Open Letter to Radhanath Swami Calling for
His Resignation
BY: PREMARNAVA DAS
Dear Radhanath Swami
PAMHO, AGTSP
Over the last few years, we have seen your popularity in Srila Prabhupada's movement increase dramatically. Your influence and presence is felt everywhere, and, in some cases you are overshadowing Srila Prabhupada.
This is Prabhupada's movement and not yours, yet some are saying that you are the next "self-effulgent Acarya", including Sannyasis like Candramauli Swami.
This would be fine if you were preaching Prabhupada's teachings purely and setting a pure example, and had a spotless character. But you do not have a spotless character, nor do you present our siddhanta purely. You worshipped Kirtanananda, reveled in the deviations at New Vrindavan, and, after Keith Ham got busted, you left ISKCON for a period.
Despite knowing that Srila Prabhupada did not want hospitals and eye camps opening, you did so nonetheless, trying to make yourself and ISKCON look like some humanitarian project, like the projects Amma and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar head up. These projects teach that "we are supposedly the body", in stark contrast to what Prabhupada taught as the basis for true spiritual life – WE ARE NOT THE BODY.
A lot of money for these projects is raised globally, sometimes in ISKCON centres that struggle for their own maintenance. And it's not accounted for.
The GBC tells us not to associate with Gaudiya Math, yet you do so on a regular basis and are seen most publicly doing so and reportedly give large donations to their projects.
You also play harmonica at mayavadi concerts, preach love and harmony and even answer mobile phone calls on the vyasasana. You also shun and ridicule disciples who, after giving you tearful accounts of abuse by leaders, feel abandoned and without shelter.
The list of clear and proven deviations increases and the evidence is publicly available. It is not just the Ritviks who are outraged, there are many of us who are not Ritvik who feel very uncomfortable with your position and influence. The influence is felt by the large number of your disciples who are preaching leadership, mentoring, life coaching, etc. online.
On leading YouTube channels and websites, the teachings of your disciples are more prominent than any ISKCON Guru, even our Founder-Acarya. One disciple even slams Prabhupada's Gita most publicly. For the sake of so-called modernisation, the GBC have embraced what you do because it brings in more Indian donations and fills their pockets up with more cash. The executive class within ISKCON can now live more opulently. Temples do not send out book distribution teams but just rely on this Indian money and cater more for Hindu needs rather than the needs of Vaishnavas.
The standards Prabhupada established were slowly going downhill anyway, but your rise to prominence made that snowball. You call yourself a sadhu and present yourself as a humble soul, but your game plan is obvious for those that don't follow blindly.
I hope you do read this Maharaj and consider most carefully the damage you have done, because it's not too late to take the humble position and stop. Your resignation from ISKCON would be most welcome and would speed up the healing process ISKCON needs.
Thank you
Ys,
Premarnava das
His Resignation
BY: PREMARNAVA DAS
Dear Radhanath Swami
PAMHO, AGTSP
Over the last few years, we have seen your popularity in Srila Prabhupada's movement increase dramatically. Your influence and presence is felt everywhere, and, in some cases you are overshadowing Srila Prabhupada.
This is Prabhupada's movement and not yours, yet some are saying that you are the next "self-effulgent Acarya", including Sannyasis like Candramauli Swami.
This would be fine if you were preaching Prabhupada's teachings purely and setting a pure example, and had a spotless character. But you do not have a spotless character, nor do you present our siddhanta purely. You worshipped Kirtanananda, reveled in the deviations at New Vrindavan, and, after Keith Ham got busted, you left ISKCON for a period.
Despite knowing that Srila Prabhupada did not want hospitals and eye camps opening, you did so nonetheless, trying to make yourself and ISKCON look like some humanitarian project, like the projects Amma and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar head up. These projects teach that "we are supposedly the body", in stark contrast to what Prabhupada taught as the basis for true spiritual life – WE ARE NOT THE BODY.
A lot of money for these projects is raised globally, sometimes in ISKCON centres that struggle for their own maintenance. And it's not accounted for.
The GBC tells us not to associate with Gaudiya Math, yet you do so on a regular basis and are seen most publicly doing so and reportedly give large donations to their projects.
You also play harmonica at mayavadi concerts, preach love and harmony and even answer mobile phone calls on the vyasasana. You also shun and ridicule disciples who, after giving you tearful accounts of abuse by leaders, feel abandoned and without shelter.
The list of clear and proven deviations increases and the evidence is publicly available. It is not just the Ritviks who are outraged, there are many of us who are not Ritvik who feel very uncomfortable with your position and influence. The influence is felt by the large number of your disciples who are preaching leadership, mentoring, life coaching, etc. online.
On leading YouTube channels and websites, the teachings of your disciples are more prominent than any ISKCON Guru, even our Founder-Acarya. One disciple even slams Prabhupada's Gita most publicly. For the sake of so-called modernisation, the GBC have embraced what you do because it brings in more Indian donations and fills their pockets up with more cash. The executive class within ISKCON can now live more opulently. Temples do not send out book distribution teams but just rely on this Indian money and cater more for Hindu needs rather than the needs of Vaishnavas.
The standards Prabhupada established were slowly going downhill anyway, but your rise to prominence made that snowball. You call yourself a sadhu and present yourself as a humble soul, but your game plan is obvious for those that don't follow blindly.
I hope you do read this Maharaj and consider most carefully the damage you have done, because it's not too late to take the humble position and stop. Your resignation from ISKCON would be most welcome and would speed up the healing process ISKCON needs.
Thank you
Ys,
Premarnava das
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