PADA: Govinda dasi has been a big advocate of keeping original books, no wonder the ISKCON leaders want her to be booted out! ys pd
Teja's $Reign of Terror
BY: GOVINDA DASI (ACBSP)
Jun 14, 2011 — HAWAII, USA — A reply to Teja Prakash's recent article.
Dear Teja Prakash, Pamho. Since you have chosen to air your grievances in a public forum, I guess it is my (reluctant) duty to answer you.
First, if you really are so honest as you say you are, then why not allow our forensic accountant, Dirk Von Guenthner, to scrutinize your books? Why did you refuse and then leave Hawaii? Why did you ban anyone and everyone who simply asked for an accounting? Why not allow Dirk to do it now, so that you may have the opportunity to be above all suspicion?
It's easy to fool people who were far away, like Ravindra Swarup and others, but not those who were here with a front row seat.
The math is really pretty simple. The UH program brought in approximately $30,000 per month ($1,000 a day for the UH lunchwagon). (We can estimate this even though you and your wife always took the money home to count it.) So that's 12 (months) x 30,000 = $360,000 per year.
The Indian book distributors brought in an additional $14,000 per month. So that's 12 x $14,000 = $168,000 more per year.
Then later, "your" restaurant -- the one that was purchased with temple funds, that the devotees worked to fix up (free labor), and then you claimed to be "yours" -- let's say it earned a modest $5,000 per month. So altogether, we can safely say the income of the temple was more than $500,000 per year.
And we know the expenses as well, since we ran the temple for several years prior to you. So, since we know the approximate figures, why not let Dirk go over the accounts? He is available now and would be willing to do it at no charge to you. (Dirk is now engaged to Kusa's sister -- not the older sister, the policewoman -- the younger one, so he's "part of the family.")
Secondly, if you were so honest, why did you ban everyone who asked for an accounting? Why did you ban Daiva Prabhu, for over 2 years? You even issued a restraining order so he could be arrested if he came to have darshan of the Deities he had been serving for over 30 years. All he did was ask for a responsible accounting. He is a long time member of our community. He even set up the UH program, and also found the location for "your" restaurant.
And why did you ban the Indian book distributors, when they asked for an accounting of the funds they brought in? Why did you fabricate lies about them, and even threaten them with (hilarious) threats like "Homeland Security is going to come break down your door and throw you out of the country!" You terrorized them.
You fabricated lies about me and banned me, too; I still have the letter you sent, so please don't embarrass yourself by saying you never banned anyone. We can furnish the TRO's, the letters, and all of it. We still have everything. We can post it all if you would like.
When I got your "banning letter," I was leaving for India in a few days, so I was busy packing and had little time to deal with it. And since I hardly knew you, and had not even done anything to warrant that letter, I admit it confused me at first.
Shortly thereafter, while in Vrindaban, on the way back from Vrinda Kund, my Godbrother Deena Bandhu Prabhu (who takes the devotees on pilgrimage every year around Braj), asked me about how things were in Hawaii. When I told him you had banned me from the temple for no apparent reason, he chuckled and said, ".....Yeah, I know Teja Prakash, he had me beaten up by a big boxer guy in Florida years ago, while he stood there and watched!"
I was shocked. "Why??" I asked.
"Oh, some political thing, Deena Bandhu said, "Teja Prakash was Nara Hari's right hand man in Florida. That's when I left Florida and eventually ended up here."
When I heard this, I knew who you were and what to expect. A man is known by the company he keeps, as they say. And I understood you wanted me out of the way because you knew I would never go along with anyone turning our temple into a private business scam.
Personally, Tejas, I have no ill will for what you did to me. But I have very intense feelings about what you did to the devotees in the Hawaii community. So many suffered from your cruelty. You stomped on devotees here like some people stomp on ants.
The good news is: they have all recovered, they have bad memories of "Teja's $Reign of Terror". They still call you "Teflon Don" ("nothing sticks to him") and say, "If his lips are moving, he's lying." But they are all serving Srila Prabhupada's mission in wonderful ways.
Daiva Prabhu (banned for over 2 years -- you even took him to court for coming onto temple property) is regularly serving the Pancha Tattva Deities, just like before. He wraps Lord Jagannatha's turbans, arranges the altar flowers, organizes festivals (he's planning the 40th Year Celebration of the Pancha Tattva Installation right now) and also has a thriving community gardening program called "Leaf Hawaii." I think you owe him an apology.
The Indian book distributors that you terrorized, threatened and even had arrested -- Adi dev, Hari Chakra, Sundaranda, and Adhoksaja -- they are all doing well now that you are gone. They still distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. Sundaranda is Vice President of the temple here, Adhoksaja is Temple President in Benares, Hari Chakra makes devotional CD's, and Adi dev runs the restaurant you tried to steal from the temple here. You kept them from coming to our temple for over 2 years. I think you owe them an apology too.
And Malati, poor Malati. You threw her out of the temple, then gave away, or threw away, all her things -- even her Bhagavatams and Deities she had for over 30 years. She is an older sankirtan devotee who has given over 30 years of her life to Srila Prabhupada's movement, and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to support his temples. You hurt her very deeply. You owe her an apology too.
There are others as well: Shanti, who loudly told you that you can't take away a temple restaurant as your own. Kusa, whom you told horrendous lies about. But that one backfired on you. When some of the GBC men heard your vile stories, not only did they not believe you, but they became suspicious of you. They knew both Kusa and Sruta to be very sincere devotees of Srila Prabhupada.
You are a very clever businessman, Teja Prakash; you just forgot whose business it was. And we didn't.
If in truth you are a Kali chela (those predicted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur who will dress like Vaishnavas but work to destroy Lord Chaitanya's movement from within), then you should be commended on doing an excellent job here.
If, however, you are a real Vaishnava, aspiring for the Lotus Feet of the Lord, then you have a lot of devotees to beg forgiveness of. Because Krishna never overlooks offenses to Vaishnavas. He does not forgive them. Only the offended or injured devotee can forgive the offenses made to him or her. A real Vaishnava knows this and is very cautious. A fake one doesn't care. I guess you have to decide what you are, but you have a lot of work to do if you ever want to mend your fences here.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada,
Govinda dasi
PS. I don't have Internet as I am traveling. Please correspond directly with Dirk at http://www.dirkvg.com/,
Teja's $Reign of Terror
BY: GOVINDA DASI (ACBSP)
Jun 14, 2011 — HAWAII, USA — A reply to Teja Prakash's recent article.
Dear Teja Prakash, Pamho. Since you have chosen to air your grievances in a public forum, I guess it is my (reluctant) duty to answer you.
First, if you really are so honest as you say you are, then why not allow our forensic accountant, Dirk Von Guenthner, to scrutinize your books? Why did you refuse and then leave Hawaii? Why did you ban anyone and everyone who simply asked for an accounting? Why not allow Dirk to do it now, so that you may have the opportunity to be above all suspicion?
It's easy to fool people who were far away, like Ravindra Swarup and others, but not those who were here with a front row seat.
The math is really pretty simple. The UH program brought in approximately $30,000 per month ($1,000 a day for the UH lunchwagon). (We can estimate this even though you and your wife always took the money home to count it.) So that's 12 (months) x 30,000 = $360,000 per year.
The Indian book distributors brought in an additional $14,000 per month. So that's 12 x $14,000 = $168,000 more per year.
Then later, "your" restaurant -- the one that was purchased with temple funds, that the devotees worked to fix up (free labor), and then you claimed to be "yours" -- let's say it earned a modest $5,000 per month. So altogether, we can safely say the income of the temple was more than $500,000 per year.
And we know the expenses as well, since we ran the temple for several years prior to you. So, since we know the approximate figures, why not let Dirk go over the accounts? He is available now and would be willing to do it at no charge to you. (Dirk is now engaged to Kusa's sister -- not the older sister, the policewoman -- the younger one, so he's "part of the family.")
Secondly, if you were so honest, why did you ban everyone who asked for an accounting? Why did you ban Daiva Prabhu, for over 2 years? You even issued a restraining order so he could be arrested if he came to have darshan of the Deities he had been serving for over 30 years. All he did was ask for a responsible accounting. He is a long time member of our community. He even set up the UH program, and also found the location for "your" restaurant.
And why did you ban the Indian book distributors, when they asked for an accounting of the funds they brought in? Why did you fabricate lies about them, and even threaten them with (hilarious) threats like "Homeland Security is going to come break down your door and throw you out of the country!" You terrorized them.
You fabricated lies about me and banned me, too; I still have the letter you sent, so please don't embarrass yourself by saying you never banned anyone. We can furnish the TRO's, the letters, and all of it. We still have everything. We can post it all if you would like.
When I got your "banning letter," I was leaving for India in a few days, so I was busy packing and had little time to deal with it. And since I hardly knew you, and had not even done anything to warrant that letter, I admit it confused me at first.
Shortly thereafter, while in Vrindaban, on the way back from Vrinda Kund, my Godbrother Deena Bandhu Prabhu (who takes the devotees on pilgrimage every year around Braj), asked me about how things were in Hawaii. When I told him you had banned me from the temple for no apparent reason, he chuckled and said, ".....Yeah, I know Teja Prakash, he had me beaten up by a big boxer guy in Florida years ago, while he stood there and watched!"
I was shocked. "Why??" I asked.
"Oh, some political thing, Deena Bandhu said, "Teja Prakash was Nara Hari's right hand man in Florida. That's when I left Florida and eventually ended up here."
When I heard this, I knew who you were and what to expect. A man is known by the company he keeps, as they say. And I understood you wanted me out of the way because you knew I would never go along with anyone turning our temple into a private business scam.
Personally, Tejas, I have no ill will for what you did to me. But I have very intense feelings about what you did to the devotees in the Hawaii community. So many suffered from your cruelty. You stomped on devotees here like some people stomp on ants.
The good news is: they have all recovered, they have bad memories of "Teja's $Reign of Terror". They still call you "Teflon Don" ("nothing sticks to him") and say, "If his lips are moving, he's lying." But they are all serving Srila Prabhupada's mission in wonderful ways.
Daiva Prabhu (banned for over 2 years -- you even took him to court for coming onto temple property) is regularly serving the Pancha Tattva Deities, just like before. He wraps Lord Jagannatha's turbans, arranges the altar flowers, organizes festivals (he's planning the 40th Year Celebration of the Pancha Tattva Installation right now) and also has a thriving community gardening program called "Leaf Hawaii." I think you owe him an apology.
The Indian book distributors that you terrorized, threatened and even had arrested -- Adi dev, Hari Chakra, Sundaranda, and Adhoksaja -- they are all doing well now that you are gone. They still distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. Sundaranda is Vice President of the temple here, Adhoksaja is Temple President in Benares, Hari Chakra makes devotional CD's, and Adi dev runs the restaurant you tried to steal from the temple here. You kept them from coming to our temple for over 2 years. I think you owe them an apology too.
And Malati, poor Malati. You threw her out of the temple, then gave away, or threw away, all her things -- even her Bhagavatams and Deities she had for over 30 years. She is an older sankirtan devotee who has given over 30 years of her life to Srila Prabhupada's movement, and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to support his temples. You hurt her very deeply. You owe her an apology too.
There are others as well: Shanti, who loudly told you that you can't take away a temple restaurant as your own. Kusa, whom you told horrendous lies about. But that one backfired on you. When some of the GBC men heard your vile stories, not only did they not believe you, but they became suspicious of you. They knew both Kusa and Sruta to be very sincere devotees of Srila Prabhupada.
You are a very clever businessman, Teja Prakash; you just forgot whose business it was. And we didn't.
If in truth you are a Kali chela (those predicted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur who will dress like Vaishnavas but work to destroy Lord Chaitanya's movement from within), then you should be commended on doing an excellent job here.
If, however, you are a real Vaishnava, aspiring for the Lotus Feet of the Lord, then you have a lot of devotees to beg forgiveness of. Because Krishna never overlooks offenses to Vaishnavas. He does not forgive them. Only the offended or injured devotee can forgive the offenses made to him or her. A real Vaishnava knows this and is very cautious. A fake one doesn't care. I guess you have to decide what you are, but you have a lot of work to do if you ever want to mend your fences here.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada,
Govinda dasi
PS. I don't have Internet as I am traveling. Please correspond directly with Dirk at http://www.dirkvg.com/,
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.