Rocana Replies to Narasimha das

November 16, 2003

Dear Narasimha das,

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

After I stopped scratching my head in bewilderment from your most recent correspondence, I thanked Caitya Guru for confirming the accuracy of my expressed perspectives. You persistently display the characteristics of a personality blinded by self-righteous religiosity. Like reactionaries from religious traditions the world over, you preach a “hell and damnation” oratory with a dogged narrow-mindedness that you mistakenly imagine to be faithful obedience to the Founder-Acarya. Fanatical rhetoric is prevalent throughout your letter, but your ending brings it to a crescendo:

The loser is usually obligated to surrender to the victor and become his bonded servant or disciple. Or alternatively, he may accept suicide or execution. At least in South India, as recently as a hundred years ago, people took siddhanta and false preachers quite seriously. In Vedic culture there were serious consequences for preaching against siddhanta, or the order of the Acarya. Today, however, we have invented freedom of speech and freedom to go to hell in the express lane.

You also write:

Yasoda Nandan and Puranjan have already answered your challenges point by point. I may do so also, eventually. It's really not a priority for me. You fail to raise even one valid philosophical point about diksa, iniations, or the proper way of preaching and following Prabhupada. Rather you seem more interested in creating some controversy.

.... Yasoda was very kind in his repy to you so far.

I’m not sure whether you are now resorting to out and out lies, or whether you are simply being fed a load of nonsense from Puranjana and Yasoda nandana. I repeat that I have never received anything back from Yasoda nandan. He did not comment on either my "Sampradaya Acarya" or "Church of Rtvik" papers. He did not reply to my personal email regarding our agreement to debate. He has not phoned or written, let alone provided me with a point-by-point rebuttal.

As for Puranjana, he publicly claims that he speaks exclusively for himself/PADA, and not for Yasoda nandana or your group. In fact, after receiving one of several rants he sent me in response to "Church of Rtvik", I specifically asked him in an email dated Oct 6, 2003, who he was speaking on behalf of. I wrote:

"Who, exactly, are you referring to as "we"? Is "we" you and Yasoda nandana, or you and the Hare Krishna Society, or you and your mind, or you and your other rtvik friends? To my knowledge, no "we" has contacted me... just the singular you."

Puranjana's reply on that date:

PADA: Who knows, you are the one who says that you contacted various ritviks and they ignored you? You tell me which of them you contacted?

* To my knowledge, no "we" has contacted me ... just the

singular you.

PADA: Well no wonder, no one could follow your paper, that is what many people told me, it was all over the map and used confusing terms?

While it is common knowledge that Puranjana and Yasoda nandana collaborate on many of the PADA missives, it is always interesting to observe Yasoda nandana's reticence to publicly own up to that relationship, and the fact that his personal positions are broadcast through Puranjana under the PADA banner. Perhaps in the case of my debate challenge to Yasoda nanadana, he now finds it convenient to acknowledge that partnership, since it allows him to characterize Puranjana's rants as being synonymous with his own point-by-point refutation of my paper. Yasoda nandana has clearly been unwilling to step up and offer his personal response to my challenge. This is disappointing, albeit predictable. As for Puranjana, he too plays his predictable role as infamous mad man. If you and the Hare Krishna Society wish to be identified with this colorful character, whom the vast majority of the Vaisnava Community view with a mixture of humor and disdain, so noted for the record.

You also write:

Either you are dishonest or you have not bothered to carefully study "The Prabhuapada Book", which clearly and exhaustively deleniates the philosophy of Krishna consciousness with much sastric evidence.

I can only wonder at your steadfast unwillingness to acknowledge and respond to my repeated comment: I have never seen a copy of "The Prabhupada Book". Following your mention of it in previous emails, I have asked twice that you send me a copy, but it is not forthcoming. As of today, I still do not see this document anywhere on your website. Does it exist? If so, where can I attain a copy?

In your concluding remarks, you once again declare your group’s insular position, and your refusal to debate with anyone who doesn’t accept your speculative theory that Srila Prabhupada sanctioned Rtviks to approve diksa disciples for him after his manifest lila came to an end. Your failure to appreciate that this attitude is symptomatic of mundane religiosity is not surprising. Our exalted Sampradaya Acaryas have repeatedly invited representatives of other religious traditions to meet and discuss their philosophical differences and similarities. The prevailing mood during these ecumenical conversations was always cordial and welcoming, so unlike your condescending and dismissive tone. Believe me, I heard you the first time, and noted your unwillingness to debate. Again, for the sake of historical record, I have formally extended an invitation to the Hare Krishna Society to debate, and their refusal to meet the challenge has been communicated by you and Sri Mukunda dasa. I have stated my willingness to debate openly and publicly, in writing, under the watch of an appointed arbitrator. That invitation has been declined by HKS. I am not interested in your suggestion that you and I meet for a debate “in the deep dark woods, one on one”, although I can certainly understand why you would prefer that to having a written record of debate exchanges made public in perpetuity on the Internet.

Frankly, I find your overall demeanor to be rude, angry, and basically uncivilized. Given that the Hare Krishna Society has clearly and repeatedly refused my invitation to debate, I now consider the dialogue concluded. These letters will remain on the HareKrsna.com website as a warning to all searchers of truth to avoid at all costs getting entangled in your deceptive web.

your servant,

Rocana dasa

P.S. Unlike your previous letters, I see that your last email did not go out to the wide HKS distribution list. I have copied them on this reply.

Vanachari@cs.com, DasDasDas@aol.com, spiritsoul@earthlink.net, Gauridas@aol.com, harinam@hawaii.rr.com, jgallagher77@juno.com, pss108@juno.com, N_allard@videotron.ca, naveen.khurana@att.net, nimaipandit@yahoo.com, govinda@greensand.net, ramakeli@hotmail.com, srimukunda@yahoo.com, DASVEDA@aol.com, langejy@bp.com, yasoda1008@yahoo.com, caitanya-simha@juno.com