Problems in ISKCON Siberia (by Russian Devotees)

Why is the GBC allowing fools to be seen as Krishna's successors?

Problems in ISKCON Siberia

BY: CONCERNED RUSSIAN DEVOTEES

(Names withheld to protect the devotees in Russia)

Is this the proper Krsna conscious behaviour of an ISKCON Regional Secretary?

We would like to bring to your attention the very strange behaviours, preaching ethics and attitude, lifestyle and behaviours of the current ISKCON Regional Secretary of Siberia, Vadim Boris - aka Visnu Tattva das - is a former disciple of Prabhavisnu Swami, re-initiated by the GBC guru for Russia, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami.

He has been Regional Secretary in Siberia for many years and we see he is becoming self-absorbed more and more, like a materialistic pop star and mundane yoga preacher. This concerns us greatly. What's worse is, he has Russian followers who see nothing wrong in his materialistic behaviours.

As aspiring devotees and followers of Srila Prabhupada who read his books, listen to his lectures and read his letters to his disciples, we question this Regional Secretary's standards and practices, odd behaviours, pride and way of preaching in ISKCON Russia. We also question why he his promoting mundane yoga in his centre as a Regional Secretary of ISKCON in Siberia. Why is the Russian GBC allowing this disgraceful conduct by a Regional Secretary?

This latest video is one among many television appearances he is making recently, promoting and singing mundane pop music and culture and at the same time promoting himself as an advanced leader and ISKCON devotee. We see it as hypocritical, as he is compromising his Krsna consciousness.

In his recent appearances in Russia on a mundane TV program, we see him singing mundane songs and dancing, like some sort of Russian Michael Jackson. Is this Krishna consciousness? On TV, he openly tells the public he is with ISKCON. Is this pleasing to Srila Prabhupada? Is this Srila Prabhupada's standard for a Regional Secretary… to be a mundane yoga pop star?

We also see this as a bad example to Russian devotees and its contradicting all the rules of Krsna consciousness. One of the ten offences to the Holy Name is to maintain material attachments, even after understanding not to be attached and still chanting with material attachments and behaviours. This confuses Russian devotees.

Moreover here in Siberia, he has allowed himself to rise to personality cult status in ISKCON with his blind followers. Anyone who questions him to his face about his compromising Krsna consciousness is banned by him, regardless of their seniority. We also see his behavior of false ego, disrespect and arrogant behaviour to many devotees as unethical.

Please review this video and approach the proper ISKCON GBC men to investigate and correct this embarrassing ongoing situation we have here in ISKCON Russia.

Thank you.

A Group of Concerned Russian Devotees

[PADA: Right, and Hansadutta was trying to be a rock and roll singer and he spent tons of money on his recordings, Harikesh spent much money on his own sound studio so he could record his own "new age band," and so forth. Meanwhile, the children in their "guru" schools were eating rotten moldy oatmeal due to "lack of funds." 

So the idea that some of these big GBC leaders wanted to be rock music stars is not new. Its also not new that the leaders are blending in "yoga classes" "demigod pooja" "Hindu weddings and car blessings" and various new age pop culture items into ISKCON. 

Its also not new that the GBC does not care about these deviations, in fact they just now reinstated Hrdayananda who was then giving "diksha initiations" again. Yep, these GBC's think Hrdayananda is another parampara diksha guru and he can absorb sins like Jesus. And fools like Rupanuga think these guys can absorb sins like Jesus too, because he has no clue who is Jesus in the first place. OK really! They think Jesus is another mundane man, just like themselves.

Its also not new that people who dissent are banned, removed, shunned, harassed and maybe attacked. Its also not new that people are afraid to give their names to combat the GBC's goonda gooroo process, because it is a goonda regime. 

A GBC and guru told me once he could not protest the reinstating of Bhavananda because "Jayapataka followers have sticks and they will beat me." Another GBC guru said to our associate that his bag and passport were stolen at Mayapura, and when he reported that, then the temple commander showed him he was wearing a gun and he said, "We do not allow people to ask a lot of question about how we do things here." So he had to sort of beg this temple commander to get his passport back. OK they are goondas, even among themselves what to speak of with us peons. 

The good news is that more and more people are reading Srila Prabhupada's books, letters and lectures and they are figuring out that the GBC is deviating from his teachings. So these devotees will have to do what we all did, start their own independent process. We do not need these bogus people, we need Prabhupada and that is all there is to it. 

That these people are finally seeing what we were seeing in 1978, when Jayatirtha was singing crazy mosh pit kirtanas so he could be recognized as a great kirtana singer, and now they are seeing the same type of process going on there in Siberia, that means -- more and more people are waking up, and its very encouraging. ys pd]

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