GBC of Seattle, Hari Vilas dasa Bans Devotee for Three Years
BY: D.A. PATEL
Nov 16, 2011 — SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA (SUN) — In retaliation against a devotee for going live on the Sampradaya Sun and Facebook with a home video expose on ISKCON Seattle Temple's recently advertised Durga Puja -- performed in the temple room and in front of installed Radha Krishna Deities (see video here), ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner of Seattle and Hawaii, Hari Vilas dasa (legal name Harry Terhanian) has banned this devotee from setting foot on the temple property for a punishment of three years.
Knowing that the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada very strongly preached against the worship of demigods, one would think that North American GBC member Hari Vilas would rather thank even a junior devotee for reminding him what was the proper and bona fide etiquette for worship in a temple displaying the name of Srila Prabhupada as the Acarya.
In his Bhagavad-gita As It Is, we learn that worship of the demigods is condemned, and Sri Krishna Himself explains that worship of demigods such as Durga is something done by less intelligent persons who are after material benefits. Worship of demigods diverts one's attention away from Krishna, which is the opposite of the mission statement of ISKCON. As Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 9.13 (original version):
"The Mahatma does not divert his attention to anything outside Krishna, because he knows perfectly well that Krishna is the original Supreme Person, the cause of all causes..... Pure devotees are not even attracted by Krishna's other features such as the four armed Maha Visnu. They are simply attracted by the two armed form of Krishna. Since they are not attracted to other features of Krishna (what to speak of the demigods) they are not concerned with the form of a demigod or of a human being. They only meditate upon Krishna in Krishna consciousness."
Based on this teaching and many others by Srila Prabhupada, no ISKCON temples during Prabhupada's physical presence displayed Deities of Durga, what to speak of performing showbottle Durga puja to impress some Indians in exchange for their money. Any new bhakta knows it is against Vaishnava principles to worship demigods. That the GBC body has done nothing to reprimand Hari Vilas for carrying on such a whimsical and mental speculative kind of worship standard in one of Srila Prabhupada's own temples, and because the GBC has said nothing in defense of the innocent devotee who rightfully informed the public of the wrongful mismanagement of the Seattle GBC representative, it points to yet another gross deviation of GBC managers from the direct teachings and orders of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
To silence any type of GBC opposition in which devotees question some of the current policies and resolutions, in which the GBC vote sometimes swings in favor of altering Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON and his divine teachings, as well as covering up other GBC member falldowns or deviations, members of the GBC have recently used the tactic of banning devotees who go against or even question their GBC policies. It appears that they believe strongly in their self-given rights to change the sacred orders, instructions, and teachings of the very divine personality they advertise themselves to represent, and punish those who stand in their way.
What would Srila Prabhupada say about the two acts of Hari Vilas, who is officiating as his GBC representative:
1) that he has been allowing and encouraging the formal worship of demigods in an ISKCON temple
2) that he is using unethical bullying tactics to wrongfully reprimand another Vaishnava for pointing out his own deviation and faults
To us members of the sanatana-dharma community, these actions of Hari Vilas dasa are an embarrassment to ISKCON, an embarrassment to the GBC, an embarrassment to the position he is supposed to be properly upholding as a GBC member, and an embarrassment to all Vaishnavas. He should be obliged by the GBC body to correct his worship policies, and humble apologies should be offered to the Vaishnava devotee he has wrongfully offended and put out.
Hari Om.
