ISKCON Leader Opposes Glorification of Siva
BY: SURESH DASA
Jun 18, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (SUN) — Prominent ISKCON leader and member of the GBC, Danavir Goswami, oppose songs in glorification of Lord Siva by ISKCON devotees. Through a series of articles published at Dandavats.com, Danavir Goswami has systematically tried to stop, discourage, and condemn the practice of hatha-yoga by ISKCON devotees, especially on ISKCON temple grounds. His latest attempt was "Chanting Siva Mantras".
First in “Yoga Mart” and later in “Zombie Jamboree”, Danavir Goswami, in an often ridiculous and hysterical manner has tried repeatedly to discredit the practice of hatha-yoga within ISKCON centers, stating that hatha-yoga is against the mission of ISKCON. One must question whose “mission” he is speaking of? There are some members of ISKCON who have always believed that ISKCON’s only mission is to work for the benefit of male sannyasis, and that no other class of men or women has any true right to exist within the mission of ISKCON. But whose philosophy is this?
Devotees have always assumed that Srila Prabhupada was totally opposed to the practice of hatha-yoga. This perception may exist in the minds of devotees because all references from Srila Prabhupada which might disagree with the current agenda of some ISKCON leaders have been carefully and systematically suppressed, through editing of books, by only emphasizing teachings which agree with a certain agenda, or by ignoring and disregarding past instructions or teachings from Srila Prabhupada.
In my responses to Danavir Goswami and his various articles, I have pointed out that hatha-yoga today enjoys a huge worldwide audience in the millions. My question is, why aren’t devotees combining the teaching of bhakti-yoga with hatha-yoga, so that our movement can be relevant to those who wish to practice hatha-yoga, including many of ISKCON’s own devotees and members? If devotees could only teach people how to include the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra along with their yoga asanas, it would be great preaching and would allow people to make genuine progress on their yoga path by learning early how to meditate on the Lord, the ultimate purpose of yoga.
I have discovered a method of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, silently on my breath, while I move through the various asanas when I practice Ashtanga Yoga. I have tried many different types of hatha-yoga, but have found that the Ashtanga style seems to work best for chanting the Maha-mantra, because the length postures are held seems to match almost exactly the length of the mantra. Srila Prabhupada taught devotees to chant the Hare Krishna mantra everywhere we went, and in every place, all of the time, stating that the mantra can never be contaminated (such as by chanting in a stool room). I have found practicing yoga this way becomes a perfect combination of breathing, Pranayama style, by chanting Hare Krishna silently on my breath, using my breath as a cadence, while I move through the various postures. Chanting silently in my mind also allows me to not interfere with the deep breathing required in Ashtanga, and to not disturb other students in their meditation.
I inhale and exhale the Hare Krishna mantra. Whenever I get distracted or disturbed by external things, I gently bring myself back into the chanting, and begin focusing on one point again (listening to the Hare Krishna mantra) -as recommended by Lord Krishna in the sixth chapter of “Bhagavad-gita”.
What is amazing is the discovery of three letters written by Srila Prabhupada, which were copied into Danavir Goswami’s article at Dandavats.com, “Zombie Jamboree”. These three forgotten letters written by His Divine Grace actually encourage devotees to teach people desiring to practice hatha-yoga, to combine it with our own practice of bhakti-yoga. How amazing, after all these years we have all been taught a certain bent to the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, while all other opposing philosophies from our own Spiritual Master have often been neglected, forgotten or pushed to the side in favor of someone else’s agenda.
Letter 1:
Tamala Krsna: "He’s been there now, Parivrajakacarya Swami, he’s been there for, I think, two or three years now (Tehran). He’s worked pretty faithfully there. He tricks them. In the guise of teaching a little hatha-yoga, then he teaches bhakti.
Srila Prabhupada: That is preaching."
Letter 2:
"I understand Parivrajakacarya Swami is teaching a course combining both hatha and bhakti yoga to attract people. This is a very good idea. Somehow or other inject the bhakti yoga. That will save them from the degradations of sense gratification."
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,"
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Finally, in “Zombie Jamboree”, a third letter was produced by Praghosa Prabhu containing instructions by Srila Prabhupada:
Letter 3:
"Regarding teaching other kinds of yoga, so that we may advertise an 8 or 9 day course for tourists, Srila Prabhupada liked the idea. He said, “That will be very attractive. Other types of yoga are mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. We can adopt that. Three of four men I can teach how to do it. Then you’ll be able to attract them. I can teach how to sit down, posture, asana, and pranayama, without any difficulty. The yoga system as mentioned in Bhagavad Gita we can take up. That will be bhakti-yoga. Use one, or two of the big rooms in the Gurukula building. I can teach the teachers how to practice.”
Danavir Goswami has, however, never once acknowledged this concept of combining chanting of the Maha-mantra with yoga asanas, in spite of Srila Prabhupada’s own instructions, possibly because he seems to have no intention of ever allowing any form of hatha-yoga to be performed in any manner within ISKCON temples or by ISKCON devotees. This is seemingly in complete disregard to Srila Prabhupada’s own instructions and wishes. This may be because he has one agenda in mind, and hatha-yoga in all its forms interferes with his “mission”.
For a while Danavir Goswami has been silent on the issue, but after waiting for some time, he or his spies have apparently discovered some new infraction and possible means of eliminating hatha-yoga from ISKCON once and for all. This time in his article "Chanting Siva Mantras" he condemns ISKCON devotees who sing and glorify the name of Lord Siva. How sad for him and others like him to disrespect Lord Siva, the greatest Vaishnava.
