Approximately six months ago, being heavily under the modes of passion and ignorance, I unknowingly or subconsciously became envious of Madhu Pandit prabhu and under the banner of ‘false ego’, I sought to expose ‘the truth’ according to my understanding based on hearsay information.

I was given some mis-information in the form of facts, figures, and documents along with rumors and foolishly swallowed them hook, line and sinker; then leaping before looking intelligently, investigating thoroughly, or speaking with the accused.

Some of the things I wrote were actually liable for action by the court system, but because of our past relationship and Madhu Pandit’s soft heart, he called off the legal beagles before they would have made my life miserable.

A week ago, on April 16, 2009, while travelling through Bangalore, Madhu Pandit contacted me and asked if I would like to visit the Akshaya Patra account office and look into the accounts myself.

I went to the Bangalore Temple the following day and attended the morning program. I was greeted with respect and had a wonderful spiritual experience with the assembled devotees. At 12:30 pm we had a meeting and I presented Madhu Pandit with my information, documents and half-truths that I had been told, and was actually shocked with his responses. He showed me court documents, explaining what really happened while gently rebuking me in a way so that I wouldn’t make such a fool of myself in the future. In the end I was embarrassed that I had not personally contacted him before shooting off my mouth.

After lunch I was brought to the accounting department of Akshaya Patra and introduced to the head accountant. He was instructed to answer all my questions and to show me whatever account books I requested. Previously I was told that Madhu Pandit was making millions of dollars from Akshaya Patra and that he was funneling the access into land deals all over the world. I couldn’t have been more mislead or hoodwinked. The Akshaya Patra project is operated by 8 Trustees who are from the top rung of society. Three are from INFOSYS, one is the CEO of Narvana Technologies, one is a successful industrialist, and three are from ISKCON Bangalore, which means the devotees don’t even have a majority vote.

Their accounts are audited by a group of chartered accountants in India called BSR & Co., who are a subsidiary of the Global firm KMPG, who audit NASDAQ. There are 17 prasada distribution centers in India which each has a chartered accountant, who in turn sends their accounts to the Bangalore office to be doubled checked and verified by another 10 accountants. Then there is a 3 man audit committee set up by the Board of Trustees to triple check the accounts for discrepancies, errors, or to find ways to increase distribution efficiency. And above all, there is the control of the government auditors, who are equivalent to the IRS in America, who periodically make unscheduled and surprise audits of their own.

When I asked the chief accountant what direct role Madhu Pandit played in handling the finance and accounts in the whole scheme of Akshaya Patra, he simply stated that he was the least person in the picture. There is even an advisory board chaired by the ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India along with the Secretary of Education, a commissioner of Education and two prominent industrialists who give advice based on the vision of the Trustee/Board of Directors of Akshaya Patra.

I had also heard the complaint that the menu and quality of prasadam being distributed was of inferior quality. However after further investigation, I found out that there is a BED (Block Education Officer) who immediately checks into all complaints for the government, to insure quality control. The bottom line is that the Akshaya Patra project is not the money making machine I so wrongfully accused it of being. In fact, the accounts showed a 1.73 cr. deficit for the year 08/09.

I feel in all honesty that I must apologize to the world, and personally to Madhu Pandit prabhu for not thoroughly investigating my sources of information, and for not contacting him personally as a godbrother before going public, and also to the organizers, workers and participants of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Please forgive me for my ignorant and foolish offenses.

Mahasrnga dasa

This ruling again reiterated the fact that ISKCON Bangalore, under the leadership of Sriman Madhu Pandit Das, is on the path shown by Krishna separate from the corrupt ISKCON Mumbai Society and its GBC leadership. This result will further enhance and deepen the quality of service of all the residents of Hare Krishna Hill to Sri Sri Radha Krishnacandra for the benefit of all humanity without unnecessary influences.

This ruling is further proof that what Krishna promises in the Bhagavad Gita that ” My devotees will never perish”, is hundred percent true even though we may not know His workings most of the time.

Thanks goes to devotees worldwide who stood by the ISKCON Bangalore devotees and their decade long struggle to reinstate Srila Prabhupada in the center of ISKCON inspite of severe hardships.

A message to HH Radhanath Swami, HH Jayaptaka Swami, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami and HH Bhakti Caru Swami: Please take this result, which has come inspite of immense funds sacrificed by you all (to the tune of many millions of dollars) and repeated confident assurances by Doyaram Das as Lord Krishna’s indication that NO ONE CAN DISTURB THE SERVICES OF HIS SINCERE SERVANTS. Hence please desist from further prolonging the case in Bangalore or supporting the dirty cause of Varada Krishna das who is trashing devotees in a tabloid manner through some websites. Please call for an end to all hostilities being undertaken by means of your underlings in Bangalore and let us concentrate on preaching in our own areas and services given to us by Srila Prabhupada. Only pure devotional service rendered for the benefit of the conditioned souls will help us at the time of fast approaching death.  Let us preach by our own strenghts depending on Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and then LET THE RESULTS SPEAK.

Continued from “ISKCON” Gurus Initiations and Party Men – Part 1

On Understanding the First Transformation

The First Transformation, or change, started to take place even before Srila Prabhupada left us. When any kind of organization is running powerfully, it is able to do so because one man embodies and exemplifies it. When there is no such man, the organization muddles on in a divided and often semi-disorganized manner. As such, a really powerful corporation is but the shadow of one man. When transformation devolves, it usually does so under one man’s influence.

Two men were vying for this power in the late Seventies: They were Kirtanananda Swami and Tamal Krishna Gosvami (TKG). The latter emerged finally victorious, because he was the best corporate manipulator. He did so in no small measure because he was able to secure the post of “taking care of” Srila Prabhupada in his last days. Something very nefarious took place during those final months (“Someone has poisoned me”). Srila Prabhupada’s wishes were not honored. We shall not go into the poison issue, but suffice it to say that there is plenty of evidence-and that evidence is not weak. Exactly how it all transpired is almost impossible to know without a smoking gun, i.e., without someone who was implicated spilling his guts.

But we do know that Prabhupada ordered that he be taken on parikrama during the last month, and that order was disobeyed. We do know that Prabhupada ordered that all of his disciples be told to come to Vrindavan to see him one last time during the last days, but that order was never relayed. Instead, it was amended to mean that one senior devotee from each temple or zone should go to Vrindavan (the Thanksgiving and Christmas pick could not be jeopardized!).

The actual Krishna consciousness movement had nothing whatsoever to do with change. It was a movement of spiritual rejuvenation, which is a completely different process from change or transformation. Srila Prabhupada was relegated to the position of a figurehead in the last months (or even years), and then eleven powerful men-under the ultimate influence of TKG-created the First Transformation. TKG was very instrumental in the coup of the spring of 1978, and an “Acarya Board” was created as an independent subset of the “GBC.” Yes, Swami B.R. Sridhar was also instrumental; he served as the soil for those eleven seeds of personal glory (“The poison is personal ambition”). There would have been no Zonal Acaryas, however, without the directed influence of TKG. The eleven Zonals constituted just short of half of the votes of the “GBC” during the spring of 1978, but they wielded far, far more than half of the influence on that governing body. The other Commissioners failed us, and they did not stop the eleven pretender maha-bhagavats from their takeover of the movement. This was the First Transformation.

But Kirtanananda Swami set the tone in the run-up to that apocalyptic spring meeting in Mayapur, 1978. The actual big change started just days after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, and it began at New Vrindavan. Kirtanananda Swami, without any consultation and on his own authority, began accepting uttama-adhikari worship from everyone there, especially his godbrothers and godsisters. The “GBC,” already in the process of becoming corrupt, did nothing to check him. So, when that governing body convened in Mayapur in the spring of 1978, it had to confront the fact that one of the eleven men named as rittviks in the last days (during July of 1977) was accepting worship as a guru on the highest level of purity and realization. But Prabhupada had said, in late May of 1977, “Regular guru, that’s all.” Kirtanananda Swami was accepting far, far more than the accolades accorded a regular guru according to parampara and other Vaishnava traditions.

TKG backed the conclusion that the eleven men named as rittviks during the last five months while Prabhupada was with us were to automatically become gurus after his disappearance. He never got this clarified by Srila Prabhupada, of course. That the other ten newly-appointed “gurus” would back this line of thought was not improbable; it was in their obvious self interest to do so. However, if one of these eleven men was already accepting exalted worship, then what about the other ten?

“I am in due receipt of your letter, dated September 3 1975, with the enclosed statement about Bon Maharaja. So I have now issued orders that all my disciples should avoid all of my godbrothers. They should not have any dealings with them nor even correspondence, nor should they give them any of my books nor should they purchase any of their books, neither should you visit any of their temples. Please avoid them.”
Letter to Visvakarma das on Nov. 9, 1975 from Bombay

According to some devotee schuttlebutt-and there is no direct or tangible proof of it–Srila Prabhupada was supposed to have said that Swami B.R. Sridhar, a prominent Gaudiya Math leader, could be consulted for his philosophical views in connection with spiritual master. He was consulted, and his advice proved disastrous. He repeated the Bengali cliche mat guru si jagat guru, indicating that anyone who performs the formalities of the initiation ceremony should be accepted by his initiated disciple as a jagat guru (a far cry from what Prabhupada called “regular guru,” i.e., a guru under the regulation of vaidhi sadhana bhakti).

Similarly, Swami B. R. Sridhar in effect said: “Just put on the uniform, and you will become the soldier.” The implication of this bad directive was that just putting on the external pretense of guru would automatically grow you into actually being a guru. This may be New Age philosophy, but it is not the Vedic or Vaishnava process. Swami B. R. Sridhar asked what was the basis of these eleven men being guru. Were they recognized or appointed as such by Prabhupada? Swami B. R. Sridhar was informed that the basis of their claim was that these eleven men had been appointed as rittvik acaryas during the last months of Prabhupada’s manifestation.

Swami B. R. Sridhar then opined: “Rittvik-acarya, then it becomes as good as acarya.” It was his worst advice. This is exactly what TKG was thinking, so “after consultation with higher authorities” (penned by the chief scribe of the Zonals at the beginning of his position paper summing up this new dispensation), it was accepted that the new diksa gurus would only come from the eleven rittviks most recently appointed. This was cent-per-cent bogus, but it was accepted by all but one of the Commissioners. The others, who did not receive an appointment to become guru and a zone in which to initiate, went along to get along.

Swami B. R. Sridhar was also instrumental in setting up and approving the plan to have the eleven pretender maha-bhagavats possess their own zones, and thus we had the First Transformation, which can be called the Era of the Zonal Acaryas. It was a complete disaster!

Now, the question may be raised: “Why do you personally criticize Swami B. R. Sridhar? He was Srila Prabhupada’s older godbrother. You should not criticize the godbrother of your Guru Maharaj.” Our answer to this doubt is as follows: It has been thirty years since the bad advice from Swami B. R. Sridhar was received and applied by the “GBC.” Srila Prabhupada waited for thirty years after the disappearance of his Guru Maharaj before he began to initiate disciples in the West. He was deputed by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami Maharaj to do just that, but he did not immediately even begin to take up that assignment for three decades. It has been two decades since Swami B. R. Sridhar left his body. We have refrained all of these decades from specifically mentioning him by name in any of our articles. So, we have observed the etiquette with particular restraint for a considerable time.

However, no individual did more damage to Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Consciousness movement from the Gaudiya Math side than did Swami B. R. Sridhar. His negative influence on Srila Prabhupada’s movement is practically incalculable. All the senior men in the “ISKCON” movement know this to a lesser or greater extent. Most of the older devotees “outside the walls” know it as well. It is not often written about in any official documents, but it has been discussed amongst virtually every one of Prabhupada’s elder initiated disciples to a very substantial degree. It is now agreed by almost everyone that the misconception of the Zonal Acarya scheme was a devastation, and that arrangement has been officially rejected for decades.

Similarly, many of the rittviks-who rarely are inclined toward the Gaudiya Math–know of the damage done by Swami B. R. Sridhar. Some have written about it without any constraint and with considerable vitriol. We remain restrained concerning that style of writing, but we can no longer remain silent about his terrible advice and influence during the late Seventies and early Eighties.

You are reading this article because you have a profound desire to understand. This article has not been submitted to, or posted on, any popular or large devotee websites-at least not directly by us. You have earned the right to receive this information. Swami B. R. Sridhar did terrible damage in the form of his malefic advice and directions. The eleven pretender maha-bhagavats ate up that bad advice, applied it, and transformed Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Consciousness movement in the process. The eleven seeds needed the soil, and Swami B. R. Sridhar supplied the fertilizer.

The movement meant for the rejuvenation of pure spiritual life and realization amongst all of those who joined it-all of whom received genuine initiation from the real bona fide spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada-was transformed into something else in the spring of 1978. It was disconnected from the sampradaya (parampara) at that time, and Swami B. R. Sridhar along with the eleven pretender maha-bhagavats–and especially the Party Men who helped to implement the scheme at the pragmatic level–were key players in this initial transformation or change.

This imposition of eleven powerful men as “maha-bhagavats”–all of whom were loaded with personal and institutional anarthas–was a scheme that appeared unbeatable at first. They all had their own zones of influence. Had they stayed in their turfs and not criticized one another-if they had also not attempted so many outrages-then the concoction might have lasted longer than the eight or nine years it dominated everything and everyone. However, when conditioned souls, loaded with anarthas, imitate guru–and particularly when they imitate the actual self-realized soul–their destruction is arranged for by the demigods. This is, in part, because they are imitating the demigods. The immeasurable pride and audacity of the eleven pretender maha-bhagavats was not merely the megalomania of some powerful leader of a nation-state. No. All eleven of these men were absorbed in the delusion of self-apotheosis.

They were all absorbed in the material mind. They were absorbed in their lusts and desires (kama-sankalpa), thinking these desires to be absolute. They were all absorbed in anger and hatred against anyone who criticized or thwarted them in any way. They were all very insane, but, due to having performed some buddhi-yoga in years past, they were still (generally) shrewd in their insanity. They were completely intoxicated by their great power over others, by the women who danced for them in front of their so-called vyasasans, and by the buzz they received on a daily and hourly basis as objects of worship by hundreds of dedicated fools and fanatics. They were regularly subjected to the fear of their scheme being exposed, especially by knowledgeable godbrothers who could see the faultlines in this unauthorized arrangement. They were very greedy for more and more disciples, more and more power, more and more money (“laxmi”), more and more fame and influence, and more and more “knowledge” of ways to better pull the whole thing off.

In short, all eleven of these men were full-blown sahajiyas.

The very best thing is the Sampradaya Acarya, the maha-bhagavat absorbed in love of Godhead. When the very best thing is perverted and imitated, it quickly degenerates into the very worst thing; this is a universal principle. Each of the eleven pretender maha-bhagavats warped into a terrible caricature of siddha-purusa. They were all pseudo gurus, and, in this monstrosity, their anarthas were supposed to be absolute and praiseworthy. So, instead of eleven somewhat advanced and learned devotees keeping their original initiated names, almost all of them adopted other names, usually ending in “pada.” This was a blatant and ultimately laughable imitation of Prabhu-pada.

Rather than go over their “pada” names-and how ludicrous each of those titles were-it is more efficacious to understand what each of these men became as a caricature, as they attempted to carve out an absolute identity as de facto popes within their zones. So, the fragmenting movement now had to contend with The Vanity Fair Despot, the Scholar, the Teflon Pundit, the Sun King, the Libertine, the Pusher, the Machiavellian Manipulator, the Fanatic Flag-Waiver, the Psychotropic Sahajiya, Das Fuhrer Comet, and the Post-Modern Magician.

They were the great cheaters, and everyone who followed them and actually believed that they were God-realized lovers of Truth constituted the cheated. The “ISKCON” movement devolved into the newest Society of the Cheaters and the Cheated, and, appropriately, they were all called “new gurus.” The Party Men cooperated; at this time, it was not in the personal interest of the Party Men to do anything to expose the arrangement if they did not believe in it. The more powerful became henchmen and enforcers, some became temple officers, some became intimate associates and sycophants, and some of them remained fanatics and true believers.

It was a Fool’s Paradise, and eleven men situated in such an unreliable state of being would not be able to maintain the artificial arrangement for long. They went into each other’s zones to collect, and this led to various reversals and confrontations. They criticized one another, and this led fanatics in various zones to question whether or not such “lila” was really indicative of persons supposedly situated in nikunjayuno ratikeli siddhaye. Remember, however, that Tamal was the man. When he went too far, then the whole edifice of this scheme started to crater.

Mar 28, USA — First of a Five Part Series

“. . . do not try to initiate. You are not in a proper position now to initiate anyone. . . Don’t be allured by such maya. . . Don’t be allured by cheap disciples. Go on steadfastly to render service first. If you immediately become guru, then the service activities will be stopped; and as there are many cheap gurus and cheap disciples, without any substantial knowledge, and manufacturing new sampradayas, and with service activities stopped, and all spiritual progress choked up.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Acyutananda/Jaya Govinda on Aug. 21, 1968 from Montreal (emphasis added)

Secretary: What about the so-called gurus that take a little bit here, a little bit there?
Prabhupada: So-called gurus, they are so-called gurus. They are not gurus. That is already explained. If one does not speak what Krishna speaks, he is not guru. If you accept so-called guru, that is your misfortune. What can be done?
Secretary: Some of them will say some things that Krishna says, but they’ll take from other places also. What is the position of such persons?
Prabhupada: He’s most dangerous. He’s most dangerous. He is opportunist. He’s finding out customer, something here… According to the customer he is giving something, as the customers will be pleased.
Answers to Questionnaire Room Conversation on June 28, 1976 (emphasis added)

vidyam cavidyam ca yas
tad vedobhayam saha
avidyaya mrtyum tirtva
vidyayamrtam asnute

“Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality.”
Sri Isopanisad Mantra 11 (emphasis added)

During the final years of the preaching activities of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaj Prabhupada Thakura, who was both shaktyavesh-avatar and Sampradaya-Acarya, one of his favorite initiated disciples was Professor Sanyal, a learned intellectual and an accomplished writer. Even during his manifest lila, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Gosvami Prabhupada–who was and remains a direct associate of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (along with his illustrious father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)–approved of Professor Sanyal’s book. This book, entitled Krishna Chaitanya, was entirely bona fide according to the Sampradaya Acarya. I once possessed it, but the mahant of the Radha-Raman temple, Visvambhara Gosvami, asked me in Vrindavan to give it to him in 1984. I acquiesced to the request. His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the most recent Sampradaya-Acarya and our initiating spiritual master, allowed that this book be consulted and read by his disciples, along with Bon Maharaj’s Bhaktirasamritasindhu.

I had the actual quote (referenced below) by Prabhupada about Professor Sanyal, and it was used in my preaching in 1980, specifically at the beginning of a manuscript I co-authored back then entitled In The Measure of Our Conviction. The quote is not to be found in any later edition of the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase; perhaps, it has never been included in any ISKCON databases. If so, that is a shame. The quote is very important and should not be lost in the oblivion of time.

Now, I am going to share with you this quote from Srila Prabhupada as per my personal memory; what is written in bold italics is exact. The gist of the entire quote, as per its follow-up paragraph, is accurate and in context. Srila Prabhupada did not at all approve of this Professor Sanyal after the final day of 1936 (the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta), neither did Srila Prabhupada approve of any of Professor Sanyal’s writings after that time.

“Professor Sanyal, he was a very nice man. But he was a Party Man . . .”

That statement has been attributed to Srila Prabhupada. I do not exactly remember the wording of the rest of the quote, but I do remember what it meant and indicated. It indicated that, due to his having become a Party Man, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati arranged to have Professor Sanyal leave the scene very quickly. A recent posting on the Internet, by someone who apparently has researched Professor Sanyal, states that he died a natural death. If you have access to the exact quote, send it our way; we shall recognize it immediately and post it.

Apparently, Professor Sanyal joined the Party of Ananta Vasudeva (later called Puri Maharaj), as opposed to the Bagh Bazaar Party of Tirtha Maharaj. As such, his writings, after the disappearance of his Guru Maharaj, backed that (Vasudeva’s) party line. In the “ISKCON” movement a different course was followed, although there were parallels. Instead of declaring one maha-bhagavat, it was declared by the “GBC” (just as falsely) that there were eleven of them. Of course, Ananta Vasudeva was a very learned scholar in the Vaishnava siddhanta, unlike the eleven Zonal Acaryas of the post-modern era. Still, despite his erudition and previous approval from the Acarya, Srila Prabhupada did not condone the writings of this Professor Sanyal after the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

The most important thing to consider is that Srila Prabhupada did not approve of Party Men. He in effect condemned this kind of functionary. Currently, the original ISKCON movement is covered by the “ISKCON” sheath, just as our original mind, intelligence, and ego is covered by the material ego (ahankara), material intelligence, and material mind. The “ISKCON” movement is dominated by Party Men, and this has been the case since the late Seventies. The Party Men cooperated with the Zonals (of course, the Zonals themselves were all Party Men) and helped to empower them. The Party Man faction is a multi-faceted dynamic, composed of fanatics, sycophants, henchmen, and temple officers. It always has been.

There is Krishna Consciousness and then there is a perverted reflection of Krishna Consciousness. The Party Men of “ISKCON” represent, at best, only a reflection of Krishna Consciousness. The dynamic of the Party Man is found in what he thinks constitutes the recognition, approval, and blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Party Men measure these ideals in terms of their position in the corporate structure of their institution. As long as they remain a somebody like a Temple President or a “GBC”-and as long as there is adequate revenue flow to continue in their status and with their project-then whatever they are doing or saying is considered spiritual by them. Krishna Consciousness means to see as Lord Krishna sees, to see as the Chaitya-guru or Paramatma sees. To become Krishna Conscious means to see the Party Men for what they really are.

The Party Men shift with the ever-changing winds of corporate doctrine. They are “GBC” loyalists. The “ISKCON” movement is completely under the control of the “GBC.” Unlike ISKCON, however, the real GBC no longer exists-and, as far as that goes, it never did function in a bona fide way for a great deal of time even while Srila Prabhupada was still with us. The devolution of this governing body has been long in duration, the offenses have been very great, and the GBC has been ruined, permanently warped and perverted into the “GBC. “

The Party Man is a particularly nasty piece of work. He sometimes comes in the form of a sannyasi. He is often completely without genuine conscience. His intelligence always works to ponder the Party Line and the current momentum; he always wants to make sure that he will be on the side that is winning. His shibboleth is: “‘ISKCON’–with all thy faults–I still love thee!” He backs the current transformation, and we are now in the Second Transformation….To Be continued…..

Dear Urdhvaga Prabhu:
Please accept my most humble obeisances. I received your letter dated 22 March 1993. I did not write, because before doing so, I wanted to fathom the actual depth and cause of my complete degradation and disgraceful behaviour after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada, especially in connection with illegal assumption of the initiating zonal Guru Acharya activities in which I played such a destructive role.

Although I see everything in a sane, sober and proper perspective now, it has taken me more than 10 years of painful, anguished and repentant soul searching to understand my problem-a problem which to you and many sincere disciples of Prabhupada was obvious from the moment (and even before that) Prabhupada left this mortal world in 1977. Being completely overwhelmed with the fever of pratistha (desire for name and fame), obsessed with the ambition to be a guru, in short to be the lord and master of the devotees, I consequently became completely blind to the order of Srila Prabhupada, which he clearly
expressed in his letter to the GBC and temple Presidents, dated July 9, 1977. In that letter he named 11 devotees and made it clear that they are to act as his rittvik representatives (deputies) for initiating new disciples on behalf of the Founder-acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada never sent any other directive, newsletter or written document thereaftel indicating that any one of his disciples should be an acharya or guru in any way. His letter of July 9, 1977, naming 11 senior disciples or rittvik representatives stands alone as the only order Prabhupada ever issued before his disappearance (four months later) in November of that year, 1977.

For years since, falling down from the standard of devotional service, I have suffered grievously, knowing I caused the spiritual ruin of hundreds and thousands of sincere, aspiring devotees, whom I stole away (kidnapped) from Srila Prabhupada (the Founder-acharya) by presenting myself as a bonafide acharya, spiritual master, when in fact I was not even able to control my senses any more than an ordinary karmi.

Why has it taken me so long to write this frank and honest letter? Because the hankering and ravenous hunger for honour and prestige as a guru, acharya and holy man is so strong in my heart it is only in the last year that by the grace of Prabhupada and the attentive chanting of the Holy Name that the fever of pratistha has subsided to the point where I can clearly see and express myself in this regard honestly.

I am humbly prostrating myself before you, Urdhvaga, and all the devotees everywhere, especially those who were subjected to the unhappy relationship of accepting me as their Guru and thereby being completely broken in their faith and enthusiasm to perform devotional service.

I know that simply writing a letter of apology is not enough. I shall spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to re-establish Srila Prabhupada as the Founder-acharya and modern-day Vyasadeva of the Brahma Gauidya Vaishnava Sampradaya, as expressed in the enclosed paper, “Prabhupada, His Movement and You.”

I suggest that those new devotees who have been erroneously initiated by ISKCON gurus who like myself have fallen down or who present themselves as anything more than rittvik representatives of the Founder-Srila Prabhupada, can be properly initiated once and for all simply by accepting Srila Prabhupada as their guru and sampradaya acharya by sitting in on a rittvik initiation performed by a devotee who is properly situated in the order of Srila Prabhupada, as per his July 9, 1977 letter authorising rittvik representatives
to initiate on his behalf.

The bottom line is simply this: The senior disciples should have continued to do after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada what they were already doing for years while Prabhupada was present: act as Srila Prabhupada’s menial servants in the matter of initiations. They were rittviks while he was present, and they should have continued to be rittviks in his absence. Anything more than this is nothing more than the ambition to be guru, which is one of the two last traps of maya–the other being the desire to be Krishna.

That you have written me such a heartfelt, sincere and honest letter has helped me so much. Meanwhile, I have made connection with Yashodanandan, along with a number of other devotees who have helped me very much in my fallen condition. Their association gives me hope and strength that I maybe able to do some service in the future to help rectify the deteriorated condition of Prabhupada’s movement.

I know you are always my true friend, and I am very sorry that I hurt you so much over so many years. Please forgive me. I hope we will meet again soon and begin a new chapter of our friendship in the service of Prabhupada. Please forgive me. It has taken so long for me to come back down to earth.

Your humble servant and friend,

Hansadutta das

An interview with Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj talking about Srila Prabhupada

Copied from, Our Srila Prabhupada, a Friend to All: Early Contemporaries Remember Him, Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj is describing a some of his memories of Srila Prabhupada:

“I first met Srila Swami Maharaja in Calcutta.  He was living in his family home at Sita-Kanta Banarjee Lane.  This was in the early 1940’s, around 1943, when he was maintaining his medicine shop distributing formulas he had discovered.  I was sometimes going there to that address with Sridhara Maharaja and Kesava Maharaja and our Asrama Maharaja.  We went there collecting for Navadvipa and for other business.  That is when I was introduced to him.

“Even in those early days he told me about his future program for visiting America.  He showed us the books he wrote on the Bhagavata and his magazine, Back to Godhead. We talked about many topics and associated together in those years until 1946 or so.

“He often asked me if I would go with him to America.  He wanted me to leave the institution and become the sub-editor of his paper.  I told him that I was part of the institution and also so young, I did not want to go to the foreign countries.  In 1948 I was sent by Srila Tirtha Maharaja (Kunja Babu) to the Ramananda Gaudiya Matha on the Godavari River to be the temple president there.  Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada had installed the footprints of Mahaprabhu there in 1932.  Some years after this Srila Swami Maharaja took the sannyasa order from Kesava Maharaja in Mathura.  He left India from the Damodara Temple in 1965 and I did not meet him again until he returned from the Western countries.

“In 1971 he came to our Rajamundry Temple.  I had wanted him to come to open the temple, so I had written to him, asking him to come.  He wrote me back a letter that I still have here, agreeing to come.  He also wrote that of almost all of his godbrothers, I was appreciating his preaching.  Then he came to our celebration with some students, some sannyasis and brahmacaris.  He stayed for one week.  They also came to Vishakapatnam and he inaugurated our temple.  For twenty days he stayed here with many of his senior students, but I don’t remember all their names.

“After this, Srila Swami Maharaja asked us to come back to Mayapura with him to attend the foundation-laying ceremony, which I helped to perform.  He was inviting all of his godbrothers in Mayapura and I helped him at that time.  Many came and saw the festival and attended the big feast.  He received them. But then, some of them complained because he had accepted Prabhupada’s title.  He told them how somehow he had allowed the students to call him that name, but it was an old issue and what to do now?  We discussed this afterwards, and I told some of the godbrothers they should accept his name in light of all the service he has done to the world.  Others in our lineage had taken that name, so what is the difference?  When they all departed, prasada was distributed along with one book, cloth and five rupees.  Krsna dasa Babaji was also present.  I stayed there for seven days.

“Swami Maharaja requested our Ananda Prabhu to help in Mayapura with the cooking.  Ananda Prabhu spent two years there with Maharaja as I had asked him.  He was very strict, but could not deal successfully with the Western disciples and he left.

“Srila Swami Maharaja once asked me to speak to Visvanatha dasa, our old friend, who was at our village for seven days.  He was Chief Minister from the brahmana community.  Swami Maharaja wanted his disciples to be allowed to enter the Jagannatha Temple in Puri.  He gave me one Krsna book, which I gave to Visvanatha.  I asked him to please see if some change could be adopted there.  However he was not a strong Chief Minister.  He said he would try, but it was not done and he died.  I saw Swami Maharaja another time when we all came to Calcutta for some big meetings.

“In 1977 we traveled with many pilgrims to Madhava Maharaja’s temple in Badrinarayana.  Srila Swami Maharaja was staying for some time near Rishikesh.  I went there along with Asrama Maharaja and some others.  He was lying on the bed and was very glad to see us.  One disciple, Hamsaduta dasa had written an article condemning a doctor scientist in Lanka who was an atheist.  Even though Srila Swami Maharaja was lying down in weak health, we were all laughing.  We took prasada and returned back.

“Once I said to him, ‘Maharaja, you should survive for ten more years.’  He answered, ‘How can I survive?  You see my pulse.’  I saw that his pulse was not moving.  I said, ‘Unless you stay, these Western disciples will not unite.  They are strong-headed and they will fight.  You must put them in line with our tradition.  Previously I said, ‘Maharaja, you have established some gurus but Guru must be one.’  He said, ‘I have not selected.  Only rtviks to act in my place now.’  I said, After your demise they will be gurus.  Unless you bless a guru to sit on the Vyasaasana, they must go down.’  He said, ‘What to do?  Everything is Krsna’s will.’  Then after some time in Vrndavana he passed away.

“He gave so much time and life-breath to serve his institution.  No one else has done so much to improve our institution throughout the world.  He received Sri Guru and Gauranga’s blessings.  Once he said, ‘It is all my Prabhupada’s blessings.  I have done my duty.  Now the rest of it depends on the Lord.’  He labored hard.  No other could do as he did in the foreign countries.  He taught everything: how to cook, how to clean, how to prepare everything, how to decorate, and how to print books and include photos, book distribution.  So much importance he placed on books , as our Prabhupada said.  Big volumes with cover page he has invented.  He possessed all devotional qualities.  By his preaching in less than ten years — there is no other example of anyone doing like this — by introducing hari-nama in every town and village, he has fulfilled the prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

The GBC People!

Can any one in this world imagine distributing food for just 1,000 people for just one day? But ISKCON Bangalore is doing this in a massive way, every day by distributing to 1 million souls. And they are not distributing just food, but prasadam. This was the dream of Srila Prabhupada. And you all are trying to stop it.

Stopping philanthropic activity of food distribution itself leads one to the hellish planets. And just imagine if one tries to stop the prasadam distribution, where that man will be put into. Only Krishna knows!

Lord Krishna gave off His entire army to Kauravas. Just one Krishna was on the side of Pandavas. Similarly Srila Prabhupada’s brands are all there with GBC, including “Food for Life”. What is the score of that today? If you want to beat Akshaya Patra, distribute Krishna prasadam to 2 million souls a day. That is your real guts, even materially and spiritually!

In a running race, many people run. The best runner progresses first. Rest all try their best. But they do not pull the first person’s leg and try to ground him. This is not done even on material platform. But what are you doing?

So you have already stolen all brands created by Srila Prabhupada in the name of “Gurus”. Its ok. So try to bring them up. Show your guts or dhamm or Krishna Bhakti to lead it (or even just to preserve it). Or else keep quite. Don’t try to pull who are running first.

There are two kinds of people supporting the GBC and present in the GBC:

1) Unknowingly and innocently, misled and trapped souls.
2) Souls to plunder or loot the money and/or gain fame by becoming guru in the name of ISKCON.

If you belong to category 1 and believe your guru system is correct, then boast your guru and spread your guru all over the world. No issues. We don’t care and interfere. But why do you want to come and interfere us? What is the reason? If you believe something, then follow yours! WHY ARE YOU DISTURBING US? We are not doing anything in the name of “Food for Life”. We are aloof and doing some good thing in the name of Akshaya Patra, which causes no where disturbances to you!

If you belong to category 2, as a Karmi I am saying this, do not loot, not only in the name of ISCKON, but in any spirituality’s name. Go and loot directly the banks, companies or start finance companies and cheat. But don’t do this in the name of ISKCON or in any other religion’s name. The reason is very simple. You are not only looting, but shaking the faith of others. Imagine what will be the faith of neophyte devotees if you do like this? They loose faith on ISKCON actually. Not on you!

This I am writing out of pain, after hearing about our temple devotees and few so-called “our boys”, on whom we had great esteem, were actually spying low-classly inside our ISKCON Bangalore. They were all caught red-handedly! It was also shocking for me that how can their consciousness be so third class, lesser than chandalas’, to create dirty blogs, with vulgar words! When my parents (who were also following Krishna consciousness) who heard this news, they said, “If there are people like this in ISKCON itself, whom to trust and whom not to trust in this world?” The faith shakes! Beware GBC!!! Krishna will not forgive you!!!

Again and again I am repeating, if you feel your guru system is correct, go ahead. We don’t interfere! But don’t meddle with us (ISKCON Bangalore) and spoil others’ life, by destroying the neophytes’ faith! Krishna will not leave you! Krishna will not let you! Krishna will not forgive you!

Finally, the books of Srila Prabhupada are so strong that even shaking faith of my family, by His will and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, the one verse of Bhagavad-gita restored them to their original position on the same day. Hare Krishna!

- Balaji. A.

In your response to Mr Row ( Grind your teeth on this) you have admitted that “That ISKCON had a problem with the Gurus is too well known”. However you make it sound as if all those Guru problems are all solved.

But you & I know that the problem with the gurus is far from over. In fact, it is precisely this problem that drove Madhu Pandit Das to do what he did. If the IBDA is really desirous of a unified ISKCON then it must do something about the mess-ups in ISKCON. The question is “what is IBDA doing about this issue?” Given the enthusiasm against Madhu Pandit Das and his associates, I presume IBDA is also working with similar gusto on this issue too. In fact I can tell you that if you solve that issue, Madhu Pandit Das and his associates will be glad to rejoin ISKCON. But as along as nothing is done about that, how can you expect them to join in especially as it was this that drove them out?

Having said so much I must inform you that I am not from the HK Hill. I am an independent observer who has nothing to gain either way. In fact, I am of the opinion that ISKCON Karnataka’s break away was probably not the right thing to do but given the options they had it was probably the only thing they could do when faced with expulsions back in 2001. But I also think its time ISKCON asked itself why did a star Guruvadi devotees like Madhu Pandit and his associates do what they did? Its time ISKCON put its own house in order so that independent thinking and bold devotee do not have to repeat his ordeal. The main issue is that unsolved Guru Issue. It will do even more damage to ISKCON as it is unchecked.

You have also said in previous posts that Ritviks in ISKCON enjoy good posts & are more than tolerated. So then why do they still have a resolution that the Ritvik system is a ‘deviant system that can, if practiced attract an expulsion from ISKCON?’

The IBDA members were once proud Ritviks. Have you all given up your stance on that issue in that other camp? I don’t think so. Deep inside you all know where the real problem lies.

Hundreds of devotees attracted by Srila Prabhupada’s books and movement join ISKCON only to be used as sources of money and free work for their ‘gurus’. Gurus in ISKCON do not have to report the Dakshina & donations they collect among other things. Accountability with respect to Gurudakshina & other donations to gurus simple DO NOT exist in ISKCON.

The GBC has not asked for such an accountability. Why? Because the GBC is mostly made up of gurus! If you add up all the money that flows into the hands of the present gurus, it runs into millions and would put the allegations against the Akshayapatra sound silly. All this is money that should have gone into ISKCON’s preaching activities. Not for flats, plush accommodation, luxury cars, first class air tickets and so on for gurus. Who audits these?

Perhaps a blog called GBC .com as in “Guru Bandits & Con-men.com?” Please take this suggestion positively and take on the role of reforming ISKCON as a whole. And why not? You guys have the numbers, the means and the readership as demonstrated here in this IBDA blog.

Besides why do these gurus not realize that its Srila Prabhupada’s books that attracted these devotees to ISKCON? Instead they compete with each other to get more disciples. They even have poaching problems. In my opinion the Gurus have done worse than Madhu Pandit Das as they have usurped ISKCON from within the movement. I would say that is a lot clever than what MPD has done. Without court cases and lawyers, without being branded deviant and without being harassed these gurus have each craved out their own little kingdoms within ISKCON with their own band of fan-disciples and their own agendas, books & lectures replacing Srila Prabhupadas preaching. Who can deny this? Who can ask for more?

Is ISKCON united? No way! Each temple is some guru’s private domain except for the big ones. And in big temples there is no unity or common goal. Disciples of each guru have their own agendas. ISKCON has become a collective conglomeration of each guru’s private plans for their well being. As a result ISKCON is without common goals or definite goals. There must be a definite mission statement and specific targets to be achieved within set time frames. The US yatra is in a mess. What are the remedial measures being taken to revive it? Karmi companies that went down are known to have restructured themselves and changed to suit the times to bounce back into being big cooperates once again. ISKCON has this great brand equity in US even today. But is the GBC planning to revive that again or have they just resigned themselves to the down-slide?

I am for both the ISKCON merging having ironed out most of the major differences keeping what Srila Prabhupada wants in mind. Setting aside all the anger and rage for each other, I still think there is hope for a cool headed talk and some agreements to be forged out. I can see that the fire works from both sides will take a few more months to subside. But after the smoke clears, I think both sides will see that its Srila Prabhupada who is hurt & the most damaged. A little give-and-take can go a long way to solving this unless of course both sides are as immature as street urchins in a brawl.

Hare Krsna

an ex-devotee

I have been going through blogs regarding ISKCON websites for some days, and thought of writing this letter. Srila Prabhupada would say many a times, that whenever the devotees preaching are successful, the demons would become more and more destructive. This also happened in the case of brainwashing case in USA in 1976-1977. More we see demons getting furious at the preaching work of devotees, more they invite their fall down or death closer.

How will Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada spare those who are just blindly being guided by devotees who are just after properties and women? IBDA website is just full of non-authentic, baseless allegations against senior management of Hare Krishna Hill devotees. Many of us have a feeling that all these stories have been cooked up by fallout devotees just to shake the faith of young FOLK devotees.

The anti-ISKCON Bangalore group has not done any preaching and are poaching on the young devotees who have been inspired from Hare Krishna Hill youth programs, just to shake their delicate faith. It is my open appeal to all my FOLK friends that do not associate with anti-ISKCON Bangalore group devotees. Srila Prabhupada forbade his disciples not to associate with all those groups of Gaudiya Matha camps who were envious of him. It’s not that Srila Prabhupada was against them, but to save the bhakti-lata creeper of his disciples. ISKCON Bangalore is a great organization, which is getting purer and purer as time is passing by and as they are learning more and more about Srila Prabhupada’s instruction about running a worldwide organization. We have seen this change ourselves.

I was serving ISKCON Bangalore few years back, and things have wonderfully changed in these years. The newer devotees are full of energy and under purer guidance by the senior management of Hare Krishna Hill. It obviously takes time to learn from the past mistakes and rectify them when you are running a big organization. When the Hare Krishna Hill was under HH Jayapataka Maharaja, there were some malpractices, being carried out under Guru’s approval.

Obviously these guru themselves were bogus, so were their malpractices. So it took sometime to things to take a proper shape in ISKCON Bangalore at Hare Krishna Hill. Many of the devotees who were under mode of ignorance and passion left criticizing the temple authorities, but they could not understand the practical mood of senior management regarding preaching at the same time defending the Hare Krishna Hill devotees against the bogus gurus. We, as new generation devotees at Hare Krishna Hill (those who had been coming in touch with Srila Prabhupada after 1999), were brought up in a purer environment, and were carefully protected from the outside world of envious people who were dressed in saffron but wanted to imitate the position and power of Srila Prabhupada.

I request all the devotees to approach the post-1999 devotees and ask them about the culture of ISKCON Bangalore at Hare Krishna Hill, and you will understand by yourself how the potency of accepting Srila Prabhupada as the sole diksha guru of ISKCON works. It’s the Srila Prabhupada magic which is working. There are so many pre-1999 devotees around the place who will tell you so many stories of Temple building and telling stories of knowing Madhu Pandit Prabhu personally, they never knew his mood even though they may have been personally close to him.

Madhu Pandit Prabhu has taken an unprecedented step of re-establishing Srila Prabhupada as the sole acharya of ISKCON. Many of you may say that Lord Krishna or Srila Prabhupada themselves would rectify the problems in ISKCON, but then I ask one question. Are we supposed to just sit down and not make efforts for doing some service for Srila Prabhupada? Madhu Pandit Prabhu is a great person and a very capable as far as management of a big organization is concerned. He is soft at heart, yet bold enough to take steps to rectify devotee’s mistakes. Just to give you an example, I myself was asked to go alongwith my parents from the temple as I was shouting on the devotees (that was the biggest mistake in my life). Had I not been removed from temple, I would have created so many Vaishanva aparadhas against sincere Vaishnavas and would have suffered more and more in this life and as well as in coming ones. So, Madhu Pandit Prabhu saved me by punishing me. And I know of so many of pre-1999 devotees who also left temple, but it all happened for their own good. I would not like to take their personal names, but none of us who left the temple were purer than others who were inside.

The other camp people would cook up so many stories against our temple management. What to say about Radhey Shayam Prabhu and other devotees at ISKCON Pune? I had to hear nonsense blasphemy against Hare Krishna management for hours together. While on the train, Vibhava Krishna Prabhu spoke so many things irrelevantly about Madhu Pandit Prabhu. Believe me, all these people are blinded by their bogus gurus, who shower them with nonsensical blessings and praise for destroying the preaching activities at Hare Krishna Hill.

And people are so crazy that they want living Guru. Srila Prabhupada’s vani is enough for us, as he desired in July 1977? Now these people, after becoming crazy after living guru, after some time they will become crazy by asking for living KRSNA. I pray to all my FOLK friends not to get deviated from pure path of Krishna Consciousness by following full-heartedly the Srila Prabhupada’s instructions.

If you associate with those who are envious of Hare Krishna Hill management, you might also have to give up the golden opportunity of serving sincere Vaishnavas, Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga and Sri Sri Radha Krishna-chandra. Remember this will not happen by getting punished by senior devotees, but subtly by Srila Prabhupada and Paramatma. So I request you all not to disobey the valuable advice of seniors at Hare Krishna Hill. Please become devotees and disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Being direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada is not a monopoly of those who were born before 1978, but for every sincere soul who wishes to follow Srila Prabhupada’s orders till the end of Golden Age of Sankirtana in this Kali Yuga.

Hari Bol.

Your servant,

Bhakta Aniruddha.

The GBC Executive Committee in their article, “Answer to Madhu Pandita Prabhu” writes:

“The multiple legal suits you have brought against ISKCON amounts to an explicit attempt to get control of assets which loyal faithful ISKCON devotees have contributed. This is our issue with you, and this is the issue we are more than prepared to discuss.”

GBCs are trying to project a picture that this is a fight between Madhu Pandita Prabhu and the GBC. There are a few questions here. What about the role and desires of other devotees of Bangalore temple? Could Madhu Pandita Prabhu fight with the GBC without their support and cooperation? It is not only Madhu Pandita Prabhu, but the majority of ISKCON Bangalore devotees disliked the GBC and revolted against them. And the bogus Guru system was also a reason for that.

The GBC is a gang who wants to control the life of each and every individual of ISKCON. This gang seems to believe that they are the most qualified and most important people present on the earth. There is no one equal to or greater than them, though outwardly this gang acts like humble people. I personally have experienced one of these gang members. I had a small disagreement with one of the GBCs of my area, and he made sure that I don’t survive in that temple. I could see the hidden animal in him. How much angry he was because of a tiny disagreement. One need not dig too deep, just scratch little bit on the surface and you will see the hidden animal behind saffron robes.

A group of Bangalore devotees, by the success of their Akshaya Patra programme and other preaching activities, have practically proven that by following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, even ordinary devotees can do miracles. Miracles are not a monopoly of Gurus and GBC members only. This is a very practical demonstration and there are no other proofs required for that.

Another point is the role of H.H. Radhanatha Swami. Chowpatty temple is not a part of ISKCON, but still the GBC don’t say a word about it. Why so much fuss about Bangalore temple? Because Radhanatha is their gang member, in good understanding with them, there is no problem if he keeps Chowpatty temple for himself, separate from the control of ISKCON.

This gang called the GBC cannot tolerate how someone who is not a part of their club can do so much preaching. I am more than 100% confident that if Madhu Pandita Prabhu would have a White body like Radhanatha Swami has, he would have much less problem with the GBC than what he has now. This present GBC body is very envious and racist. Many Indian devotees who have nothing to do with the Bangalore conflict have expressed to me their feelings of being racially discriminated against by ISKCON authorities.

I will end my article with a small story. Once Narada Muni, while travelling on planet earth, came across an old hunchback woman. He felt very kind towards this woman and wanted to fix her back as a boon to her. So he said to the lady, O Mother, I am very much pleased with you, come here and I will fix your back. The old lady replied ” O Great Sage, if you are really pleased with me and want to give me some boon, please give me a different boon. Surprised Narada Muni asked, “What boon would you like to have”. The old lady replied, “The lady who lives next door to me, please make her also a hunchback.

I do not know the source of this story, neither do I know how bona fide it is. One old sadhu told me this story in Vrindavana, when I visited Holy Dhama. He told me this story as an answer to my question, “what is enviousness”?

Bangalore devotees are doing great preaching, so I request the GBC to please stop their envious attacks like blocking land allotments, etc. And please stop being racist.

They should lift their standards and do something so that the government feels like awarding them, as well. That will be beneficial for thewhole society.

Hare Krsna.

Jnana-Netra dasa