Radhanatha's cult's deviations increasing (ISKCON) ys pd

Radhanath vs. Prabhupada

BY: SUN STAFF Oct 07, 2011 — CANADA (SUN) — We are continuing to receive distress signals from members of the Radhanath camp in Chowpatty and elsewhere around the world. A growing segment of the Swami's disciples and followers are becoming very concerned about the direction the yatra is taking. Some are only starting to become disquieted, while others are now experiencing great anxiety about the situation. The things that concern them have been discussed here in the Sun quite often over the last few years, and are now openly discussed between some GBC members and ISKCON leaders.

[PADA: According to GBC documents, Radhanatha was to be made a guru -- providing -- he was not indicted for the murder of Sulochana in West Virginia. So this is the new standard for guru in ISKCON, anyone who is implicated in murder, but is not formally indicted, is qualified to be the sum total of the demigods. Meanwhile, Radhanatha was deputed by the GBC to be their cheif attack dog on the ritviks, and he is the person behind suing the Bangalore temple. We need to stop Bangalore, so we can have Radhanatha and his deviations?] 

Rather than recite for the listeners yet again our own litany of Radhanath deviations, let us present the direct concerns of the devotees, in the form of this recently received email. Since the launch of Radhanath's self-glorifying book, American Swami, even his followers are finding it difficult to ignore his open fraternization with Mayavadis, which is diametrically opposed to the strict instructions of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. But an even more troubling phenomenon is now manifesting in Radhanath's camp, and that is the way in which his disciples are being instructed to limit their contact with other ISKCON devotees and temples.

[PADA: This was already going on in the 1980s, New Vrndavana devotees under Radhanatha were going to cities like Los Angeles and Berkeley to "do the pick" and those devotees would not go to the ISKCON temples. In fact these Radhanatha devotees were told to not make their presence known since they had no authority from the local GBC to be doing the pick in other "guru's zones." They were always independent of the rest of ISKCON under the authority of Radhanatha. And this is the same thing that was going on when Radhanatha introduced the devotees to wearing Christian monk's robes, singing self-styled English songs with a pipe organ, making women sannyasas who wore brown Christian monk robes, worshiping a murti of Jesus, and so on, ... yet no one else in ISKCON was asked if they could do that, Radhanatha was doing all this independently.] 

We should not be surprised, therefore, that Radhanath's camp is now deepening the divide by progressively rejecting His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Of course, not all of Radhanath's disciples and followers are engaged in this offensive nonsense, but enough are so that the trend appears to be getting institutionalized, as the letter below indicates:

[PADA: Radhanatha has never accepted the authority of Srila Prabhupada, he was the leader of all the deviations in New Vrndavana.]

From: ---- das
Date: October 7, 2011
Subject: Chowpatty & Pune

 

I have told that they have a system in ISKCON Pune where people who are joining this movement and young devotees, they are not allowed to read Srila Prabhupada's books first. They must read other books, like those of Radhe Shyam dasa (RNS). An incident happened where a devotee started reading Srila Prabhupada's books, and Radhe Shyam dasa got on his case, telling him that he should first read his books.

When asked "Why?" Radhe Shyam dasa said, because they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books. It was weird, because even Westerners, who were meat eaters and had different bad habits, became devotees just by reading Srila Prabhupada's books. What to speak of some pious souls who were born in India, in a Brahmin or lower families. How they cannot understand Srila Prabhupada's books with their at least cultural background?

So those devotees are so eager to read Srila Prabhupada's books, but they were told that they should became more elevated to understand them, so it is not for them yet. They also wanted to hear why Radhanath Swami didn't write about his life in ISKCON. Some say because nobody would join ISKCON if he wrote about ISKCON, so that's why he didn't write. We don't know if that's true, or they just speak that way around as gossip.

[PADA: Because Radhanatha had to cover up his implication in all the crimes at New Vrndavana, that is why he could not write about his own history there.]

After reading Radhanath Swami's book, Journey Home, some of his disciples from Chowpatty had doubts and questions, and they approached their senior Godbrothers and asked why Radhanath Swami spoke about different Mayavadis, impersonalists in his book, and put their pictures in his book? Srila Prabhupada's mission was to avoid them, and not promoting them, etc. The answer they got was that questions should not be asked. And that was the end of the conversation. So now they have serious doubts, confused minds, and don't know whom to ask to get an answer. Another answer they got is that they do not know how to ask questions, so there will be no answers.

Some say that from then to now, there are no more questions and answers, either after classes or at disciple meetings, or in general (not sure exactly where, it should be checked directly, but they cannot ask any questions).

Perfect questions, perfect answers??? It seems they are not allowed to ask questions about Kirtanananda or New Vrndavana either. A devotee gave a class in some other city in India, and one mataji (a Radhanath Swami disciple from Chowpatty) said how his class was great, and that he is disciple of Radhanath's. But her friend told her no, that this devotee is a disciple of X Swami, and she replied "Really…?!". In a sense, saying 'Are they able to give a class?' or like, 'Who is X in comparison to Radhanath Swami and his disciples?' What a surprise that devotees who are not disciples of Radhanath could have any ability or potency to preach or possess good qualities… That is the attitude that some of Radhanath's disciples display very openly. 

There are also complaints on account of some Radhanath's disciples, that they became very proud in the sense that only what comes from Chowpatty temple and Radhanath is good and best, and other models of preaching are not good or effective. And the same they apply personally to individuals -- that only his disciples are good and best, but others are not.

So they developed a system, that if you want to give a Bhagavad-gita class, you are not allowed to use Srila Prabhupada's lectures or purports. But you can give class on Bhagavad-gita from the Bhagavad-gita Manual written in Chowpatty temple by their devotee(s). When a devotee in another city gave a class using Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita, and repeating Srila Prabhupada's class on that verse, the devotee got chastised and discouraged by Radhanath's disciple from Chowpatty, that this is not good -- that they should use the Chowpatty Manual for successful preaching, and stop using Srila Prabhupada's books. And the class was in the temple, not somewhere outside.

(Edited slightly for readability.)