Original Bir Krishna Video story was posted here ...
http://krishna1008.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-lecture-for-everyone-bir-krishna-swami.html
===============================
Haribol Prabhus. Jaya Srila Prabhupada.
For those who might be interested, here is the first part of a brief look at the question and answer interview with Bir Krishna entitled, “A LECTURE EVERY ISKCON DEVOTEE SHOULD HEAR.” Due to time constraints, I haven’t copied every single sentence or reply, but the following text is faithful to the basic message conveyed in each exchange.
Question(Q): Is it true that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned?
Bir Krishna (BK): Ha ha ha ha ha…
Q: If not, how this story came out?
BK: It is NOT true that Prabhupada was poisoned. Actually I was one of the people who did the investigation. … The hair analysis did not show any signs of poison, so we can conclude that Prabhupada wasn’t poisoned. Also, we did an analysis of all the recordings… there’s a book, “Not that I am poisoned.” It was actually clear, there is no evidence… There is no evidence that Prabhupada was poisoned. The only evidence they came up with was playing Prabhupada’s recordings backwards… That’s pure mental speculation. It’s like one of the Beatles’ songs, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds…’ and it said something (by playing it backwards), but normal people don’t do that. That was the only evidence. There was no evidence that Prabhupada was poisoned -- absolutely no evidence. The question is, why do people say that? Because, basically, they’re upset because they didn’t get any position in the Krishna Consciousness movement…or they have some personal animosity or problem with people who have a position in the Krishna consciousness movement. It’s all based on an emotional thing… logic is thrown out. Logically there’s nothing, physically there’s nothing… Bhakti Caru and Tamal Krishna loved Prabhupada so much… they’d rather kill themselves than hurt Prabhupada…. There is nobody with any motive that would have hurt Prabhupada who was around Prabhupada at that time. Just go on the Internet and read that book, “Not that I am poisoned.”
(My) comment: What about the following six words by Tamal caught on tape: “Put the poison in different containers”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqSKNtB5dnE&list=PL7BF59363472D44E1
Or how about the following exchange (among many similar others)?
Tamala Krsna: This seems like suicide, Srila Prabhupada, this program. It seems to some of us like it’s suicidal.
Prabhupada: And this is also suicidal.
Tamala Krsna: Hm. Prabhupada said, “And this is also suicide.” Now you have to choose which suicide.
(Vrindavan room conversation, Nov. 10, 1977)
Comment: Nice guy, telling his “beloved” spiritual master that he now has to choose which way to commit suicide. What love and devotion! No evidence here, Prabhus, nope, none whatsoever. Move right along.
Also, BK often complains about people introducing ad hominem attacks (personal attacks) against those who don’t agree with his line of thinking. However, he himself says that those who think that Srila Prabhupada may have been poisoned are “upset because they didn’t get any position in the Krishna Consciousness movement.“ That’s it. There’s not a single shred of evidence or cause for suspicion. They”re envious, that’s all.
Q: Second question, rascism and sexism in Prabhupada’s statements…
BK: Uh, that’s an interesting question. Well, we have to understand that Prabhupada was brought up in a certain culture — Bengal, West Bengal — and there’s certain cultural things that Prabhupada was manifesting… Prabhupada would sometimes speak informally, not from an absolute platform of things… and just reflect in one sense the culture in which he was brought up.
Comment: Here are a few quotes from scripture, warning us not to see the spiritual master from a material point of view -- in terms of physical birth, caste, creed, bodily health, etc.
“One is forbidden to observe the activities of a pure Vaisnava from a material point of view. For the neophyte especially, considering a pure devotee from a material point of view is very injurious. One should therefore avoid observing a pure devotee externally, but should try to see the internal features and understand how he is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this way one can avoid seeing the pure devotee from a material point of view, and thus one can gradually become a purified devotee himself.”
(Nectar of Instruction, Verse 6, Purport)
“One should not consider the Deity of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider the authorized spiritual master an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste, etc.”
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.18, Purport)
“No one should consider the Deity in the temple to be made of stone or wood, nor should one consider the spiritual master an ordinary human being. No one should consider a Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed, and no one should consider canard or Ganges water to be like ordinary water. Nor should anyone consider the Hare Krsna maha-mantra to be a material vibration. All these expansions of Krsnaa in the material world are simply demonstrations of the Lord’s mercy and willingness to give facility to His devotees who are engaged in His devotional service within the material world.”
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Madhya-lila 20.217, Purport)
“One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession as an ordinary man, who thinks the Vaisnava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caracara or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell.” (Padma Purana)
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.12, Purport)
Q: The rapes in gurukula…
BK: The rapes, you mean sexual abuse?
Q: Yes.
BK: This is exactly what happened in every religious institution. The Catholic church had similar things…after it was found out, ISKCON acted very swiftly…
Comment: BK minimizes or deflects the blame away from ISKCON and ISKCON leaders by saying that every religion has experienced sexual abuse, citing an example of some Catholic priests in Boston. He also twice says that “ISKCON acted swiftly” to rectify the problems as soon as they were known. Perhaps we should ask the victims themselves if ISKCON “acted swiftly”?
Q: If so many of Prabhupada’s disciples have fallen down, how do we know if there’s one pure devotee, or if our spiritual master won’t fall down?
BK: Chuckles, as if it’s a laughing matter.
Q: Can we pray to Krsna to protect our guru from falling?
BK: Ha, ha, ha… Before one accepts a guru, one should ascertain if he is bona fide…. we don’t have a pure devotee meter which can say ‘beep… 80%, 90%, 100%‘… You can’t do that… The way you can tell is by talking to those who have known the guru for many, many years… It’s up to the disciple to basically test the spiritual master. It is actually a fact that so many have fallen away from devotional service. Prabhupada said, ‘don’t be surprised how many fall, but how many stay.’ … But basically we shouldn’t think that the guru will fall down. We should take our time choosing the spiritual master who we KNOW will not fall down, not just sentimental. BK recommends going to the website “ISKCON DESIRE TREE” and comparing gurus online. “It’s everybody’s responsibility” (to choose the right guru). “It’s YOUR responsibility.”
Comment: So basically he admits that it’s a crapshoot in ISKCON. You may chose the wrong guru if you’re not on the ball. In other words, some of ISKCON’s gurus might fall down. They may even lead you to Hell. So it’s up to you, not the guru -- and you’re at fault if you happen to choose the wrong one. There was never any doubt about Srila Prabhupada being a bona fide guru, but nowadays “you’re on your own, buddy.” Good luck… ha ha ha!
Q: Have the changes in Srila Prabhupada’s book been bona fide and is the Bhagavad-gita really still “AS IT IS” with so many corrections?
In a gist, BK replies that the majority of corrections are “more in line with what Prabhupada said.” The devotees “mistranscribed” Srila Prabhupada because they couldn’t understand his Bengali. Prabhupada authorized Jayadvaita Swami to make whatever corrections he liked. He says that he himself uses both the new Bhagavad-gita and the old Bhagavad-gita and he “doesn’t see any difference between the two of them, nor the Bhagavatam or any of the other books.” In fact, he says, the new books “are now closer to what Prabhupada wanted and what Prabhupada said.” If you’re interested in the different changes, go to the BBT website for an explanation. “Why are people criticizing,” he asks. “I don’t want to say they’re envious, but they feel left out… they want some position in ISKCON. It’s a psychological/emotional reason that they criticize, but practically speaking the books are the same -- actually they’re better.”
Comment: BK often dismisses anyone who questions the party line as having a “psychological -emotional reason.” In other words, they’re either mentally or emotionally disturbed, what to speak of being envious of those who “have a position in the Krishna consciousness movement.” So there certainly can’t be any legitimacy to their complaints or concerns. He utilizes the same type of personal attacks which he condemns others for (allegedly) using against ISCON leaders. Very convenient and tricky, trying to dupe the readers into accepting his “absolute” opinions as axiomatic truth.
To be continued… In the meantime, I’ll expand my comments into a letter to BK. I realize it probably won’t do any good, but at least he’ll know that others are watching what he says, besides his loyal band of sycophants. Thanks for listening.
http://krishna1008.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-lecture-for-everyone-bir-krishna-swami.html
===============================
Haribol Prabhus. Jaya Srila Prabhupada.
For those who might be interested, here is the first part of a brief look at the question and answer interview with Bir Krishna entitled, “A LECTURE EVERY ISKCON DEVOTEE SHOULD HEAR.” Due to time constraints, I haven’t copied every single sentence or reply, but the following text is faithful to the basic message conveyed in each exchange.
Question(Q): Is it true that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned?
Bir Krishna (BK): Ha ha ha ha ha…
Q: If not, how this story came out?
BK: It is NOT true that Prabhupada was poisoned. Actually I was one of the people who did the investigation. … The hair analysis did not show any signs of poison, so we can conclude that Prabhupada wasn’t poisoned. Also, we did an analysis of all the recordings… there’s a book, “Not that I am poisoned.” It was actually clear, there is no evidence… There is no evidence that Prabhupada was poisoned. The only evidence they came up with was playing Prabhupada’s recordings backwards… That’s pure mental speculation. It’s like one of the Beatles’ songs, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds…’ and it said something (by playing it backwards), but normal people don’t do that. That was the only evidence. There was no evidence that Prabhupada was poisoned -- absolutely no evidence. The question is, why do people say that? Because, basically, they’re upset because they didn’t get any position in the Krishna Consciousness movement…or they have some personal animosity or problem with people who have a position in the Krishna consciousness movement. It’s all based on an emotional thing… logic is thrown out. Logically there’s nothing, physically there’s nothing… Bhakti Caru and Tamal Krishna loved Prabhupada so much… they’d rather kill themselves than hurt Prabhupada…. There is nobody with any motive that would have hurt Prabhupada who was around Prabhupada at that time. Just go on the Internet and read that book, “Not that I am poisoned.”
(My) comment: What about the following six words by Tamal caught on tape: “Put the poison in different containers”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqSKNtB5dnE&list=PL7BF59363472D44E1
Or how about the following exchange (among many similar others)?
Tamala Krsna: This seems like suicide, Srila Prabhupada, this program. It seems to some of us like it’s suicidal.
Prabhupada: And this is also suicidal.
Tamala Krsna: Hm. Prabhupada said, “And this is also suicide.” Now you have to choose which suicide.
(Vrindavan room conversation, Nov. 10, 1977)
Comment: Nice guy, telling his “beloved” spiritual master that he now has to choose which way to commit suicide. What love and devotion! No evidence here, Prabhus, nope, none whatsoever. Move right along.
Also, BK often complains about people introducing ad hominem attacks (personal attacks) against those who don’t agree with his line of thinking. However, he himself says that those who think that Srila Prabhupada may have been poisoned are “upset because they didn’t get any position in the Krishna Consciousness movement.“ That’s it. There’s not a single shred of evidence or cause for suspicion. They”re envious, that’s all.
Q: Second question, rascism and sexism in Prabhupada’s statements…
BK: Uh, that’s an interesting question. Well, we have to understand that Prabhupada was brought up in a certain culture — Bengal, West Bengal — and there’s certain cultural things that Prabhupada was manifesting… Prabhupada would sometimes speak informally, not from an absolute platform of things… and just reflect in one sense the culture in which he was brought up.
Comment: Here are a few quotes from scripture, warning us not to see the spiritual master from a material point of view -- in terms of physical birth, caste, creed, bodily health, etc.
“One is forbidden to observe the activities of a pure Vaisnava from a material point of view. For the neophyte especially, considering a pure devotee from a material point of view is very injurious. One should therefore avoid observing a pure devotee externally, but should try to see the internal features and understand how he is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this way one can avoid seeing the pure devotee from a material point of view, and thus one can gradually become a purified devotee himself.”
(Nectar of Instruction, Verse 6, Purport)
“One should not consider the Deity of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider the authorized spiritual master an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste, etc.”
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.18, Purport)
“No one should consider the Deity in the temple to be made of stone or wood, nor should one consider the spiritual master an ordinary human being. No one should consider a Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed, and no one should consider canard or Ganges water to be like ordinary water. Nor should anyone consider the Hare Krsna maha-mantra to be a material vibration. All these expansions of Krsnaa in the material world are simply demonstrations of the Lord’s mercy and willingness to give facility to His devotees who are engaged in His devotional service within the material world.”
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Madhya-lila 20.217, Purport)
“One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession as an ordinary man, who thinks the Vaisnava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caracara or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell.” (Padma Purana)
(From Padma Purana, quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.12, Purport)
Q: The rapes in gurukula…
BK: The rapes, you mean sexual abuse?
Q: Yes.
BK: This is exactly what happened in every religious institution. The Catholic church had similar things…after it was found out, ISKCON acted very swiftly…
Comment: BK minimizes or deflects the blame away from ISKCON and ISKCON leaders by saying that every religion has experienced sexual abuse, citing an example of some Catholic priests in Boston. He also twice says that “ISKCON acted swiftly” to rectify the problems as soon as they were known. Perhaps we should ask the victims themselves if ISKCON “acted swiftly”?
Q: If so many of Prabhupada’s disciples have fallen down, how do we know if there’s one pure devotee, or if our spiritual master won’t fall down?
BK: Chuckles, as if it’s a laughing matter.
Q: Can we pray to Krsna to protect our guru from falling?
BK: Ha, ha, ha… Before one accepts a guru, one should ascertain if he is bona fide…. we don’t have a pure devotee meter which can say ‘beep… 80%, 90%, 100%‘… You can’t do that… The way you can tell is by talking to those who have known the guru for many, many years… It’s up to the disciple to basically test the spiritual master. It is actually a fact that so many have fallen away from devotional service. Prabhupada said, ‘don’t be surprised how many fall, but how many stay.’ … But basically we shouldn’t think that the guru will fall down. We should take our time choosing the spiritual master who we KNOW will not fall down, not just sentimental. BK recommends going to the website “ISKCON DESIRE TREE” and comparing gurus online. “It’s everybody’s responsibility” (to choose the right guru). “It’s YOUR responsibility.”
Comment: So basically he admits that it’s a crapshoot in ISKCON. You may chose the wrong guru if you’re not on the ball. In other words, some of ISKCON’s gurus might fall down. They may even lead you to Hell. So it’s up to you, not the guru -- and you’re at fault if you happen to choose the wrong one. There was never any doubt about Srila Prabhupada being a bona fide guru, but nowadays “you’re on your own, buddy.” Good luck… ha ha ha!
Q: Have the changes in Srila Prabhupada’s book been bona fide and is the Bhagavad-gita really still “AS IT IS” with so many corrections?
In a gist, BK replies that the majority of corrections are “more in line with what Prabhupada said.” The devotees “mistranscribed” Srila Prabhupada because they couldn’t understand his Bengali. Prabhupada authorized Jayadvaita Swami to make whatever corrections he liked. He says that he himself uses both the new Bhagavad-gita and the old Bhagavad-gita and he “doesn’t see any difference between the two of them, nor the Bhagavatam or any of the other books.” In fact, he says, the new books “are now closer to what Prabhupada wanted and what Prabhupada said.” If you’re interested in the different changes, go to the BBT website for an explanation. “Why are people criticizing,” he asks. “I don’t want to say they’re envious, but they feel left out… they want some position in ISKCON. It’s a psychological/emotional reason that they criticize, but practically speaking the books are the same -- actually they’re better.”
Comment: BK often dismisses anyone who questions the party line as having a “psychological -emotional reason.” In other words, they’re either mentally or emotionally disturbed, what to speak of being envious of those who “have a position in the Krishna consciousness movement.” So there certainly can’t be any legitimacy to their complaints or concerns. He utilizes the same type of personal attacks which he condemns others for (allegedly) using against ISCON leaders. Very convenient and tricky, trying to dupe the readers into accepting his “absolute” opinions as axiomatic truth.
To be continued… In the meantime, I’ll expand my comments into a letter to BK. I realize it probably won’t do any good, but at least he’ll know that others are watching what he says, besides his loyal band of sycophants. Thanks for listening.
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