The Ajamila's of ISKCON
BY: DUSYANTA DASA
Jul 21, 2012 — WALES, UK (SUN) — I very much enjoyed reading the article, "Brahminical Culture Eclipsed by Urban Myth" written by Rocana Prabhu on the Sampradaya Sun. I also was very interested in the background emails from Ajamila Prabhu, Praghosa Prabhu and Vaiyasiki Prabhu. But my contribution to this topic is from the angle of being a junior devotee looking up to Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples that helped establish ISKCON.
From reading Srila Prabhupada's Books from 1975 onwards I had at last found what I had been searching for all my life, maybe for some number of lives. I can remember studying Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-Gita over and over and my mind being blown away by Chapter 13. I loved the Bhagavad-Gita then and still enjoy reading it, 37 years later. When we read His Books we are presented with a certain picture that we receive in our mind's eye of what Vaisnavas are. And our goal is to aspire for that position of actually being a Vaisnava like Srila Prabhupada, or at least to be able to make Him pleased.
From my days at Chaitanya College in the early 1980's, it's easy to gain an overall understanding of how ISKCON was preaching and understanding and executing Srila Prabhupada's desires, or I should really say the lack of them. For myself who had read the Bhagavad-Gita over seven times before joining the institution at Chaitanya College, it soon became apparent that not only were there massive contradictions, discrepancies and dilution going on, but the representation was not flowing down via Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples in a transparent flow of transcendental energy and love. I had been reading Srila Prabhupada's Books for over 5 years and had built up an expectancy based on His writings, and on my side I had experience and age. Being nearly 30 years old, it was way harder to pull the wool over my eyes. But the wool was pulled!
Reaching Bhaktivedanta Manor soon after this, it became even more apparent to me. Did we even follow any of Srila Prabhupada's instructions at all? The whole sordid Zonal Acarya system that was outwardly supported by devotees like Ajamila Prabhu and my Bhakta leader and so many others, who all insisted that "Srila" Bhagavan dasa Goswami was indeed an uttama-adhikari who had replaced H.G. Jayatirtha Prabhu due to his demise. (And for those with selective memories, just read the Vyasa-puja offerings for Bhagavan dasa by his Godbrothers.. it's sure to make you cringe.)
Ajamila dasa Prabhu playing mrdanga, from "Srila Bhagavan dasa Goswami's" Vyasa Puja Book, 1983
It was not just a case of the blind leading the blind, nor was it just party politics, but in all earnestness it was neophytes upholding more neophytes. The bluff was unfortunately genuine, the senior devotees even believed themselves and all the disciples were sold the package hook, line and sinker.
The problem with the discussion that took place recently on the Pamho forum is exactly the same problem from the 1980's. If you could have seen the vociferous, voracious and vivid animated gestures of Ajamila Prabhu as he totally supported the whole Ritvik theology in the mid-1980's. After the fall of Bhagavan dasa, whom Ajamila Prabhu supported at Bhaktivedanta Manor during that spell, Ajamila dasa Prabhu metamorphosised into Mr. Ritvik. The sheer voluminous fever pitched arguments he would engage in with H.H. Sivarama Swami were in full view of all the assembled Vaisnavas. If ever there was a Ritvik supporter who had full conviction in its value and validity, then look no further than Ajamila Prabhu. But just as Saint Paul had his vision on the road to Damascus and the revelation was beheld, the same was visited on Ajamila Prabhu and the metamorphosis was re-enacted.
So now we had three scenarios to choose from, all of which were the "truth" according to Ajamila dasa Prabhu, depending on which one you believed and aligned with, as follows;
1. The Zonal Acarya system of alleged "uttama" adhikaris
2. The "rittik" system of Initiation without a Diksa Guru (post 1977)
3. The present day system - " the no objection vote"
This behavioural pattern of belief, faith and espousing that theology was in fact followed by many a "Prabhupada disciple" then, and still continues to this day. In ISKCON this phenomena of "absoluteness" is pretty much repeated by devotees the world over. One year we have the Ritvik philosophy being "right-on", then the next year the Ritviks are "demons and evil". The same propaganda is found in the ISKCON leadership from the GBC down. The contradictions abound, the faith destroyed, the integrity non-existent, the apologies nowhere to be found, the self-esteem undermined, the leadership corrupted, and the "yes" men/women abound. It's a hodgepodge of speculation, try it and see, and weak diluted answers to everything, even, for Gods sake, Cow Protection!!!!!!
It was impossible to recognise the same person. Who is this imposter that looks physically the same as Ajamila Prabhu? Out of his mouth now flowed the absolute truth against the Ritvik theology. Ajamila Prabhu had seen the "truth" again, but it was the opposite "truth". And as a junior devotee, a younger devotee trying to follow these Vaisnava protocols that Ajamila Prabhu so wanted to effect onto everyone else, I was astonished, flabbergasted and bemused that such a staunch opinion on one day can be so changed on the next day. The absoluteness was staggering. And the ignorance overwhelming. The display of displacement was complete and the manifestation of neophyte behaviour there for all to behold. Not that I have anything against Ajamila Prabhu, but it was just one of many examples that were regularly on show for us juniors. And what a show we got for over 20 years!! And it still is continuing today!
Ajamila Prabhu, surely by now you must understand that devotees need and want and support the Sampradaya Sun website. Of course we don't want offenses on any sides. But the offenses have being flowing just like Mother Ganga down to the junior devotees for years from senior devotees like yourself. The official ISKCON sites don't support anybody save and except those the GBC/Gurus and their supporters decide are in vogue. The number of displaced devotees is evidence of the humungous offenses that have occurred over all these years, without a whisper of an apology or even a loud in your face SORRY!!!! What have I done that deserves all your ruminations? What have I done that you have wanted to mislead me about Bhagavan dasa and all the other pretend Zonal Uttamas? What have we done that all you "leaders" and "absolutists" have abused, exploited and lead us all up the garden path for so long? What about all YOUR offenses?
(And as an aside comment about my Vrndavana experience a few years ago, I happened on an old time friend and Vaisnava whilst patronising the MVT restaurant. He will remain nameless. But I was greeted with a huge smile and I naturally reciprocated, much to his surprise. So I responded to his surprise by inquiring why he was so taken aback by my reciprocation. So off he went on a comprehensive verbiage outlining the aforementioned "senior devotee offensive dynamics". He felt so guilty about the past years where "junior" devotees had just been exploited, abused, and patronised just as a matter of course by so many senior devotees that he was begging me to forgive his offenses. Practically on his knees in the restaurant, I was feeling embarrassed and had to ask him to just chill out about it all. It was all ok now, I never took much notice anyways and most of the insults we had to bear just went over my head. But at least he had the grace and humility to broach the subject and of course, naturally I forgave any offenses that I was not even aware of. It had become that much more important to him, as we were residing in the Holy Dhama. We never met again, he going off on his sojourn feeling that little bit lighter because he had addressed a subject that had been bothering him for years towards me, the junior.)
Funnily enough I was at the end of many a verbal abusage from many senior devotees over the years. And in a repeated fashion, many have made their apologies felt and the friendships have been forged that little bit closer because of those feelings and actions. All glories to forgiveness and the ability to reconcile.)
It's just so embarrassing for you all. You have just ridiculed yourselves time and time again. Where does Dandavats.com have a little corner on their site for putting the wrongs right? For putting the offenses to bed. For explaining why you have turned ISKCON into some kind of world Hindu religious activity. Why you are just building a humongous "metal and concrete" empire? Why on earth do you let GBC/Gurus exploit their powers in corrupt activities for the whole world to know about?
All you have to do is read the articles that are published on Sampradaya Sun by devotees who are disenfranchised by you and your like-minded friends. Why on earth do we find hilarious articles by Hasya Mukhi dd that are so funny because they are so true? Because they happen in ISKCON, it's so funny that we have to laugh or else we would cry our hearts out. Yes that's us, just no-ones that have been disenfranchised from ISKCON because ISKCON has missed the whole point years ago, and you're not doing anything about it but just being pompous. It's like you have got nothing better to do than worry about some insignificant website that thousands of devotees read daily. Of course, Sampradaya Sun is popular because it represents a section of devotees transparently, and if you have got a problem with that then you have got a problem with a whole bunch of devotees. Instead of worrying about the Sun website, why don't you start addressing the problems, be inclusive and community minded, and then all these websites will disappear overnight.
And in your email you have made the same mistake that ISKCON makes continually about disenfranchised devotees. It's not Rocana's problem, it's your problem. All Rocana Prabhu is doing is giving facility to all the devotees that ISKCON has wasted, including himself. ISKCON is in a massive mess. The only way to exist in the Institution of ISKCON is to be in denial, be a yes person, be a materialist, be a Hindu, or just turn a blind eye. If you really do want to help ISKCON, then you have to stop hiding behind that same old chestnut of the "offense" tactic. It just seems like we are all offensive to some degree. And because not one of us has displayed the utmost sublime character of an uttama-adhikari, we have all made mistakes. And because ISKCON is managed in a corporate business styled way, the individual members of ISKCON are forgotten easily.
And believe it or not, Ajamila dasa Prabhu, I have got nothing against you whatsoever! But there are too many "Ajamila" prabhus in ISKCON that just want to point fingers instead of solving the underlying problems. Even if Rocana Prabhu is a problem, which he is not, then why does this symptom exist at all? Why are there so many sites on the Internet that just say the truth as they see it? Why do the GBC/Gurus never address anything at all? Why are they all so impersonal? Why don't I respect the GBC? Why do I and many other devotees think that this is all such a big joke? How come HG Hasya Mukhi dd can write such long hilarious articles that basically takes the **** out of GBC, Gurus, Temple Presidents, ISKCON policy, protocols, resolutions, activities, bank balances, abuses, and the endless list that we all have had enough of about 20 years ago? Why on earth don't you confront the real problems that we all face in ISKCON instead of worrying about your Godbrother that writes his thoughts down. Surely even if you succeeded in constraining Rocana Prabhu, what would you have achieved? There are so many other sites that are far more critical than the Sampradaya Sun, and you have zero hope of stopping them too.
But Ajamila dasa Prabhu, as you are supposed to be a senior devotee, and personally I have my doubts that this protocol actually works in ISKCON, I perceive that the problems in ISKCON are far more enormous when senior devotees like your good self engage in this type of activity. You are trying to manage Rocana Prabhu from speaking his own mind and his own human right of free speech through your own right of free speech. If we accept your premise for your authority to do this, then you would also have to keep quiet and not have a right to chastise Rocana Prabhu, and then I also would not be able to speak my mind and exercise my freedom of speech within ISKCON. Therefore you would only create a dictatorship similar to North Korea, where the members of ISKCON would never be able to challenge any behaviour and activity of any "senior" devotee unless sanctioned by devotees of your ilk.
Therefore the idea of Society and Community will never exist within ISKCON and co-operation could never happen. What you really need to understand as a senior devotee, person, and human being is the rights and responsibilities of individuals who all have God-given independence, free will and choice. Surely the "offense" dynamic is between the two or more individuals involved in the offense. And why does the senior ambience mentality and application revolve around an "offense" culture anyways? Are you all so paranoid that it matters that an individual halfway around the world is independently writing and allowing others to independently write their own thoughts? Just by making your statement it gives credence to the Sampradaya Sun reporting the truth, its authority, and its closeness to the bare nerves that irritate ISKCON leadership so much. If the Sampradaya Sun is just some "rinky dink" outfit, then why don't you just laugh it off rather than try to launch a serious challenge to its "offenses". Come on now, that's going to just backfire on you. If that is your main meditation today then God help ISKCON. We are all finished.
And does not this whole attitude of the "offense" culture smack of scaremongering, to try to achieve the goal of control through power rather than the control through love? What happened to the love, Ajamila Prabhu, where is it? What happened to co-operation, inclusiveness, community, togetherness, forgiveness, compassion, brotherly/sisterly love, and all those soft-hearted God-centered qualities? What happened to universality, all in it together. What did happen to that all encompassing consciousness of Krsna Consciousness where we all, as Vaisnavas, come together to chant the Holy Name and relish prasadam in association with Vaisnavas?
Why do you exhibit discrimination within the Vaisnava community? Is this not the real offense, the reality behind pointing the finger? If you are so advanced that you can point your finger so stiffly and judgmentally at all the Vaisnava community that write for Sampradaya Sun, then I hope you will please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet and excuse all my offenses. All glories to your service.
But of course, you might just see the "truth" and change your mind next year and be a net contributor to the Sampradaya Sun. Wouldn't that be a turn up for the books? And I am positive that we would get some really hilarious articles on that one. Sampradaya Sun writers, get ready for the next big U-turn from ISKCON.
And just one more friendly tip for you, Ajamila dasa Prabhu ..... if you can take it. Sometimes it helps to have a laugh at yourself. We Brits are good at that, and it relieves the stress. Because there is no doubt about it, you take yourself way too seriously and yes, even you get things wrong!
In the service of the great Vaisnava devotees of the Lord,
Dusyanta dasa
No offense intended.
