabhupada followers.
Just one look at the ISKCON Ujjain Temple webpage promoting this event makes me sick. At the top left of the page we see Srila Prabhupada's picture, in the middle, the sun, and on the far right, Bhakti Caru Swami's photo is on the same level and is the same size as Srila Prabhupada! WHY?
This is such a disgrace, and is fraudulent and disrespectful to Srila Prabhupada!!!
It's not proper to put Bhakti Caru's picture on the same level as a pure devotee, but this is going on in ISKCON.
Present day ISKCON is in deep deep spiritual trouble, with no proper leadership or GBC body. As Prabhupada disciples (who are honest), we all know Bhakti Caru Swami and gang would never have dared do this kind of stuff if Srila Prabhupada were here physically... no way. But you know the ole saying, "When the cat's away, the mice will play"…
The so-called gurus and GBCs who turn a blind eye to this nonsense are equally responsible for it.
ISKCON was not created for Luxury Boat Cruises for its leaders or devotees. Moreover, we appear to be losing the New York ISKCON Temple to bad GBC management, if not fraud. In Mumbai, the BBTI is said to be destroying sets of Srila Prabhupada's original Srimad Bhagavatams, because they're not printed by the BBT. Such evil. This and more deviations are going on in ISKCON now.
I will end this article with the words of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada on the sannyasa ashram and guru standards, clearly and powerfully stated in SB 7th Canto:
Srimad Bhagavatam 7.13.8 - "The Science of God'"
TEXT 8
na śiṣyān anubadhnīta
granthān naivābhyased bahūn
na vyākhyām upayuñjīta
nārambhān ārabhet kvacit
SYNONYMS
na—not; śiṣyān—disciples; anubadhnīta—one should induce for material benefit; granthān—unnecessary literatures; na—not; eva—certainly; abhyaset—should try to understand or cultivate; bahūn—many; na—nor; vyākhyām—discourses; upayuñjīta—should make as a means of livelihood; na—nor; ārambhān—unnecessary opulences; ārabhet—should attempt to increase; kvacit—at any time.
TRANSLATION
A sannyāsī must not present allurements of material benefits to gather many disciples, nor should he unnecessarily read many books or give discourses as a means of livelihood. He must never attempt to increase material opulences unnecessarily.
PURPORT
So-called svāmīs and yogīs generally make disciples by alluring them with material benefits. There are many so-called gurus who attract disciples by promising to cure their diseases or increase their material opulence by manufacturing gold. These are lucrative allurements for unintelligent men. A sannyāsī is prohibited from making disciples through such material allurements. Sannyāsīs sometimes indulge in material opulence by unnecessarily constructing many temples and monasteries, but actually, such endeavors should be avoided. Temples and monasteries should be constructed for the preaching of spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not to provide free hotels for persons who are useful for neither material nor spiritual purposes. Temples and monasteries should be strictly off limits to worthless clubs of crazy men. In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we welcome everyone who agrees at least to follow the movement's regulative principles—no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating and no gambling. In the temples and monasteries, gatherings of unnecessary, rejected, lazy fellows should be strictly disallowed. The temples and monasteries should be used exclusively by devotees who are serious about spiritual advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains the word ārambhān as meaning maṭhādi-vyāpārān, which means "attempts to construct temples and monasteries." The first business of the sannyāsī is to preach Kṛṣṇaconsciousness, but if, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, facilities are available, then he may construct temples and monasteries to give shelter to the serious students of Kṛṣṇaconsciousness. Otherwise, such temples and monasteries are not needed."
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
