Cooperation / Offering Bhogha / Kirtanananda 05 16 24

COOPERATION

Thanks prabhu:

Sorry? I needed to "cooperate" with Krishna Kant's IRM, and he wanted me to drop the molesting issue, book changes issue, poison issue, and take a vacation in the Caribbean under the direction of Jayapataka. Can't do that, sorry. Purujit wanted me to help him endorse his edited Gita. Can't do that either. Mathura Pati wants me to help him promote Saint Radhanath's cheer leaders like Bhakta das, and he is working with Purujit, who has edited the Gita. Nope. 

Point is, if I work with anyone of these folks, then all the other Prabhupada people will reject me. These folks all have separate agendas from the main idea of promoting Srila Prabhupada's important issues. They may be promoting part of what I am doing, and that is good, but they are not on board with all the issues. So if I support anyone of them, I will lose the support of most of the overall Prabhupada group. None of these people has a good track record of working cooperatively with other devotees. 

ys pd    

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OFFERING BHOGHA

There is a discussion going on about the proper method for offering bhoga and what was Srila Prabhupada's instruction about it.

Some people (for example Gaur Keshava Das) are making the claim that in a later letter Srila Prabhupada was referencing the Archana Paddhati book of the Gaudiya Math, or of one the versions from one of the Gaudiya matha branches, and that we should be following that instead of Srila Prabhupada's own instruction on how to offer bhoga. The full letter is included at the end of this comment.

We should note that "Arcana-paddhati" referred to in that letter is not referencing any written book, neither is it referring to the Gaudiya Matha's "Arcana-paddhati" book. It is a generic title of a book "to be written" (compiled) in the future, as indicated within that letter by the words "a book to be compiled by Nitai Prabhu based on Hari-bhakti-vilasa on Deity worship".

The name simply means "Method of deity worship", and is a generic title used for any book that explains the system of worship. The intention was a new book would be written based on essential instructions from Hari Bhakti Vilasa to serve as a guide book for devotees in ISKCON.

In the following two letters Srila Prabhupada makes clear about his idea for the Archana Paddhati book which was supposed to be compiled by Nitai Das:

"What are those Bengali dramas that Nitai is working on? He should work on arcana-paddhati, not divert his attention here and there. He should make Hari-bhakti-Vilasa into short cut, not more than twenty pages. He can consult Nrsimha Vallabha Goswami for help in this matter. This should be his first consideration now." - Srila Prabhupada letter to Akshayananda Maharaja (January 13, 1976)

"Now beginning from this year's Mayapur festival the devotees will begin preparing for Bhakti-sastri examination. Therefore we require a guidebook for Deity worship, arcana-paddhati, based on Hari-bhakti-Vilasa. All brahmanas will be responsible to learn this book. I would like to have the manuscript ready as soon as possible, preferably by Gaura Purnima. So please work diligently for this. Pradyumna began this, but I do not know what he has done with his work." - Srila Prabhupada letter to Nitai (January 9, 1976)

Since it is not a book that exists, there is nothing that can be quoted from this nonexistent book. It is not referring to the Gaudiya Matha's version of a guide book by the same name.

Every distinct branch of a sampradaya or even individual mathas will have their own versions of these types of books for puja, songs of vaishnava acharyas, manual for new devotees, etc.

Later in 1978 Jayatirtha Das, as one of the zonal acharyas, published a translation of the Gaudiya Matha's Archana Paddhati book in ISKCON instead of fulfilling Srila Prabhupada's request that a new book should be made by summarizing Hari Bhakti Vilasa into 20 pages.

As far as some of the people involved in this topic, Jayatirtha was later beheaded, Nitai Das rejected Srila Prabhupada and become an envious snake attacking Srila Prabhupada for decades, and Gaur Keshava Das took re-initiation in the Sri Sampradaya because he wanted something "more authentic" than Srila Prabhupada's initiation.

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Referenced letter:
Letter to: All Governing Body Commissioners
Dated: Jan. 6, 1976
Location: Nellore, South India
Letter to: All Governing Body Commissioners
76-01-06

To

All Governing Body Commissioners
Re: Examinations for awarding titles of Bhakti-sastri, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhaktivedanta and Bhakti-sarvabhauma. Your response is requested immediately by Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. Srila Prabhupada has requested me to write you in regard to the above examinations which he wishes to institute. Here in India many persons often criticize our sannyasis and brahmanas as being unqualified due to insufficient knowledge of the scriptures. Factually, there are numerous instances when our sannyasis and brahmanas have fallen down often due to insufficient understanding of the philosophy. 

This should not be a point of criticism nor a reason for falldown, since Srila Prabhupada has mercifully made the most essential scriptures available to us in his books. The problem is that not all the devotees are carefully studying the books, the result being a fall down or at least unsteadiness.

His Divine Grace therefore wishes to institute examinations to be given to all prospective candidates for sannyasa and brahmana initiation. In addition he wishes that all present sannyasis and brahmanas also pass the examination. 

Awarding of these titles will be based upon the following books:

Bhakti-sastri - Bhagavad-gita, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, Isopanisad, Easy Journey To Other Planets, and all other small paperbacks, as well as Arcana-paddhati (a book to be compiled by Nitai Prabhu based on Hari-bhakti-vilasa on Deity worship)

Bhakti-vaibhava - All of the above plus the first six cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam
Bhaktivedanta - All of the above plus cantos 7 through 12 of Srimad-Bhagavatam
Bhakti-sarvabhauma - All the above plus the entire Caitanya-caritamrta.

Anyone wishing to be initiated as a brahmana will have to pass the Bhaktisastri exam and anyone wishing to take sannyasa will have to pass the Bhaktivaibhava examination as well. This will prevent our Society from degrading to the level of so many other institutions where, in order to maintain the Temple, they accept all third class men as brahmanas. Any sannyasis or brahmanas already initiated who fail to pass the exams will be considered low class or less qualified. Anyone wishing to be 2nd initiated will sit for examination once a year at Mayapur. Answers will be in essay form and authoritative quotations will be given a bigger score. During the exams books may not be consulted.

Srila Prabhupada wishes to begin this program at this year's Mayapur meeting. He requests that you all send your opinions and comments here immediately so that everything may be prepared in time.

Hoping this meets you in the best of health and Krsna Consciousness.
Approved: Your servant,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Tamala Krsna Goswami

Personal Secretary

It’s embarrassing to me that devotees here in Alachua are being forced to follow the “bass ackwards” instructions of Gaura Keshava instead of Srila Prabhupada’s direct, rational instructions for offering bhoga to the Deities. I will NOT follow that stupid, offensive, idiocy of a rule. 

TD: Yes, it is coming from GK. I once read his reason is, because he does not believe the guru's to be pure like Prabhupada was. Therefore, not to offer to them first because the Deity should not take from someone less the perfect. 

So instead of just offering directly to Prabhupada first since we’re in HIS temple which solves everything, GK instructs to offer in an offensive, speculative way! He needs to throw out his padukas. They obviously interfere with his intelligence. 

P Dasi: Exactly. Instead of putting Prabhupada back in the center, it's about finding some odd way of maintaining a type of pretense. You hit the nail on the head. 

R Devi Dasi: Who is Gaura Keshava mataji? 

BL: Please let us maintain respect for someone we may disagree with but who has done so much service and is very dear to Srila Prabhupada. 

BB: Who is Gaura Keshava (GK) The big guy laughing at this thread. 

He’s a devotee that “specialized in Deity worship” but did not specialize in following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions for the seva of offering food to the Deities. When he added steps to ISKCON formal bhoga offerings like mula mantras on temple altars, it seemed unnecessary yet added some external pizzazz. 

Then he reversed the direct order of Srila Prabhupada’s for proper sequence of offering first to Prabhupada then Gaura Nitai then Radha Krishna etc. I have no idea how such a definite instruction from Srila Prabhupada was pushed aside and overridden by this jiva soul’s speculations. 

A Dasa: Today I spoke with Gaura Mandala Bhumi acbsp who was on the editing committee of the Archana Padhati along with Bhanu Swami and Gour Keshava. 

GMB had a big fight with GK because GK pushed like anything to have the Archana Padhati bhoga offering changed from Srila Prabhupada's guru first to his imported idea of Krishna first. When GK could not get his way he took reinitiation into the Sri Sampradaya, complaining Iskcon does not have proper Deity Worship standards. We all don't need to know any of the fancy mantras and razzmatazz that GK knows which he passionately believes makes him a Deity Worship expert and worthy of beneficial consultations. 

All we need to know is that Srila Prabhupada spelled it out very clearly in his 1968 letter that bhoga offerings are first offered to guru. That's it. End of GK's story telling. 

G Keshava Das - Gaura Mandala Bhumi Prabhu confirmed again today that he was on the GBC editing committee for editing the Arcana-paddhati. He is a very active and productive preacher in Indonesia. Why don't you call him and ask him? One of you needs a memory jolt. Speak to each other. 

J Dasi: iT IS NO LONGER PRASADAM PRABHUS! 

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KIRTANANANDA 

May 16, 2023: On this date in history 1 year ago, a reader posts a review of "Gold, Guns and God," Vol. 1:

Different individuals will draw different conclusions after examining Volume 1 of "Gold, Guns, and God" (GGG1) by Henry Doktorski. GGG1 reveals the filthy lifestyle of Kirtanananda with disturbing clarity. A key inference I drew from GGG1 is that depravity and perversion were deeply ingrained in the psyche of Kirtanananda to such an extreme degree as to make it impossible for him to suddenly renounce his twisted sexuality. In my view, the man described in GGG1 is the same man presented in Volume 2 (GGG2) and all of the remaining volumes. Deeply embedded wickedness, such as the kind chronicled in GGG1, does not suddenly vanish.

Since Bhaktipada Kirtanananda’s basic character did not improve even after meeting Srila Prabhupada, it stands to reason that Kirtanananda founded New Vrindaban with dark intentions. However, the historical evidence Doktorski uncovered is more powerful than mere a priori reasoning. Therein lies an important contribution of GGG2, specifically Doktorski’s insights into the inauspicious founding of New Vrindaban.

When I was a graduate student at The Ohio State University, I attended a class at the Columbus Temple in which Radhanath falsely told us, “New Vrindaban started out as a nice place. Then it became a different place. Now it is a nice place again.” Although Bhaktipada Kirtanananda advertised New Vrindaban as a divine sanctuary, it was a place of perversion from the start. His is not a story of a benevolent visionary who later became corrupt when he subsequently acquired power. Kirtanananda created an image of absolute dedication to Srila Prabhupada, while also deceiving and disobeying Prabhupada. Kirtanananda’s goal was to move Srila Prabhupada aside.

Suresh Persaud (Chand Prasad)
Maryland, USA