RUSSIA NEWS: Money, GBC and "Spiritual Heritage".
One old devotee from Mayapur, who served in the brahmacari kitchen since the 90s, once said: "Krishna is in the heart, and the money is in the GBC safe".
The last couple of years, the ISKCON GBC has completely lost its shyness. Millions of dollars from the devotees' funds - those who donate their last thousand for prasadam - are spent not on preaching, not on Prabhupada's books, not on temples in poor countries, but on building apartments for "leaders", business class trips and endless retreats for the "elite".
Where is the reporting? Where is the transparency? Where is any adherence to the principles of the acharyas?
When Srila Prabhupada spoke about finances, he was strict: "Every rupee is for Krishna". And now - every rupee goes to "management of Krishna" in the style of corporate CEOs.
While ordinary devotees clean toilets and live on 2000 rupees a month, "gurus" and "GBC members" arrange for themselves premium resorts in Jagannath Puri or Bali and villas in Tirupati or somewhere else. All this under the guise of a "spiritual mission".
GBC ISKCON is a corporation. Gurus are directors. Discipleship is a franchise.
And if you ask questions - you are an "envious critic", you have "aparadha", and you will "fall down like a Mayavadi".
Or maybe just stop being silent?
CBD: Precise description ..... one of my cousins, a seniour captain, a former Lt.-Col at the German Luftwaffe, and now Lufthansa, was quite 'surprised' to hear that in his Airbus 350 on an intercont flight there were 3 iskcon GBC 'sannyasis' flying in ..... 1st Class.... I have the logs and names and everything. I asked him to verify ..... It is a shame ..... I will not publish the details, because a) I do not want to disturb Sri Krsna and b) Lufthansa would sue me for breach of confidentiality. ----It is really a shame .....as many foot-soldier devotees live in poverty and struggle to make a living....
TG: "Sometimes a devotee needs to step aside. Not because he has cooled off or lost interest. But because it is the only way to remain honest - to himself, to Srila Prabhupada, to the Lord.
Now that we have analyzed the essence of what is happening, it becomes obvious: the GBC system is increasingly turning into a mouthpiece for globalist structures. It is not just an administrative apparatus - it is already a conduit for someone else's philosophy, someone else's agenda.
And when a devotee realizes this, it can become difficult for him to be around. It is especially difficult to see how other devotees, and good devotees, sincere ones, fall under the influence of this delusion. How they begin to repeat someone else's rhetoric, to protect someone else's interests, thinking that this is serving Prabhupada.
It hurts. Just watching it is painful. But this is not a reason to condemn. And this does not mean that we lose faith in devotees. On the contrary, this is a temporary moment. The time will come when communication will open again, when we will be able to speak with our hearts.
But for now - silence. For now - pause.
Because this is the path of honesty. And purification."
====
Fundraiser by Robert Cecil : Healer Hurt in Car Crash — Help Vaishnavi Recover
PADA: Oh oh pilgrims, another "surrendered to ISKCON devotee," who cannot cover their medical expenses. It never ends. ys pd
=====
“Keeping it in the family – Bhakti in the line of Nityananda Prabhu”
PODCAST: Episode 166 – Monday 14th April 2025
WATCH ON:
- Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheHareKrishnaProject
- YouTube at www.youtube.com/@NaradaDasUK
We’re delighted to welcome Baladev Prabhu as our guest on this week’s podcast.
Born in Kansas, Missouri (USA) in the mid-1980s, he has had an interest in both spirituality and social justice from a young age.
A paralegal by profession, his journey over the last 15 years has taken him through ISKCON, the Sri Chaitanya Sangha and the Vedanta Society of the RamaKrishna Mission.
Now, a dedicated disciple of Nityagopal Goswami Prabhupada he regularly sings of the glories of his Gurudeva.
Nityagopal Goswami Prabhupada is a direct biological descendant of Nityananda Prabhu. Along with his brother Premgopal Goswami Prabhupada, he is in the 14th line of descent and has a growing number of disciples around the world.
In this week’s podcast, Baladev talks with Narada Prabhu about:
- The Nityananda Vamsa (‘lineage’ or ‘family’)
- A number of differences between the Nityananda line and the Sarasvat line
- His love for his guru and what a deep spiritual connection means to him
- The need for the Hare Krishna movement to ‘open up’ and welcome more people
To read Nityagopal Goswami’s latest book visit: www.amazon.co.uk/BHAKTI-KATHĀ-Lectures-Prabhupād-Goswāmī-ebook/dp/B0DHT3TPR5
This week’s podcast is not to be missed!
For more details about The Hare Krishna Project check out our website
www.theharekrishnaproject.org.uk
#Podcast #TheHareKrishnaProject #HareKrishna #Bhakti #NityanandaVamsa #NityanandaLine #NityagopalGoswami #TraditionalLines
NOD: Purity of Devotional Service
In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's great associate Lord Nityānanda, a class of priestly persons claimed to be the descendants of Nityānanda, calling themselves the gosvāmī caste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service belonged only to their particular class, which was known as Nityānanda-vamsa. In this way, they exercised their artificial power for some time, until Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākur, the powerful ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, completely smashed their idea.
There was a great hard struggle for some time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctly and practically established that devotional service is not restricted to a particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged in devotional service is already on the status of being a high-class brāhmaṇa. So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākur's struggle for this movement has come out successful.
It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, from any part of the world or any part of the universe. Anyone who is a pure Vaiṣṇava is situated transcendentally, and therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely to be in the modes of goodness, is already achieved by such a person. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the Western world is based on the above-mentioned proposition of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, our spiritual master.
On his authority, we are claiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The so-called brāhmaṇas claim that one who is not born into a brāhmaṇa family cannot receive the sacred thread and cannot become a high-grade Vaiṣṇava. But we do not accept such a theory because it is not supported by Rūpa Gosvāmī nor by the strength of the various scriptures.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī specifically mentions herein that every man has the birthright to accept devotional service and to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures, and he has especially quoted one passage from Padma Purāṇa, wherein the sage Vasiṣṭha tells King Dilīpa, "My dear King, everyone has the right to execute devotional service, just as he has the right to take early bath in the month of Māgh [December-January]."
Similarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 5th Chapter, Karabhājana Muni addresses King Nimi and says, "My dear King, a person who has given up the worship of the demigods and has completely concentrated his energy in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has become very, very dear to the Lord.
====
Fundraiser by Robert Cecil : Healer Hurt in Car Crash — Help Vaishnavi Recover
PADA: Oh oh pilgrims, another "surrendered to ISKCON devotee," who cannot cover their medical expenses. It never ends. ys pd
=====
“Keeping it in the family – Bhakti in the line of Nityananda Prabhu”
PODCAST: Episode 166 – Monday 14th April 2025

WATCH ON:
- Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheHareKrishnaProject
- YouTube at www.youtube.com/@NaradaDasUK
We’re delighted to welcome Baladev Prabhu as our guest on this week’s podcast.
Born in Kansas, Missouri (USA) in the mid-1980s, he has had an interest in both spirituality and social justice from a young age.
A paralegal by profession, his journey over the last 15 years has taken him through ISKCON, the Sri Chaitanya Sangha and the Vedanta Society of the RamaKrishna Mission.
Now, a dedicated disciple of Nityagopal Goswami Prabhupada he regularly sings of the glories of his Gurudeva.
Nityagopal Goswami Prabhupada is a direct biological descendant of Nityananda Prabhu. Along with his brother Premgopal Goswami Prabhupada, he is in the 14th line of descent and has a growing number of disciples around the world.
In this week’s podcast, Baladev talks with Narada Prabhu about:
- The Nityananda Vamsa (‘lineage’ or ‘family’)
- A number of differences between the Nityananda line and the Sarasvat line
- His love for his guru and what a deep spiritual connection means to him
- The need for the Hare Krishna movement to ‘open up’ and welcome more people
To read Nityagopal Goswami’s latest book visit: www.amazon.co.uk/BHAKTI-KATHĀ-Lectures-Prabhupād-Goswāmī-ebook/dp/B0DHT3TPR5
This week’s podcast is not to be missed!
For more details about The Hare Krishna Project check out our website
www.theharekrishnaproject.org.uk
#Podcast #TheHareKrishnaProject #HareKrishna #Bhakti #NityanandaVamsa #NityanandaLine #NityagopalGoswami #TraditionalLines
NOD: Purity of Devotional Service
In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's great associate Lord Nityānanda, a class of priestly persons claimed to be the descendants of Nityānanda, calling themselves the gosvāmī caste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service belonged only to their particular class, which was known as Nityānanda-vamsa. In this way, they exercised their artificial power for some time, until Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākur, the powerful ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, completely smashed their idea.
There was a great hard struggle for some time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctly and practically established that devotional service is not restricted to a particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged in devotional service is already on the status of being a high-class brāhmaṇa. So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākur's struggle for this movement has come out successful.
It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, from any part of the world or any part of the universe. Anyone who is a pure Vaiṣṇava is situated transcendentally, and therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely to be in the modes of goodness, is already achieved by such a person. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the Western world is based on the above-mentioned proposition of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, our spiritual master.
On his authority, we are claiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The so-called brāhmaṇas claim that one who is not born into a brāhmaṇa family cannot receive the sacred thread and cannot become a high-grade Vaiṣṇava. But we do not accept such a theory because it is not supported by Rūpa Gosvāmī nor by the strength of the various scriptures.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī specifically mentions herein that every man has the birthright to accept devotional service and to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures, and he has especially quoted one passage from Padma Purāṇa, wherein the sage Vasiṣṭha tells King Dilīpa, "My dear King, everyone has the right to execute devotional service, just as he has the right to take early bath in the month of Māgh [December-January]."
Similarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 5th Chapter, Karabhājana Muni addresses King Nimi and says, "My dear King, a person who has given up the worship of the demigods and has completely concentrated his energy in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has become very, very dear to the Lord.
As such, if by chance or mistake he does something which is forbidden, there is no need for him to perform any purificatory ceremonies. Because the Lord is situated within his heart, He takes compassion for the devotee's accidental mistake and corrects him from within." It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā in many places that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, takes a special interest in His devotees and declares emphatically that nothing can cause His devotees to fall down. He is always protecting them.
PADA: Right. The Lord protects His sincere devotee and corrects them. OK so when the GBC gurus are falling down into illicit sex with men, women and children; taking percodans for headaches; drinking Vodka; watching porno; gambling in Reno; taking tons of psychotropics; claiming to be able to take sins like Jesus and then dying of cancer; giving up on the Krishna religion; or in the case of Vipramukhya becoming an atheist; or at age 77 trying to have an affair with a 24 year old female disciple; or dying as a long time drunk; and so on and so forth, that means:
THEY ARE NOT BEING PROTECTED BY THE LORD.
They are offenders, and offenders are not protected. ys pd
angel108b@yahoo.com
=================
PADA: The preaching here is pretty much, they cannot find hardly any Western people to fill posts in many temples. So they started to hire Bengalis to be cooks and poojaris under a GBC arrangement made by Jayapataka, who offered his people to the temples. So then we had these four Bengalis going to the doughnut shop after mangal arotike to chat with the young waitresses.
And one other feature was, once they got their green cards, they would often leave and get karmi jobs. We had ten of them working at the local Muslim restaurant at one point. Now we are finding that some of the ISKCON Hindu temple managers are not even veg. My friend complained to his GBC about that, and the GBC told him -- only the poojaris need to be veg, not the managers. It looks like ISKCON is morphing into a sort of professional paid brahmana organization, so they can bring in the Hindus and make the temples a sort of Hindu cultural hall.
They even had some Bhagavat Satpa guy here from India going to various temples. I think ISKCON is morphing into a sort of Hindu business, which is why Srila Prabhupada said, if the Hindus take over my mission, it will become a business. Now we have Hindu car blessings, baby blessings, marriages and even funerals at some temples.
Meanwhile some of the Western devotees are going around making another business -- of giving "trauma therapy" to the burnt out ISKCON refugees, which in my opinion, is simply another business. In sum, I see ISKCON going off on "mission drift" because the leaders are too weak or compromised to make things more to the actual standards. And as long as ISKCON is turning more and more into another Hindu temple type operation, Westerners are not going to come for understandable reasons.
And now we find some of these Hindu preachers have become expert motivational speakers and all of that, which they charge money for sessions sometimes even advertising it is for business people to become more efficient, which is -- yet another business. To me all this looks like money changers in the temple which is the problem Jesus was having. ys pd
=====
PADA: I consider you as a victim, and there are many others in your situation, or much worse situations. People sometime want to surrender to the Supreme God, because that is an attractive idea. But in the material world, there are many false shelters, and many, most, or even almost all of the citizens of Kali Yuga -- get on the wrong path to the Supreme God. That is unfortunate. And thus, as Srila Prabhupada laments, the blind are leading the blind into a ditch. Then what?
PADA: I consider you as a victim, and there are many others in your situation, or much worse situations. People sometime want to surrender to the Supreme God, because that is an attractive idea. But in the material world, there are many false shelters, and many, most, or even almost all of the citizens of Kali Yuga -- get on the wrong path to the Supreme God. That is unfortunate. And thus, as Srila Prabhupada laments, the blind are leading the blind into a ditch. Then what?
There is nothing else a person can do except, dust themselves off, get back on their feet, get back out of the ditch, and carry on trekking towards the Supreme Being. There is no plan B, C or any other option, we have to carry on trying to attain the Supreme Being, no matter what we have done or gone through up to now. So that is my hope for you, stick to the road, go forward, and focus on where you are going and not where you have been. Of course, asking forgiveness for our sins is also a good sign, it is a sign of humility and honesty. At the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by hankering and lamenting, that will slow down our progress. ys pd