I Can No Longer Remain Silent (Krsna Devata DD)

What a mess these bogus gurus have made of Iskcon.

I may lose friends with this statement. However, I cannot remain silent, when silence continues to passively allow a child abuser credibility as a Guru and Sannyasi in our Society.

Last Monday, Oct.5, 2020, Dhanurdhara Swami made a public post on social media discussing a broadcast series by The Late Morning Program with Namarasa Podcast which was an interview / discussion with Venketabhatta Prabhu (Vineet Chander), and then another including Hridayananda Dasa Goswami and Brahma Tirtha Prabhu (Bob Cohen).

Dhanurdhara Swami took the opportunity to criticize Hridayananda Goswami’s preaching program, Krishna West, while elevating and glorifying the efforts of Radhanath Swami and the Bhakti Center, and the travel tours of Raghunath Cappo. In doing so, Dhanurdhara Swami is elevating his own credibility and authority by assuming he has authority, equal to these ISKCON Gurus, to give such commentary on Srila Prabhupada’s Society. This is highly problematic for so many reasons.

Dhanurdhara Swami has a horrific history of physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually abusing boys in his care, during his years as the principle of the ISKCON’S International Boys Gurukula, in Vrindavan, India. Under his supervision, there was rampant sexual abuse and rape of children entrusted to his care in ISKCON Gurukula. 

“As a result of the litigation in Texas, and the 600-plus claims filed in the bankruptcy court, we now have a vast body of information (evidence) that was not available in 1999. Although much was known with respect to allegations of physical and mental child abuse by Dhanurdhara Swami at the Vrindavan gurukula, we have now have even more information than we had at that time. Based upon this additional information, it is now unequivocally clear to ISKCON’s legal team that the damage inflicted by Dhanurdhara Swami was significantly greater than that which was known in 1999. 

"In fact, DHANURDHARA SWAMI IS NAMED AS AN ABUSER in the bankruptcy claims FAR MORE THAN ANY OTHER PERSON" from 2006 Summary and Notes to the CPO Case of Dhanurdhara Swami by from Amarendra Prabhu (Capitalized emphasis is mine).

His victims have petitioned ISKCON leadership for 3 decades to clearly and decisively remove such a person from ALL POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP, public worship or positions of trust within our Society and communities. ISKCON’s Child Protection Office has many policies and rulings restricting Dhanurdhara Swami’s access and activities on ISKCON property. However, Dhanurdhara Swami has consistently found the loopholes, and continues to initiate, lecture and advise disciples within ISKCON communities, particularly the Bhakti Center in New York.
Pre-Covid-19: I was informed there have been a number of initiations in private residences affiliated with the Bhakti Center. Bhakti Center congregational members have also told me there have been occasions when someone turns off the live-stream cameras in the temple room when Dhanurdhara Swami visits or lectures. 

Now, during these pandemic times, when all sangha and congregation has turned to online platforms, this area of our Society is being manipulated.

Dhanurdhara Swami praises Bhakti Center and Raghunath Cappo’s India tours as exemplary programs of cultural connection and relevancy, yet he directly tarnishes their public reputation by promoting them personally.

What Dhanurdhara Swami fails to mention is that he personally benefits from the India tours he is promoting, as Raghunath Cappo brings all his retreat groups to be lead by this child-abuser. Dhanurdhara Swami garners support of new followers from the growing yoga community of New York. Raghunath Cappo is one of Dhanurdhara Swami’s original disciples, but he conveniently refers to Radhanath Swami as his guru for public cover, since declaring his actual guru would not bode well for his public profile.

Bhakti Center and Radhanath Swami have a long history hosting and promoting Dhanurdhara Swami, until they wanted to be formally recognized within the ISKCON umbrella. Since that time, Bhakti Center Directors reluctantly agreed to discontinue public support and promotion of Dhanurdhar Swami, in order to comply with ISKCON Child Protection policies. As anonymously reported by Bhakti Center members, there is a public demonstration of compliance with ISKCON policies, while privately cultivating a culture of bypassing of these issues with misappropriated “forgive and forget” messages from Bhakti Center leadership.

This incongruence of policy, practice and integrity of Bhakti Center leadership, Radhanath Swami and Raghunath Cappo creates further harm and disharmony within our Krishna Society, by normalizing and legitimizing Dhanurdhara Swami as a guru and sannyasi. Dhanurdhara Swami disciples are a significant part of the Bhakti Center and Radhanath Swami sangha. There is a seamless integration of Dhanurdhara Swami’s disciples and Radhanath Swami disciples. 

Dhanurdhara Swami is regarded as a siksa or advising guru and also an initiating diksa guru within that sangha. The normalization of such a man having “disciples” discredits and undermines the efforts of his victims who have been endeavoring for 3 decades to have him restricted from any institutional roles of trusted authority, public worship or leadership in ISKCON.

It is only because of a following of disciples, that any Guru can maintain that title, position, power, prestige and profit. The existence of Dhanurdhara Swami’s “disciples” has always been posed as a gas-lighting quandary: “but what about the disciples?” However, Dhanurdhara Swami only had 6 disciples (including Raghunath Cappo) when the first ISKCON Child Protection investigations were conducted, and initial restrictions made upon Dhanurdhar Swami’s position within ISKCON.

Even though Dhanurdhara Swami is not a legitimate ISKCON Guru, he is an independent, illegitimate leader, who is still regarded highly as a Sannyasi, gaining the privileges and worship assigned to such robes. His position continues to be fortified by his active effort to initiate disciples, and find shelter amongst the vast numbers of Radhanath Swami disciples.

Dhanurdhara Swami has used the power imbued upon him by his disciples, followers, friends and supporters to maintain a position of power and influence in the grey areas of our Society. He has entrenched himself within Radhanath Swami’s vast sangha, garnering sympathy, favor and legitimacy for his false position. By finding grey areas, loopholes, and those with public influence, Dhanurdhar Swami evades Child Protection restrictions and culpability.

By insinuating himself into this very complex and necessary public conversation for our ISKCON society, Dhanurdhara Swami is manipulating an important topic to elevate his own position, presuming he has any position or relevance in our Society. (Also, do we need another white man in power to discuss our cultural connections to India?)

Radhanath Swami’s silence is deafening, as he continues to harbor and promote a child-abuser within his sangha. Even if this is tacit permission, it remains as incongruous adherence to ISKCON’s policies. Dhanurdhar Swamis’ continued involvement in the Bhakti Center community and Raghunath Cappo’s retreats tarnishes the integrity and reputation of ISKCON, undermines the decades of progress made in the efforts to protect children within ISKCON.

ISKCON’s horrific history of harm against children tarnishes Srila Prabhupada’s legacy. By allowing this man any amount of legitimacy as a Guru and Sannyasi, it perpetuates harm against his surviving victims (and not all of them have survived, as a number of his victims have taken their own lives to escape the life-long mental torment he inflicted upon them), and it disregards the authority of ISKCON.

I am deeply disappointed to see a prominent Guru and Sannyasi in ISKCON, such as Radhanath Swami and his preaching projects continue to minimize and perpetuate the pain suffered inflicted upon a generation of boys, by privately promoting and supporting Dhanurdhara Swami, who was a violent offender against children Vaisnavas (who are now grown adults).

Because the position of Guru and Sannyasa garner so much power, influence and worship, it is a huge position of public trust. Our collective trust is broken when a man who brutalized and tormented children remains in these saffron robes. The saffron robes alone, mean that many people bow down to the ground when they see him, offer flower garlands, opulent meals and an elevated seat.

Saffron robes are supposed to mean that one can live under a tree at any time, living in accordance with Bhagavat Dharma, renunciation and humility. We give generously and worship those who wear these robes, as they represent the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya, and the movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
I implore the ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry to formally disavow and defrock Dhanurdhar Swami, who still, by his apparel, represents himself as a sannyasi representative of Srila Prabhupada.

I call on the ISKCON Governing Body Commission to fortify the Child Protection policies regarding Dhanurdhara Swami, to encompass ALL AREAS of our extended society, including online congregation. Child Protection Office

I encourage all younger generations to remain aware and expect transparency and accountability of your leaders.

Because I have written publicly about Dhanurdhara Swami on numerous occasions while formally addressing ISKCON, I have used the language that they use. However, I will no longer call this man Swami, and will henceforth call him Dhanurdhar Das. I encourage others to make this change in language as well.
I offer this in service of healing and in the names of those who can no longer speak.

Sincerely,
Krsna Devata d.d.

[PADA: This is the same group that buries known homosexual pedophiles and porno swamis in samadhis in the dham. Not sure what good, what to speak of accountability, we could expect from such a group? 

Yep, the same people who ruined the second generation of ISKCON children with a mass molesting project -- which bankrupted ISKCON -- are still the hero leaders, swamis, gurus, yogis, samadhi candidates and authorities of ISKCON. That means nothing substantial has changed. There has not been any root and branch "reform". It is all a bluff. Anyway, let us not be silent anymore, good idea! ys pd]