Toothless leadership?
Ravindra Svarupa Controversy
( DEVI DEVI DASI )
I wanted to comment on the recent article posted by Lalita devi dasi about Ravindra Svarupa. What the heck is going on with this movement? I know that there have been many abuses of power and people in the past in ISKCON, but this is certainly a different time where at least we have the Internet.
I wanted to comment on the recent article posted by Lalita devi dasi about Ravindra Svarupa. What the heck is going on with this movement? I know that there have been many abuses of power and people in the past in ISKCON, but this is certainly a different time where at least we have the Internet.
[PADA: Right, every time the GBC goofs up, ... its all over the internet. Obviously the GBC "gurus" never anticipated that there would ever even be an internet, so they thought they could get away with their evil behaviors forever. Nope, the internet is being used by thousands of devotees nowadays to expose the bogus gurus and their crimes and evil behaviors, which is why one guru told his followers recently "do not use the internet." Hah hah, that means -- the followers all went home and -- got on the internet!]
In all my years as a member of ISKCON, this is the worst cover-up of abuse I personally ever experienced. Obviously there have been other worse abuses, but the way that the GBC has stuck its head in the sand about this one is revolting. This cover-up of Ravindra Svarupa is sending a clear statement to all the members of ISKCON that the leadership cares nothing about the members of this movement and only about the position of its leaders.
My question is, what would have happened if someone had kicked Malati in her backside? Well, obviously you see that her feelings and dignity matter a lot more than poor Ghandharvika. Some equal vision these people have, what a tragedy of decency. I hope the GBC wakes up and sees that Ravindra and people like him are the last thing this movement needs as "leaders". It's just bad management and even worse preaching, especially to the devotees.
DDD: Devotees, especially female devotees, are talking about this everywhere I have been and it is certainly an open controversy.
[PADA: Yep, everywhere people can get on the internet and they are seeing so many exposes of the bad behavior of the GBC, and the toothless response from the rest of the GBC to correct the problems. As the book "Monkey On A Stick" says, the GBC are "gutless wonders" when it comes to correcting their problems.]
DDD: Doesn't the GBC see that not removing this person from any position of authority severely weakens their own authority? How can anyone with a brain in their head accept a leadership that allows a "guru" to assault a person so blatantly?
[PADA Fantastic, everyone is now arguing what we have argued for year, the GBC guru system is corrupt, so they are not able to "manage" the evil behaviors of their gurus, nor have they much interest in doing so.]
DDD: What recourse does anyone now have if something like this happens to them?
[PADA Fantastic, everyone is now arguing what we have argued for year, the GBC guru system is corrupt, so they are not able to "manage" the evil behaviors of their gurus, nor have they much interest in doing so.]
DDD: What recourse does anyone now have if something like this happens to them?
[PADA: There is none, other than to join with those of us who are protesting these issues.]
DDD: If the GBC had any sense, they would have called the police themselves. Ravindra Svarupa is a total liability to this movement. People like him who casually abuse people are million dollar lawsuits waiting to happen.
[PADA: Correct, when I told some of these leaders in 1980 that child abuse was going on and this could lead to lawsuits, they said, well then take it to court. They want lawsuits.]
DDD: Judging from the articles by Mahapurusha, Ravindra allegedly treats devotees badly as a matter of course. What bad preaching it is not removing this person from power. I told my mother about this incident and the first thing she said was, "How can you be a part of a religion that allows its leaders to treat people like that?" What a revealing statement coming from a person who is totally favorable to our philosophy.
In all my years as a member of ISKCON, this is the worst cover-up of abuse I personally ever experienced. Obviously there have been other worse abuses, but the way that the GBC has stuck its head in the sand about this one is revolting. This cover-up of Ravindra Svarupa is sending a clear statement to all the members of ISKCON that the leadership cares nothing about the members of this movement and only about the position of its leaders.
My question is, what would have happened if someone had kicked Malati in her backside? Well, obviously you see that her feelings and dignity matter a lot more than poor Ghandharvika. Some equal vision these people have, what a tragedy of decency. I hope the GBC wakes up and sees that Ravindra and people like him are the last thing this movement needs as "leaders". It's just bad management and even worse preaching, especially to the devotees.
[PADA: Bravo, agreed, all the other leaders are implicated in keeping Ravindra in the guru seat. ys pd]
Trouble is, the GBC men are demanding to be respected as brahmanas/gurus, but they are trying to act like managers/ksatriyas. But good managers act quickly without fear of making mistakes! However, the GBC managers are thinking, "If I make a mistake, what will my disciples think of me?" Therefore, they are afraid to act decisively and they are even more afraid to admit when they have made a mistake! So their many mistakes don't get corrected or are are extremely slow to get corrected.
ReplyDeleteFrom http://pratyatosa.com/?P=18&TP=6788:
About 3 years ago I attended a seminar called “The Effective Manager—8 Keys for Leadership Success.” The speaker was Brian Tracy. He started off by saying that statistics show that 70 percent of management decisions are wrong! He went on to say that this is OK: Leaders should not be afraid to make mistakes, but the most effective leaders are the ones who realize their mistakes quickly, and immediately make the necessary adjustments. This shows that humility actually gives businessmen a competitive advantage. Maybe this is what is meant in the Bible by “The meek shall inherit the Earth!”
The ISKCON “gurus” are afraid that if they admit that they have made a mistake, then their disciples will lose faith in them. Therefore they are extremely bad managers. It’s a “catch 22.” The fools are caught like rats in a cage of their own making, all because of their impure desire for fame, adoration, distinction, a desire to impress the ladies, a desire to take revenge against their godbrothers whom they perceived to be political enemies, enviousness of their own godbrothers, and even enviousness of Śrīla Prabhupāda himself!