Aug 06, 2017 — NEW YORK (SUN) —
By now I am sure the heavily edited video of the attempted removal of Ramabhadra dasa and company from the Brooklyn Temple has been viewed by many. The day before the drama on Schermerhorn Street, I received texts and a phone call from a former member of the board of trustees of the Brooklyn Temple urging me to go to the temple because the GBC was going to officially strip Ramabhadra of all authority and remove him from his over-long tenure as temple president. I would say at least 20 years too long. In all the decades Ramabhadra has been in control there has not been one election for new board members or a new president.
Now, as can be seen on the video, when the GBC'ers took over the temple room, Ramabhadra dasa claims ignorance. He had no idea this 'unpleasant surprise' would be happening! Now, I ask you, how could I know, I, the hermit of Ridgewood, who no one ever calls, how could I be informed of the GBC coming, etc… and the president of the temple with all his connections did not know?
This is a classic example of theater of the absurd. He knew. Everybody knew. If he did not know how is it that his lawyer was present on that particular day?
But I digress. Let me move on to the real topic at hand – the hypocrisy of it all and of everyone involved.
Let me begin by stating for the record: I AM A HYPOCRITE. My body took birth with me inside in the age of Kali – the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. As the old school saying goes – 'It takes one to know one.' I am therefore more than capable of recognizing and exposing other hypocrites. Bharati Center in Brooklyn is infested with them.
Let me count up the ways. Let me start at the top – the glorious saviors of the long-suffering community of devotees in Brooklyn – the Governing Body Commission.
Bhakti Caru Swami read the names of the GBCs who were the official signatories for this political event. The first name read aloud was Romapada Swami. Really? Romapada has been the GBC for New York City the entire time that Ramabhadra has been temple president in Brooklyn. Where was Romapada all those years that Ramabhadra was ignoring all ISKCON bylaws and ignoring the needs and desires of the congregation? And when Romapada's name was announced as one of the officials involved, some in the temple room actually cheered? Amazing! And so sad. It's symptomatic of either ignorance of the facts or one side of a political party cheering the demise of the opposition.
Where is Sri Sri Radha Govinda?
In the portion of the video in the temple room we see so many different parties. But I will stay with the GBC'ers for now. There was Bhakti Caru Swami making the official announcement. By his side was the skeletal swami Jayadvaita, as always embracing the bamboo pole he received from Satsvarupa with that ever present 'I know more than you' smirk pasted on the front of his crypt-keeper like mug. He even has a new age type book, which he actually put his name on, which I saw on one of the book tables at the recent Queens Krsna Balarama Ratha Yatra. What poor unfortunate person will kill his soul by reading such nescient nonsense.
Also present was the other swami, Chandra-something, I apologize for my ignorance. Both of these so-called 'great kings and masters of the senses' are like that creepy uncle that every family has. You know, the one that always seems to show up for family functions, whether they are invited or not. They have deluded themselves into believing they are holy men.
Bhakti Caru is, in this case, just the current head of the criminal cabal known as the GBC. When he was reading the official announcement, in the audience I could see at least two former New York temple presidents in attendance. One must wonder where they fit in, in all of this. Possible interim replacements? Whatever. It's just the same old same old, old boys' club in action, or is it more accurate to say inaction?
Additionally there were and are so many different groups involved in this. In the video I saw Ramabhadra loyalists such as Adi Deva dasa standing in the doorway shooting daggers from his eyes at Madhu Mangala dasa, who is definitely not in Ramabhadra's camp. I could see Romapada disciples, Radhanatha disciples, Narayana disciples, devotees from 25 1st Ave., 26 2nd Ave., Queens temple, and so on and so forth.
The hermit of Ridgewood has one question here. Why can't we all just get along?
I don't know anything for 100% sure. What I do know is this. I like to chant HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE / HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE. I like to hear HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE / HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE. I am capable of chanting and hearing all by my self and it can be blissful. But it is infinitely more auspicious when it is done congregationally. Everyone and everything within range of the transcendental sound vibration will benefit.
Let's get personal. I want to state here that everything that I have written on this website has been the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have no need to lie. I am lower than low and therefore I and any opinion I may have are easily dismissed. That is fine. I know my position in this life and I accept it. I may even say I have experienced happiness in Krsna consciousness. That happiness is unlike any other.
Listen to the bitter experiences of the sweetest aspiring Vaisnavas in Brooklyn.
One young man I had the great pleasure of associating with had a typical experience with the political machinations of the GBC and its bogus rubber-stamp guru system. We were considered god-cousins. Our 'gurus' were god-brothers. I was a disciple of Satvarupa dasa and he was a disciple of Bhavananda dasa. As I have stated, this prabhu was the nicest devotee of Krsna you could meet. He was and is humble and knowledgeable and completely surrendered to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna. Of course, when the disgusting spit hit the fan for the umpteenth time with the OH SO FALLEN Bhavananda, the prabhu turned to temple authorities and the GBC for help. My poor humble prabhu went to Vipramukhya dasa. OUCH! When Vipramukya was busted for flying around on a broomstick on the Internet that was the end of that. So, I ask you, what is a prabhu or a mataji to do? Go for another bogi yogi just because he, or soon to be she, has the stamp of approval from a group of bogi yogis?
I can not say what I would do. Actually I can. I did. I simply gave up on them. I chant the Holy Names and wait patiently for a bona fide guru whether in this life or another. It is an individual choice. It always is.
My friend prabhu went outside of ISKCON to seek his best spiritual life.
Let us take one step down to the local management and their hypocrisy.
I want you to meet another sweet as honey devotee from Brooklyn. Actually a whole family of sweetness who had served starting in Henry Street Temple, then 55th Street Temple and then the Brooklyn Temple. I focus on the wife and mother of the family. She served in the Brooklyn Temple for over 20 years, at one time heading up the Sunday School Program when her children and mine were attending. Whatever type of service an uninitiated woman was allowed to perform in the temple, she performed. Her service was always first class. There was never ever even one iota of controversy in any way, shape or form involving this sweet mataji.
She was and is married to a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and for decades she waited patiently and searched and researched and investigated and associated in hopes of finding a qualified person to which she could offer her self in service to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna as an initiated disciple in the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya.
She found none. As in the case of the previous prabhu, she went outside of ISKCON for her personal spiritual advancement. She never preached in any way, shape or form, against any one in ISKCON. She continued her first class service in the Brooklyn Temple.
UNTIL…
Temple management forbade her from performing any type of service in the temple because she had the nerve, the temerity, to use her Krsna-given intelligence to find her happiness in Krsna consciousness outside of the current faux incarnation of ISKCON.
Next is the most overt, spit in your face, peeing on you and telling you its raining, example of Ramabhadra dasa's and the whole of current ISKCON's hypocrisy.
The reason given, as I have explained, for the mataji's total restriction from devotional service in Brooklyn Temple, was the fact that she took initiation from someone not in ISKCON. No ifs, ands or buts.
HOWEVER…
WHEN THE SPIT HIT THE FAN WITH THE TURLEY LAWSUIT AND THE BOGI YOGI OF THE NY GBC AND THE DICTATORIAL NY TEMPLE PRESIDENT SAW BIG RED "DANGER" LIGHTS, BLINKING OVER THEIR PILFERED FROM SRILA PRABHUPADA'S ISKCON PREGNANT PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNTS, THE RADHA GOVINDA MANDIRA OF ISKCON SUDDENLY BECAME THE BHARITI CENTER AND NO LONGER OFFICIALLY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY "LEGALLY" AN ISKCON INCORPORATED ENTITY!
IF WE FOLLOW RAMABHADRA'S LOGIC FOR EVICTING THE MATAJI FOR LEAVING ISKCON, THEN RAMABHADRA AND COMPANY SHOULD HAVE BEEN EVICTED THE MOMENT THEY LEFT ISKCON. ISN'T IT?
HYPOCRISY THY NAME IS…
EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS CURRENT FIASCO.
I say everyone. The congregation that still remains is just as guilty for the current state of affairs. When you see your friends and neighbors, your god-brothers and god-sisters, elders and children gradually disappearing due to nescient management and political motivation and just plain rude and disgusting attitude towards the congregation in general, you are guilty of doing nothing to protect and support your loved ones. You are a guilty bystander. Your inaction is just as egregious as Ramabhadra's and Romapada's and the rest of the elites of faux ISKCON'S nescient actions because you stood by and did NOTHING!
MAYA IS A DEVOTEE OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, SRI KRSNA, AND HER WONDERFUL SERVICE IS TO PROTECT HER LORD FROM FAUX DEVOTEES LIKE YOU AND I.
I have nothing at all to do with Bharati Center. I feel sorry for all parties involved. I will raise not one finger to assist anyone in any way in any party involved in all this doo doo. I do not have much longer in my current material body but I would prefer not to have my current head on a stick. I say that because there was a mention of possible persons to oversee the changes and one was from the burial grounds of West Virginia.
The first name was Siva Radhya prabhu. The names should have stopped there. He is the only person there honorable enough to install proper rules and regulations and persons. His sons are also good men. His wife is a strict pious Vaisnavi. I know this because any time I approach her husband, her eyes widen and she becomes vigilant to protect him from my nonsense. She knows an offensive fool when she sees one. Her husband and I shared a fire sacrifice many years ago and so he is always merciful to me regardless of my fallen position. I heard the name of Malati mentioned. Why? Doesn't she have enough not to do in New Vrindavana? She has no connection here except for joining here and her heroin addicted bloop from ISKCON years ago before she was reinstated and given a political power position in West Virginia. It's just more of the same old same old. Maintain the status quo.
Lastly I must mention race. When you watch the video what do you see? Mostly black and brown bodies. The leadership has been tone deaf to the fact that 99% of the congregation consists of spirit souls inhabiting black and brown bodies. Who will the GBC put in charge if they successfully remove the current despot? Another old boys' club white body? All they have ever had in Brooklyn were white body presidents. We know we are not these bodies; however there are psychophysical factors which differ from body type to body type which must be factored in to the equation.
I am a white body born and raised in New York City. What do I know of what motivates a soul within a brown or black body born and raised in the Caribbean or in Africa or South America or India or even the southern United States and vice versa? These are totally different cultures and ways of doing things and ways of thinking and so on. Forget about another white body, be it male or female, and forget about bringing in outsiders to maintain the elitist status quo. The need is for an honorable local person or persons.
IF THE TRUE CONGREGATION OF BROOKLYN WANT THEIR TEMPLE AND THEIR DEITIES BACK THEY HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE GBC IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION.
ENOUGH SAID. THE DISGRACE IS ON ALL OF US.
NITAI GAURA HARI BOL
HARE KRSNA HARE RAMA
