Paul / Subject: Chowpatty & Pune
I have told that they have a system in ISKCON Pune where people who are joining this movement and young devotees, they are not allowed to read Srila Prabhupada's books first. They must read other books, like those of Radhe Shyam dasa (RNS). An incident happened where a devotee started reading Srila Prabhupada's books, and Radhe Shyam dasa got on his case, telling him that he should first read his books. When asked "Why?" Radhe Shyam dasa said, because they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books. It was weird, because even Westerners, who were meat eaters and had different bad habits, became devotees just by reading Srila Prabhupada's books. What to speak of some pious souls who were born in India, in a Brahmin or lower families. How they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books with their at least cultural background?
So those devotees are so eager to read Srila Prabhupada's books, but they were told that they should became more elevated to understand them, so it is not for them yet.
They also wanted to hear why Radhanath Swami didn't write about his life in ISKCON. Some say because nobody would join ISKCON if he wrote about ISKCON, so that's why he didn't write. We don't know if that's true, or they just speak that way around as gossip.
After reading Radhanath Swami's book, Journey Home, some of his disciples from Chowpatty had doubts and questions, and they approached their senior Godbrothers and asked why Radhanath Swami spoke about different Mayavadis, impersonalists in his book, and put their pictures in his book? Srila Prabhupada's mission was to avoid them, and not promoting them, etc. The answer they got was that questions should not be asked. And that was the end of the conversation. So now they have serious doubts, confused minds, and don't know whom to ask to get an answer. Another answer they got is that they do not know how to ask questions, so there will be no answers.
Some say that from then to now, there are no more questions and answers, either after classes or at disciple meetings, or in general (not sure exactly where, it should be checked directly, but they cannot ask any questions).
Perfect questions, perfect answers??? It seems they are not allowed to ask questions about Kirtanananda or New Vrndavana either.
A devotee gave a class in some other city in India, and one mataji (a Radhanath Swami disciple from Chowpatty) said how his class was great, and that he is disciple of Radhanath's. But her friend told her no, that this devotee is a disciple of X Swami, and she replied "Really…?!". In a sense, saying 'Are they able to give a class?' or like, 'Who is X in comparison to Radhanath Swami and his disciples?' What a surprise that devotees who are not disciples of Radhanath could have any ability or potency to preach or possess good qualities…That is the attitude that some of Radhanath's disciples display very openly.
There are also complaints on account of some Radhanath's disciples, that they became very proud in the sense that only what comes from Chowpatty temple and Radhanath is good and best, and other models of preaching are not good or effective. And the same they apply personally to individuals -- that only his disciples are good and best, but others are not.
So they developed a system, that if you want to give a Bhagavad-gita class, you are not allowed to use Srila Prabhupada's lectures or purports. But you can give class on Bhagavad-gita from the Bhagavad-gita Manual written in Chowpatty temple by their devotee(s). When a devotee in another city gave a class using Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita, and repeating Srila Prabhupada's class on that verse, the devotee got chastised and discouraged by Radhanath's disciple from Chowpatty, that this is not good -- that they should use the Chowpatty Manual for successful preaching, and stop using Srila Prabhupada's books. And the class was in the temple, not somewhere outside.
I have told that they have a system in ISKCON Pune where people who are joining this movement and young devotees, they are not allowed to read Srila Prabhupada's books first. They must read other books, like those of Radhe Shyam dasa (RNS). An incident happened where a devotee started reading Srila Prabhupada's books, and Radhe Shyam dasa got on his case, telling him that he should first read his books. When asked "Why?" Radhe Shyam dasa said, because they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books. It was weird, because even Westerners, who were meat eaters and had different bad habits, became devotees just by reading Srila Prabhupada's books. What to speak of some pious souls who were born in India, in a Brahmin or lower families. How they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books with their at least cultural background?
So those devotees are so eager to read Srila Prabhupada's books, but they were told that they should became more elevated to understand them, so it is not for them yet.
They also wanted to hear why Radhanath Swami didn't write about his life in ISKCON. Some say because nobody would join ISKCON if he wrote about ISKCON, so that's why he didn't write. We don't know if that's true, or they just speak that way around as gossip.
After reading Radhanath Swami's book, Journey Home, some of his disciples from Chowpatty had doubts and questions, and they approached their senior Godbrothers and asked why Radhanath Swami spoke about different Mayavadis, impersonalists in his book, and put their pictures in his book? Srila Prabhupada's mission was to avoid them, and not promoting them, etc. The answer they got was that questions should not be asked. And that was the end of the conversation. So now they have serious doubts, confused minds, and don't know whom to ask to get an answer. Another answer they got is that they do not know how to ask questions, so there will be no answers.
Some say that from then to now, there are no more questions and answers, either after classes or at disciple meetings, or in general (not sure exactly where, it should be checked directly, but they cannot ask any questions).
Perfect questions, perfect answers??? It seems they are not allowed to ask questions about Kirtanananda or New Vrndavana either.
A devotee gave a class in some other city in India, and one mataji (a Radhanath Swami disciple from Chowpatty) said how his class was great, and that he is disciple of Radhanath's. But her friend told her no, that this devotee is a disciple of X Swami, and she replied "Really…?!". In a sense, saying 'Are they able to give a class?' or like, 'Who is X in comparison to Radhanath Swami and his disciples?' What a surprise that devotees who are not disciples of Radhanath could have any ability or potency to preach or possess good qualities…That is the attitude that some of Radhanath's disciples display very openly.
There are also complaints on account of some Radhanath's disciples, that they became very proud in the sense that only what comes from Chowpatty temple and Radhanath is good and best, and other models of preaching are not good or effective. And the same they apply personally to individuals -- that only his disciples are good and best, but others are not.
So they developed a system, that if you want to give a Bhagavad-gita class, you are not allowed to use Srila Prabhupada's lectures or purports. But you can give class on Bhagavad-gita from the Bhagavad-gita Manual written in Chowpatty temple by their devotee(s). When a devotee in another city gave a class using Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita, and repeating Srila Prabhupada's class on that verse, the devotee got chastised and discouraged by Radhanath's disciple from Chowpatty, that this is not good -- that they should use the Chowpatty Manual for successful preaching, and stop using Srila Prabhupada's books. And the class was in the temple, not somewhere outside.
Hare krsna!each and every incident mentioned in the post is true.
ReplyDeleteEverytime PADA writes headlines like above - bogus guru such&such - what de facto happens is, more people are lining up for initiation.
ReplyDeleteAdditional side effect, ex-ISKCONites keep away from ISKCON.
Thats why the GBC is rather happy to have PADA.
Therefore ISKCON gurus are having right now more than 150,000 disciples.
Their biggest headache always was, how to push all those rank&file "useless" Prabhupada disciples out of ISKCON?
Answer, ask PADA. Whenever PADA writes about all those pedophiles grabbing small gurukula children, senior Vaishnavas packed their bags and left for good.
Of course you will never find any conviction of those accused individuals.
But somehow thousands of devotees believed in PADA and left ISKCON.
Now the GBC comes up with all kind of explanations why Bhavananda is again cheif of Mayapur, Danurdhara constantly initiating new devotees in Israel. So finally things are getting weird and weirder. So much so that some people ask this question, were all those stories about sexual child abuse true?
Fact is, those rank&file who left ISKCON end up in isolation. PADA leaves them standing in the rain, they are excommunicated, and promised reformation of ISKCON, it's all hollow words.
"leaves them standing in the rain"
DeleteSo RM would rather people continue to stand underneath the false leaders who are pissing on their heads, than go out into the karmi world where all they get is a little blessing of Ganga water on their head.
RM doesn't spend his time criticizing the multiple abusers in todays false Iskcon. Instead he criticizes PADA who warns people about False Iskcon. PADA says, stop being abused by False Gurus pissing on your head. Go find shelter ANYWHERE else, just make sure you have Srila Prabhhupada's original books, a japa bag, and take prasadam, and you will have shelter until the day when all the exiled devotees can finally get together and support each other.
But "RM" thinks that is a hellish suggestion. Take shelter of Srila Prabhupada's books? OH NO!! Leave the association of abusive false sadhus?/ OH NO!!
What a dacoit this RM person is.
He uses the logic that the more people find out about how Hellish Fiskcon is, the more people will come to get initiated in Fiskcon! What rubbish.
But hey, whoever DOES run to Fiskcon after hearing how hellishly abusive they are?? GOOD!! Let millions of hellish abuser wannabees go and get abused hoping to kill their abuser and become a bigger abuser someday.
Take them all! Put them all in one place. Then we will have a nice war someday and wipe them all out, and they can all merge into the brahmajyoti and enjoy non-bliss for a hundred kalpas, while our warriors will go Back to Godhead.!!
Great plan RM. I guess you aren't THAT bad after all. Just an idiot.
When stating that river Ganges is pure people are often called idiot. "Dont you see with your eyes how dirty this river is?"
ReplyDeletePrabhupada is not a condtioned soul who installs something defective.
Prabhupada's movement is transcendental but faithless people with materialistic eyes cant see it. They only see dirt.
ISKCON is like the great holy river Ganges. The discrepancies we see there should be considered just like the foam or stool and dead bodies we see occasionally floating in the holy river Ganges.
They never contaminate the river Ganges; rather, Ganges can absorb unlimited contamination and sins of unlimited sinful persons, and still it remains pure.
As the mighty Ganges flows down from Vaikuntha and Lord Shiva, through the Himalayan mountains, through the plains of India, ending finally at the Bay of Bengal and apparently enters the salt water ocean, but in fact does not merge into the salt water ocean but goes underwater and descends to other lower planets, returning eventually to Vaikuntha, so similarly, ISKCON flows down from Goloka Vrindavan through the mighty mountain peaks of the great acharyas, through His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his sincere disciples who appear to be merged into the mainstream of the human society for preaching Krishna consciousness and who are all destined to go back to Godhead.
No one has any proprietorship over the Ganges. However sinful one may be, no one can throw him out of the Ganges. That would be ridiculous.
If we see Prabhupada's movement in this way, we are properly situated.