Just be Bold for Krishna, That’s All!
BY: HARINAMANANDA DAS (ACBSP)
Feb 17, COSTA RICA (SUN) — First of all, I offer my most sincere and prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of my Generallisimo, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Lord Caitanya's Sankitana army, my beloved Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada. I also offer my prostrated obeisances to all my Godbrothers and Godsisters who have surrendered their lives to Srila Prabhupada, and despite all odds continue struggling to fulfill his instructions.
Similarly, I want to offer thanks for the letters of support and other feedback I have received after The Sampradaya Sun kindly posted my first article, "The Time is Ripe". Such signs of appreciation have only infused me with more inspiration and determination. Finally, I want to offer my prostrated obeisance to the ones who have voiced their disagreement or don’t support fully my views. To disagree is a right in any civilized society, and Srila Prabhupada also gave us that right. “Nothing should be accepted blindly; everything should be accepted with care and caution.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.4-5]
Several devotees have asked me pointed questions: “Prabhu, I basically agreed with everything you wrote, but from the position I’m in right now, what I can do to help to change the status quo in ISKCON? How is it possible to challenge a body like the GBC which, for so many years, has managed to remain in power by hook or by crook? Do you really think we can actually affect a kind of upheaval against the GBCs, who with their throngs of submissive, almost blind followers (“faithful” disciples of the appointee gurus) don’t care a fig what others say?”
There are many, but many who since 1978 have expressed their views on how to promote such a change. Even books have been written in this regard. Nevertheless, I want to share with you an impromptu pop-up in my heart just one minute ago (while chanting my rounds at 3:45 a.m: The truth is that all of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and grandchildren belong to his transcendental army. We were recruited by the Lord’s unalloyed pure devotee to help him spread the Sankirtana mission, the yuga-dharma. All of us can recall the 60's and 70's when we joined the Hare Krishna movement, the counterculture spiritual revolution that Srila Prabhupada began under a tree in Tompkins Square Park, which soon spread all over the world like wildfire. We soon discovered that we were part of something bigger, that we were not just a bunch of young boys and girls dressed in white and saffron robes, but soldiers of audarya-avatara, Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental army. We had a certain feeling that we were starting in the West an all-out bloodless war, whose ambitious objective was to eventually take over the whole planet. Despite having such a great, pure and heroic Generallisimo as Srila Prabhupada for our Commander-in-chief, we soon realized that the enemy we were fighting -maya- was very powerful and, to our amazement, she was also very strongly entrenched in our own hearts.
Srila Prabhupada gave us all the information as to how to identify Maya’s gross and subtle maneuvers, and how to directly confront her. He gave us the supreme, infallible weapon to evade her continuous, unrelenting attacks and eventually conquer her once and for all: the Holy Names of the Lord, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In his translations and commentaries of the Bhagavad-gita, the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other landmark books, as well as in personal instructions, Srila Prabhupada also gave additional, specific information as to how not to subdue this perpetual enemy of the living entity.
We all took our positions in the battlefield and fought. Many fought in the front lines, others in the rearguard. To please our master, many showed uncommon valor and determination. We handed out literally millions of books, whose imperceptibly spiritual effect we still ignore. And yes, many became victims of war, casualties of this dissimilar engagement. Others were left behind wounded, and others -- sizeable contingents, we know now -- had become and still are victims of friendly-fire. There are many who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), and others who left without putting up a good fight or simply deserted into oblivion.
Yeah, we were engaged in this battle against a materialistic society, a society without real moral and spiritual principles, deeply immersed in violence and gross materialism. We were members of this degraded society and were suffering the pangs of material existence. But by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord and the parampara, Srila Prabhupada suddenly appeared in our lives. The Lord and the Gaudiya acaryas sent us his representative, a real pure devotee impregnated with prema-bhakti and expert not only in the Vaisnava scriptures, but knowledgeable in all fields of life. Not only that, he was unblemished, enthusiastic, wise, honest, friendly, humble, and his heart brimming with compassion. He literally saved us from an ominous death, and infused in our hearts not only hope but a new meaning to our lives. He enrolled us in his improvised spiritual army, like Hanuman who took help from monkeys and other jungle animals. We sacrificed the best part of our lives -our youth- to follow his commands to the best of our abilities. All that we did was basically out of love for him and for the inspiration he instilled in our hearts. He personally set the example, and we simply followed him. Slowly but surely we began to realize who really was this representative of God, this chivalrous, most enchanting personality. Definitely, those were the best years of our lives! We would never forget them!
Many years have passed since then, more than thirty. Now my question is: Do you think now you don’t have any more responsibilities towards the mission started by Srila Prabhupada? Probably you may think you do not belong to his spiritual militia anymore. But let me remind you, my dear Prabhu, that the oath we took at the moment we enlisted in his army is permanent. We are permanently duty-bound to him. The duty towards our beloved gurudeva is eternal. Personally I hope and pray it would become my eternal service to him. He gave us the matchless gift of Krishna consciousness along with the wish-fulfilling nectar of the maha-mantra. Only if we take his instructions as our lives and souls for the rest of our material existence, only then can we repay at least a bit of the humongous debt we owe to him.
Srila Prabhupada is not a "dead guru” as some of his so-called “acarya” disciples are saying about him. No! (Of course, there are a few who want to “kill him,” so they pop-up as the next “self-effulgent,” newly risen maha-bhagavatas. But in comparison to his Sun-like, dark-dispelling brilliance, they are mere light worms.) Srila Prabhupada is still very much alive, watching us, guiding us. He is always ready to impart instructions to whomsoever is loyally trying to preserve his spiritual legacy. Have you experience of this? He gave us Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, and so both our debt and our duty to him are also eternal.
The fact many of us have been waiting or spared as reservists doesn’t exempt from rising up again in arms whenever our commander-in-chief orders to do it so. Can you hear his command? If you are a true soldier, you have no choice. If you choose to desert, then sooner or later maya will inevitably swallow you again. Srila Prabhupada is always calling us to discharge our duty to him. He is calling us again, the reservists. His strong calls can be heard through the many signs of discontent within his mission. Right now there are hundreds upon hundreds of his sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters who are claiming, demanding justice, integrity and common sense. No more bluffing! They, the rank and file devotees, are demanding aloud that the self-imposed General Staff (GBC) rectify themselves and follow his directions as they are. These voices are his voice. Srila Prabhupada is asking you to become a combatant again. It is your choice. After all, participating in Prabhupada’s army is not a question of force, but of love and spiritual responsibility. It’s your choice. You can give all kinds of excuses, or remain ducked in the trench of your house. Still, the order remains in place. I have heard it sound and clear, as have many other Godbrothers.
“How can I serve Srila Prabhupada again effectively?” Actually it is as easy as it was in the 60's and 70's. Allow yourself to be inspired by him; place him in the innermost chamber of your heart, give him the opportunity to instruct you once again. He needs you right now, in this particular time of history. If we delay to take action, then inevitably it will become too late. He needs you to take action to rescue his mission from the ones who have hijacked ISKCON, his glorious masterpiece, his never-seen-in-history act of absolute faith in the Holy Names.
The above-mentioned prabhus are blatantly and repeatedly disobeying his teachings and directions. As his loyal soldiers, we must obey his command and do whatever it takes to preserve his spiritual legacy as it is. Do not worry, you can remain in the trench of your home -after all, this was the only sane and safe place many of us could find to avoid the crazy-making dysfunctional politics and horrible offenses they have been committing. Even from your home or from an isolated corner in your temple, you can become active and follow his instructions again, specially the ones for preserving the integrity, preservation and purity of his movement.
We are not asking you to become violent or do something weird or against the law. We just ask you to please become belligerent again. To voice your indignation, to express your disagreement, to make sure your protests are heard by the self-nominated, official appointees. We ask you to associate with like-minded devotees and discuss what actions are needed in order to promote a substantial change in the mission of Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada created his ISKCON army with the sole purpose of fighting the evil influence of Kali-yuga for the next ten thousand years. He magnanimously wanted to give the kalpataru of the Holy Names of Krishna to as many conditioned souls as possible. His mercy knows no boundaries, although some arrogant, nonsense Godbrothers are saying to the innocent that his mercy and his spiritual realization is being funneled only “through them.”
My dear brother, never come to the conclusion that the service you rendered in his army for the last 20 or 30 would cover the responsibility, the duty you have towards Srila Prabhupada. No. After all, Srila Prabhupada himself said many times that going back to home, back to Godhead is not an easy task. That supreme spiritual accomplishment will come only after you fulfill your duties, until you please Srila Prabhupada with your efforts, and surrender.
Before entering Goloka Vrindavan, before entering eternal Nadadvipa-Dhama, you have to take birth in whatever universe the Lord is performing His pastimes, specially His Sankirtana lila of distributing His own Holy Names, and help Him to accomplish this munificent task. We daily sing: janme janme prabhu sei, “Oh, Srila Prabhupada, you are my lord and master birth after birth!” Our only wish shall be to take birth again and again only to have the privilege to serve his wishes, to follow his commands. We have no other aspiration! We took an oath of allegiance to Srila Prabhupada, we made a sworn declaration that we would willingly follow his teachings and directions for the next 10,000 years, to say the least. Afterwards, we will serve both, audarya-avataras Nitai-Gourasundara, and the divine couple Radha-Govinda, under his direct orders in his/her original spiritual form, nitya-siddha-deha. Oh, what a blissfulness to have again the opportunity to be an instrument of his preaching mission! So, my dear brother or sister, dust off your dhoti or sari, get ready, and take again your strategic Sankirtana position. His Divine Grace, the Generallisimo, the senapati bhakta or Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Lord Caitanya’s transcendental army, is calling you again!
We, the devotees at the Costa Rica farm, have put on our old military uniforms again (all the while chanting sixteen rounds and following the spiritual programs) and, in our humble opinion, have responded to Srila Prabhupada’s call. Putting into practice whatever capacities Krishna gave us, we have echoed Srila Prabhupada’s appeal. An appeal against one-upmanship, against prabhus who deliberately and continuously tell lies to break the law (Guru Prasad Swami, yoo-hoo, why are you not coming to Costa Rica any more?), against so called-leaders who have caused a lot of suffering to many of Srila Prabhupada’s sons and grandsons, and against those who stubbornly and shamelessly are trampling upon Srila Prabhupada’s explicit directions as given in the Mission Statements, the DOM, the Letter of Decentralization, and the Last Will [”Properties outside of India in principle should never be mortgaged, sold, transferred, borrowed against, or IN ANY WAY encumbered, disposed of, or alienated.”] So far we have stopped these bad leaders, bad representatives of Srila Prabhupada.
We don’t brag of anything. Everything that has taken place in Costa Rica since we took this stance against these GBCs (Guru Prasad Swami, Bhakti Bhusana Swami, Manonath and Virabahu), is all the supreme will of Krsna. We have the right to discharge our prescribed duties… [Bhagavad-gita 2.47] And we have done so with full faith in Srila Prabhupada’s words. Now, you may ask, how we did it? How could we confront a well-established bureaucracy? How could a little group of nobodies, of insignificant devotees challenge the authority of these stalwarts GBCs, “srilas” and way up “devas”? We have challenged them based solely upon the supreme authority of Srila Prabhupada. We have done it out of love for his mission, which is also our mission. We have done it without any fear, totally convinced of the justice of our cause. We have done it to put an end to reiterated abuses perpetrated by a few against so many. We have done it for the sake of truthfulness, inspired in Srila Prabhupada’s words:
“Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are, for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straightforward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is called a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others.” [Underlined by me]
I humbly request each and every one of my disenfranchised brothers and sisters, as well as the many grandsons and granddaughters of Srila Prabhupada, to please learn something of our struggle in Costa Rica. Do not deny your inner voice; instead, take action. I humbly suggest you to please identify yourself, with the city you live in. Near you there are many sincere souls who want to do something tangible to rescue Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Meet together and then plan, step by step, what is the best course of action. Pray to Srila Prabhupada for strength and inspiration. Ask him humbly to once again utilize you in his service to Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Please believe me! You will receive the intelligence and the means to accomplish your goals.
This is exactly what happened in Costa Rica. The devotees living at the farm headed by Yamuna Jivana got in touch with Yadu. Yamuna Jivana told Yadu all about the humiliations and ill-treatment they were victims of, all about the lies, under-the-table illegal transactions, manipulations and cruel acts committed by Guru Prasad Swami and his allies and blind followers.
Then Yadu got in touch with Aniruddha. Both of them began to write articles and to send them massively via Internet (the “people’s newspaper”) and to their long mailing list. Thereafter Aniruddha got in touch with his old buddy and Godbrother, Harinamananda. At the beginning he was very reluctant to participate due to well-executed programming of “do not commit Vaisnava-aparadha, prabhu,” which the GBC as a whole has ingrained in the devotee's minds to cripple their critical thinking. Of course, anything against them is an offense. But everything against their detractors, Narayana Maharaja or the Rtviks, is a virtue. Anyway… a couple of weeks later Harinamananda got rid of his short-witted misgivings and joined Yadu and Aniruddha.. Now we are a fully-integrated, functional and well-articulated, homogenous group which has accomplish a lot. We are begging Srila Prabhupada to have mercy upon us and extend this opportunity to serve him for the rest of our lives. Furthermore, we are praying at the lotus feet of our Spiritual Master to please engage us in this way for the next 10,000 years. We are vehemently aspiring for this privilege, to this soul-filling adventure.
So, my dear brother, my dear sister, if by any chance you have also heard Srila Prabhupada’s call, I humbly beg you to get together, to contact other groups, to exchange ideas, to devise a plan, and to work diligently to accomplish its goals. In short, I beg you to really be humble. Srila Prabhupada retorted to a Godbrother who asked him how to become humble: “Just be bold for Krishna. That’s all!” If you practice this kind of humility, very soon you will experience the deep satisfaction of pleasing Srila Prabhupada. Please, I beg you, don’t have any personal motives, no individual agenda. Just surrender all your energy for giving pleasure to the Generallisimo, the one and only Commander-in-Chief of ISKCON, the Sampradaya Acarya, our beloved Srila Prabhupada.
None of us is free of defects or wrongdoings in the past. So, besides thanking them from the bottom of my heart for being men of integrity, for speaking the truth, I also humbly exhort Rocana, Kurma, Balavidya, Kiwi Spirit, Nrisimhananda, Hamsavatar, Gadadhara, Urdhva Kethu, Prithu Rani dd, Guru Kripa, Bhakta das , etc. to continue contributing, each according to his own capacities, to reach a consensus, a viable common ground for accomplishing this long-cherished, long-overdue task of reforming ISKCON. Never mind the so-called “big gurus” (Dr. O.B.L. Kappor called them “industrial gurus”) who maya has summarily knocked down. Yes! Please take up arms and become devotionally belligerent again to rescue Srila Prabhupada’s gift to humanity from the hands of the ones who have converted it into their own personal property. May the ones who are natural leaders, filled with unselfishness, take up the challenge and chalk out the best way to crown with success this goal.
Finally, along with my prostrated obeisances, I offer my sincere apologies to any Godbrother, Godsister or any member of the extended spiritual family of Srila Prabhupada who may have feel offended by anything I have written here. I put in black and white what I considered the truth. An as the Spanish saying goes: “Sometimes hearing the truth is painful. But if you can take the pain, it will cure you.” And will make you happy too, I would add. All of us would feel much better if we could just organize ourselves and make a coordinated effort to put ISKCON back together again. Let us bring back Srila Prabhupada again! In one sense, I’m urging you to go back to the old good times and somehow or other, adjusting to the particular circumstances of these difficult times, go out daily to chant Hare Krsna on the streets, to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books, and to pass out many plates of prasadam. Let us dance and chant Hare Krsna again to our heart’s satisfaction! I personally bought a motor home and cannot wait for the moment I drive it through the many towns and villages of Central America, chanting Hare Krsna and delivering Srila Prabhupada’s preaching to the suffering human beings living in this part of the world!
At the eternal service of our Generallisimo, Srila Prabhupada,
dasanudasa, one-thousand times removed,
Harinamananda das
