The Poison Issue / GBC Reply 11 06 24

PADA: Brahmatirtha is in charge of a response? You mean the same Brahmatirtha who has been a big cheer leading defender of the GBC's illicit sex with men, women and children messiah's club? And he is credited with defending Laxmi moni and other offenders, along with Hrdayananda etc. 

How can a person who is helping his pals like Mahatma promote the worship of an illicit sex guru system be placed in charge of administering a judgement on -- anything? This sounds like the same musical chairs program we have had all along. 

Well jeepers prabhu -- this person or that person -- or this committee or that committee -- will investigate this -- and most of the time -- nothing of substance ever changes? Except, many of the committee members quit, resign, leave, go into hiding, disappear, join another sampradaya, get sick, and / or leave their bodies etc. without making any statement on this or other matters. 

OK I do not have a lot of confidence the GBC will come up with a useful response anytime soon. They did acknowledge getting the letter, and that is a good start, because usually they just ignore everything and hope it all blows over. Perhaps they are starting to realize, this issue is not going to fade out and disappear, it is growing and is going to continue to grow. ys pd

angel108b@yahoo.com  

THE POISON ISSUE

Response from ISKCON GBC Executive Committee

November 6, 2024

Dear Friends, Well-Wishers, and Supporters of Srila Prabhupada and His Movement,

Please accept our sincere respects. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krsna. On September 16th, 2024, we wrote a letter that included, “We ask that the ISKCON GBC Executive Committee acknowledges receipt of this letter and packet before October 2nd, 2024, and responds to this letter before November 1st, 2024…” At this link is our full letter from September 16th-
https://justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.org/.../Vital...

On November 2nd, 2024, we received a reply from the ISKCON Governing Body Commission Executive Committee (GBC EC). 

That letter is addressed, “Dear Devotees”, and signed by-

“Guru Prasad Swami
Tapana Misra Das
Govardhana Das,
GBC Executive Committee”

Here is the major portion of the GBC Executive Committee letter:

“The Justice for Srila Prabhupada wrote to the GBC: ‘…We request that you, the GBC Executive Committee, cooperate with the efforts of the Justice for Srila Prabhupada Foundation towards uncovering and revealing to Srila Prabhupada's followers and the world the facts regarding Srila Prabhupada's disappearance pastime. Please let us know before Nov. 1, 2024, whether you, the members of the GBC Executive Committee, are ready to meet and discuss with our team about the subject of this letter and future course of action related to the contents of this letter.’

“The GBC acknowledge receipt of your letter of September 16, 2024 and pack of material. We are ready to meet with you and discuss the subject matter of the letter. We have requested the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies to provide technical support to the GBC EC on this matter. Please provide to them all of the back-up of your data and give them direct access to the Truth Labs to review your alleged new evidence. In this way we can be prepared for a discussion.”

We appreciate that the GBC EC has replied to the Justice for Srila Prabhupada Foundation (JFSPF). And, as they appear to be still far from acknowledging that there’s very strong reason to suspect that Srila Prabhupada was criminally poisoned, we express here our understanding that it can be very difficult to accept that Srila Prabhupada was given poison with homicidal intent by those close to him in 1977.

In 1997, when the “whisper tapes” first surfaced on the internet, Dhira Govinda dasa was serving as chairperson of the Board of Directors of ISKCON of Alachua (New Raman Reti). Devotees naturally approached him to ask about his views in regard to the possibility that Srila Prabhupada was maliciously poisoned. 

Dhira Govinda dasa replied to them that he assumed that such allegations had no credibility, and were not to be regarded seriously. After a few weeks a senior, highly respected member of the community, and of Srila Prabhupada’s movement internationally, proactively mentioned this issue to Dhira Govinda dasa, and this Vaisnava asserted to Dhira Govinda dasa, that, as a leader in the community, he ought to genuinely, thoughtfully consider the reports that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned. 

At that time, Dhira Govinda dasa began to research the subject.

In 1997 Naveen Krsna dasa was serving as GBC Minister of Management and Finance, and had recently completed a stint as GBC Chairman. A devotee sent to Naveen Krsna dasa the “whisper tapes”, and asked that he listen to them. Naveen Krsna dasa, not giving much credence to the possibility that there was validity to the accusations, did not place this high on his priority list. After a few weeks, though, he did listen to these recordings from November 1977, where Srila Prabhupada speaks about being poisoned, and he realized that the issue of the alleged, deliberate poisoning of Srila Prabhupada, is critically significant.

Sometimes it is asked, “Who started these rumors that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned?” Well, Srila Prabhupada started these “rumors”. We place “rumors” in quotes, because this is not tawdry hearsay or gossip, as some would like you to believe. Srila Prabhupada reveals to us this pastime of his departure, and our emphasis is to directly hear from Srila Prabhupada. Below is a link to a video-audio-text presentation, prepared by Truth Labs Forensic Services. At this link you can hear Srila Prabhupada speaking about the homicidal poisoning that was being done to him-

https://justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.org/.../Versi...

We empathize with those, including members of the GBC, who feel incredulous to the possibility that Srila Prabhupada was criminally poisoned. We were in that same boat. And, as materially conditioned souls, we’re subject and susceptible to be misled and misinformed. And so we encourage you to hear directly from Srila Prabhupada, as he spoke, there in Vrndavana in November 1977, about his disappearance pastime-

https://justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.org/.../Versi...

We suggest that it is the duty, the responsibility, for every sincere follower of Srila Prabhupada, and particularly for those in positions of leadership in ISKCON, the organization that Srila Prabhupada established, to hear from Srila Prabhupada in regards to his disappearance pastime. With respect to the issue of Srila Prabhupada’s poisoning, let Srila Prabhupada speak for himself.

While we note with appreciation that the GBC EC sent some response, the content of the reply itself, leaves us less than inspired and impressed. They seem adamantly resolved, despite overwhelming evidence, to remain attached and committed to the GBC’s official position, “There is no evidence at this time to support the allegations of poisoning of Srila Prabhupada.”

Certainly we wish that in 1977 members of ISKCON leadership had heeded Srila Prabhupada’s words that he was being poisoned, and that they had acted responsibly. And similarly, in 1997, when the “whisper tapes” were brought to the attention of the worldwide community of devotees, it would have been heartening had the GBC organized and implemented an honest investigation. In 2017, when news of the cadmium findings, as discovered by a leading, highly respected research scientist, emerged, the GBC had yet another opportunity to handle this issue with integrity. And again in 2022, and now again, in 2024.

With their statement, “In this way we can be prepared for a discussion”, the GBC EC seems to continue to insist that Srila Prabhupada’s words, the toxicology reports thus far presented, the confirmed “poison” whispers in the conversations from November 1977, the forensic medical assessment conducted by top experts, and on and on, still don’t constitute reasonable cause to suspect that there was foul play involved in the departure of Srila Prabhupada. 

Our wish is that the GBC would show a spirit of cooperation for understanding truths related to the assassination of Srila Prabhupada. It seems to us, though, and we hope we are mistaken about this, that they are determined to continue with tactics of diversion, delay, and disregard.

We will respond to the ISKCON GBC EC, and we are ready to communicate with representatives from the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS). In this connection we’ll mention that for several months the Executive Director of the BIHS, Brahmatirtha Prabhu (Mr. Bob Cohen), and Dhira Govinda dasa have been in communication, including in-person and correspondence, in connection with the disappearance pastime of Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krsna.

Hoping this meets you enthused in Krsna consciousness,

Your servants,
Naveen Krsna dasa
Dhira Govinda dasa

[Response from Rupanuga dasa]

I still say now as I said then, after I got the Hindi on the tapes translated by three devotees fluent in Hindi: copies of the these translations should be immediately sent to all of the living Srila Prabhupada disciples, along with the updated forensic evidence regarding the incident.

Official communications with any Iskcon officials will continue to be evasive and unenforceable as in the past decades. They are simply waiting for the issue to literally die out. The three of us, Naveen Krishna, Balavanta das, and myself --originally presented the tapes, wholeheartedly agreed that the tapes clearly indicated Srila Prabhupada was being poisoned, which he himself was questioning verbally in the recording. I believe the quality of the recording device used for recording was underestimated by the speakers, who did not know their whispers were being clearly recorded. 

Frankly, I was so used to working in the past with the recorded devotees in GBC and management situations, that I could have identified who it was when someone coughed or cleared their throat.

However, Balavanta, without consulting me, did not choose to convey our considered conclusion, but instead informed the GBC further investigation was needed. The GBC then refused to finance the investigation any further, beyond the original $1500. The GBC had agreed to Balavanta's initial assertion that the allegation required investigation and indicated he could lead the investigation.

I was asked to get the Hindi translated and inserted between the English already on the recording. My late wife typed it in and we were shocked, but convinced of the truth of the fully translated dialogue, which I gave to Naveen and Balavanta, and they agreed with my conclusion after studying it themselves.

I was convinced, at that time, that the majority of Srila Prabhupada's disciples would have concluded that Srila Prabhupada was being poisoned. I proposed that unedited and uninterpreted copies of the dialogue from the tape be distributed to all of them, but this was not done. Times and loyalties have changed so much that now I am uncertain how my Godbrothers and Sisters would respond. Yet, what other way would prove definitive? I do not believe that the present GBC is capable of an honest investigation of the issue. I have also concluded that the just karmic reaction to the incident of Srila Prabhupada's disappearance continues to play out for all involved and that in due time the historical truth will out. Hare Krishna.

Rupanuga das, ACBSP


justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.org
justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.org

Tuesday Nov 5: Disappearance of Srila Prabhupada

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟬𝟱 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 [𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗽𝘂𝗿, 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹, 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲] 

𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝘼.𝘾. 𝘽𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖 𝙎𝙬𝙖𝙢𝙞 𝙎́𝙧𝙞̄𝙡𝙖 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙝𝙪𝙥𝙖̄𝙙𝙖 

𝙁𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙤𝙣 

𝗔 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗵𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗮 

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda was born in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gauḍīya Maṭhas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Śrīla Prabhupāda became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting, in 1922, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura requested Śrīla Prabhupāda to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.

Recognizing Śrīla Prabhupada’s philosophical learning and devotion, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Society honored him in 1947 with the title “Bhaktivedanta.” In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Śrīla Prabhupāda retired from married life, and four years later he adopted the vānaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled to the holy city of Vṛndāvana, where he lived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of rādhā-dāmodara. 

There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyāsa) in 1959. At rādhā-dāmodara, Śrīla Prabhupāda began work on his life’s masterpiece: a multivolume translation and commentary on the 18,000-verse śrīmad-bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.

After publishing three volumes of Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.

In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of great difficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society has grew within a decade to a worldwide confederation of almost one hundred āśramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.

In 1968, Śrīla Prabhupāda created New Vṛndāvana, an experimental Vedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success of New Vṛndāvana, then a thriving farm community of more than one thousand acres, his students founded several similar communities in the United States and abroad.
In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. The school began with three children in 1972, and by the beginning of 1975 the enrollment had grown to one hundred fifty.

Śrīla Prabhupāda also inspired the construction of a large international center at Śrīdhāma Māyāpur in West Bengal, India, which is also the site for a planned Institute of Vedic Studies. A similar project is the magnificent kṛṣṇa-balarāma Temple and International Guest House in Vṛndāvana, India. These are centers where Westerners can live to gain firsthand experience of Vedic culture.

Śrīla Prabhupada’s most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into eleven languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusively to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world’s largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.

In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Śrīla Prabhupāda circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Śrīla Prabhupāda continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture"

Link to this Page: https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?page_id=120

======

Yamaraja Das

 

On this holy disappearance day of my eternal, spiritual master his divine grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. 

I feel deep happiness to be able to always remember my connection to him and his mission on this planet earth. I have been fortunate in this life to have the opportunity to meet one of God's bona fide representatives Srila Prabhupada. 

I’m well aware of my mission while I’m still here in this body is to help other people connect with Srila Prabhupada And especially my dependents . Because I am in a male body in this life I have a responsibility to preach Vedic teachings. Within the parameters of my own personal understandings and situations that I am in.

 

One of my main missions is to expose the cheaters and demons who have infiltrated Srila Prabhupada's mission. On this day around the world, the lying cheating demons and blind followers will be making a show bottle using Srila Prabhupada to facilitate their sentimentalism and gross crime against humanity.  

Just like Jesus and the Christian movement and the Mohammed Islam movement,  they are bona fide,representatives, but their teachings have been adulterated and changed. Srila Prabhupada said in the book the science of real self realization that 99.9% of these people who profess to follow Christ do not. 

The same way with Mohammed. So what are we to do? We are supposed to expose these rascals. Just like Srila Prabhupada did. And that’s one of the reasons why the demons poisoned Srila Prabhupada's body, abused his children, abused his followers, changed his books and made ISKCON a giant scandal program, and they are are still in the process of facilitating their attacks.

But these fools and rascals don’t know they are finished. What separates them between their final destination, which is hell, is Krishna‘s feature of time? He is trying to give them a chance through his time feature to make amends and to apologize to all the people that they abused. 

Just like Krishna told Arjuna stand up and fight. These poisoners and usurpers and their blind followers are already finished. But Krishna wants you and I to join the movement to expose these criminals, and give people the real connection to the real pure devotee. Stand up and fight.

Vrndavana / Zoom Classes / Fake Sannyasa / Sridhara 11 04 24

PADA: Yes FC prabhu thanks for the link. A lot of people think that just by being in Vrndavana, especially at the time of death, one will automatically be liberated and go back to Krishna. Not so fast. Srila Prabhupada said there are a lot of rogues in Vrndavana, evidently they are committing aparadhas, and that will block them from going to Krishna. And he said the Radha Kunda babajis are living in Naraka Kund. And a number of them have criticized the guru line of Srila Prabhupada.

As for the ISKCON people, their policy of assisting burying deviants, homosexuals, pedophiles, porno swamis, debauchees, and the poisoners of pure devotees etc. in samadhis -- is about as sinful as it gets, to compare these deviants with the many other bona fide saints buried in the dham.

And thus a lot of devotees, even ones who live there or go there, are NOT going to be automatically saved. This is a big misconception. And the bogus people buried in samadhis there are for sure going to suffer very bad reactions.

Meanwhile a lot of devotees, actually most, or the bulk of Prabhupada's original disciples, are dying in mundane hospitals and they are not ever even going to the dham at all. Maybe a few of them get to visit for a short time. Srila Prabhupada wanted facility for his retired devotees to end their lives in the dham, but this was never implemented. 

Most of the devotees were purged out of the society. For example one of the original lady disciples was living here in an old folks home, and her cigarette dropped out of her mouth by accident, and started her bed on fire, and she died in an old folks home. But I would say, that lady is way more fortunate than these artificial residents of the dham, and she will have a better future than them.  

I think this is something a lot of devotees have failed to realize. Just being in the holy dham for a pilgrimage, living in the dham, being buried in the dham, or being associated with the dham in other ways, is not always a guarantee of going back home to God. And if one commits aparadha in the dham, one might be going to a lower destination. 

I have been told by several accounts how some devotees died, and they had to have their faces re-arranged for a body viewing, because they had very distressed looking faces at the time of departing. In other words, just being in the earthly dham location does not automatically promote a person to the spiritual world dham. It might elevate a person, but if there are offenses, it can take a person down. ys pd

angel108b@yahoo.com   

=======

Lajjarani Cancer Prognosis

Update Monday, later. Lajjarani is not able to overcome this lastest diagnosis, after a long struggle with cancer. She is now in comfort care, and nearby devotees and others are working to provide Krsna consciousness care. Thank you for your prayers. Hare Krsna.

If any of you know Lajjarani dd JPS who served at New Talavana, please send her prayers. In critical condition in hospital in Portland Oregon. Suffering from bowel perforation and medical intervention is not working at this time.

PADA: Another cancer case? Anyway, offering bhogha to Jayapataka is not going to produce a good result, that is for sure. That being said, we wish this soul all the best and hopefully she will progress towards Krishna. New Talavan has had all sorts of problems -- and people I know wanted to go there, but they cannot stand Jayapataka, so they are not going/ ys pd

Offering Bhogha to this guy!

What could go wrong?

=====

ZOOM CLASSES

Hare Krishna BB prabhu, 

Please accept my respectful obeisances

All Glories to Srila His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada

Prabhu if you are interested to join in our weekly sanga on Saturday and Sunday at 4pm Europe time or as your time zone for our weekly reading and discussion. We use to study only His Divine Grace original not adulterated divine books. On Saturday we read and discuss from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Macmillan edition and on Sunday we read and discuss from the Srimad Bhagavatam dehli edition 1962-65.

Below you'll find the invitation and link on zoom, use the same link for both lectures.
Please join
You are welcome
Ys

*Srimad Bhagavatam Reading & Discussion*

Hare Krsna dear devotees! You're invited to the weekly Srimad Bhagavatam class hosted by the Prabhupada Disciples Association. We're reading from the original 1962 edition of the Srimad Bhagavatam.

*Date:* Sunday, 03 Nov 2024

*Time:* 7 am PST (10 am EST / 3 pm GMT / 8:30 pm IST)

*Speaker:*

HG Yasoda nandana dasa

*Topic:*

"[SB 1.5.36] Transforming Daily Duties into Devotional Service: The Art of Remembering Krishna Through Work"

*Zoom link:*

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88363346342...

Hope to see you all there.

====

FAKE SANNYASA

YD: The Vedic scriptures, which are the words of Krishna, gives us the intelligence to how to deal with women. in my 25 years of preaching one helpful tool for men is to not get a telephone number from a woman. I’ve seen some male Devotes do this. Be very careful communicating on Facebook to members of the opposite sex. 

I instruct my wife on this all the time. I’ve seen so-called senior Devotees male and female greet each other with hugs like Karmis, in places like Krishna house in Gainesville, Florida. The girls and boys openly mix. This is a big mistake. Even the boys who wear saffron are openly mixing with the girls. 

In spite of all this in this western culture, if a girl and a boy, devotees begin talking and becoming attracted -- they should just get married. The leaders in bogus Iskcon our jokes. 

The men become Sanyasis against Srila Prabhupada's 1977 orders no more Sanyasis. They actually subtly attract women. When I was a so called disciple of Bhakti Tirtha Swami, one of his disciples had took Sanyasa in Bogus Iskcon. 

A African body devote named Vasudav Swami. My wife and I invited him to stay in our home and we set up programs for him at some universities and various venues. And in my association with him, I found that this man was actually not sanyasi material. he was a very scholarly person. He was working on his doctorate degree. 

But I saw that he was always getting phone calls from girls all the time. And when we went to the programs, he was attracted to "preaching" to the women at the programs, always sitting down talking to them. I was a bit surprised. I would think to myself -- this man needs to find a wife. He had girls calling him all the time, seemingly asking him for advice. So these are the quality of Iskcon gurus. 

=================

SRIDHARA MAHARAJA FOLKS:

Yep, making hippies into gurus, is something even the mlecchas are not doing. And making pedos into gurus will make mass child mistreatment, also known by the mlecchas, but not Sridhara. Sridhara knows better than me? No, he does not even know what the mlecchas all know, deviants are not to be made into gurus. The Jayapataka people complained to me that my helping: -- the 1986 child abuse lawsuit, the 1997 child abuse lawsuit, the 1997 BBTI lawsuit, the 1997 Bangalore lawsuit etc. has cost ISKCON $100,000,000 -- and it is all my fault. 

OK but all these lawsuits happened because they did not listen to my original free advice starting in 1979 -- to contain the child mistreatment, or they would eventually have to face lawsuits. Prevention is better than the cure, if Sridhara had learned from all the devastation and people getting terminated, lawsuits etc. after 1936, he would not have made the same mess all over again, and made me a target for protesting. 

And he would have told me you must protest, because worship of debauchees is bogus. Notice that Santa thinks $100,000,000 is an ant's fart, but Srila Prabhupada says -- anyone who causes Krishna's money to be lost like this will have to pay it back next lifetimes. That means Sridhara will be working hard to pay it all back, because he helped make all this loss. I was interviewed in 1986 and was seen by 23 million people. The Sridhara folks response was seen by -- what??? at most 2 or 3 people? Who knows, where is their response even? Oh its an ant's fart, sheesh! ys pd

A Few Words About Go Puja (Cow Worship)

 

Krishna and Gopis Worshiping Cows

GO PUJA! THE IMPORTANCE OF COWS -SOME REFERENCES FROM VARIOUS SCRIPTURES:

Cows are discussed in detail in our scriptures. Here are some of the quotes that glorify the cow and cow protection!

यूयं गावो मे दयथा कृशं चिदश्रीरं चित्कृणुथा सुप्रतीकम् । भद्र गृहं कृणुथ भद्रवाचो बृहद्वो वय उच्यते सभासु ॥ (Atharvana Veda 4-21-11 and 6)

Oh Cows! With your milk and ghee you make the physically weak strong, and nurture the sick to health. With your sacred utterances, you sanctify our homes. Your glory is discussed in gatherings.

वशां देवा उपजीवंति वशां मनुष्या उप । वशेदं सर्वं भवतु यावतु सूर्यो विपश्यति ॥ (Atharvana Veda 10-10-34)

The Gods and men live on cow products. Till the Sun shines, the universe will have Cows. The whole universe depends on the support of cow.

गवां मूत्रपुरीषस्य नोद्विजेत कथंचन । न चासां मांसमश्नीयाद्गवां पुष्टिं तथाप्नुयात् ॥ (Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva 78-17)

Do not hesitate to consume cow urine and cow dung – they are sacred. But one should never eat the cow meat. A person becomes stronger by consuming

Panchagavya.

दानानामपि सर्वेषां गवां दानं प्रशस्यते । गावः श्रेष्ठाः पवित्राश्च पावनं ह्येतदुत्तमम् ॥ (Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva 83-3)

Donation of cows is superior to all others. Cows are supreme and sacred.

Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad-Gita: Chapter 10, Text 28:

आयुधानामहं वज्रं धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक् ।*

प्रजनश्चास्मि कन्दर्प: सर्पाणामस्मि वासुकि: ॥ २८ ॥

āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ

dhenūnām asmi kāma-dhuk*

prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ

sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ

*dhenunam asmi kamadhuk dhenunam-among cows, asmi-I am, kamadhuk-the wish fulfilling cow, Among cows I am the wish fulfilling cow (Surabhi).

In this verse Lord Krishna reveals that among cows He is manifested as the kamadhuk meaning kamadhenu the original wish fulfilling cows known as the surabhi cows. Just who and what are the surabhi cows and how the surabhi cows attained such an elevated and exalted position that they are able to represent a portion of the energy of the supreme Lord Krishna will be revealed in the following information given in the Anusasana Parva of the Mahabharata by Sri Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa.

The surabhi cow descended from the spiritual worlds and manifested herself in the heavenly spheres from the aroma of celestial nectar for the benefit of all created beings. The direct descendants of the surabhi cows are the sacred cows from the continent India which are uniquely distinguished the same as the surabhi by the beautiful hump on their backs and the wonderfully soft folds of skin under their necks.

Cows should always be lovingly cared for and protected with the highest esteem and greatest respect. One should never cause harm to cows in any way even in a dream and one should never ever even think of eating the flesh of cows as there is no action more sinful in all of creation then cow killing.

Cows are the mothers of all creatures. Cows are verily the mothers of the 33 crores of demigods that administrate creation in the material existence throughout all the universes. Cows are the goddesses of the gods and the refuge of all auspiciousness. Cows bestow every kind of happiness and for these reason they always are worshipable.

Cows are the support of all the worlds for by their milk they nourish terrestrials beings and by their ghee offered in sacrifice they nourish the denziens of the celestial realms. Nothing superior to cows.

A cow should not be owned by one who is a killer of cows or a seller to killers of cows, by one who is unrighteous, by one who is sinful, by one who is untruthful in speech, and by one who is outside of the Vedic culture nor should cows ever be given to one such as these. Gifts of cows should be made after ascertaining and determining the qualification of the receiver.

Cows should never be given unto those whose residence they are likely to suffer from fire or sun. Cows should always be given away accompanied by their calves. Those cows who have been rescued from situations of distress or have been received from humble farmers unable to continue to take care of them properly are considered to be most auspicious.

One should never show disrespect for cows in any way nor should one feel any repugnance towards the urine and dung of a cow because these things are also pure. When cows are grazing or laying down relaxing one should never disturb or annoy them in any way. Cows should never be killed in any type of sacrifice or slaughtered in any way for food as the killing of cows constitutes the most heinous of all sins in existence.

Cows are the foremost of all creatures in all the worlds. It is from cows that the means for sustaining the worlds has established. Cows are auspicious and sacred and the bequeathers of every blessing. Cows benefit humans with milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter and ghee.

The Vedas have stated that the milk of a cow is equivalent to ambrosial nectar and that ghee derived from cows milk is the best of all libations poured onto the sacred fires of brahmanas.

Cows of various kinds and diverse colors are always worshipable. They are the foremost of all creatures existing in all of creation. Morning and evening one should bow ones head in reverence to cows. One should never show any disregard to cows in any way but should always show them respect. When one awakes in the morning one should always remember cows.

Before falling to sleep at night one should always remember cows. Cows are always auspicious. Cows are also fragrant.

Cows are the great refuge of all creatures. Cows constitute the greatest source of blessings for all creatures. Cows are the past. Cows are the future. Cows are the source of evolution and eternal growth. Cows are the root of prosperity. Whatever is given to cows always produces good fortune and is never in vain.

It is solely and exclusively from the ghee of cows that the sacred rituals prescribed and authorised in the Vedas are empowered and able to be performed. Without the presence of cows ghee there is no possibility of performing sacred rituals that will gratify the 33 million demigods who are responsible for universal management. Neither will the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna be pleased and satisfied.

Ghee comes exclusively only from cows from whom flow offerings of milk and milk products. Thus cows verily establish the purity of all sacred rituals and constitute the very essence of performing all sacred activities being the very source of sacred activities.

Cows represent sacred acts themselves and without cows there can be no performance of any sacred act. This is the pure, sublime and supremely exalted position and pre-eminence of cows above all creatures in all the worlds. One who knows the pre-eminence of cows and the selfless service cows render to all creatures and does not protect them affectionately is a sinner and offender and their destination is certainly hell. Cows are equal to the rays of the sun that travel through the universe giving light, warmth and nourishment.

In the Vedic scriptures known as Puranas there are injunctions declaring that one can take the life of a living being only if they are able to revive it back to life again by chanting Vedic mantras. It is stated in the Brahma-Vaivarta Purana that in the present age of kali yuga it is forbidden to kill cows under any circumstances.

Cows are equivalent to our mothers for when the mothers milk has dried up the cow gives her milk unselfishly to noursih and strengthen us. How can one who has ever drunk cows milk justify the killing and eating of such a mother as the sacred cow? One should never even in one’s mind do injury to a cow or ever think of harming cows as well as bulls. One should show all respect and compassion for cows and sincere reverence should be offered unto them all without reservation.

Those who fail to give cows reverence and protection and choose to foolishly oppose and whimsically ignore the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures by selling a cow for slaughter, by killing a cow, by eating cows flesh and by permitting the slaughter of cows will all rot in the darkest regions of hell for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of each cow slain. There is no atonement for the killing of a cow. Mahabharata-Anusasana Parva (Chapter 50, 51, 76 to 83).

In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa personally speaks of go-rakṣyam, cow protection. Meat-eaters, according to their different positions and the directions of the śāstra, are allowed to eat flesh, but never the flesh of cows. Cows must be given all protection.

Smd.Bhagavatam-9.6.7 Purport:

Quoting from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ

sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam

devareṇa sutotpattiṁ

kalau pañca vivarjayet

“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyāsa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.” The word pala-paitṛkam refers to an offering of flesh in oblations to forefathers. Formerly, such an offering was allowed, but in this age it is forbidden.

In this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is expert in hunting animals, but most of the people are śūdras, not kṣatriyas. According to Vedic injunctions, however, only kṣatriyas are allowed to hunt, whereas śūdras are allowed to eat flesh after offering goats or other insignificant animals before the deity of goddess Kālī or similar demigods. On the whole, meat-eating is not completely forbidden; a particular class of men is allowed to eat meat according to various circumstances and injunctions. As far as eating beef is concerned, however, it is strictly prohibited for everyone.

Diwali and Damodar Lila (Video)

KMD: Actually, Dipavali (Diwali) festival is for our Spiritual Enlightenment, i.e; Tamaso maa Jyotir Gamaya - dispel darkness of ignorance with torchlight of knowledge.

Kindly read the following short enlightening message very attentively & make your human form of life successful:-

SHRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA is the Supreme Vedic Scripture of the Supreme & Scientific SANATAN DHARMA (Eternal Religion). There is no scripture equal to or above this Divine Scripture. This Supreme Vedic Scripture is the Supreme Spiritual Science which stands even above the Vedas, Puranas & other Vedic Scriptures.

Hardly few know the fact that this Supreme Spiritual Science was originally spoken by the Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA to Surya Dev (Sun God) at the beginning of this creation, that is about 311 Trillion & 40 Billion years ago as per the Vedic calculation. Parabrahma Param-Satya Parmeshwar SHRI KRISHNA had to speak this Supreme Spiritual Science again to Arjuna, 5000 years ago on the battlefield of Kurukshetra since the disciplic succession of this Supreme Spiritual Science was lost, so it was necessary to re-establish the disciplic succession for maintaining the original shlokas of this Supreme Spiritual Science. 

This point is very nicely explained in the 4th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita As It Is. 

Now, this Supreme Spiritual Science - "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" is available in more than 82 languages in each & every part of this world. "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" is originally translated & explained in English by Jagad Gurudev His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the Founder & Acharya of Iskcon, the Spiritual Scientist, the Great Vedic Scholar, the Member of Royal Societies of English & Sanskrit and the most successful Spiritual Ambassador to the west. 

He is the direct representative of the Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA. By looking at His great literary works, one is tempted to wonder if He is not the same "Ved Vyas Muni" reborn to adapt His own original work into the universal language of this age for the spiritual upliftment of modern man.

According to Shrimad Bhagavatam - 1.9.18, the Supreme Godhead SHRI KRISHNA is also called the Adi-Narayana, which means He is also Shri Narayana (Vishnu) Himself. And He appears in this universe as the original form or incarnation SHRI KRISHNA, who is the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead & not the expansion or incarnation of Godhead. 

No one is equal to Him or above Him. He is the Supreme Absolute Truth. Each & every person must know this transcendental fact before reading this Supreme Spiritual Science - Bhagavad Gita As It Is. The speaker of this Supreme Spiritual Science is Eternal Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA. Hence, this Supreme Spiritual Science "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" is also eternal & not just 5,000 years old.

The Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA said in Bhagavad Gita - 9.2:-
"This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed."
Please read "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" everyday & make your human form of life successful.

Param Satya SHRI RADHA KRISHNA Sharanam Prapadye!

By worshiping the Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA, one automatically worships all the Divinities mentioned in entire Vedic Scripture & becomes the most successful person. That is the beauty of SHRI KRISHNA bhakti!

Jai Shri Krishna
Hare Krishna
With best regards,
Kersi Mehta,

===========

DIWALI AND DAMODARA LILA

Diwali is the day when Lord Rama returned, after 14 years of exile, to Ayodhya. There are two important principles – Vipralamba and Sambhoga. In the advaitavada conception there is the neutral state of complete peace. But in Vrindavan, love between the Lord and His devotees is always increasing through union and separation.

When Lord Rama left Ayodhya all the residents were in absolute devastation. They could not live without Rama. So they all decided to go with Him, but Lord Rama convinced them to stay back. Later on, in Citrakut Bharata came to convince Rama to come back, but Lord Rama did not agree. On Bharat’s request Lord Rama gave His sandals and Bharata put them on the throne. Bharat lived for 14 years in Nandigram, in a thatched hut, eating only roots, leaves and barley soaked in cow urine. He cried day and night in separation of Lord Rama.

Finally after 14 years of exile Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya. Lord Rama first sent Hanuman to inform Bharat of His arrival. When Lord finally arrived in Nandigram, there was no limit to Bharat’s ecstasy. Everyone in Ayodhya was so happy upon receiving the news of Rama’s return. Rama went on a procession into Ayodhya and all the residents lit lamps to receive him. It was the lamps of their love, the flame of their gratitude and affection. 

After 14 years of not seeing Rama at all, these lamps represented their love that was blazing uncontrollably in their hearts after years of separation. Lord Ramachandra, was seeing each of those flames as the personification of the pure love of His devotees and He was reciprocating with unlimited joy. That is Diwali Welcoming the Lord back into our life after so many countless lifetimes of separation.

Actually the Lord never leaves His abode of Vrindavan or Ayodhya, neither He leaves our hearts; but unless we love Him we cannot feel His presence.

DAMODARA LILA

Nanda maharaj had 9 lakh cows and Yashoda mayi had selected special cows which gave the best quality fragrant milk. She would churn butter from the yogurt made from the milk of these cows and feed her darling son Krishna.
On the day of Diwali, she woke up early in the morning and personally began to make butter for Krishna. As she was churning, she was singing the beautiful pastimes of her beloved son.

Little Krishna was sleeping in the next room. He came to mother Yashoda and held her churning rod since He wanted her to feed Him. As mother Yashoda was feeding little Gopal, the milk that she had left for heating on the stove began to boil over. The milk was thinking, “Mother Yashoda’s love for Krishna is unlimited and Krishna can go on drinking her milk then what is the use of my existence.” Thinking like this, the milk began to boil over and fall off in the fire. Seeing this mother Yashoda kept Krishna aside and immediately rushed to put the pot off the stove.

Krishna became transcendentally angry. He picked up a stone and broke the pot of yogurt. He went into the next room, climbed on a wooden grinding mortar and began distributing the butter to the monkeys. It is explained that the Lord wanted to reciprocate with the services rendered by the monkeys in His pastimes as Lord Rama.

Meanwhile Yashoda mayi came back and saw the broken pot. Knowing well that Gopal had done it, she took a stick in her hand and followed the little buttery foot prints of Gopal. When the monkeys saw mother Yashoda approaching, they jumped off in fear and started running. Little Gopal jumped off the grinding mortar and began to run. As she was running her hair loosened and flowers decorating her were falling at her feet. The flowers were thinking ‘who is this Yashoda? The power of her love has conquered the supreme Lord Sri Krishna.’ They wanted to take shelter at her lotus feet.

Ultimately Yashoda mayi caught Krishna and started to chastise Him. He was crying and repeatedly requesting mother Yashoda to put the stick down. Yashoda mayi said, “You are the king of butter thieves.” And Krishna said,“You are calling Me the king of thieves. Well I definitely didn’t get it from My father’s side, I must have got it from your side.”

Krishna was afraid of His mother. This is the power of the love of Vrindavan. Krishna was not pretending to be afraid, it was not a show.

Finally mother Yashoda put the stick down and decided to tie Gopal up, so that He doesn’t do more mischief. She took a beautiful silken rope to tie Krishna. However every time mother Yashoda tried, the rope was two fingers too short. She tied over 150 feet of rope still she could not tie Him up.

Commenting on the rope being two fingers too short, Srila Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur says that one of the fingers represents a sincere devotee’s heartfelt endeavor to serve, to perform sadhana, to remain pure and to please Krishna. And the second finger represents Krishna’s causeless mercy. When both these aspects are present in a devotee’s life, Krishna agrees to be bound by the love of that devotee.

Wishing you all an auspicious Diwali!#Diwali #Harekrishna #LordRama pic.twitter.com/a8NxiFxGar

— Madhu Pandit Dasa (@madhupanditdasa) October 31, 2024

Devotee's Car Crash / Sridhara Update 10 31 24

 

By ISKCON News:

On October 26, 2024 at Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, six devotees lost their lives while returning from Tadipatri. The accident took place near Nayanapalle Cross in Singanamala Mandal when their car, due to a sudden tire burst, went out of control and collided with an oncoming lorry. All six passengers lost their lives at the scene.

The devotees were Sridhar Swamy (30), Shanmukh (26), Santosh (28), Pranav (13), Venkatesh (28), and Prasanna (26). They had traveled to Tadipatri to conduct preaching programs, bringing spiritual inspiration and teachings to the community. During their visit, they organized a Nagar Sankirtana procession, held Bhagavad Gita classes for local students, and visited a nearby school to share teachings and foster a sense of connection within the community.

According to police reports, the accident occurred when a tire on the vehicle burst, causing the driver to lose control. This sudden malfunction sent the vehicle swerving off its course and into the opposite lane, directly into the path of an oncoming lorry. With little time to react, the collision was unavoidable, resulting in the tragic loss of all six occupants in the car. Authorities noted that the abrupt nature of the tire burst made it difficult for the driver to regain control in time to avoid the collision.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his profound grief at the tragic event and pledged support to the families of the deceased devotees. He communicated with officials to gather details on the incident and offered his condolences to the grieving families, extending his sympathies to the Anantapur and ISKCON communities, who are deeply saddened by the loss.
We ask for prayers from the international community of devotees for each of these young men and for their families.

PADA: ISKCON is currently doing a lot of preaching in India, and to mainly Hindus in the West. And that is good and bad news. The good news is, sometimes their disciples end up finding our information and they decide that the GBC are not gurus and they want to follow our process. 

The bad news is, I am increasing getting arguments from their people that I am a mlecca, a Yavana and all that, as a means of defeating my points. In other words, ISKCON is developing more and more as a Hindu hodge podge religion, with many, most or even in some cases -- all -- Hindus in the temple congregations, but which is using a sort of perverted twist of racist Hindu nationalist pride as a preaching tool. 

That cannot produce a good long term effect. But the GBC evidently feels they have to do that -- to keep their flock from taking off to our propaganda, so they are clearly encouraging all this. Meanwhile, recently another ex-kuli from Mayapur says, the gurukula there just needs to be shut down, the problems are too embedded. That means these Hindu folks are still not managing the situation there properly.

In any case, these folks are now gone. And I am not holding a grudge, these people are following Krishna somewhat, but with many untidy GBC propaganda strings attached. I do wish them God speed in any case. And yeah, another harsh lesson from the material energy learned, anyone of us can depart our bodies at any second, so it is better to try to remain as Krishna consciousness as possible because the inevitable is coming for all of us. 

ys pd angel108b@yahoo.com

  ==========

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION DOES NOT APPLY TO SPIRIT SOULS:

" 'Now please hear from Me about the process of devotional service, which is applicable in any country, for any person, at all times and in all circumstances.

PURPORT

The cult of bhāgavata-dharma can be spread in all circumstances, among all people and in all countries. Many envious people accuse this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement of spoiling the rigidity of so-called Hinduism. That is not actually the fact. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that devotional service to the Lord-the cult of bhāgavata-dharma, which is now being spread as the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement-can be spread in every country, for every person, in any condition of life, and in all circumstances. 

Bhāgavata-dharma does not restrict pure devotees to the Hindu community. A pure devotee is above a brāhmaṇa; therefore it is not incompatible to offer the sacred thread to devotees in Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Canada, and so on. Sometimes these pure devotees, who have been accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, are not allowed to enter certain temples in India. Some high-caste brāhmaṇas and gosvāmīs refuse to take prasāda in the temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. 

Actually this is against the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Devotees can come from any country, and they can belong to any creed or race. On the strength of this verse, those who are actually devotees and followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must accept devotees from all parts of the world as pure Vaiṣṇavas. They should be accepted not artificially but factually. One should see how they are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and how they are conducting Deity worship, saṅkīrtana and Ratha-yātrā. Considering all these points, an envious person should refrain from malicious atrocities.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 25 > Madhya 25.120

====

SRIDHARA MAHARAJA

PADA: Yeah but when we went to Mayapur, Himavati came back crying saying the Sridhara Matha are insulting you. So he said we should never go there, and we didn't. 

And in 1974 Srila Prabhupada said: 

*** "You are right about Sridhara Maharaja's genuineness. But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service. I do not wish to discuss about activities of my Godbrothers but it is a fact they have no life for preaching work. All are satisfied with a place for residence in the name of a temple, they engage disciples to get foodstuff by transcendental devices and eat and sleep. 

"They have no idea or brain how to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My Guru Maharaja used to lament many times for this reason and he thought if one man at least had understood the principle of preaching then his mission would achieve success. In the latter days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disgusted. 

"Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for more years. Still he requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He never recommended anyone to be acarya of the Gaudiya Math. But Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Maharaja, and he and others who are already dead unnecessarily thought that there must be one acarya. 

"If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya. His idea was acarya was not to be nominated amongst the governing body. He said openly you make a GBC and conduct the mission. So his idea was amongst the members of GBC who would come out successful and self effulgent acarya would be automatically selected. 

"So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. The result is now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adhikari with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. 

"So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them. This attempt was made previously by them, especially Madhava Maharaja and Tirtha Maharaja and Bon Maharaja but somehow or other I saved the situation. This is going on. We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. 

"They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them." *** 

Yes, Sridhara is responsible for making a deviant into the acharya, so we should avoid them. In any case all of Sridhara's dressed up 11 alleged gurus successors to Krishna -- either got sick, fell down or died prematurely. Making them gurus was a mistake. 

But I do like you admit your idea is, making deviants, homos, pedos, lusty dogs, drug taking fools etc. into God's successors -- is what I need to do -- because it is "senior advice." No, I need to follow the aborigines and worship the moon, because that is vastly superior and does not harm children. 

You keep failing to answer my 1979 question, why is Sridhara rubber stamping deviants as God's successors, which he already did in 1936, and which created havoc there? 

And since the same GBC people p*isoned their guru, that would be like making Judas the successor. Making Judas the successor is sinful, and is not advanced one iota. Yeah Prabhupada said some things in 1967 to try not to make a big war at the time, but he also said many other negative things later on. In any case, I am never going to buy your idea that debauchees should be dressed as Krishna's successors, it is an insult to Krishna and His guru parampara. 

Now you are telling me not too many dog stools are in your sweet rice, but what happens when you feed your dogs stools gurus to children? You ruin their lives. ys pd

Mayapur Gurukuli Complaint Letter and Response 10 30 24

Always Remember:

You came from here.

Background

The Co-directors of ISKCON Mayapur, wanted to solve the issues faced by the Bhaktivedanta Academy.

The following was the brief of the need.

Conduct interviews with BA (Bhaktivedanta Academy) Gurukula divisional head, council members, teachers and staff and Co-Directors to gather the following information:

Objectives:

* The way the council operates and the decision-making process

* The council's functioning

* Divisional head's functioning

* Organizational structure (departments in the division) Investigate specific complaints received in writing such as:

* Adult education and yajña course organization

* Why the letter of XXXX was not reported timely

On the basis of the above investigation Enquiry Panel is requested to prepare the report to the co-directors and propose necessary actions as the way forward in organizing or restructuring of the BA management.

Enquiry Panel

The Enquiry panel consisted of volunteers: Shreejeeva Das, Radhika Nagara Das and Vraja Vinoda Syama Dasa. Brief introduction to the panel members are available in Annexure1.

Interviews done

Over a timeframe of 3-4 weeks (From Feb 2024) - 24 zoom interviews were done by the panel with 23 respondents. Each interview spanned about 60-180 minutes. Video and audio recording was done for nearly all interviews. These recordings will remain in the custody of the Enquiry panel for reasons of confidentiality of the information shared. In additional to these interviews, some other relevant respondents were met in person in Mayapur.

ZOOM Interviews were done with the following:

Sl.no

Name

Role

1 Priti Vardhana Swami Division head, Council member, Teacher

2 Subheksana Dasa Co-Director

3 Tapana Misra Das Co-Director

4 Hrdaya Chaitanya Das Co-Director

5 Nitai Madhva Dasa Principal BA Gurukula, Council Member

6 Kamalesh Krishna Das International CPT in-charge

7 Navin Krishna Das Previous Enquiry Committee member

8 Ghanashayam Das CPT in-charge in Mayapur

9 Sitarama Dasa Council member

10 Simha bhatta Das Council member

11 Yaduraj Dasa Council member, Asrama teacher

12 Baladeva Prana Dasa Council member, Teacher, Gurukula graduate

13 Jananivas Dasa Academic head, teacher

14 Krsna Chandra Dasa Asrama teacher, Gurukula graduate

15 Prananatha Das Ex-council member, Ex-Academic head, Ex-teacher

16 Ex-Gurukuli Ex-Gurukuli

17 Ex-Gurukuli  Ex-Gurukuli who submitted the letter

18 Ajitananda Das Ex-Teacher

19 Vagisha Dasa Ex-Teacher for Sanskrit and Mantras

20 Haladhara Nitai Dasa Teacher

21 Samba Dasa Teacher

22 Krsna Chaitanya Dasa Teacher, Gurukula graduate

23 Narottama Vilas Dasa Teacher, Gurukula graduate

The Bhaktivedanta Academy Landscape

* The Bhaktivedanta Academy (BA) has four (4) departments

o Gurukula - Teaching vedic studies for boys from age 5 onwards

o Adult education - with classes done in the Rupanuga Vidyapita, a location different from Gurukula campus

o Varnasrama college - currently closed

o Agriculture - currently outsourced to Goshala

* Gurukula Management

o Is being managed by Nitai Madhava Das as the Principal

o The Principal reports to the Gurukula management council

o The council reports to the Divisional Head (Priti Vardhana Swami)

o Divisional Head reports to the Co-Directors

o Co-Directors report to the Mayapur Executive Board (MEB)

* Gurukula Management Council

o Gurukula council consists of: Priti Vardhana Swami (Divisional Head), Sitaram Das (Fundraiser), Nitai Madhava Das (Principal), Baladeva Dasa (Ex- Principal), Yaduraj Das (Ashram teacher) and Simha Bhatta Das (Parent representative)

o The academic head, Prananatha Das, was also a member until April/May 2023. He was also a teacher and recently moved out of Mayapur

* Adult Education

o Managed by Haladhara Nitai Dasa

o The Yajña course was led by Krsna Chaitanya Das

The build-up to the issue

Event 1: The discomfort in the council

* In October 2022, the new council1 was formed under the direction of Subheksana Dasa (Co-Director) which introduced Sitaram Das into the Gurukula System

* The first council had the following members

o Divisional head- HH BA Priti Vardhan Swami Maharaj

o Principal- Baladeva Sriman Das

o Ashram head- Yaduraj Das

o Academic Head- Prananatha Das

o Fund-raising -Sitaram Das

o Parent Representative- Simha Bhatta Das

* The resolution related to Anirdesya Vapu Das came into the public domain and Gurukula faced some public flak

* Baladeva Das expressed his interest in stepping down as a Principal for various reasons

1 The council was referred to as Gurukula Council and BA Council which leads to confusion in the future events.

* It was decided by the council and Subheksana Das that from January 2023, Nitai Madhava Das would be the Principal and would be included in the council

* Nitai Madhava Das, Sitaram Das, Yaduraj Das - know each other well from a long time. Along with them Baladeva Das also clicked well and they started steering the Gurukula management well

* The council took swift decisions with an intention to improve the educational facilities and experience of the children studying in the Gurukula

* In the course of these council meetings and with general interactions with other teachers and managers, it was felt by a few that Sitaram Das came across as authoritarian in his dealings

* There were conflicts between those who were happy with Sitaram Das (Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraja Das) and those who did not like the new dynamics with him (Krsna Chaitanya Das, Haladhar Nitai Das, Prananath Das, Simha Bhatta Das)

* For the reasons thereof, Prananath Das excluded himself from the council. Priti Vardhan Swami had also reduced his participation in the council meetings and was operating more selectively.

* Baladeva Das was working well with Nitai Madhava Das, Sitarama Das and Yaduraja Das until Nitai Madhava Das reported the ex-gurukuli letter to the Co-Directors in Nov 2023

Event 2: The battle of methods

The previous management was operating Gurukula with a plan. They wanted the boys to be able to take up austerity and become good and mature devotees. Puja, Yajña, Cooking and Go-seva were the methods of primary focus in the Gurukula education. This is what made them different from the other educational systems. The Mayapur community prides itself with the sight of these Gurukula boys - from varied nationalities, chanting the mantras and performing deity worship and yajña activities.

Post the incidents related to Anirdesya Vapu Das, the new management was primarily overseen by the council. This council slowly attempted to emphasise more on the temple program within the Gurukula through Bhagavatam classes, book distribution, etc., which was the program recommended by Srila Prabhupada for adults.

Sitaram Das openly claimed that the emphasis on Puja, Yajña and Cooking should be reduced. Those who were a part of the previous system saw these steps as an attempt to "change the fabric" of the Gurukula by the new management.

Event 3: The fire of Yajña

Teaching Yajña for Adults is a course, which is part of the Adult Education program run by Krsna Chaitanya Das and Haladhar Nitai Das. This program takes place at the Rupanuga Vidyapita (near Goshala)

* Krsna Chaitanya Das created a course with an agenda of training 108 yajña purohits for the TOVP temple opening in 2026 by the inspiration of Braja Vilas Das

* The program was announced and courses were conducted with the permission and blessings of Priti Vardhan Swami, starting December 2022

* The course used teachers such as Narottama Vilas Das and Nimai from the Gurukula

* The council took objection to this - sighting the reason that the teachers are supposed to be engaging the boys at Gurukula. Also that the decision about the course was taken without the knowledge of the council

* Krsna Chaitanya Das and Haladhar Nitai Das say that the Gurukula council had nothing to do with the yajña course and hence their permission was not needed. While the new management said that the Gurukula council was for the entire Bhaktivedanta Academy including Adult Education Department.

* Krsna Chaitanya Das and Haladhar Nitai Das mentioned that they had the blessings of two Co-directors for this course

Enquiry committee notes: Sitaram Das has provided email communication evidence that he was trying to be cooperative with the Yajña team. The following facts explained why the Yajña team did not see the council and Sitaram Das as their authority for the Yajña course:

1. There was no clarity of the role of council from the Divisional head and Co-Directors

2. There was a strain in the relationship between the two sides

3. The Yajña team had the blessings and support of Priti Vardhan Swami (the Divisional Head)

* As an offshoot of Event 3 - there was also a traditional upanayanam ceremony conducted by the yajña team for one of the Yajña student's son. This was objected by the council saying they do not conduct this caste based upanayanam at ISKCON but somehow Krsna Chaitanya Das and Haladhar Nitai Das went ahead and conducted it after getting last minute permission from Priti Vardhan Swami, sighting academic interest of learning Yajña.

Enquiry committee notes: There was no clear line of authority in both cases. The adult education team in charge of the yajña course acted under the authority of the Co-directors and the Divisional Head. The council felt left out in a decision that affects the Gurukula. The Divisional Head and the council were not functioning together. The distance between the factions increased and gives rise to dislike and lack of trust.

* Subheksana Das, the Co-Director, initially asked the Gurukula council to not allow the Yajña course but did not clearly communicate the objection to the Yajña team. This surely backfired with both the teams having trust issues with Subheksana Das.

The Gurukula council found all these events and altercations stressful. Nitai Madhava Das sighted management non-cooperation as a key reason and put in his resignation on November 29, 2023. He indented to return to Mumbai.

Event 4: Disclosing the Ex-Gurukuli's letter

A WhatsApp message was sent in April 2022 by a former Gurukula student. During his tenure (2007-2017), he had many good experiences. However, he also went through sexual abuse by older boys and boys of his age. (Annexure 2: Ex-Gurukuli letter, names redacted)

The crux of the letter is as follows:

* He had wonderful positive experiences for 10 years of his Gurukula life. However, his message focused on the negatives.

* Because of these negatives, he will never send his son to this Gurukula or recommend it to someone

* There were many instances of abuse that happened between the boys. Some of it was forced and some of it consensual.

* He and his friends counted roughly 22 boys in those 10 years that they knew had some form of sexual interaction with other boys

* Most of these incidences were before the boys hit puberty.

* He terms these instances as "Horny teen syndrome."

* Most of these cases were known to the management.

* The boys who went through such experiences needed more care and the Gurukula had to do more to prevent these things from happening again, than just advice the boys.

Enquiry committee notes: The Ex-gurukuli clarified to the committee that the message was a personal message which was intended to those who knew the Gurukula from the inside, who cared like him to ensure that the boys had a good experience.

It was noted that the management knew these incidences well. What did they do? The Ex-gurukuli states that they were reported to the "CPT". Whenever such incidents were reported, someone from the "CPT" would come and give a lecture on how these things were bad.

The surprising element in these statements is that the local CPT and international CPO say that nothing in that period was reported by the management of Gurukula. It appears that the Gurukula management tried to address the situation on their own without the help of any qualified CPT

* His main point of writing this message was to implore the management to close the ashram - because no matter how much supervision is there, once the lights are off at night, there is a high risk of abuse

* The ex-gurukuli's intention was to impress that the Gurukula teachers were not doing their job to take care of the children as these things kept happening now and then. He did not intend the letter to be reported to anyone. All the devotees he sent the letter to reacted in a positive way. He does not want the letter to go public even now.

* The letter was sent in April 2022 via WhatsApp message to: Priti Vardhan Swami (Divisional head); Madhav Gauranga Das (then the Dean of Gurukula); Baladeva Das (then the Principal); Sri Gaur Das (then the Teacher); Krsna Chaitanya Das (Teacher); Yaduraj Das (Teacher)

Enquiry Committee notes: When we enquired Priti Vardhana Swami, his response was that he did not think that the Ex-Gurukuli wanted it to be reported

Madhava Gauranga Das (then the Dean of the Gurukula) said he did not report the letter officially but that he spoke to Subheksana Das, who was the co-director for the Gurukula

Baladeva Das (then the Principal) mentioned that it was up to higher authorities in the Gurukula to report it. He mentioned that he informed Subheksana Das about the letter around Nov 2022-Jan 2023.

The Co-director for the Gurukula (Subheksana Das), the Divisional head (Priti Vardhana Swami), and the Gurukula Dean (Madhava Gauranga Das) knew about the letter. However, we understand that at the time the Gurukula leadership received the letter, Madhava Gauranga Das was the main person taking decisions and directing the Gurukula.

In Jan 2023, two ZOOM meetings were conducted between the Divisional Head, the Gurukula council and Navin Krishna Das (who was conducting a study on child abuse in Gurukulas). The topic of child abuse at the Gurukula was discussed in depth. During those meetings, those who had received the letter in April '22 (Priti Vardhana Swami, Baladeva das and Yaduraj Das) did not mention it. Nitai Madhava Das and Sitaram Das were also in that meeting.

Nitai Madhava Das claims that he and Sitaram Das were not aware of the letter till November 28, 2023. Baladeva Das and Prananatha Das claim that this letter was discussed during council meetings while Sitaram Das was present. Also, Baladeva Das says that he updated about this letter to Nitai Madhava Das when he handed over the role of the Principal to him in Jan 2023

The timing of disclosing this letter by Nitai Madhava Das and submitting his resignation does beg the question - what was his motivation?

The rift between the two factions became ripe, as soon as this letter was disclosed to the Co- directors and others in the management. It was seen by some as an attempt to tar the image of Priti Vardhana Swami and put him out of his role.

Circumstances under which the letter was disclosed to the Co-Directors

* Nitai Madhava Das submits his resignation on November 29, 2023.

* His resignation was accepted by Priti Vardhan Swami on November 30, 2023

* Nitai Madhava Das reported this letter to the Co-Directors on November 29, 2023 - a day after he received it from Baladeva Das by WhatsApp

* However, Baladeva Das recalls that this letter was discussed with Nitai Madhava Das a before Nitai Madhava Das became the Principal (around Nov - Dec 2022)

* The next day, Sitaram Das, writes on an email loop that Nitai Madhava Das's resignation should be kept on hold

Complaints and counter complaints

With all these events culminating into a dispute, there were many letters written and counters offered by both the groups.

The council claims (non-exhaustive list):

* Priti Vardhana Swami, the Divisional head is not on ground for discussion and advice

* Krsna Chaitanya Das and Haladhar Nitai Das are not cooperating

* Subheksana Das is communicating directly to the Yajña team, without keeping the council in the loop

* There are many operational considerations such as:

o Why should the small boys go to the temple at 4:30 am to light the lamps, unsupervised?

o Why should the Yajña be done in the main hall? Why not shift that to a different place and have the SB class in the main hall?

o Why should the boys cook all the time, when there are not enough bigger boys who can handle fire? Why can't we get the someone else to cook?

o The boys are not able to handle the deities at Gurukula - why can't we reduce the standards?

Complaints against the council (non-exhaustive list)

* The council's decisions are taken by only one person- Sitaram Das

* Why should the Gurukula council be involved in the decisions related to Yajña which is done by the Adult education department?

* Gurukula Standards are dropping under the council

* Why should Sitaram das who has no training in education be involved in decision making regarding the functioning of the educational aspect of the Gurukula?

* Why are they trying to change the fabric of Gurukula - by not focusing on Puja, Yajña and Cooking?

* Sitaram Das is trying to overtake the management by having all the teachers on his pay-roll - as now as he has increased the salaries multi-fold

* His sons get special treatment by Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraj Das

Findings

Disclaimer: The findings are based on the information found in many interviews. The committee discussions were done with an open mind and with all possibilities in sight. The committee though, might not be able to produce a recording or a transcript or a statement from any particular interview which would have led us to the conclusions, but the committee believes that the findings are true.

Previous management of Gurukula

Many students had a great experience at the Gurukula. They developed strong friendships, learned discipline, austerity, cleanliness, sadhana, yajña, and deity worship. They were fully engaged in various activities including cleaning, cooking, Go-seva, etc., There are many positives that the management and teachers need to be congratulated for. However, this report is not for glorifying the achievements but mainly focused on identifying issues, for the Co-Directors to address.

We found some areas of concerns in the way Gurukula had been previously operated:

* Lack of protection of children:

o Poor transparency

o Poor cooperation with the CPO. Abuses not reported in the boy's school and as it's known many abuses that took place in the girl's school also went unreported

* Poor academics:

o Some students were not able to read basic English even after reaching grade seven

o Academics were discouraged

o No stable and established curriculum - changing and experimenting

o Insufficient tertiary education. Some students remained at the Gurukula for the last few years for the sake of graduation but not learning anything significant

* Too much emphasis on subjects that may not suit everyone. For example: Sanskrit was taught daily but hardly anyone learnt more than the basic

* There was a fine line between teaching austerity and neglecting the children when the ashram was operating. Most children had to rise at 2 am and sometimes a teacher would use a bucket of cold water to wake them up. When a student complained to Priti Vardhana Swami about it, his reply was: "It is your duty to get up".

* A separatist, sectarian culture. This elitist attitude did percolate to the boys. Some more, some less. But overall, there was a superiority complex in the school ethos.

* The Gurukula mostly operated independently of ISKCON - Financially and otherwise. Taking fees in cash, Operating through different Trusts, Non accountability of the spendings being a few of the anomalies.

* Distancing children from their parents.

o Children's contact with their parents was restricted. Parents influence on their children was not appreciated. For many years, children were allowed to see their parents for 45 minutes a week strictly. (a bell would ring and they would have to leave them immediately)

o Parents' inputs to their children's education were ignored (they were literally told: "Our way or the High way")

Enquiry committee notes: Many of the above mentioned issues were rectified. With closing of the ashram, most of the problems above mentioned were eradicated.

The Academics have also improved, and the credit goes to Prananath Das - who has done commendable work.

Since the time Nitai Madhava Das has become the principle, the Local CPO and International CPT have appreciated the openness and a mood of cooperation that was never experienced before.

It is commendable to note that Sitaram Das is an expert fundraiser and has arranged about Rs. 1.3 Cr till date and continues to raise about 2.5 Lakhs per month.

Yaduraj Das seems to have done well with taking care of small children.

Baladeva Das is an asset with his knowledge on Gurukula and the dealing with the children's problems and parent relations

Current Management

Council

* Council has 3 members who are close with each other and hence form a nice team (Sitaram Das, Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraj Das)

* Within these 3, Sitaram Das is a heavy weight and hence there is the propensity and possibility of him controlling the direction of the decision of the other two

* The council has 2 more members - Baladeva Das (the former Principal) and Simha Bhatta Das (Parent representative - currently not so actively involved)

* Baladeva Das has a strained relationship with Sitaram Das, Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraj Das since the time Nitai Madhava Das disclosed the ex-gurukuli letter to the Co-directors

* Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraj Das - both seem to be dedicated and sincere Divisional Head

* Priti Vardhana Swami is an exemplary sadhu. He has captured the hearts of many students, who like him a lot and look up to him as a Siksa guru

* He was the main person and has been in the Gurukula longer than anyone else (since 1993)

* However, it seems that it is not in his nature to be a manager and Divisional Head

* A few aspects that came to our notice:

o He was not available on the ground for discussions or decisions with the council

o He did not report the ex-gurukuli letter to the CPT - and assumably all the other cases of child abuse mentioned in the ex-gurukuli letter in the timespan of 2007-2017

¦ However, It is important to reiterate here that Madhava Gauranga Das was the Dean who was seen to be autocratic in his dealings

o He did not reveal any of the child abuse cases to the investigation team led by Navin Krsna Das

The Yajña Course

* The managerial structure of Gurukula is - There is a Co-Director, there is a divisional head and there is a council since October 2022

* In the case of the Yajña course, it was evident that the three entities were not on the same page

* Previously the approvals regarding adult education topics were taken by the divisional head and the dean

* Krishna Chaitanya Das did not take the Gurukula council into the picture because he received the approval of the divisional head and had the blessings of two Co-Directors

Adult Education Course

* Adult education courses (sastra caksus) were established for engaging Anirdesya Vapu Das as a teacher as he was restricted from teaching children

* The courses were designed by Anirdesya Vapu Das and lack any affiliation and hence could have flexible standards

* The course coordinator and head of this department Haladhar Nitai Das, agreed that he was in touch with Anirdesya Vapu Das and took counsel on how to run the Adult Education Course in December 2023

* Some of the teachers had informal classes with Anirdesya Vapu Das till almost the end of 2022

* We question if the Sastra Caksus course should be endorsed by the Gurukula

Ex-Gurukuli Letter

* The Ex-Gurukuli's letter, even though was in possession of many teachers and managers, including the Divisional head, Priti Vardhana Swami, it was not duly reported to the CPO/CPT - this is a serious issue

* The Co-director, Subheksana Das, was also aware of such a letter, but he did not take action in the right direction. It should be said that he expressed to the committee that he did not know about the letter till Nov 2023. However, both Madhava Gauranga Das and Baladeva Das had informed him

* Sitaram Das and Nitai Madhava Das claim that they did not know the content of this letter until November 28, 2023. However, it is plausible they knew about it much before - as claimed both by Baladeva Das and Prananath Das. Adding to this, Yaduraj Das was one of the recipients of the original message. Considering his closeness with Sitaram Das and Nitai Madhava Das - it would be questioned how did they not know about it.

* Navin Krishna Das, leading the 'Review of Safeguarding and Child Protection' enquiry had two meetings with Priti Vardhana Swami (Divisional head) and the Gurukula council in Jan 2023. In these meetings, Priti Vardhana Swami, Baladeva Das and Yaduraj Das were present. None of them mentioned the letter.

The Dilemma - To have or not to have an ashram

Traditionally the Gurukula had focussed on developing an ashram for boys to provide an experience wherein they could learn austerity, discipline and self-reliance. Ashram was one of the core attractions of the Gurukula.

Enquiry Committee Notes: We have received feedback regarding this topic from co-directors, the Gurukula leadership and the graduates. It is prudent to say that, if there is an ashrama at all, it should only be for boys of age 18+. The risk of sexual abuse would be significantly reduced along with other problems such as poor sleep, lack of proper physical and emotional care and distance from parents. The fabric of the Gurukula could and should be developed without an ashram.

Consider the larger picture There are three layers of issues Layer 1 - The immediate issue

1. Council: The composition of the council, the clash between members and the divisional head

2. The Yajña course: The way it was approached, the approvals sought, the approvals not sought, the varying views of the council and the divisional head

Layer 2 - The intermediate issue

1. The Divisional Head not doing his duty

2. A dysfunctional line of authority

3. History of unreported child abuse cases

Layer 3: The Core issue: Lacks of clarity on Srila Prabhupada's vision of Gurukula

The two factions have their own "truths" and "beliefs" on what is the best way to run the Gurukula.

On one side - There has been a system of what students are taught and how that is taught from the time the Gurukula was established by Anirdesya Vapu Das. The corner stones of this method seems to be Puja, Yajña, Cooking and Go-seva.

On the other side - Sitaram Das, Nitai Madhava Das and Yaduraj Das are introducing changes that are altering the established fabric of the Gurukula.

Recommendations:

Enquiry committee implores the management of ISKCON Mayapur to consider the following rational:

1. The leadership of Mayapur should commission a panel to conduct an in-depth study of Srila Prabhupada's vision on Gurukula - in order to prepare a document explaining how Srila Prabhupada would want the Mayapur Gurukula to function

2. The objectives of the Gurukula should be based on that vision

3. The goals and mission statement of the management should be drawn based on these objectives

4. The operations of the council should be focused on fulfilling these goals and mission statements

Immediate action points

* Gurukula Management

o The Co-Directors can identify a new Divisional Head who should be an on grounds person and empower him to act as such

o The Co-Directors may decide in discussion with Priti Vardhana Swami on his involvement with the Gurukula

o Nitai Madhava Das is deemed to be dedicated to the cause of the Gurukula -

Committee recommends that he continue in his role as the Principal

o The Co-Directors should empower the Principal and provide clarity in his role, jurisdiction and responsibilities

o Prananath Das should be invited back into the Gurukula to develop the academics

o Ashrama should remain closed - An expert panel could recommend the criteria for reopening the ashram (what age group, student teacher ratio etc.)

* Gurukula Administration

o The Gurukula must operate under the jurisdiction of the ISKCON Educational Ministry

o Gurukula book of accounts should be audited by an independent Auditor

o All payments to anyone connected to the Gurukula must be routed through ISKCON Mayapur Treasury only

* Child Protection

o The greatest catastrophe is if we do not learn from the previous catastrophe: A thorough CPT enquiry to be done on the standards followed by the management on reporting of CPT cases.

o Special emphasis must be placed on child protection

o Committee recommends a combination of CPO and the international CPT to take this enquiry in great detail

o The enquiry committee, recommends the Co-Directors to inform the international CPT about the details about the circumstances in which ex- gurukuli letter was not reported

* Council

o Co-Directors should provide clarity on the role of council - what they are meant to address and not address

o Have a good mix of qualified and dedicated devotees in the council

o Sitaram Das should be a part of the fundraising team but not a part of the council

* Yajña course

o The Yajña course should be run by the Deity Worship Ministry and operated by the Mayapur Academy

* Shastra Caksu

o It is recommended the BOEX review the course content, teachers, method, etc., to ascertain the future of this course

o Co-Directors should inform the Ministry of Education about Haladhar Nitai Das taking guidance from Anirdesya Vapu Das

* Since there is conflict of interest: Subheksana Das should be kept out of voting by the Co-directors (or MEB) for any decisions related to Gurukula

Om Tat Sat

*****

Annexure1: Introduction of Panel

Shreejeeva Das

Temple President, ISKCON Guwahati. ISKCON India Bureau member. Radhika Nagara Das

Radhika Nagara Das began his journey in Krishna consciousness in 1995 upon meeting devotees in England during his trip to India. He joined the Scottish Yatra in 1996 to become a brahmacari. For twelve years, he tirelessly distributed books all across the North of England, facilitated seven nama hattas, started the Krishna Conscious Society at Leeds and Sheffield Universities, and actively participated in various Hare Krishna festivals. From 2003 to 2008, he served as the sankirtana leader and a member of the Board of Directors of ISKCON Scotland. All the members of his sankirtana party were top book distributors in Europe for most of that time. ISKCON Scotland raised funds for multiple ISKCON projects, including the Mayapur Gurukula.

In 2008, he made a bold move to Mayapur and became a sastric teacher the following year. Since then, he has been actively teaching and coordinating Bhakti-sastri, Bhaktivaibhava, and Bhaktivedanta courses at the Mayapur Institute. Moreover, he served as a member of the Mayapur Institute Board of Directors from 2009 to 2020. He has a Bhaktivaibhava degree and has taken most of the educational courses facilitated in ISKCON Mayapur for the last 15 years.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, he travelled every year to distribute books in England and to teach Bhakti-sastri and Bhaktivaibhava in the UK, Spain, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. He has taught at the VIHE and the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta. In 2021, he took the initiative to start the Spanish branch of the Mayapur TV, which now has weekly classes and interviews with ISKCON leaders. The YouTube channel has gained a considerable following of 3500 people. 

He founded the Academia de Bhakti in 2023, a platform dedicated to teaching Bhakti-sastri and Bhaktivaibhava to Spanish-speaking devotees, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to spreading the message of Krishna consciousness. He is currently living in Mayapur with his family and is coordinating the Bhaktivedanta course at the Mayapur Institute. He is also a trained professional life coach.

Vraja Vinoda Syama Dasa

Vraja Vinoda Syama Dasa (Vinod Rao), is practicing in the ISKCON Movement from 2010. He is a disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami. First initiation 2015 and Brahman initiation in 2020. Educationally, has a degree in Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Marketing. He has had many corporate leader positions in Bangalore, Dubai and Mumbai. He retired at from his role fo head HR and Senior Vice President Wealth Management, at a young age of 42.

He got the opportunity to be a full time servant at ISKCON Mayapur in March 2021. Since then he has been serving as in-charge of SRD (Seva Resource Development) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). He also is a part of the TOVP fundraising team.

He has also completed the certificate courses like Bhakti Sastri, TTC and Devotee care. He is currently pursuing his Bhakti Vedanta degree from Mayapur Institute.

End of Annexure1

Annexure 2: Ex-Gurukuli Letter, Names redacted

To the teachers and staff of the gurukul: XXXX speaking. I'm facing a conflict of emotions, on one hand, there is the wonderful experience of gurukul: sadhana, austerity, and friendships are among the many positives that gurukul has to offer. For the most part, I'm happy that I spent 10 years in the school. I really am. However, there is this relentless thought that, from where I'm standing, is over-shadowing all the light and good that I was given. The sexual abuse between children, whether it's amongst kids of the same age, or it's the older boys taking advantage of the young ones. 

XXXX has just gone through counseling and he's taken big steps to make himself happy and comfortable with himself; with who he is and what he's been through. However, in doing so, he's stepped away from Krsna, which is most unfortunate. The details and accounts he shared with me made me realize that when I was there these things, this abuse, became almost normal. "Oh that one and this one did some nonsense." And sure, steps were taken, internally, but I think a lot more could have been done. 

The things that XXXX has been through are outrageous and disgusting. (He's not the only one.) For even one boy in your school to go through the things that he did and not get any help from a professional is truly baffling to me. I'm telling you now, at this point in my life, from where I'm standing, I'd never send my son to gurukul. The sheer amount of abuse that happened when I was in school makes it impossible for me to even recommend the school to another parent. 

I've talked to XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX, and we counted 22 boys (that we know of). There will be more that we don't know of. If I keep asking around, I'd probably find a lot more kids who have been involved in some sort of sexual interaction, either as victims, as perpetrators, or consensually. All three are victims under a certain age as far as I'm concerned. I would think most people that instigated the abuse regret their choice in their adulthood. I know I would. For fuck's sake, I've had someone come into my mosquito net when I was sleeping, I've had older boys manipulate me and take advantage of me, and I've been in willing encounters. 

Please note that most of this happened before I hit puberty or in the beginning stages of puberty. I forgive myself and a lot of the other boys involved. One I still wish would drop dead. I know for a fact that these same things have happened to other boys that I've spoken to. I've locked these memories in a dark room in my mind and I know so many others have done the same. I don't need to tell you guys that that is not the correct way of dealing with trauma and abuse. 

I'll spare you the details of what happened. You know most of them already. What I'm saying is that with all the good, and there is so much good, there's what I'm calling "horny teen syndrome" which is completely out of control. Kids sucking other kids dicks is where I broke. That's where I draw a clear red line. It's one thing if they're awake, but when you've got something like this happening to a sleeping boy or you've got some guy jacking off onto another boy as they sleep... 

There's no fucking way you can convince me putting my kid into your school is worth it. 22 kids, that's a lot. Thank God no teachers were involved (XXXX ?). Here's the bottom line: If there's not a solution, and fast, you'll have another old gurukul situation --- where the boys grow up and aren't happy with what happened to them. And then they remember that even when the teachers did find out, very little energy was put into making

Sure the mental health of these children, of us, was ok. Both immediately, at the time of the incident and further down the track. This stuff doesn't go away in a hurry. I wasn't going to say anything but stuff it, here we are. We have to face the music. This is what it is and something's got to change. As long as there's boys going through puberty "horny teen syndrome" will be there. And as long as that's there the abuse can, and will, continue. I said at the start, I loved gurukul, there was and hopefully is so much good there. But this abuse is a cancer, and I would like to know what you're doing about it. A brother and student, XXXX Das

End of Annexure 2