Monday, June 30, 2014

Poison Issue and PADA Comments.

Srila Prabhupada's Poisoning by Arsenic

Someone Has Poisoned Me

The Facts About Srila Prabhupada’s Poisoning by Arsenic

BY: NITYANANDA DAS

“So as Krishna was attempted to be killed… And Lord Jesus Christ was killed. So they may kill me also.” (Srila Prabhupada, May 3, l976, Honolulu)

“My only request is, that at the last stage don’t torture me, and put me to death”
(from SPC Vol. 36, November 3, 1977 tape recorded Room Conversation)


CHAPTER 1 TO CHAPTER 6
[PLEASE NOTE: ADDRESSES, EMAILS, PHONE
NUMBERS ETC. MIGHT NO LONGER BE CORRECT!]

CHAPTER 1:

POISON BECOMES AN ISSUE

Rumors about a poisoning of Srila Prabhupada have been circulating around the world of devotees ever since Srila Prabhupada’s departure over 20 years ago. Rupanuga Prabhu remembers the subject arose in 1980 and Rupa Vilas Prabhu and this author heard about it in 1990.

[PADA: Correct, around 1990 the first copies of "Srila Prabhupada's conversations" were printed by the Bhaktivedanta archives. Unfortunately, under the strict orders of Tamal Krishna, only 1,000 copies were allowed to be printed. Fortunately, a few of us got access to the complete set of these books, and we could not help but notice that in the November 1977 conversations there was a notation "conversation about poison in Hindi." What conversation? 

Of course this conversation was not publicly available anywhere at the time, nor included in the book. There was simply a sort of "side bar" indication in the book that such a conversation maybe existed -- somewhere. Needless to say, I began to pray every day to get a copy of that tape (if it even existed -- and was not destroyed already). I felt that this tape would reveal the ROOT CAUSE reason for many of the problems that evolved in ISKCON's post 1977 history, as well as -- WHO were some of the prime culprits involved in this history, and so forth. In other words, we were starting to put together the idea that Srila Prabhupada had been assassinated by some of his "top leaders." 

Yes, there were some rumors, and behind the scenes discussions going on here and there about the poison issue, as well as many other controversial issues, but nothing solid was being presented. No one we knew at the time had these tapes, we were not even sure if the archives had copies.]      

A few years ago, Satyaraj Prabhu asked his friend Tamal Krishna Goswami about the matter, and was told that these persistent rumors come back to life every so often, much to Tamal’s dismay. Abhinanda Prabhu was recently disturbed by these rumors, as well as many others.

[PADA: Abhinanda knew about the poison issue from the very start. He was present in Vrndavana India in November of 1977, and he was totally convinced that Srila Prabhupada had been poisoned at that time. He saw Bhakti Caru swami crying outside of Srila Prabhupada's room, and when Abhinanda asked Bhakti Caru what was wrong -- he replied "Srila Prabhupada is complaining that someone is giving him poison." Abhinanda knew this was a problem right at that instant. 

Its amazing that none of the eye-witnesses like Adridharana, Bhakti Caru and others mentioned this issue at the time, or later on. Adridharan told me he was "alarmed" by the issue, but he never took it further. Various kavirajas were alarmed and in fact convinced of foul play, but they did not want to speak up, fearing for their lives.

So Abhinanda went through a sort of mental breakdown crisis for a long period in his life, due to suppressing this issue for years together, where he was almost unable to function basically. And he told me he was having all kinds of mental breakdowns and was seeing psychotherapists and so on, due to suppressing this issue. Finally, he got in touch with me by phone, and he said he was going to try to get the November tapes from  the archives and help me break open the case, because he said, no one else he knew could or would expose this issue in public. 

Pretty much at the time he had no faith that any of the other Srila Prabhupada's disciples had sufficient interest to open up the case, apart from me. And at the same time, he felt it would be dangerous for him or anyone who did introduce the issue. Thus Abhinanda felt, even if someone was interested in the issue, they would not be brave enough to make it public. Thus Abhinanda said to me, I know you Puranjana, you will make it public immediately, I have no doubts about that, so let me get that tape and I will get it to you. Then you can make this a public issue, and that is what happened.]  

Paritrikananda Prabhu in California began to research the rumors and assemble evidence and leads out of his own need for finding the truth.  A list of notes in this regard is included as Appendix 9.  In early 1996 Paritrikananda Prabhu tried to interest this reporter in the matter, but at the time there did not seem to be any way to convert the rumors into facts.

[PADA: Unfortunately, its also possible people like Patrikananda may have been making pretend they were interested in the issue to flush out what information was available. He has been against our exposing things over the years, and he still is.]

Puranjana Prabhu, a well-known, controversial and vitriolic critic of ISKCON policies, amplified the issue in mid 1997, publishing on the internet information and questions on the subject.

[PADA: Abhinanda was finally successful in getting a copy of the tape from the archives, and he flew to Los Angeles to give me a copy of the tape. In short, Krishna answered my prayers to get this tape. However, Abhinanda was very frightened and he did not want his name mentioned. This is the trouble with everything really, people tell me there is a major problem, but they do not want to get involved. 

I made 250 copies of the tape and began distributing copies in front of the Watseka temple in Los Angeles, along with my commentary and translation. I got a Bengali man to make the first text draft of the conversation which is mainly in Hindi. No other transcript was available at the time, since the Bengali man wanted me to give him another copy to compare his to, there was none. In sum, I was the first person to have the tape and the draft, and was the first to make all this public. 

I listened to the tape on my little Sony walkman tape recorder and played it over and over and over for hours, for weeks, while walking around the Santa Monica mall, or at the Venice beach, wherever I was etc. I wanted to make sure that this was a solid poison complaint. Of course all the Hindi / Bengali speaking people who heard said -- it was. Basically I played it wherever I went to make sure it was clear to me what was going on. And! It was and is clear in my opinion.] 

At the 1997 Los Angeles Rathayatra, Puranjana was picketing with a large sign which stated that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned, referring to Srila Prabhupada’s own statements to that effect in the Conversations Books.

[PADA: Because I finally had the Hindi portion of tape, the book has very little of the actual conversation. Oddly just a few days before the 1997 Rathayatra, Krishna Kanta Desai of the IRM told me he and his group was "making a deal with the GBC," and part of their deal was -- I should "stop writing and take a vacation in the Caribbean," and they would pay for that vacation. Some of the IRM folks even tried to physically restrain me from going out with the protest sign at Rathayatra. They thought this issue would "give ISKCON a bad name and ruin the movement." Basically, same idea some of the GBC's gurus have had. 

In other words, at that time the IRM wanted to help the GBC suppress the poison issue, and some of their members still do. Anyway, we went ahead and marched out with our sign, and protested the poison issue in public at the Ratha festival. The jaws of the GBC's gurus in front of the parade simply dropped when I went out there with the sign, they just could not believe this was happening. Everyone said to me at the time, no one else is advertising this issue in public anywhere, it is being covered up. Some IRM folks even said, "You'll be dead in 24 hours after you launch this issue," ummm, they tried to frighten me into submission. That really does not work too well on people like myself -- for whatever the reason. In any event, the cat was now officially out of the bag. ]

When Isha Prabhu in Miami heard of the poison issue, he became disturbed, disbelieving all of it as nonsense.  He had been Satsvarupa Maharaj’s secretary in Dallas in late 1977. When Satsvarupa Maharaj returned from Vrindaban just after Srila Prabhupada’s departure, Isha was given 20 tapes with instructions to make 10 sets of copies to send to various ISKCON leaders before forwarding the original tapes to the BBT Archives in Los Angeles.

Isha Prabhu did this, but kept an extra set for himself.  He dug out these tapes after 20 years of storage and made copies for Mahabuddhi Prabhu’s birthday. Isha asked Mahabuddhi to listen to the tapes carefully, as he himself also did, in hopes of finding an answer to the question: was Srila Prabhupada poisoned?  These 20 tapes of Srila Prabhupada’s last conversations, although the English portions were transcribed in the Conversations books, had never been released or advertised by the BBT Archives tape ministry. Thus, only a very few devotees had ever listened to them.  However, copies are available upon special request from the Archives.

[PADA: I had already sent a copy of the tape to Naveen Krishna, and others, and Naveen was stirring up the issue in Alachua way before anyone else there took up any actual public interest. Perhaps our stirring things up motivated people to dig up other corroborating parts of the puzzle. Anyway, after the whispers were discovered the archives later on gave us an original digital copy of the master, which is where we got much clearer whispers, so they did help us out -- to their credit.]

CHAPTER 2:

POISON WHISPERS DISCOVERED

Almost simultaneously, Isha, Mahabuddhi and Balavanta Prabhus found and focused on several whispers on a tape labeled T-46, the third from the last known recording of Srila Prabhupada, and dated November 10 & 11, 1977.  Isha Prabhu, a devotee since 1974 and long-time supporter of the Miami ISKCON temple, stated:

“When I first heard of the poisoning issue I became concerned and investigated by listening carefully to the twenty tapes in my library from Oct-Nov 1977. After thoroughly listening to them I concluded that if Srila Prabhupada was poisoned it was the result of accidental overdose or misuse of his medications.

That same day Mahabuddhi called and told me of suspicious whispers he had found on the same tapes of November 1977. I examined the whispers carefully using sophisticated electronic equipment, and had enhancements done on the tapes by FBI approved laboratories. My conclusion after hundreds of hours of analysis is that it is possible that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned.

I called Balavanta and asked him if we could form an investigation committee. He agreed that Mahabuddhi, Jagajivan and myself would be on it and that we could create a forum on ISKCON’s COM so we could communicate privately about these issues.”

[PADA: Jagajivan subsequently died shortly after this, he was found floating face down in a pond near Alachua, supposedly a suicide. Or was it? Lots of people told me that's how I'd end up if I kept this issue up ... I'd be found dead from "an accident,"or I'd never be found at all ever, I'd be "disappeared." Apparently Krishna has had another plan, He wanted the lid to be blown off this issue, and it has been.]

This reporter also interviewed Mahabuddhi Prabhu, former temple president, former promoter of Prabhupada’s Palace bus tours in New Vrindaban, and founder of the Florida Vedic College:

“We listened to Srila Prabhupada’s tape of November 10-11. My son Mahasimha, when I was out of the room, had heard a whisper, so he called me back and we played this whisper again. We enhanced it and listened to it, and it really sounded strange. We became a little bit shocked, because we thought we had heard something like: LETS POISON IN THE MILK, and the more we heard it, the more we listened to it, about 100 times that night, the more it sounded that way.”

CHAPTER 3:

WHISPERS ALARM DEVOTEES

Mahabuddhi Prabhu e-mailed his discovery to Balavanta and phoned Isha. Apparently Balavanta and associates in Alachua were already aware of the whisper, because the next day, November 11, 1997, the Vaishnava News Network, or VNN, posted not only Mahabuddhi Prabhu’s letter on the internet, but also a statement from Balavanta as the newly appointed “GBC special investigator.”

Apparently the GBC Executive Committee and the GBC Chairman, Madhusevita Prabhu, acted quickly, without full approval of the GBC, by immediately arranging for Balavanta Prabhu to investigate “independently” the alleged poisoning of Srila Prabhupada, beginning with research into the validity and nature of the alarming whispers.

Balavanta’s report stated, regarding the November 10-11 tape (T-46 or #18 out of the last 20):
“…it contains a whisper which refers to poison.  This tape was digitally processed for clarity by an independent laboratory in Gainesville, Florida. According to the laboratory technician the following is the probable contents of the whispered statement. Either:

1.  “Lets not poison him and go” or
2.  “Lets now poison him and go.”

We are currently sending the tape to another laboratory with more advanced equipment for further investigation. We will report the results of that study as available.”

It is noted here that, to the best of our knowledge, this was the first and last public statement made by Balavanta as GBC Special Investigator. Since then, however, Balavanta Prabhu has spoken with others about the investigation unofficially. He, Mahabuddhi and Isha discussed arranging for more testing on the whispers, and Balavanta disclosed that he had sent the T-46 “poison tape” to the National Audio Video Forensic Laboratory in California, headed by a Mr. Norman Perle.

Just two months prior, Mrigendra Prabhu, a devotee attorney and former temple president of Los Angeles ISKCON, had sent the famous so-called “appointment tape” of May 28, 1977, to Perle’s lab to test for evidence of alleged tampering or editing.  The appointment tape forensic test results will be discussed later on in Chapter 11 and Appendix 1.

Meanwhile, Isha and Mahabuddhi were finding more incriminating-sounding whispers on the same “poison tape.”  In total, as reported on VNN, they were:

1. “Lets poison him and go,” or perhaps, “Put poison in the milk”
2. ” poison ishvarya rasa…get ready to go”,
3. “the poison’s going down, the poison’s going down”
4. “put poison in different containers.”

The level of concern and fear amongst devotees became greatly heightened. On November 30, Isha, very expert in manipulation of computer and sound recording equipment, reported on VNN his own personal findings in regards to the poison whispers on the “poison tape.” They were:

1. Conversations Vol. 36, pg 373: After Srila Prabhupada asks to lie down flat is heard this whisper: “The poison’s going down..(giggle) the poison’s going down.”
2. Con:36.373: After Jayapataka says, “follow the same treatment,” a whisper: “Is the poison in the milk? Um hum.”
3. Con:36.374: After Srila Prabhupada says, “Daytime we expose…”, we hear the whisper, “Do it now.” Then Srila Prabhupada drinks something.
4. Con:36.378: We hear the whispers, “Jayadwaita… will you serve Srila Prabhupada poison Jayadwaita?”, then several negative responses followed by “Nette, nette.”
5. Con:36.391: After Jayapataka says, “Should there be kirtana?” we hear a Bengali phrase, and then the whisper “Poison ishvarya rasa.” Srila Prabhupada says weakly and very surprised, “Me?”, then we hear, “Take it easy, get ready to go,” then a few seconds later, “The poison’s in you Srila Prabhupada.” Then, “He’s going under… He’s going under.” Then Hansadutta’s kirtan began.

The audio clips including the above whispers were posted on VNN on December 5, 1997. It is difficult for many to make out the whispers due to so much of the quality lost in that means of transmission. Dozens upon dozens of devotees have been taken by Naveen Krishna Prabhu in Alachua to a local sound studio to listen to the enhanced and “cleaned up” whispers.

Most agree, after listening carefully a few times, and there is no doubt in their minds, what the whispers are about: Srila Prabhupada was poisoned in a conspiracy by His own closest disciples. The number of devotees with this experience in Naveen Krishna’s sound studio continues to grow as time goes on.

http://www.iskcon-truth.com/poison/vnn-audio-files.html
http://www.iskcon-truth.com/poison/poison-whispers.html

CHAPTER 4:

POISON INVESTIGATIONS BEGIN

While Perle was analyzing the poison tape as per Balavanta’s instructions, Isha called Perle and discussed the whispers’ locations on the tape. Perle stated that he had been asked to study only one whisper, and to do it on a shoestring budget.  It has been unofficially learned that the report Balavanta received from Perle soon thereafter did NOT verify the whispers, and the report has never been made public. Surprised to hear this, Isha called Norman Perle to discuss his findings.  Isha relates his talk with Perle:

“I had discussed with Perle about several locations of the tape which contained whispers but when Balavanta received his report there was a great deal of confusion about what Perle had actually analyzed. I called Perle the day after my conversations with Balavanta to discuss my concerns about which sections of the tape he was listening to. I could not get a clear answer from him but he did make a statement which raised my suspicions even higher. He said that conversations and events on the tape did not represent the actual events taking place. He said that he was 95% convinced of that.”

Balavanta Prabhu also could not clearly identify for Isha which sections of the tape or which whispers Perle had examined. Thus it was speculated that Perle had analyzed the wrong whispers on the tape, as there are many throughout the tape, and did not examine the ones referring to poison.

Interestingly, though, Perle had alluded to fraudulent tampering of the tape, a subject we address later. Suffice it to say at this point that Perle mistakenly thought that the stop-start routine of recording was evidence of tampering.  Mahabuddhi and Isha were disturbed that Perle’s report was not made available to them to verify or contradict their suspicion that the wrong whispers were examined.  The credibility, accurateness and value of Perle’s report to Balavanta was thus deemed highly questionable.

[PADA: Balavanta withdraws, his case disappears. Why? His case is also not funded, done on shoestring, yep, not enough interest.]  

Also, at this time, Balavanta Prabhu now would no longer take a personal position on the whisper issue as he had at the start. He had become private, grave, and attorney-like in his behavior. Further, what had begun as a cooperative effort had now effectively split into two groups: the secretive,  “independent” GBC investigation and the work done by an entity called the Independent Vaishnava Council, with Mahabuddhi and Isha Prabhus’ participation.

Isha explains his disappointment with Balavanta:

“Balavanta informed me that there was no longer an investigation committee and that he was going to act alone based on the GBC’s instruction. I had already shared with him all the information I had gathered from the tapes and became further disturbed because of his breaking our agreement. Over the next several days I sent out several more e-mails detailing the results from the sound labs I had worked with in Miami. The VNN website (vnn.org) agreed to publish my findings. The CHAKRA website (chakra.org), which was created later, has refused to post my reports, however.”

Mahabuddhi also states: “…we had cleaned some tapes and made some enhancements on some segments …we actually delivered these tapes to Balavanta who came to West Palm Beach to meet with us.  We were always very cooperative, and at that point we thought we were working as a group or a team, but then he told me that actually he’s now the only investigator.”

Mahabuddhi and Isha then decided to continue with their audio forensics investigation on their own.  At this point this reporter became intimately involved in their investigation.  The whispers were digitally enhanced and cleaned for clarity by prominent and first-class sound studios, one of which was Soundtrack, Inc of Miami, headed by George Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell, who does a lot of work for law enforcement agencies, reported in early December, 1997:

“First of all, what I remember hearing on his tape after cleanup was “It’s not poison in the milk” or, allowing for an unusual speech pattern by the speaker, “It’s not poisoned milk.” As in handwriting analysis, one calls upon other skills besides engineering for this type of work. At this point I relied heavily upon my 25 years of experience in musical training and in recording voices for commercials and narrations.”

George Blackwell then describes how he adjusted the pitch, filters and equalizer to obtain a variety of listening conditions. His conclusions, it must be noted, however, were based ultimately upon listening with the human ear and did not include more sophisticated analytical methods.

Harikesh Maharaj, then the GBC for much of Europe and the principal guru-power/broker in ISKCON, reported on the internet that by listening to the whispers with the equipment used for his tape ministry, he and his aides could not hear anywhere the word “poison” being whispered. He did admit, though, that it remained a big mystery to him as to why Srila Prabhupada would say that he was being poisoned.

Bir Krishna Maharaj (GBC vice-chairman at the time), Bhakticharu Swami (ISKCON guru), and Rabindra Swarup Prabhu (GBC and ISKCON spokesman), made a joint statement on the internet on January 17, 1998 that they also had listened to the poison tape, and in their opinion, the whisper about “poison in different containers” was actually “posing different opinions.”

They also had several Bengalis translate the whisper “poison ishvarya rasa” as a Bengali term meaning “in a few days time.”

It should be clarified, however, that the whispered poison phrase comes right after the Bengali phrase so translated. This attempted sweeping aside of one of the four whispers is the same kind of error likely made by Norman Perle analyzing a non-poison whisper and then saying there is no poison word. One wonders whether these GBC’s were doing shabby or dishonest reporting; it is quite obvious to anyone who listens to the tape that the poison whispers comes after the Bengali speaker.

News of the poison issue circulated quickly and was featured on the internet by the VNN and, later, by the “ISKCON-friendly” CHAKRA websites. Visits to VNN’s site tripled as thousands checked in every day for “poison issue” news, showing that devotees worldwide were very interested and concerned about the poison issue. It was clearly not a non-issue.

CHAPTER 5:

ISKCON STATEMENT

Given the seriousness of the matter, it is surprising that for many weeks no official statement was issued by ISKCON.  Finally, on December 7, 1997 it came, composed by Bir Krishna Maharaj and, as he put it, “stiffened-up” by Rabindra Swarup Prabhu and Mukunda Maharaj.  It read:

“Certain conspiracy theorists have been propagating of late the allegation that the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON met his demise on November 14, 1977 due to intentional poisoning at the hands of his own disciples. The GBC of ISKCON considers this charge both absurd and offensive. Based on considerable testimony from those present at the time, and on its own preliminary internal study, the GBC is convinced that no such evil deed or even intention existed at the time. The GBC is certain that Srila Prabhupada’s passing away was due to entirely natural causes, as his doctors stated.

Some persons have claimed that they heard the word “poison” whispered on a tape said to have been made in Srila Prabhupada’s room. Many others, however, find the whispers indecipherable. In other words, one can read into the whisper almost anything one chooses. Nonetheless, some persons are bent on establishing the false and malicious theory that some of Prabhupada’s own disciples conspired to poison him.

To refute this charge beyond the slightest doubt, the GBC has given the original tape over to independent forensic experts for detailed analysis. The singular purpose is to lay to rest malevolently motivated theories about Srila Prabhupada’s passing. According to Balavanta das, head of independent investigation, “Initial reports from two of the forensic laboratories, both of which used equipment more sophisticated than any previously applied, do not find the word poison on the tape and do not support allegations of any wrongdoing.”

It is now clear to the GBC that the report of taped whispering conspirators is a false alarm.  The GBC is confident that the final forensic report will confirm these preliminary findings.”

This official statement, one of only two issued by ISKCON at the time this publication went to press (the other is Appendix 21), has dismayed many devotees who had hoped ISKCON would lead the search for the truth. Now, anyone who would feel or express justifiable and legitimate concern over the circumstances of Srila Prabhupada’s departure from this mortal world, has been condemned as a virtual enemy of ISKCON.

It is perhaps this blatant shunning of efforts of cooperative goodwill offered by those outside the institutional walls that feeds the perception of a dishonest GBC, who many feel has become expert in keeping closed a Pandora’s box of gruesome ghosts collected over 22 years of embarrassing history.

The GBC says they are “convinced and certain that Srila Prabhupada was not poisoned.” Yet at least some of the GBC’sarranged for Balavanta’s investigation to research the matter, indicating that even they have some doubts. Suspicions arose in the minds of many about the GBC’s honesty and the supposed independent investigation they initiated.  Does the apparent half-hearted and non-aggressive nature of Balavanta’s investigation have to do with the GBC’s influence, who, in a state of denial, hopes this issue will fade away?  Does this look like an open and honest attempt to satisfy natural and obvious questions raised by the evidence itself?

Has Balavanta Prabhu decided to maintain silence until he can accumulate enough evidence to make a complete report?  Are Balavanta and Naveen Krishna Prabhus, past and former GBC members, compromised by their past political allegiances, or are they truly concerned in uncovering the truth of the poison issue?

What are the findings of the “considerable testimony and preliminary internal study”? What in this material has so thoroughly convinced the writers of the ISKCON statement that there is no cause for concern- why not share this with the Vaishnava community?  Where are the doctors’ statements verifying natural causes to Srila Prabhupada’s passing away? (There is no indication that such a thing ever existed!)

If ISKCON is really to refute the supposed charges of poisoning beyond the slightest doubt, as they say, then they should immediately enlighten everyone with full disclosure of all their findings, such as their audio lab reports, interviews, if any, and a full explanation and answering of questions by Srila Prabhupada’s secretary and primary caretaker for most of 1977: Tamal Krishna Goswami. When contacted by Dhaneshwar on behalf of this author, Tamal refused to discuss the issue or answer questions, saying that there was already an ongoing investigation.  Tamal previously told Satyaraj Prabhu that if he answers one question, there will be hundreds more (Yes! and all should be answered!  Why not?)

Also, what was the second audio forensic lab report obtained by Balavanta Prabhu? One report was the Norman Perle report, which may be of dubious value, as we will see later herein when reporting on Perle’s appointment tape analysis. Was the other lab the sound studio in Gainesville? What other audio forensics had Balavanta Prabhu done, if any? …….

Complete Article here:
http://www.iskcon-truth.com/poison/prabhupada-poisoned-part6.html

Will be continued on Part 7

Chapter 7 to Chapter 11

Srila Prabhupada left this mortal world on November 14, 1977.
But He lives forever in His instructions, and His followers will always live with Him.
“He reasons ill who tells that Vaishnavas die
While thou art living still in sound!
The Vaishnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the Holy Name around”
(Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura)

HARE KṚṢṆA HARE KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA HARE HARE
HARE RĀMA HARE RĀMA RĀMA RĀMA HARE HARE
Index – Overview

[PADA: This issue will be discussed in quite a lot of detail for quite a long time. We are just glad its out in the open at this point. Thats the main thing we wanted to have done, and by Krishna's grace it has been done. ys pd] 

Sivarama Swami Defends Changed Books

Bhakta finds GBC gurus dubious


Dear ******: Nitai Gaur, at the present time a lot of these Iskcon gurus are preaching, seeming to be well educated, but some of these gurus are not following Srila Prabhupada. What can we do? It is very dangerous to hand over our souls to these gurus because they are also a conditioned souls, so how they will save us? They can't. We should just learn, then after, preach, anyone can do it. The only one way is to read Srila Prabhupada's books and surrender to the bona fide spiritual master. Go back to Srila Prabhupada, then one can go back to Godhead.

[PADA: Pretty much sums up what we started to say in 1978. ys pd]

Video of Bangalore Rathayatra


Sunday, June 29, 2014

Srila Prabhupada poison issue

Rathayatra in Times of India

DOR Defeat Of Rocana

Rocana's Downward Spiral Continues

PADA: Rocana recently complains about the Prabhupadanugas / ritviks (again). However, he mainly posts articles by GBC guru friendly people like Mayesvara das. Mayesvara das has --all along -- promoted the GBC's bogus gurus like Hrdayananda swami, and he even wanted to help set up a meeting between PADA's editor and Hrdayananda at one time, claiming he is good friends with Hrdayananda.

Should we forget to mention that Hrdayananda has been at the heart of the bogus guru's programs since 1978, and he is currently getting chastised even by the GBC for promoting gay marriage and other deviations?

Mayesvara also promotes other trouble making messiahs, including various Gaudiya Matha gurus and their programs, and he even invites them to his place for programs there. OK in sum, Mayesvara is compromised with both the GBC's and Gaudiya Matha's bogus gurus. Worse, Rocana himself writes that Mayesvara is compromised with protecting bogus GBC's gurus like Dhanurdhara swami, who was part of the molesting problem in ISKCON:

http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/dandavats/dandavats3.htm

Notice that Mayesvara is afraid that if we go after these bogus gurus in ISKCON this might create a "witch hunt mentality." OK, well maybe, but not going after these bogus gurus does not seem to have helped matters. Anyway, all of this does not seem to show where Rocana really stands on these issues? Is Rocana for the GBC's gurus, because he promotes their supporters like Mayesvara, and their programs like for example "Friends of the BBT"?

So this is the main problem with Rocana:

1) He is against the GBC gurus like Radhanath swami, but he still promotes the people who support the GBC's guru program, like Mayesvara, and / or Friends of the BBT (Jayadvaita's program) etc.

2) He is against the Gaudiya Matha's gurus, citing them as betrayers of Srila Prabhupada, but still promotes the people making programs for their bogus gurus.

3) He says people like Mayesvara betrayed ISKCON's children, simultaneously promotes him.

4) Meanwhile, Rocana says we cannot worship the GBC's gurus AT SOME TIMES, while he says we cannot worship Srila Prabhupada at OTHER TIMES,  saying that worship of Srila Prabhupada is the: posthumous, post samadhi, post mortem pooja deviation.

5) Therefore, we are left to worship -- no one? We should not worship the GBC's gurus, we should also not worship Srila Prabhupada since that is the post mortem deviation, so who is left to worship? No one.

TO SUM: While its easy to pick holes in the GBC's program, and to find faults with the Prabhupadnauga's program (certainly there are problems) meanwhile, Rocana has no program at all to pick holes in, or advertise, or anything else, since his program does not  exist. His program is neti neti neti, not this, not that, not the other, i.e. we should not worship the bogus GBC gurus, we should not worship Srila Prabhupada, ok then, no one is going to be worshiped. OK, how is this the way forward? Sounds to us like he is getting desperate, he is at a loss to tell us the way forward, because he has none. This is basically mayavada, there is no guru, no program, no conclusion (siddhanta), no nothing. ys pd




  

Ukraine Police Station Kirtan


Montreal Harinama Kirtana

Hollywood Looks East for Spirituality

Bangalore Rathayatra


Vaishnava Calendar July 2014

Vaishnava Calendar - JULY 2014
FREE Desktop Wallpaper HD !!
For Large Screen PCs / Laptops (1366 x 768) :
http://s29.postimg.org/3ynuhlcnr/Vaishnava_Calendar_July_2014.jpg
For Small Screen PCs / Laptops (1024 x 768) :
http://s16.postimg.org/l6vwd6ij9/Vaishava_Calendar_July_2014_2.jpg


Glories of Srimate Radharani

Friday, June 27, 2014

Vegetarians Better Carbon Footprint

Gundica Mandira June 28th



The cleansing of the Gundica temple in Jagannatha Puri, India.

In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura summarizesthis chapter as follows. The King of Orissa, Maharaja Prataparudra,tried his best to see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Nityananda Prabhu andthe other devotees informed the Lord about the King's desire, but SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu would not agree to see him. At that time Sri NityanandaPrabhu devised a plan, and He sent a piece of the Lord's outward garment to the King. The next day, when Ramananda Raya again entreated Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to see the King, the Lord, denying the request, asked Ramananda Raya to bring the King's son before Him. The prince visited the Lord dressed like a Vaisnava, and this awakened remembrance of Krsna. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu delivered the son of Maharaja Prataparudra.

After this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu washed the Gundica temple before the Ratha-yatra took place. He then took His bath at Indradyumna Lake and partook of prasadam in the garden nearby. While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu washed the temple of Gundica, a Gaudiya Vaisnava washed the lotus feet of the Lord and drank the water.

This incident is very significant, for it awoke within the devotee ecstatic love. Then the son of Advaita Prabhu named Gopala fainted during kirtana, and when he did not come to his senses, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu favored him by awakening him. There was also some humorous talk between Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu during prasadam. Advaita Prabhu said that Nityananda Prabhu was unknown to anyone and that it was not the duty of a householder brahmana to accept dinner with a person unknown in society. 

In answer to this humorous statement, Sri Nityananda Prabhu replied that Advaita Acarya was a monist and that one could not know how his mind could be turned by eating with such an impersonalist.The conversation of these two prabhus – Nityananda Prabhu and AdvaitaPrabhu – carried a deep meaning that only an intelligent man can understand. After all the Vaisnavas finished their luncheon, Svarupa Damodara and others took their prasadam within the room. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took great pleasure when He saw the Jagannatha Deity after the period of the Deity'sretirement. At that time Lord Caitanya was accompanied by all the devotees, and all of them were very pleased.

Beautiful painting of Srila Bhaktivinode thakura

Songs of the Vaishnava Acharyas

Yamunacharya's disciples +news

ISKCON Times

Hare Krishna,

The Lord forbids Yamunacharya’s disciples from committing suicide
Yamunacharya’s health gradually began to deteriorate and he started talking about quitting his material body and his disciples became anxious. Being concerned about Yamunacharya’s health and the future of their spiritual lives, Mahapurna, Goshtipurna and other disciples requested Thiruvaranga Perumal Ariyar, the senior-most disciple of Yamunacharya.

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

PIL on Nichilanandanda Saraswati climbing Puri chariot
Bhubaneswar: A public interest litigation has been filed in the Odisha High Court challenging the right of the Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Nichilanandanda Saraswati’s authority to climb the chariots during Rath Yatra, Puri.

TTD Devotees Told to Donate Vegetables
TIRUPATI: The TTD administration has appealed to donors to donate largesse in the form of vegetables to the Annaprasadam Trust in Tiruchanur.

Unprecedented security for Puri Rath Yatra
Puri, June 26: Unprecedented security arrangements were being made for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath scheduled to be held in Puri on June 29.

Kesar (Saffron) Milk Kulfi
Taste of Kashmir in your milk!  This is a classic dessert which has always enticed young and old alike. Citric acid added to the milk causes the milk to split giving a creamy texture to the kulfi.

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ISKCON Times
Bangalore

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Krishna is very kind

"Krsna is very kind. He is helping you in different ways. He is within your heart. Krsna is within your heart. Antaryami. Caitya-guru. And is presenting Himself as spiritual master both ways, externally, internally. He is trying to help you. And when you are actually taking the advantage of that help, and if you are engaged with love and affection in the transcendental service of the Lord, then you can talk with God from within.

God is within you. You haven't got to find out God in so many places. Anywhere you can sit down. But if you are sincere, if you are actually wanting to offer your service to the Lord -- tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam, dadami buddhi-yogam tam [Bg. 10.10] -- He will give you intelligence. Simply we have to become sincere servitor."

(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 14 May 69, Colombus)
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Narendra Modi's Short Honeymoon

Take Shelter of Spiritual Master +news


ISKCON Times

Hare Krishna,

Taking shelter of the spiritual master
A devotee realizes that his only hope is to seek protection of Krishna. He loses faith in his own ability to protect himself against maya. On the path of devotional service there are many pit falls. When a devotee is not proud of his spiritual strength, it is an ornament for him.

What if one thinks of Prabhupada at the time of death?
Madhusudana: One thing that really impressed me was when Prabhupada got a stroke early on and not too long after I joined in 1967. He was in the hospital in Manhattan and the devotees just didn't know what to do. 

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Puri Ratha Yatra: HC not to intervene on cordon pass issuance
Orissa High Court today refused to intervene on a PIL seeking ban on issuance of cordon passes during the Lord Jagannath's annual Ratha Yatra in Puri scheduled on Sunday.

Donate for Ganga clean-up project: Govt to India Inc
The Union government has sought contributions from the corporate sector to implement the Ganga clean-up project, a pet scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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ISKCON Times
Bangalore

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

India Sadhus: Cow Slaughter Must End

New Vrndavana in the Revivalist

Samsara Prayers with English Translation


Idiot Box TV / Rupa Goswami / Fake priests / + news

Hare Krishna,

“This is an idiot box and it has made idiots of us”
Malati: One morning Prabhupada's door was a little bit ajar. Since his door was never open, I was feeling hesitant, almost fearful, "Why is his door open?" I pushed it a little to look inside, not knowing what to expect. I didn't see anything but suddenly I heard Srila Prabhupada say, "Malati, come in, come in. We are watching TV."

Brilliance of Srila Rupa Goswami Part - 12
Sri Rupa Goswami’s Stava-mala contains chitra-kavitvani, amazing or picture verses. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, a great acharya and scholar in Gaudiya-Vaishnava-sampradaya, wrote a Sanskrit commentary on Stava-mala - Stava-mala-bhushana.

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Squads to identify 'fake' priests during Puri Ratha Yatra
BHUBANESWAR: Buoyed by the Orissa high court order to implement Puri Shankaracharya's advice of banning pilgrims' access to chariots during Rath Yatra, the Jagannath Temple administration in Puri has decided to form squads to identify people, who often climb chariots in the guise of priests, during car festival and return car festival.

Vrindavan widows come to Delhi with hopes from Modi govt
NEW DELHI: A hundred widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi were provided a platform by NGO Sulabh International to give voice to the many inequities and injustices suffered by them on International Widows' Day.

Unniyappam
A favourite amongst kids, these ball-like round pancakes from Kerala in South India, are healthy and also very easy to make.  

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ISKCON Times
Bangalore

Monday, June 23, 2014

Srila Prabhupada's letters fully liberated

http://prabhupadabooks.com/pdf/Letters5.pdf

[PADA: Srila Prabhupada's letters were being suppressed by the GBC starting in 1977. No one was allowed to even read them in the archives, and Satsvarupa said that these letters "are not relevant." In 1985 Sulochana das went to Los Angeles to bribe an archives devotee to get these letters on a mirofiche. Then Sulochana came immediately to Berkeley where me and him began to read these letters, we went out and purchased two microfiche readers.

While there in Berkeley, a GBC guru called us to say if we distribute these letters or else we will  be "dead meat on a hook." Me and Sulochana then realized, wow, we are on to something! We needed to publish these letters! And we started to do that. Of course he was assassinated shortly after in May of 1986, and I would have been assassinated too, at least the FBI told me I was next on the hit list. The police and FBI came to my rescue in Berkeley and they started doing surveillance on me etc. Anyway, its so ecstatic to see these letters have been fully liberated. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! ys pd]  

Sunday, June 22, 2014

TV Show: How GBC Ruined ISKCON




But there is some positive parts of this as well, the movement will carry on. "The movement is healing" one of them says. ys pd 

Detroit Rathayatra Festival

New Radha Krishna Art



Some say this makes great computer wallpaper.

RE: Krishna West

[PADA: Good points here. Basically, Hrdayananda is now saying ISKCON is a circus, isn't he the clown in that circus? ys pd]

Impersonalism and Krishna West

BY: KRISHNA-KIRTI DAS

Both of these statements are from Hridayananda Goswami:

"It's like a rite of passage, a test of your faith and love, that you don't care what the public thinks," Resnick said. "If we go out in the street, it's like Vedic Cirque du Soleil. People love it. They take pictures. But how many Americans want to join the circus?"[1]

"Then of course there's the argument about uniforms. And what I say is the general advantage of a uniform does not necessarily justify a specific uniform. It's like what if for example a policeman instead of wearing these sort of like really cool pants and shirts and everything, what if they wore mini-skirts, or what if they wore clown costumes? You could say, "Well it's a uniform." What if police wore clown costumes so if you saw someone dressed as a clown on the street you know, "That's a policeman. So, I need a policeman. Look for someone in a clown costume." It's not just the general idea of wearing a uniform, it's wearing something that people feel comfortable with, they can relate to, and it totally connects with them." [2]

The first is from a recently published article on the Krishna West project, and the second is from a lecture he gave at the ISKCON temple in Hawaii in 2011. It is clear he thinks devotees who dress in dhotis and saris and chant Hare Krishna on the streets of cities all over the world are "clowns" and part of a "circus."

Compare his unflattering remarks to Srila Prabhupada's praise for Western devotees who dressed in dhoti and sari and took to the culture he himself loved. "When I was speaking in Berkeley University sometimes in the year 1966, one Indian student stood up and he said, 'Swamiji, what this Krsna consciousness movement will do? We require now technology.' So I replied, 'Yes. You are after technology. So you are a beggar. I am not a beggar. I have come here to give something. That is the difference. I have come here to give some culture, and you have come to imitate the Western civilization by technology. That is the difference. You'll remain a beggar, I shall remain a giver. That is the difference.' So still I am maintaining that position of giving, not taking. Before me, so many swamijis went there. They did not give, but they took something and came here and advertised themselves as foreign-returned sannyasi and exploited the people. They lost even their original dress. Everyone knows, I have never changed my dress. Rather, I have given the dress to the foreigners, and they have taken it. The Ramakrishna mission people came to request me that I dress myself in coat, pant, hat. Because they are doing. Their so-called swamis, they are dressed in coat, pant, hat.

So this is a culture. This culture is meant for the human society. Fortunately this culture developed on this land of Bharatavarsa. Unfortunately, people are so much bewildered that they are giving up this culture. That is the most regrettable portion of, of our movement. Anyway, my mission was that I shall go to America, and if some of the American boys and girls, younger section, would accept it, then I'll bring them here to show these rascals that how great this culture is. So portion of the population, they are realizing now."

(Lecture, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.48 Mayapur, 14 Jun 1973)

The source audio clip even more emphatically reveals Srila Prabhupada's love and appreciation for the historic culture of India. He was proud of his disciples who had taken to it. If ISKCON is to remain Srila Prabhupada's institution, then it must also continue to preserve the preferences of its founder. Otherwise, if it is indifferent or hostile to his preferences, then how is ISKCON still Srila Prabhupada's institution? It can't be, because even the so-called little things are pleasing to Krishna and His representative. Yasya prasadat bhagavat prasado yasyaprasadan na gati kuto pi. If this principle is disrespected, then ISKCON's mission is also vanquished.

Consider for example a vyasa-puja celebration for Srila Prabhupada in which none of the foodstuffs prepared include anything Srila Prabhupada is known to have liked. Despite having positive information about Srila Prabhupada's preferences and the ability to cook according to them, the cooks still say, "As long as whatever we cook is offered with love and devotion (and it is vegetarian), then Prabhupada will accept it." But what does it mean to have "love and devotion" toward someone yet be indifferent to his likes and dislikes? Obviously, someone prefers pizza to pakoras, but it's not Srila Prabhupada. It is someone else. The effort to cook the feast is motivated by the cooks substituting their own preferences for Srila Prabhupada's and then ascribing those preferences to him. It is much like what scholars do when they use Krishna's words to promote some idea of their own and then say that Krishna endorses their idea. The indifference is motivated by impersonalism, and all endeavors based on this indifference are therefore opposed to bhakti.

A typical motivation for this indifference is utilitarianism. In his purport to SB 3.15.19, Srila Prabhupada says, "One time an atheistic svami remarked, 'What is the use of watering the tulasi plant? It is better to water eggplant. By watering the eggplant one can get some fruits, but what is the use of watering the tulasi?' These foolish creatures, unacquainted with devotional service, sometimes play havoc with the education of people in general." Although appealing to a utilitarian motive, the "atheistic swami" obviously prefers eggplant to Tulasi. His utilitarianism is still guided by a personal preference—his own.

By way of accepting a religious principle for a utilitarian purpose, even theists can make the same mistake of substituting their own preferences for Krishna's or the acharya's. At one time, large numbers of devotees engaged in collecting money by selling record albums and stickers with the idea that the money would be used for Krishna. But this generally turned out to have been a bad thing. Some of the money was indeed used for Krishna conscious purposes, but for the most part the motivation for taking up those economic activities was something other than bhakti. It was niyama-aagraha, which Srila Prabhupada says is "accepting some of the scriptural rules and regulations for immediate benefit, as utilitarians advocate" (NOD 2). That is why devotees in general eventually abandoned those activities. "Utilitarian" means that something is useful for a purpose, so with all things utilitarian, the question becomes a matter of desire. The purpose of doing something is to fulfill someone's desire. If it's not Krishna's desire, it's your own, and then you ascribe your desire to Krishna. The motivation again is impersonalism.

As quoted in the On Faith article, "'Some temples are a little too attached to the traditions as they came,' said Sarvatma Das, a 34-year devotee and Hare Krishna priest." [1] However, those traditions come substantially from Krishna Himself. People who develop reverence and devotion for some extraordinary person often adopt the likes and preferences of their object of worship. In the same way, it is natural for a devotee of Krishna to also be very interested in Krishna's likes and preferences. The Lord in many incarnations appeared in India, and He interacted with the people there. How do Krishna's people dress, eat, sit, walk, live, marry, etc? A devotee of Krishna will want to know these things, because they represent the preferences of that which is worshippable. But if in the name of swelling the ranks of ISKCON we abandon the principle that Krishna has His own, personal preferences apart from ours, our endeavor will have been useless from the beginning.

Some say that just because a woman wears a sari does not make her a devotee, and that is true. But that is irrelevant to the fact that the sartorial and culinary facets of India, along with many others, substantially reflect the original, unchanging culture that comes from the spiritual world—the culture that Krishna and His devotees prefer. The Krishna West project is motivated by a materialistic idea of culture, one that denies those personal preferences.

The Krishna West project is tainted with impersonalism. As stated in the On Faith article, "Resnick and his organization, Krishna West, want to reverse that [Indian] normalization. They imagine a temple without saris. Prasadam could be Italian, Brazilian or Chinese if correctly offered to Krishna. As long as they use the proper mantras, guitarists, drummers or jazz bands could lead chanting."[1] But what does Krishna Himself like, and what does Srila Prabhupada like? Krishna West teaches that we can worship Krishna and yet ignore Krishna's personal preferences. They give us a Faustian bargain: we attract people to Krishna consciousness by catering to their own, personal desires while denying that Krishna has His own personal desires.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

23 June Is Ekadasi


23rd June 2014 - Monday - Yogini Ekadashi
08th July 2014 - Tuesday - Devshayani Ekadashi
09th July 2014 - Wednesday - Devshayani Ekadashi
22nd July 2014 - Tuesday - Kamika Ekadashi
07th August 2014 - Thursday - Shravana Putrada Ekadashi
21st August 2014 - Thursday - Aja Ekadashi
05th September 2014 - Friday - Parsva Ekadashi
19th September 2014 - Friday - Indira Ekadashi
04th October 2014 - Saturday - Papankusha Ekadashi
05th October 2014 - Sunday - Papankusha Ekadashi
19th October 2014 - Sunday - Rama Ekadashi
03rd November 2014 - Monday - Devutthana Ekadashi
18th November 2014 - Tuesday - Utpanna Ekadashi
02nd December 2014 - Tuesday - Mokshada Ekadashi
18th December 2014 - Thursday - Saphala Ekadashi

Krishna's Expecting $60 Million Sale

Real Big Kirtana in Russia


Same Sex problems: Kadamba Kanan swami




[PADA: Actually this is pretty reasonable. Its interesting to contrast this to the Krishna West program that is promoting same sex marriage. Seems the GBC is struggling with this issue. ys pd] 

Thursday, June 19, 2014

TOVP completion date moved up

[PADA: The GBC's TOVP "Vedic Planetary" building was supposed to be done in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, and so on and so forth, now its gone up to 2022. Hmmm, well that is what happens when the GBC spends $20m on folish lawsuits suing the Prabhupada devotees! ys pd]

TOVP Canada Team To Promote TOVP In Canada


By Sunanda das
As the devotional ecstacy of building and completing the TOVP increases like the flood of love of God, devotees worldwide are coming forward to assist with promotion and fundraising.

Officially formed under the banner of the Toronto, Ontario temple with the guidance and inspiration of His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami, the TOVP Canada Team has begun moving forward, spreading the glories of the TOVP and helping to raise funds for its completion by 2022. Due to regional laws and regulations, the fundraising will focus on specific items for the TOVP, the first of which will be a highly advanced and powerful Lightning Arrester System (see below for description) costing around $100,000. 

With this new initiative, Canadian donors will now also be able to receive a tax-deductible receipt for their donations. For more information and to donate, contact Rajasuya das at: tovpcanada@tovp.org.
If you are an ISKCON leader, temple president, etc. and also feel inspired to help fulfill this desire of Srila Prabhupada in your community on an ongoing basis, please contact Vraja Vilas das at: brajavilasa.rns@gmail.com.
From Wikipedia:
A lightning arrester is a device used on electrical power systems and telecommunications systems to protect the insulation and conductors of the system from the damaging effects of lightning. The typical lightning arrester has a high-voltage terminal and a ground terminal. When a lightning surge (or switching surge, which is very similar) travels along the power line to the arrester, the current from the surge is diverted through the arrestor, in most cases to earth.
In telegraphy and telephony, a lightning arrestor is placed where wires enter a structure, preventing damage to electronic instruments within and ensuring the safety of individuals near them. Smaller versions of lightning arresters, also called surge protectors, are devices that are connected between each electrical conductor in power and communications systems and the Earth. These prevent the flow of the normal power or signal currents to ground, but provide a path over which high-voltage lightning current flows, bypassing the connected equipment. Their purpose is to limit the rise in voltage when a communications or power line is struck by lightning or is near to a lightning strike.