An Open Letter to Hridayananda das
BY: HARINAMANANDA DAS (ACBSP)
Oct 18, USA (SUN) — The recent visit of Hridayananda das G. to Mexico City two weeks ago was a despicable insult to the sannyasa way of life. It created sorrow in our hearts. I can’t help but write and express my concern over his conduct during this short visit. From my humble position and harboring no desire to criticize maliciously, I cannot remain silent and leave his actions ignored. It is very sad to see how a spiritual Godbrother has fallen so grotesquely—one who is supposedly a sannyasi, a guru, and more than that, one who declared himself an acarya. He is making a mockery of his vows and post.
Hridayananda did not dress as a monk of our Gaudiya Vaisnava line all the time he was in Mexico. He also did not chant his rounds, what to speak of Gayatri mantras. Also, everyone notice he did not wear the sacred tread! (ekavasa dvidvasatha sikhi yayñopavitam kamalandukaro vidvams-tridando yati tat-param: “Wearing one or two pieces of cloth, keeping a tuft of hair, and continuing to wear the sacred tread, and also with a waterpot in his hand, a learned sannyasi, who is the best of men, attains the Supreme Lord.” Padma Purana, Svarga Khanda Adi 13).
In spite of being announced as the main speaker of the event, he didn’t bother to attend the Ratha-yatra parade nor the festival site. Also, as I am a personal witness, he does not follow any sadhana at his “home”.
Instead of devotional robes, in Mexico he was seen all the time wearing only polo shirts, dockers, shorts and even vulgar baseball hats. He dressed as a karmi, and against Srila Prabhupada's direct instruction to him in Mayapur (when he almost hit him with the danda), all these years he has kept close association with women.
Maybe Hridayananda is thinking that he is above the rules of the sannyasa-asrama. Maybe he thinks: "The habit doesn't make the monk. I am an “acarya” and I can override the instructions given by my spiritual master and the stalwart acaryas of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya”. Maybe he is thinking, "This mission is dynamic and in order to avoid social ostracism, it is better to evolve and embrace the lifestyle of the western culture.”
Last year I had the opportunity to listen from Hridayananda’s own mouth how he justified his “new approach to Krishna consciousness.” We heard about his preference not only for western clothes, but even his endorsement of gay marriage. A little before Srila Prabhupada went to New York, Bon Maharaja criticized Srila Prabhupada because he could not manage silverware properly. He responded, "I am not going America to learn. I am going there to teach! "
We, Srila Prabhupada's disciples, couldn’t care less for Hridayananda 's arguments. What we really care about are the instructions and legacy of the Sampradaya Acarya, Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada criticized his Godbrothers because in the beginning of the 30's, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur sent them to Europe to spread Krishna Consciousness. Two years after, they came back to India dressed as Englishmen. This was a great disappointment to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. I imagine that the Vaisnava community at that time was also very disappointed with them.
I remember how much emphasis Srila Prabhupada put on his disciples presenting to the public as real devotees, with shaved heads, sikha and kunti-malas, and their bodies decorated with tilaka. But Hridayananda is so alienated that he is deliberately and stubbornly trampling upon this very relevant instruction—he, the so-called representative not only of Srila Vyasadeva, but of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the embodiment of renunciation and pure love of God for claiming back the fallen souls.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the perfect example of what a sannyasi really is. A true follower of Gauranga has given up the illusory happiness of the so-called “society, friendship and love” of the material world. Hridayananda used to always call this material life “excrement.” He took the renounced order of life to fully embrace the devotional life and thus abandoned everything that has even the slightest smell association of the worldly life that he left behind. He supposedly chose a particular external appearance, conduct and way of expression, to show to the common people that he is dedicated fully to the service of god. Srila Prabhupada always said that just by looking at the Vaisnava (with his shaved head, tilaka, sikha and devotional robes —orange or white—), and with the japa in his right hand), the common man will immediately purify his existence and in his mind the thought will arise: "Ah, here is a man of God!"
I remember back in the 70s, when Hridayananda was a dedicated sannyasi. In spite of the many complaints about his despotic and sarcastic ways, still he was trying his best to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions. Because he was sincere, devotees tolerated his excesses and eccentricities. Those of us who were close to him knew that he was not pure, but he was pushing forward the mission of Srila Prabhupada.
Now, the majority devotees at one point in our devotional lives acknowledged that we couldn’t keep anymore the vows of brahmacari life. So we got married. We took a wife, have children, and work hard to support them. We adopted family life and applied ourselves sincerely to fulfill our responsibilities of the grhastha-asrama. We accepted this way of life, I repeat, because at one moment we realized we could not control our senses anymore. We had to be honest with ourselves and admit our weakness. This is more honest than pretending to be a renunciate. As Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said: “It’s better to be a humble devotee than a charlatan leader.”
If Hridayananda continues insisting to dress as a karmi and support social tendencies of the “new global order,” you, dear readers, tell me -- what is the proof that this man has integrated completely the culture and philosophy propounded by our predecessors? Where is the conviction to follow in the footsteps of our Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada? Where is his proof to show the conditioned souls that he is not an ordinary person of the material world? Instead of preserving the traditions of our predecessor acaryas, who wore the simple and holy robes of Vaisnava monks, he has decided instead to clad himself in karmi clothes. Not even the Mayavadi swamis (not even the widows who lead the now worldwide Brahma-kumaris!), with all their impersonalism and desire to “fit in” with the western lifestyle, have ever give up the sannyasa habits and replaced them with modern clothing.
My Godbrother, Hridayananda das, let me give you some advice. If you feel ashamed to wear your sannyasi robes; if you don't observe strictly the rules and regulations of sannyasa-asrama, then do not speculate or try to distort our philosophy (sikhi yajnopaviti syat tridandi sa-kamandaluh sa pavitras ca kasayi gayatrin ca japet sada: “A tridandi sannyasi keeps his sikha as well as his sacred thread after renunciation. He carries also a kamandalu. He wears saffron cloth, and remaining fixed in purity, he chants the gayatri mantra and the japa of the holy name.” Skanda Purana, Suta-samhita)
Please choose one decent lady devotee and get married. Nobody is going to criticize you. On the contrary, although a little disappointed, devotees in general will applaud your honesty, your integrity. It’s a fact, your disciples have made an enormous emotional investment in you and would be tempted to rationalize your current behavior as a form of “bhakti.” But if you take the well-meaning advice I’m giving you, you can avoid further chaos and put an end to your disciples’ confusion.
Last November (2008) I visited the ISKCON community in Alachua. During my five-day visit there, I stayed at a friend’s house, the home of a young man who I convinced to move to Alachua to involve himself more directly in devotional service. I noticed this bhakta did not dress as a Vaisnava and he did not wear any tilaka. This bhakta was very regulated—he assisted mangala-aratika every day and chanted 16 rounds. But I always saw him wearing karmi clothes. Since we have a close relationship, I asked him what was the reason he ignored Srila Prabhupada’s instructions on the matter of dressing properly as a pucka Vaisnava? He responded, "Hridayananda advised me not to shave my head, not to keep sikha, and not to wear devotional clothes”. Then I got into a strong philosophical discussion with him. After a short time he recognized that he was wrong in following Hridayananda's advice. I returned to my hometown and afterwards I talked to him on several occasions. He told me that now he is very happy following Srila Prabhupada's instructions regarding not only dressing, but on all aspects of life.
The point I want to make here is that Hridayananda’s “sophisticated” attitude is creating a lot of confusion and anxiety amongst devotees in general, but especially neophytes. They see Hridayananda’s behavior as an example to follow. Please, Hridayananda das, stop behaving whimsically. This time your false ego has taken you too far, off the path of pure devotional service. Finish this nonsense. Do not create any more pain and fanaticism amongst the devotees in Latin America.
What we have been facing at ISKON for the last 32 years is very sad. All kinds of deviations and offenses against Srila Prabhupada have been taking place. It is not only Hridayananda—there are quite a few leaders that have developed the rare mystic power to be two persons at the same time. Hridayananda is very accomplished in displaying this rare mystic power. He presents himself as a guru, acarya, and accepts a level of worship deserved only for the highest class of devotees of the Lord. But on the other hand, he keeps a selfish private lifestyle. He has his own real estate properties. He has a fat bank account running into millions of dollars. He has a karmi job, wears karmi clothes, and has close association with members of the opposite sex. Caramba! Do you know what's funny? It requires a very rare mystic power to do this or one must be surrounded by a crowd of fools and sycophants. Yes-men who don’t have the courage to tell him he is deviated. Yes-men who cannot ascertain the truth: ".... The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all..." (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.1.2.)
Hridayananda, listen to me: I am your same age. I have known you for more than 30 years. We embraced the same spiritual path and we have the same glorious spiritual master. If you get married and act with responsibility, I guarantee you that you will make more progress than you are making right now. By doing so, you won't continue making a laughing stock of the sannyasa-asrama. I really apologize for speaking to you so frankly. I am not going to tell you that family life is easy, but it is more respectable than the one you are living now.
Your actions clearly demonstrate you are not on the level of spiritual realization you pretend to be, and you want others to believe you are. You make us understand that you are confused and going astray. You need to change you existential condition for one that does less damage not only to your person but, more importantly, to the mission of our gurudeva. You cannot keep afloat much longer on this weak, false platform where you are comfortably sitting right now. If you insist on continuing your theatrical performance, justifying your actions through word jugglery and quoting Srila Prabhupada, then the final result is going to be very painful. Because you are pretending to be a person you are not, you will fall down sooner than later. Srila Prabhupada always wanted his disciples, especially the ones holding high positions, to give the best example and follow his footsteps without deviating an inch. Srila Prabhupada asked them not to change a single word of what he said, otherwise “it would be chaos.” You have proven you are still attached to sense enjoyment. But sastra says: "One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender." [Bhagavad-gita 3.6]
Don’t be like Guru Prasad Swami, who is doggedly attached to his institutional posts, although he is causing a lot of harm to Srila Prabhupada’s mission in Latin America. Of course, the final decision is yours, but don’t lie anymore to yourself and to your blind followers passing as a guru, as a pure representative of Srila Prabhupada, as a link to our sacred guru-parampara. This is a total illusion, a maya’s masterpiece. For the sake Srila Prabhupada's unblemished, irreproachable name, and for the love of him, I repeat my sincere request once more: Hridayananda das, please get married!
Sincerely,
Harinamananda das
Harinamananda das (ACBSP)
