I noticed a comment to "Swans, Crows, and Preaching" in which the commenter was alarmed that an ISKCON swami "has been burying Kirtanananda's body in a 'samadhi' in Vrndvana, why does Kirtanananda deserve a samadhi in Vrndavana, and why is [the ISKCON swami] supporting this? Incidentally, many of our Brijabasi friends are appalled that Kirtanananda was buried there under the direction of [the ISKCON swami]."
I have to admit that it was astonishing to see the photos of two ISKCON swamis in Vrndavana paying obeisances to the dead corpse of a convicted racketeer. For the past twenty years, ISKCON has taken great pains to disassociate itself from Bhaktipada Swami, as rightfully it should. Compared to Bhaktipada (Kirtanananda), is there anyone else in the world who did more to devastate the lives of devotees and to defame the reputation of Srila Prabhupada and the Hare Krsna movement before the eyes of the public?
So this latest move has caused distress among many Brijibasis, Gurukulis and other devotees. Hopefully, the GBC will issue some statement to help us understand why, after so many years of trying to distance itself from Bhaktipada Swami, it decided to send two prominent ISKCON swamis to venerate a man whom most people regard as a criminal, a cult leader and a fraud.
Why Honor a Cult Leader?
ReplyDeleteby Hare Krsna dasi
Posted December 3, 2011
I noticed a comment to "Swans, Crows, and Preaching" in which the commenter was alarmed that an ISKCON swami "has been burying Kirtanananda's body in a 'samadhi' in Vrndvana, why does Kirtanananda deserve a samadhi in Vrndavana, and why is [the ISKCON swami] supporting this? Incidentally, many of our Brijabasi friends are appalled that Kirtanananda was buried there under the direction of [the ISKCON swami]."
I have to admit that it was astonishing to see the photos of two ISKCON swamis in Vrndavana paying obeisances to the dead corpse of a convicted racketeer. For the past twenty years, ISKCON has taken great pains to disassociate itself from Bhaktipada Swami, as rightfully it should. Compared to Bhaktipada (Kirtanananda), is there anyone else in the world who did more to devastate the lives of devotees and to defame the reputation of Srila Prabhupada and the Hare Krsna movement before the eyes of the public?
So this latest move has caused distress among many Brijibasis, Gurukulis and other devotees. Hopefully, the GBC will issue some statement to help us understand why, after so many years of trying to distance itself from Bhaktipada Swami, it decided to send two prominent ISKCON swamis to venerate a man whom most people regard as a criminal, a cult leader and a fraud.