My apologies
Mr Wexler replies (AVd / Bhakti Vidya Purna swami)
Comments on the final decision of the CPO panelists dated October 28, 2022:
I would like to start by offering my sincere apologies to all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord ... as I failed to live up to the standard of someone trying to present Srila Prabhupada’s teachings regarding the Vedic version.
I'm not trying to justify myself ... I have already agreed to all the punishments imposed on me ... However ... now I must clarify a few points ... because in any case, two sides must be heard ...
I am writing this letter to those who once trusted me ... hoping that my explanations will help clarify the specifics of my inappropriate behaviour ... as well as highlight those points that are presented in the decision incorrectly ... taken out of context ... or simply exaggerated ...
***
pp. 1 & 2, beginning with the statement "This decision applies to..." and including further detailing of the CPO's guidelines regarding:
* This method of presentation does not attempt to distinguish between those articles that may be relevant in the context of this particular case and those that are not relevant to this particular case ... leaving it open to interpretation and perception by the reader...
* The introduction of this general paragraph before my file makes it appear that I am guilty and convicted of all the crimes listed there, although in reality my fault lies in the fact that I allowed myself to touch XXX devi dasi three times. I am not saying that my touching was right and I regret it, but I did not do the things that are implied in this paragraph ... I never interacted on a sensual platform with any minor ...
[PADA: OK but what about the industrial level child abuse / child beating / older Bengali boys rape club etc. that was going on in Mayapur, under you and the GBC's watch?]
***
pg. 4, Allegation #10 & Decision #3:
* When XXdd told MGd about my actions in 2013, it was claimed that I touched her 3 or 4 times ... then in the initial XXdd / XXdd complaint to the CPO it was many times... then XXdd's comments on my 1st comment on the initial complaint then had increased to 50, 60 or 80 times ... now in the final decision it has become an "almost daily" / "nightly ritual" covering the period from 2005 / 2006 to 2010...in this case I see a deliberate misrepresentation of the situation in which they want to present me as a malicious maniac, despite the fact that their own testimony at the very beginning was completely different.
* Where is the evidence for the 'nearly daily' and 'night ritual' allegations that escape the commission's statement - "however, on the basis of the evidence available, the commission concluded..." As "evidence" it is only the testimony of XXdd, XXdd and myself ... why is the “evidence” presented only by the prosecution, and my testimony is ignored?
* Was the XXdd's testimony credible only because of her statement...? To draw up an indictment, there must always be some concrete evidence, beyond the mere verbal accusation.
* For my part, when I testified to the CPO, I confessed to touching XXdd inappropriately 3 times when she was over 18 years old. Why is this not taken into account...? It turns out that the commission accepted the statements of one side, despite the fact that the specified number of touches increased in each subsequent statement of the prosecution, until it turned into a "daily ritual."
[PADA: Except she was not over 18 during the first part of the time period discussed, nor is an 18 year old person a fully functioning adult who can made adult determinations. Never mind Srila Prabhupada says when a guru or person in authority has sex with a follower, it is the same as a man having sex with his own daughter, it is pedophile, or perhaps clergy abuse.
A leader having sex with a follower is de facto pedophile, it is misuse of the post of authority. Even if the victims are older, like Hansadutta who was having sex with half dozen ladies, why would that matter? Does Yamaraja do an "age count" on the victims of a false guru? I am sorry but Yamaraja does not care if the victims of bogus spiritualists are "over 18" or not. A leader or guru has no license to be a sexual predator of any victims of any age. It is not "legal" from Vedic rules and laws.]
* Why is my comment about inappropriately touching XXdd 3 times when she was over 18 being disregarded ...?
* This consideration of a one-sided narrative thus also affects the factual validity of Statements #1–9 concerning other interactions ...
* Statements #1–9 ... either never happened, are taken out of context, or are grossly exaggerated ... ***
pg. 5 Decision #4:
"BVPS cooperation in the investigation, his admission of guilt, and his lack of remorse."
Regarding "Cooperation in the investigation"...
* Does the CPO and the panelist members consider "my cooperation with them in this investigation" to be inappropriate behavior ... do they state that non-cooperation is preferable and therefore a truly righteous policy...? I cooperated with them because I deeply regretted my three wrongdoings and did not expect such behavior to be imputed and subsequently interpreted and presented in a dishonest manner.
As for "Admission of guilt"...
* I confessed to inappropriate behavior with XXdd 3 times after she turned 18, meaning she was an adult at that time ... how does this “confession” now apply to all the allegations made by the prosecution ...?
[PADA: An 18 year old spiritual daughter is not an independent adult. That daughter got her spiritual direction and bearings from -- you guys. How could she make correct choices when she is being told acharyas are often debauchees, if not pedophiles? From you guys!]
* After all, not having committed other actions that I am accused of ... thus, is it now on the basis of my remorse for touching her, that the rest of the terrible deeds are now being attributed to me ...?
* Furthermore, I never admitted to any sensual behaviour with any minors ... so why is this point being extrapolated ...?
I am also accused of “lack of remorse”...
However, here is a quote from my 2nd CPO response regarding my inappropriate association with XXXDevi Dasi:
* “I offer my respectful obeisances to all the devotees of the Lord; I apologize to anyone who was offended or disappointed in any way by my actions.
* “I also take this opportunity to humbly pray at the lotus feet of pure Vaisnavas for their causeless mercy."
Thus, I actually sincerely repented for these wrongdoings of mine and begged for forgiveness. Why does the commission keep silent about this and present me as a heartless monster, far from remorse ...?
***
pp. 8 & 9 Lifetime Restrictions #4 with footnote "(see *below)":
"BVPS will never again be able to reside in or visit ISKCON Mayapur."
“This makes the history of BVPS abuse the longest in ISKCON CPO history ...”
In this statement, my actions are presented as a series of endless abuse of children, lasting decades, from the events of the 1980s to the present period ...
My objection concerning the misinformation of use of the cane for punishment: * At that time the use of the cane was a legal practice in both India and England.
SV: Don’t underestimate psychopaths. Their reality is very different, no remorse, no empathy nor feelings. They can say what you want to hear for the sake of constant manipulation. Everything is about themselves. They are genius how to manipulate people's emotions, empathetic feelings by words and acting.
RN: So true! And just see how clever he is with words, and he is playing the victim card, minimising his behaviour and abuse. There is a very distorted reality reading this and reading the testimonies of victims. This is more making himself a victim than the actual victims.
DG: I don't know, touching 3 or 300 times ... is it still not abuse? Is 18yrs age OK to be touched sexually? Why stay as guru even after abusing? When did caning young boys under your shelter become acceptable to Srila Prabhupada? You seem to have read Manu samhita ... have you thought of your punishment according to its rules? What example have you set?
KK: He says that caning small boys was a normal practice then in general. Like it changes anything. It's wrong, today or 30 years ago, and apart from that, as vaishnavas, we were instructed by Prabhupad to never hit children. There's no excuse. He should have known better. For example, even if harming innocent animals is legal, that doesn't mean it can be excused. It won't be.
NB: It's also currently legal to toss your used car batteries into the ocean for safe thrills. Whether or not I take advantage of this opportunity is a personal choice.
KD: The bottom line is...we just don't care about what you have to say!!!
KDD: Wow he really needs to have a mental health assessment done. He needs serious therapy and maybe medication. This man is seriously deluded and totally out of touch with reality. He has exposed every narcissistic trait, in the book, in that response. I have no doubt he needs mental treatment. How was such a deluded and pyschopath person ever, and I mean ever, let anywhere near children. He could well have had a mental health history before even joining.
SF: He tries to represent his own reality. You would not believe how much they can distort reality to put themselves in victim role and getting lost in dry rational details and explanations instead of analysing their roles of feelings they caused to others... Vaishnav standard apologising template ... but no real consciousness ..
VK: Your legalistic brain farts won’t help claw back any respect.
PK: So many ellipses... (left out details) ...
HM: Sick bastard...mental manipulation@best... (#pureevil)
SS: Give this man a coconut!
================================
In this purport Srila Prabhupada goes on to explain that ordinary persons may still derive benefit from going to holy places like Vrindaban, but only if they go there to find a person who knows the science of God, a tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means “one who knows the Absolute Truth.”
By reading Srila Prabhupda’s books, those who are fortunate and intelligent quickly realize Srila Prabhupada “is the actual person to be consulted” for progress and success in pilgrimage to holy places. Srila Prabhupada created temples and ashrams in Mayapur and Vrindavan where sincere pilgrims could come and get training and inspiration in Krishna consciousness. Unfortunately, these places have become commercialized and are often led by upstarts who pose as advanced devotees and spiritual masters. The yearly festivals that Srila Prabhupada ordained at these places for the purpose of revitalizing and inspiring our devotional service are often polluted by deviants.
Srila Prabhupada mentions that one first must be “freed from all contamination,” and then one must find a person who “knows the science of Krishna consciousness.” To become freed from contamination means one should shave his head, fast, eat only Krishna prasada, attend temple programs, bath in the Ganges or Yamuna, constantly chant, and avoid social and political clubs of sahajiyas, mayavadis, or even prakrita-bhaktas, who believe in Krishna but have no immediate interest in pure devotional service or going back home back to Godhead.
“If one sincerely searches for spiritual salvation, then Krishna, being situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the intelligence to find a suitable spiritual master. By the grace of a spiritual master like Maitreya, one gets the proper instruction and advances in his spiritual life.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.20.4, Purport)
* Why is my comment about inappropriately touching XXdd 3 times when she was over 18 being disregarded ...?
* This consideration of a one-sided narrative thus also affects the factual validity of Statements #1–9 concerning other interactions ...
* Statements #1–9 ... either never happened, are taken out of context, or are grossly exaggerated ... ***
pg. 5 Decision #4:
"BVPS cooperation in the investigation, his admission of guilt, and his lack of remorse."
Regarding "Cooperation in the investigation"...
* Does the CPO and the panelist members consider "my cooperation with them in this investigation" to be inappropriate behavior ... do they state that non-cooperation is preferable and therefore a truly righteous policy...? I cooperated with them because I deeply regretted my three wrongdoings and did not expect such behavior to be imputed and subsequently interpreted and presented in a dishonest manner.
As for "Admission of guilt"...
* I confessed to inappropriate behavior with XXdd 3 times after she turned 18, meaning she was an adult at that time ... how does this “confession” now apply to all the allegations made by the prosecution ...?
[PADA: An 18 year old spiritual daughter is not an independent adult. That daughter got her spiritual direction and bearings from -- you guys. How could she make correct choices when she is being told acharyas are often debauchees, if not pedophiles? From you guys!]
* After all, not having committed other actions that I am accused of ... thus, is it now on the basis of my remorse for touching her, that the rest of the terrible deeds are now being attributed to me ...?
* Furthermore, I never admitted to any sensual behaviour with any minors ... so why is this point being extrapolated ...?
I am also accused of “lack of remorse”...
However, here is a quote from my 2nd CPO response regarding my inappropriate association with XXXDevi Dasi:
* “I offer my respectful obeisances to all the devotees of the Lord; I apologize to anyone who was offended or disappointed in any way by my actions.
* “I also take this opportunity to humbly pray at the lotus feet of pure Vaisnavas for their causeless mercy."
Thus, I actually sincerely repented for these wrongdoings of mine and begged for forgiveness. Why does the commission keep silent about this and present me as a heartless monster, far from remorse ...?
***
pp. 8 & 9 Lifetime Restrictions #4 with footnote "(see *below)":
"BVPS will never again be able to reside in or visit ISKCON Mayapur."
“This makes the history of BVPS abuse the longest in ISKCON CPO history ...”
In this statement, my actions are presented as a series of endless abuse of children, lasting decades, from the events of the 1980s to the present period ...
My objection concerning the misinformation of use of the cane for punishment: * At that time the use of the cane was a legal practice in both India and England.
[PADA: Oh great, India only passed some child abuse law in 2012, and that means we could beat children black and blue and break bones before that because "it was legal at the time." Seriously?
And various ISKCON GBC leaders knew about the beatings, for example Jayapataka who collected up the BVP sticks being used to try to contain the problem, which means he knew those sticks were being used to beat up the children. And so did other leaders. Never mind we had parallel problems with Bhavananda, Satadhanya, Nitai chanda, the older Bengali boys rape club, and many others, who were operating under the GBC's umbrella of authority.]
* The cane was used to correct children who were guilty of vandalism, theft, and physical harm to other students.
* It was used from 1982 and was phased out on my own volition by 1988. After that, corporal punishment was no longer used until now ... from 1989 – 2022 ... in other words ... for the last 35 years ...
Since there was no continuity after 1989 ... how can this be claimed and presented as a permanent and ongoing offensive act ...?
* Furthermore, I am only indirectly responsible as the school manager for the inappropriate behaviour among the students in the 80’s ... but the wrong actions of those students are now presented as directly my own personal actions ... and that these actions are a wilful ongoing activity continuing up to the present day ...?
***
p. 7 Restrictions #2 / p. 9 Special Considerations 1st "*":
“...until the 2 above requirements are met to the satisfaction of the ICOCP. “
“The Commission notes that BVPS follows the letter of the law with respect to previous CPO / GBC rulings, but not the spirit of the law. “
* Where is this “satisfaction” and “spirit” defined...?
* Apparently, definitions are left to individual interpretation.
***
pg. 12 Panel Recommendations # 6 & 7:
* Why would the commission publicly announce the CPO's internal recommendation regarding the investigation of SRdd and MGd, all the while citing unconfirmed things...?
***
The general presentation of this document appears to be fraught with the following anomalies: * Post factum... defining and evaluating the past in terms of today's political correctness ...
* It was used from 1982 and was phased out on my own volition by 1988. After that, corporal punishment was no longer used until now ... from 1989 – 2022 ... in other words ... for the last 35 years ...
Since there was no continuity after 1989 ... how can this be claimed and presented as a permanent and ongoing offensive act ...?
* Furthermore, I am only indirectly responsible as the school manager for the inappropriate behaviour among the students in the 80’s ... but the wrong actions of those students are now presented as directly my own personal actions ... and that these actions are a wilful ongoing activity continuing up to the present day ...?
***
p. 7 Restrictions #2 / p. 9 Special Considerations 1st "*":
“...until the 2 above requirements are met to the satisfaction of the ICOCP. “
“The Commission notes that BVPS follows the letter of the law with respect to previous CPO / GBC rulings, but not the spirit of the law. “
* Where is this “satisfaction” and “spirit” defined...?
* Apparently, definitions are left to individual interpretation.
***
pg. 12 Panel Recommendations # 6 & 7:
* Why would the commission publicly announce the CPO's internal recommendation regarding the investigation of SRdd and MGd, all the while citing unconfirmed things...?
***
The general presentation of this document appears to be fraught with the following anomalies: * Post factum... defining and evaluating the past in terms of today's political correctness ...
[PADA: Oh no, Bhakti vikas swami's favorite justification slogan "we cannot submit to today's political correctness." They are all on the same team, and BVKS is a follower of Jayapataka.]
* Misleading information... due to over-explanations that may lead to individual assumptions... misrepresentation of situations and wordings out of context... and excessive exaggeration of information.
In conclusion, I want to express that I am not trying to say that my behavior was correct. I sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness for my wrong actions. I wrote this letter only because I don't want the Vaishnavas to see me as a malevolent maniac who organized a gurukula to satisfy gross desires ... this being the perception that is emerging from the presentation of materials that is now being widely distributed in ISKCON.
* Misleading information... due to over-explanations that may lead to individual assumptions... misrepresentation of situations and wordings out of context... and excessive exaggeration of information.
In conclusion, I want to express that I am not trying to say that my behavior was correct. I sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness for my wrong actions. I wrote this letter only because I don't want the Vaishnavas to see me as a malevolent maniac who organized a gurukula to satisfy gross desires ... this being the perception that is emerging from the presentation of materials that is now being widely distributed in ISKCON.
[PADA: Well why was the gurukula made by you people if the children were getting industrial levels of abuse? What was the real purpose then? And why was Sivaram telling people to send their kids there after so many reports of abuse were surfacing already?]
I really wanted to please Srila Prabhupada with my service and tried to do what I could according to my ability. However, at some point I fell under the influence of illusion and made mistakes, for which I will bear the responsibility all my life.
And yet, since the shastras tell us that we should not mislead people with our silence, I had to cover the events from my side ... all the while, accepting all the punishments meted out too me.
In the dust of the lotus feet of Vaishnavas, Your servant,
A.V.dasa
SR: Prisons are full of innocent people! He forgot to mention that the CPO adjudicated a case against him in 2007.
WS: Did he actually write this letter??? There is no mention about the sexual abuse to children and his denying about it?? That is the main concern of the full community, what has he answer to that???
DA: BVP's answer is that he is pretending she was over 18 … he mentions it a few times.
I really wanted to please Srila Prabhupada with my service and tried to do what I could according to my ability. However, at some point I fell under the influence of illusion and made mistakes, for which I will bear the responsibility all my life.
And yet, since the shastras tell us that we should not mislead people with our silence, I had to cover the events from my side ... all the while, accepting all the punishments meted out too me.
In the dust of the lotus feet of Vaishnavas, Your servant,
A.V.dasa
SR: Prisons are full of innocent people! He forgot to mention that the CPO adjudicated a case against him in 2007.
WS: Did he actually write this letter??? There is no mention about the sexual abuse to children and his denying about it?? That is the main concern of the full community, what has he answer to that???
DA: BVP's answer is that he is pretending she was over 18 … he mentions it a few times.
[PADA: An exploited spiritual dependent's age is not the main concern. This is another smoke screen.]
JS: I know you are doing great work to bring out the truth and uphold dharma and greatly respect your courage and integrity. But you need to pursue all those ISKCON GBCs / sannyasis / Gurus who all turned a blind and all claim innocence to this. IN ORDER TO UPROOT EVIL ONE MUST REMOVE THE ROOT ITSELF.
BBS, IDS, Sivarama S, JPS, Kadamba S, etc. etc. n many others are ALL the ROOT rot cause of all of this. I know this may hurt many folks who have other spiritual masters but if they were complicit in turning a blind eye, then they are as just as guilty as well!
There is a fine balance between engaging in dialogue + communication channel with folks at the highest levels but dialogue with dishonest folks won't make an impact. The biggest problem is $$$ speaks in Kali Yuga & unfortunately these folks at the highest levels operate like a corporate MAFIA where financial tie-up / support is why they all scratch each other's backs / turn a blind eye. You should go after the $$$ trail. YS.
SV: Don’t underestimate psychopaths. Their reality is very different, no remorse, no empathy nor feelings. They can say what you want to hear for the sake of constant manipulation. Everything is about themselves. They are genius how to manipulate people's emotions, empathetic feelings by words and acting.
RN: So true! And just see how clever he is with words, and he is playing the victim card, minimising his behaviour and abuse. There is a very distorted reality reading this and reading the testimonies of victims. This is more making himself a victim than the actual victims.
DG: I don't know, touching 3 or 300 times ... is it still not abuse? Is 18yrs age OK to be touched sexually? Why stay as guru even after abusing? When did caning young boys under your shelter become acceptable to Srila Prabhupada? You seem to have read Manu samhita ... have you thought of your punishment according to its rules? What example have you set?
KK: He says that caning small boys was a normal practice then in general. Like it changes anything. It's wrong, today or 30 years ago, and apart from that, as vaishnavas, we were instructed by Prabhupad to never hit children. There's no excuse. He should have known better. For example, even if harming innocent animals is legal, that doesn't mean it can be excused. It won't be.
NB: It's also currently legal to toss your used car batteries into the ocean for safe thrills. Whether or not I take advantage of this opportunity is a personal choice.
KD: The bottom line is...we just don't care about what you have to say!!!
KDD: Wow he really needs to have a mental health assessment done. He needs serious therapy and maybe medication. This man is seriously deluded and totally out of touch with reality. He has exposed every narcissistic trait, in the book, in that response. I have no doubt he needs mental treatment. How was such a deluded and pyschopath person ever, and I mean ever, let anywhere near children. He could well have had a mental health history before even joining.
In the west you are vetted before you can sweep or clean in a school, what to speak of teach. ISKCON is so blind when it comes to qualifications. His crimes are disgusting, but his level of consciousness, and mental functioning, leave many questions unanswered, in regard to who put him in such a position, and who allowed him to remain so long.
[PADA: And who was banning, beating, suing, and killing dissenters to their child abuse regime?]
[PADA: And who was banning, beating, suing, and killing dissenters to their child abuse regime?]
VM: That is exactly the point. Who put and let him in that position? Those having done so should immidiately step down from their positions!
DF: Defensive and insincere. If he would like to take responsibility for his experience he could say something like, "I see how I brought this on myself. I created a situation where everyone sees me as a monster."
Where he is at right now is telling his own victim story. Which people who abuse their power must maintain, in order to 1) justify continued abuse and 2) not face the soul-shattering pain of what they've done to hurt people. So the victim consciousness must go on... And according to statistics I have heard, maybe only about 1% of abusive people actually let themselves face what they have done.
Has he ever written this kind of defense before in 91, 99, 07, 15, whatever? Not worth reading, I am sure, just curious if he's made other public statements.
Hare Krsna!
KK: Could someone please message me a list of all allegations against him? Different people say different things. CPO letter is not concrete enough for me. I read so many posts that I'm confused. I just want to have the right information.
If it's already posted somewhere please navigate me to it. Thanks a lot.
DL: For me, AV strange use of ellipses is a visual Freudian slip: he is literally showing that he is leaving out so much truth with every phrase.
GS: To me it is most important what do victims say about his defense of himself. Because all allegations came as a result of their testimonies.
DL: AV mentions his victim was over 18 years old numerous times in this odd letter. Hmmm. Perhaps he doth protest too much?
KE: I can’t even read it all. I’m still so mad he named her too.
RS: It's hard to read this reply. I genuinely think he believes this. Deep down he was a lovely devotee, but my God things went south for him. Too much time on his own and he really lost his way. His Godbrothers should've stepped in long ago.
GG: His God brothers were his most staunch supporters. They usually stepped in ... to keep him in charge, and to allow him to continue. Don't forget this is a 40 years long problem, with all sorts of God brothers / leaders / gurus stepping in at different times to defend and keep his operation up and running. Mayapura has also helped many other abusers hang around, stay in power and etc. There is a pedophile gang there, it is not one or two people stepping out of line, there is an entire support network there.
MV: He really wanted to please Srila Prabhupada? It is more like he wanted to please his own sadistic nature, even saying it was legal to use the stick. What a maniac and we should feel sorry for him? What is he trying to do here? Trying to save his reputation and not save the victims.
Where he is at right now is telling his own victim story. Which people who abuse their power must maintain, in order to 1) justify continued abuse and 2) not face the soul-shattering pain of what they've done to hurt people. So the victim consciousness must go on... And according to statistics I have heard, maybe only about 1% of abusive people actually let themselves face what they have done.
Has he ever written this kind of defense before in 91, 99, 07, 15, whatever? Not worth reading, I am sure, just curious if he's made other public statements.
Hare Krsna!
KK: Could someone please message me a list of all allegations against him? Different people say different things. CPO letter is not concrete enough for me. I read so many posts that I'm confused. I just want to have the right information.
If it's already posted somewhere please navigate me to it. Thanks a lot.
DL: For me, AV strange use of ellipses is a visual Freudian slip: he is literally showing that he is leaving out so much truth with every phrase.
GS: To me it is most important what do victims say about his defense of himself. Because all allegations came as a result of their testimonies.
DL: AV mentions his victim was over 18 years old numerous times in this odd letter. Hmmm. Perhaps he doth protest too much?
KE: I can’t even read it all. I’m still so mad he named her too.
RS: It's hard to read this reply. I genuinely think he believes this. Deep down he was a lovely devotee, but my God things went south for him. Too much time on his own and he really lost his way. His Godbrothers should've stepped in long ago.
GG: His God brothers were his most staunch supporters. They usually stepped in ... to keep him in charge, and to allow him to continue. Don't forget this is a 40 years long problem, with all sorts of God brothers / leaders / gurus stepping in at different times to defend and keep his operation up and running. Mayapura has also helped many other abusers hang around, stay in power and etc. There is a pedophile gang there, it is not one or two people stepping out of line, there is an entire support network there.
MV: He really wanted to please Srila Prabhupada? It is more like he wanted to please his own sadistic nature, even saying it was legal to use the stick. What a maniac and we should feel sorry for him? What is he trying to do here? Trying to save his reputation and not save the victims.
SF: He tries to represent his own reality. You would not believe how much they can distort reality to put themselves in victim role and getting lost in dry rational details and explanations instead of analysing their roles of feelings they caused to others... Vaishnav standard apologising template ... but no real consciousness ..
VK: Your legalistic brain farts won’t help claw back any respect.
PK: So many ellipses... (left out details) ...
HM: Sick bastard...mental manipulation@best... (#pureevil)
SS: Give this man a coconut!
================================
Iskcon Mayapur - Vrindavan Tirthayatras:
A Waste of Time for Sincere Devotees?
By Narasimha das
“Narottama Das Thakura, a great acharya of the Vaishnava sect, has, for the present, forbidden us to go to such places of pilgrimage because in this age, the times have so changed, a sincere person may have a different impression on seeing the behavior of the present residents of the pilgrimage sites. He has recommended that instead of taking the trouble to travel to such places, on should concentrate his mind on Govinda, and that will help him.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.20.4, Purport)
In this purport Srila Prabhupada goes on to explain that ordinary persons may still derive benefit from going to holy places like Vrindaban, but only if they go there to find a person who knows the science of God, a tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means “one who knows the Absolute Truth.”
Srila Prabhupada warns, “There are many pseudo-transcendentalists, even at places of pilgrimage. Such men are always present, and one has to be intelligent enough to find the actual person to be consulted; then one’s attempt to progress by traveling to different holy places will be successful. One has to be freed from all contamination, and at the same time he has to find a person who knows the science of Krishna.”
By reading Srila Prabhupda’s books, those who are fortunate and intelligent quickly realize Srila Prabhupada “is the actual person to be consulted” for progress and success in pilgrimage to holy places. Srila Prabhupada created temples and ashrams in Mayapur and Vrindavan where sincere pilgrims could come and get training and inspiration in Krishna consciousness. Unfortunately, these places have become commercialized and are often led by upstarts who pose as advanced devotees and spiritual masters. The yearly festivals that Srila Prabhupada ordained at these places for the purpose of revitalizing and inspiring our devotional service are often polluted by deviants.
Some deviants are looking for an upstart “iskcon guru”, others are trying to become voted-in iskurus, others are looking for new disciples or “gurus” to replace ones that left, others are doing business as tour guides, others are simply eager to hear the latest iskcon gossip while eating lassis and samosas at iskcon restaurants.
Others, it seems, go there mostly for shopping. Such frivolous pilgrimages are not recommended by great acharyas like Narottama das Thakura or Srila Prabhupada. Many visitors to the holy dhamas -- as well as many or most of the locals -- act in ways that create misleading distractions and impressions. “…a sincere person may have a different impression on seeing the behavior of the present residents of the pilgrimage sites.”
Srila Prabhupada mentions that one first must be “freed from all contamination,” and then one must find a person who “knows the science of Krishna consciousness.” To become freed from contamination means one should shave his head, fast, eat only Krishna prasada, attend temple programs, bath in the Ganges or Yamuna, constantly chant, and avoid social and political clubs of sahajiyas, mayavadis, or even prakrita-bhaktas, who believe in Krishna but have no immediate interest in pure devotional service or going back home back to Godhead.
“If one sincerely searches for spiritual salvation, then Krishna, being situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the intelligence to find a suitable spiritual master. By the grace of a spiritual master like Maitreya, one gets the proper instruction and advances in his spiritual life.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.20.4, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada has often mentioned that devotees can make their own homes holy places by performing devotional service and Deity worship under His directions. He has made this easy for those who accept Him as the real acharya for this age. His books and instructions are abundantly available for everyone. In these present degraded times, travel to India and within India is difficult, dangerous, and dirty.
Real sadhus are not easy to find but cheaters are prominent everywhere. Thus, it may be best for most devotees to stay at home, worship the Deity, distribute prasadam, participate in sankirtana and/or classes, and chant japa sincerely while hearing and following Srila Prabhupada. Then we can easily meditate on Sri Vrindaban Dhama and Sri Dhama Mayapur without disturbance or offense.
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Here is one of the concerned ISKCON leaders who has made the following reply to all the troubles going on in ISKCON:
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