http://www.harekrsna.org/gbc/black/childabu.htm
Bhurijan
and his wife Jaggatarini arrived to 'teach' at the new gurukula in mid PA,
later to be called the Gita Nagari farm, around 1976. Bhurijan had a seemingly
endless list of "crimes and punishments". Most of the punishments
seemed to involve going behind the haystack for a caning in one way or another.
-- from this gurukula 1975-1976 (10 Dec/96)
Bhurijan was a teacher in Vrindavan gurukula starting from around 1982 until some time in the not-too-distant past.
Bhurijan was an intense emotionally abusive teacher, and seemed to delight in controlling and feeding the fear environment. He fully endorsed all the abusive policies.
He was not known to sexually molest the boys, but he certainly ignored that molestation that was taking place and hardly did anything when it was "discovered".
When sexual molestation of children became publically known in the society, the only action that he took was to remove these teachers and monitors from the school. He, along with Dhanudar, used the principle 'not in our backyard'. The pedophiles were just relocated to another temple where they could continue molesting children. There was no attempt at justice or retribution or apologies to the children or parents.
My
Memories of Bhurijan & 'His Art of Teaching'
BY: GURUKULA ALUMNI
May 08, USA (SUN) — I am grateful to the devotees who have been revealing the true history and nature of Bhurijan. How many devotees know who he really is and what he has done over the years? It seems that everyone thinks that he is this nice sincere soul that has never even hurt a fly. But there are many of us who know better. Over the years we have remained quiet, but that was in the days when it was seen as a sin to reveal the sinner. But now it seems that we have a voice and a voice that is not too meek to be heard. Heard, but not listened to.
Bhurijan was a teacher in the Gita-nagari Gurukula from 1976 and this is where he displayed his emotionally abusive teaching techniques on us kids. This is also where he gathered his 'experience' as a teacher that allegedly qualified him to write "The Art of Teaching."
I am not sure how many of the readers have been in the situation where you are in a boarding school and you are only nine years old? Nine is when you are not quite a little kid and not quite an adolescent. It is a time for rapid emotional and social growth and development and so it is a very impressionable period in a child's life. If you can remember what is was like when you were a pre-adolescent then you can relate to what we were feeling and how scared we were when things got out of control. Not with us, that is, with the teachers.
One day we were all called to the room by Bhurijan who was so angry that spittle was flying from his mouth with rage, because on the shower room floor was some stool. Bhurijan, an emotionally manipulative abuser was ranting and raving as he threatened to "discipline" the culprit with his "stick" and that none of us could leave until the culprit was revealed.
As you could imagine we were all freaked out as we watched him rant and rave about beating one of us, for what seemed like an eternity. The kid who did it was probably too scared to own up to it, especially since Bhurijan was so angry. No one wants to be beaten by someone who was so out of control. Especially not a terrified nine year old!
Then after what seemed like an eternity, a NINE years old boy (the son of Amekhala and Manihara) spoke up. He took the blame and he didn't even do it!!! I have no idea where you got the courage to take the blame but somehow you did, thanks for ending that horrific episode for us all!
The idea that a teacher (Bhurijan) could employ methods of punishing the children (beating them with a stick) for telling the truth is immoral and discouraged honesty and morality. This was not a constructive approach to developing a child's values. It was a rather OXYMORONIC idea.
Now as the years go by, I have seen Bhurijan grow in fame and position as we have faded into the background. I have even attended some of his lectures. There is no way that anyone can tell me that he has changed. For one, he still tries very hard to speak like he is reading a kid a bedtime story when he gives his classes. But we know what lies below that façade and it is definitely not humility and peace!
For too long we are being fooled by these people who masquerade as devotees but are really wolves in the dress of a sheep. To have these so-called devotees removed from positions is no big thing and they would not really make much of a difference to our movement. To be free of their shackles will only free us. How can we be a dignified society with such cheaters as our leaders? It is impossible. Our leaders must be devotees of high character and integrity and not criminals and users, like most of them are. It is time we shook them loose from their stranglehold on our movement!
I sincerely pray that all the devotees who are reading our letters please do something. Speak up for us. I for one will be so happy and relieved if so-called devotees like Bhurijan, Braja Bihari, Gauri and this Tamohara are removed and named for the traitors and rascals that they really are.
Maybe if Pragosh das, the Editor of Dandavats, looked into
the real history of Bhurijan he would not be so quick to publish Bhurijan's
"sweet 'n simple" essays on his website. We have all noticed how
Bhurijan is writing more frequently in an attempt to say: 'all is well. I
am still so very advanced.' He is thinking that he can distance himself from
the Gauri fiasco, but he will never be able to.
Jaya Kesava dasa ..... Yet we have a huge problem with Child Abuse. Even though such a small movement could have very easily dealt with the tiny number perverts who took advantage of us kids, the majority of devotees in positions of leadership and power spent all their time and energy in covering up the abuse. This cover-up has led to many of the problems that we are now facing within our movement.
Most of us kids have left the movement and many of us have become atheists. The GBC have only sleazed their way out of paying for our suffering by pleading bankruptcy and set-up more efficient means of covering up past, present and future abuses by allowing the Gurukul Principals to handle all the child abuse problems. The same principals who have covered up all the past abuses.
Yeah sure, the GBC has apologized, but how sincere was that? None of us accepted it. And we won't so long as the guilty still walk around like nothing happened.
Follow the example of the Catholic Church and make amends properly. Act properly and with integrity, if only for your own self worth!
Form a Subcommittee and start now to remove from their spiritual and managerial leadership positions the devotees who caused all this trouble!
Here is a short list, if you don't have the courage or the fortitude to start one:
Baktividyapurna Swami
Bhavananda das (Mayapur project)
Bhurijan das
Braja Bihari das
Dhanudhara Swami
Gauri das
Gopal Krsna Maharaj - GBC Vrindavan
Jayapataka Swami - GBC Maypur
Laksmi moni dd
Pragosh das (GBC)
Sesa das (GBC)
Tamohara das (GBC)
This is but a few past and present cover-up merchants that need to be removed from any positions of leadership and authority. If they are sincere, they will step down themselves for they know what they have done.
But until this is done, how can you expect to develop this movement properly? It must be built on integrity and truthfulness. Our leadership must protect us, not themselves at our expense!
ISKCON members are not the only ones who read websites like these. The world is watching how we as a responsible religious movement deal with our problems. How the GBC acts will be deemed history, and so far its history has been fraught with mistakes / cover ups / devious activities and criminality. Is that how we represent Srila Prabhupada, Krishna and Lord Caitanya?
Please remember that to let these diseased individuals go will not ruin us, but make us stronger. We are still only a very small movement and have a very long way to grow. We want to grow straight and strong to be able to accept more and more devotees into our family. Not grow ugly and twisted.
Your servant,
Jaya Keshava das
Jaya Keshava prabhu, Where do I Sign Up? That short list of devotees that was published by Jaya Kesava dasa makes it clear who is involved in all of this cronyism. Are they really this shameless? Who are they really fooling? Not us, that is for sure.
..... Getting back again to Bhurijan. So the Gurukuls are still the place of suffering for so many parents and children. He is still here and so are his disciples and the other cronies. Nothing has changed, has it? We as a movement did not learn one thing after the child abuse of the past. So much has happened and we are still glorifying the very same devotees who have caused all of this trouble.
I join the ranks of devotees who are standing up to this filth in our movement. I want to give my support to the short list and demand that they are made to suffer consequences. Force them to resign and take up Book Distribution! I am not going to leave this movement as some devotees suggest. This is my movement and not theirs. This is Jamabvati's son's movement. He is our future, not them! They are criminals and they need to be punished and not glorified!
I have amended the list, if it pleases Jaya Kesava prabhu:
Anuttama das
Anandavrindavan dd (aka Vrindavaneswari)
Bhaktividyapurna Swami
Bhavananda das (Mayapur project)
Bhurijan das
Braja Bihari das
Dhanudhara Swami
Gauri das
Gopal Krsna Maharaj - GBC Vrindavan
Jayapataka Swami - GBC Maypur
Kalakantha das
Laksmi moni dd
Pragosh das (GBC)
Prahladananda Swami
Radhanatha Swami
Satyadanya das
Sesa das (GBC)
Tamohara das (GBC)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Kishori devi dasi