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DURING A SCANDAL-FILLED DECADE, after they had buried the saintly Founder of the institution, eleven so-called spiritual leaders and managers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)—more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement—utilized deception and collective fantasy to enact a bloodless coup. This resulted in the hijacking of a Gaudiya-Vaishnava religious institution, the banishment of dissenters, the abuse of innocents, the alienation of the public, the brutal murder of one outspoken reformer, and the near-fatal hemorrhaging of the Society.
Thousands of formerly loyal members defected, were blacklisted, or, in some cases, even committed suicide. This decade-long reign of self-aggrandizement and political intrigue by the self-appointed leaders, periodically characterized by strong-armed tactics, tainted the Society which had been painstakingly cultivated for more than a decade by the Society’s Founder and spiritual preceptor, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977).
After Prabhupada passed away, eleven senior disciples installed themselves as his successors. Each of the eleven ruled their own zones, where they were worshiped as good as God. Known among their supporters as “The Magnificent Eleven,” they claimed their orders came directly from Lord Krishna, whom devotees consider the Absolute Truth and Cause of All Causes.
After Prabhupada passed away, eleven senior disciples installed themselves as his successors. Each of the eleven ruled their own zones, where they were worshiped as good as God. Known among their supporters as “The Magnificent Eleven,” they claimed their orders came directly from Lord Krishna, whom devotees consider the Absolute Truth and Cause of All Causes.
They also claimed that Prabhupada had appointed them as perfect and pure “Acharyas.” Unfortunately they, like the main character in Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes, pretended to be something they were not and were eventually revealed as frauds. The system of succession that they established collapsed like a house built upon sand. This book chronicles the ISKCON era of the zonal-acharyas from their first appearance in 1978 through their meteoric rise to power, their ten-year reign, their fall in 1987, and beyond.
For fifteen years (1978-1993), the author served as a faithful disciple of one of the zonal acharyas, and he lived through many of the events described in this book. Recently, he has interviewed major players in this drama, who have contributed important inside information to help everyone interested more fully understand this unfortunate and little-documented chapter in the history of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
For fifteen years (1978-1993), the author served as a faithful disciple of one of the zonal acharyas, and he lived through many of the events described in this book. Recently, he has interviewed major players in this drama, who have contributed important inside information to help everyone interested more fully understand this unfortunate and little-documented chapter in the history of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
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ReplyDelete[PADA: Yup, the dissenters get the last say? Hee hee. ys pd]