Vipramukhya Ex Swami

Viper tells us in his goodbye chitti, "I was approved for accepting disciples at the age of 32 and accepted my first disciples at the age of 33...[....]...Now, many years later, at the age of 49, I have reached a dead end in my ability to continue."

This tells us that Viper was a guru for SIXTEEN years. He also tells us that he has been a sannyasi for twenty years. Now, how can anyone after two decades of renunciation suddenly become a liar? It would be an affront to the spiritual process to conclude anything other than that Viper was always a liar, a pretender. Otherwise we would have to say that Viper was really a nice guy until he joined ISKCON. Not only was he a liar, he also tells us "Regretfully, I also confess that seeking some kind of recourse and companionship, I was not always able to strictly follow the regulative principles, though I was not able to discuss this with anyone." Surely, even an ocean of clonal sanctimony couldn't mistake the fact that Viper was galloping the maggot. He further confirms this with, "As my behaviour and activities are no longer appropriate for someone in the renounced order of life or spiritual leader, I will no longer be able to maintain those posts of honour." What 'behaviour and activities' is he talking about? No one has reported anything- so whatever activity he is referring to was being done behind closed doors and deceptively. "What could it possibly be?" asked Snow White.

Was he doing the scene with a magazine or were his realisations deeper? How long has it been going on? Who knew about it? Why wasn't the deception exposed? In all probability the truth was known to the GBC, but they never expose a galloping maggot unless it threaten the corporate cadaver. Then, they advise the jockey to declare that he is going stud, which is what has occurred in Viper's case. We can see the GBC connection here because in his death throws Viper shows his gratitude by advising his disciples: " Take shelter in Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada's senior disciples in ISKCON, who in turn will humbly try to serve and guide you through this difficult moment in your spiritual lives." Much like the gravestones that read "Rest in Peace," a foolish belief that a simple wish in death will achieve what so much endeavour in life could not. None of the "senior disciples in ISKCON" could help Viper yet he tells others to seek protection there. Corporate rascals every one of them. Goof Ball Controllers (GBC) who believe that even when members are dying a spiritual death, they should be pointing at the Iskcon donation box.

Finally, admitting to cleaning out the cupboard of all valuables (and this was a guru's cupboard not Mother Hubbard's**), Viper tells his disciples "However, it would be cruel and unfair if I were to falsely mislead you into believing that I am in some way qualified or capable to act as your true spiritual master. I am not..I wish to be left alone for a while." So, after sixteen years of syphoning sustenance in the name Srila Prabhupada, Vipermukhya tells his disciples that they have been duped by a fraud. "See you later suckers. I'm baring my libido in public and that's my payment to you for sixteen years of beer and skittles." And now he 'wishes to be left alone for awhile'-- to spend more time with his maggot, no doubt.

** "I ran Bhaktivedanta Manor responsibly for four years, with a million and a half pounds cash flow per year." Vipramukhya Swami (CHAKRA 29 May 2002 )

Just one last fact before closing. Viper wrote, "Obviously if I can manage Bhaktivedanta Manor for a few years, I must have something there. (CHAKRA 29 May 2002). Unless spirituality is gauged by an ability to float financially (which is the GBC criteria), Vipermukhya's Manor management was a spiritual disaster. In the pursuit of truth and truth alone (we have no enemies at the Manor): a BIF operative (who heard the story from a prominent Iskcon sannyasi), while travelling through the village in which the Manor is situated, had it confirmed by a drug-store attendant there, that the devotee community in that neighbourhood was the 'most lucrative market' for contraception.

Everyone knows that when Srila Prabhupada channelled ISKCON, it was the most dynamic movement within the three worlds. A certain magic pervaded the hearts and activities of all its postulants. The correct translation for this magic is bhakti shakti, or the delivering energy of the Lord invested in a particular personality. For the ISKCON GBC to go on believing that this energy is flowing through any one of them, or even the lot of them together, is silly. Even an idiot can see what is happening. What is even more stupid is the fact that if the 'siksa gurus' were to have performed initiations on behalf of Srila Prabhupada, they would have lost nothing. In fact, the coffers would have been overflowing along with the shakti. It was Tamal Krsna who introduced the nonsense, his egotism and megalomania has practically taken ISKCON to the point of no return. Tamal Krsna has been removed for a purpose. Maybe it is time to go into collateral damage. The belief that Lord Caitanya's movement will go on for ten thousand years should not be confused with ISKCON going down the tubes. Nowhere have we read that ISKCON will go on for the next ten thousand years. There is more than enough reason to reintroduce His Divine Grace as the only Diksa guru, simply due to the fact that Tamal's mis-interpretation of Srila Prabhupada's directive hasn't worked in twenty-five years. Surely, even the Goof Ball Consortium must be having some doubts by now?

No one can accuse Iskcon's bosshead of banality when it comes to wilful misinterpretation. The most notorious of course, being "ritvik" means "guru," and to no lesser degree: "poison means medicine." We also have the well documented: "All these friends" meaning: "some irrelevant guest," and then there's the "He didn't say I was poisoned" quote which was twisted to mean: "Not that I am poisoned." On and on it goes, but this letter deals with the "ritvik means guru" gryphon, or the GBC's Wax-Work-Wallies; the recapitulation of Iskcon's make-believe gurus distorting like wax puppets in meltdown. To put it plainly, calling a stiff a stiff: it's a danda problem. Where once the 'guru' walked exalted revered and upright, he 'falls down' gives up his danda and takes on a horizontal view of the world, although (some may argue) still upright. Such withered visions of upright fallen gurus are shrivelled further by titles like 'Falling up' (www.Saragrahi.com).

Namaskar aur Pranam. YS BIF.

Vipramukhya's goodbye letter
Iskcon Guru Bloops or "another one bites the dust"

Date: 11-Sep-02
From: Vipramukhya Swami
Subject: Apologies and departure

I'm sure some of you who saw me this summer, might have wondered why I had grown my hair out a little bit. One person even asked me about it the other day in England and I told him it was because of observing "chaturmasya" - the four months of the rainy season in India when sannyasis in the renounced order of life typically perform austerity, which sometimes includes not shaving.

And so it is with a heavy heart that I write this letter that I never thought would be written. After giving so many years of my life to the Hare Krishna Movement (more than 29), twenty of which have been as a sannyasi, I have reached an emotional and spiritual crossroads.

I have tried as sincerely as I could to give my mind, body and soul to the eternal service of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and also trying my best to help others in need. Yet, while working sincerely to help others, I regret that I neglected my own emotional and spiritual needs.

Although I never stopped chanting my rounds, over the last few years my rounds became "sloppy," and although I worshipped Salagram and Govardhan Silas, gave many lectures, and traveled the globe, I could not shake the loneliness and emptiness of my silent world.

I felt unable to discuss my problems with anyone for fear of repercussions and the blight that someone in my position might encounter for having such problems. Regretfully, I also confess that seeking some kind of recourse and companionship, I was not always able to strictly follow the regulative principles, though I was not able to discuss this with anyone except one kind devotee who has been a true friend.

It might come as a surprise to some of you that someone like me, who was blessed to have so many truly good and descent friends in the Hare Krishna Movement, could feel so alone and isolated within himself, but that is exactly what I have felt over the years.

I joined ISKCON at the age of 20 after a brief and short failed marriage from the age of 18. Two years later, at the age of 22, I was put up for consideration to take sannyasa, which I eventually did accept at the age of 28. I was approved for accepting disciples at the age of 32 and accepted my first disciples at the age of 33.

Now, many years later, at the age of 49, I have reached a dead end in my ability to continue.

There are truly good friends and disciples out there that have loved me and dedicated their lives to assisting ISKCON under my guidance, and for them I have no proper words to say. It is not that I want to neglect you or abandon you. It is only that I am simply unable to continue living the external show of being the advanced devotee that I am not. I don't think that would be beneficial either to you or to me.

There are advanced devotees in ISKCON, and it is my duty to request those who have accepted guidance and shelter under me to take shelter of other senior devotees within ISKCON, and if in doubt to consult your local GBC representative. I bear no ill toward the GBC or ISKCON, and have not ever knowingly preached in such a way that would be considered inappropriate for a representative of ISKCON.

As my behavior and activities are no longer appropriate for someone in the renounced order of life or spiritual leader, I will no longer be able to maintain those posts of honor.

As for me, I still believe in Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. I still believe in the GBC system that Srila Prabhupada set up for ISKCON. However, I will be living a life of seclusion from ISKCON now and will sort out my personal emotional and spiritual needs independently.

I sadly release my disciples and aspiring disciples. I hope that you do not curse me out of anger and despair. However, it would be cruel and unfair if I were to falsely mislead you into believing that I am in some way qualified or capable to act as your true spiritual master. I am not.

The email addresses that most people know for reaching me will be discontinued shortly after sending this letter. I wish to be left alone for awhile.

One or two persons regularly send me donations. Vrindavan-lila and the Garrisons in New York regularly send me money. I am no longer qualified to receive these contributions.

In Vancouver, Canada, I have a lot of stuff in a corner room in which I lived for many years at the temple. These things include the bed, the dresser of drawers, the couch, the electric heater and the microwave oven. I give these to Madhumati devi dasi with the exception of the bed, which should remain as part of the room. In that room there are some white cabinets to the right as you enter the door from outside. Jaya Govinda Prabhu has the key to those cabinets. I have already removed the valuables from those cabinets that I wish to keep and have taken them away. The rest may be discarded or kept by whoever desires them. The air conditioner belongs to Janardana dasa but I think he will not come and remove it from the room.

At Bhaktivedanta Manor in England I have some cabinets in the sannyasa guestroom in the brahmacari ashram. Likewise, I have already gone through these cabinets and removed what I wish to keep. However, in the right hand cupboard there is a chest of drawers (where the blue network wire emerges from). Next to that you will find two microphone stands. These belong to the theatre department. I am leaving them the pop-screens attached to those stands, although I have taken the studio microphones which I purchased with my mother's money.

Inside my small room between room 4 and 5 in the brahmacari ashram, I have also removed the things I wish to keep. I suggest the microwave oven remain as part of that small room. Of particular interest, however, is that I left a stereo CD player in that room. I wish that this CD player be given to Dvaraka Puri and the theatre department. The rest of the items in the room may be dispersed or discarded, as I have already removed whatever I wish to keep.

ISKCON Long Island, in Freeport, NY, owes me $10,000 plus interest for a loan I gave them to help pay off the mortgage, as documented in the promissory note that we drew up at the time of the loan. Although I am no longer continuing with my roles in ISKCON, I would expect that this money be paid back as planned, as this was money I received from my mother.

I wish you all well, and I pray that although fallen, I may one day be forgiven for my offenses. Although I have about 40 initiated disciples, there are a few very close friends and disciples who I see or speak with regularly and who will always be close to my heart, and who may be affected even more than others. I wish to mention these people by name. Manik, Prema Lila, Madhumati, Bhakta Chris and Rasa Parayani, Vraja Vilasini, Citralekha and Mirabhai - will all be deeply affected by my departure. Others such as Panca Pandava, Ekacakranath, Amrta Keli, Devahotra, Taruna Krishna and his wife Gokula Taruni, Mayapur Lila, and Vrindavan Lila have all been close disciples in Canada, the USA, Australia and Great Britain. My apologies to all of you for my shortcomings.

HH Vipramukya swami speaks: "I don't attend Hare Krishna temples. I might visit ocassionally if there was one around here, but the nearest temple is hundreds of miles from here. So I'm not a practicing Hare Krishna monk anymore. I'm just a correctional officer working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice." [quote]

Comment: What is amazing though how it is presented as the most normal thing. Today officiating as sannyasi and diksa-guru on the vyasasana of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya-Sampradaya and tomorrow, hi folks, I'm doing fine, got a job in Texas, don't feel offended, I love my girl-friend.

And this is basically the mood of present Vaishnavism what we have to get accustomed to. Something what reminds and explains why Srila Prabhupada as a young man hesitated at first to go and meet Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja.

What Prabhupada had seen throughout his youth and childhood was mainly 99% saints hooked to kali-yuga. Same what we obviously have today.

Just like the other day an ex-disciple told me, "well, I went to the marriage ceremony of my fallen guru who left the Vaishnava institution and the order of sannyasa, it was so nice and I saw him for the first time really happy. I wish him all well, actually I still feel like being his disciple."

You cannot say anything except, yes, nice wedding, wise decision to leave institutionalized Vaishnavism, in order to not being labeled as embittered. Basically this is where we're presently living in, people are emotionally caught to get cheated but demand from you to cooperate, tolerate and work with this kind of spirituality.

In recent memory there are two gurus within ISKCON who have “fallen down.” One guru covered it up and seemingly had ISKCON cover it up for awhile, then came clean and is now a retired guru/retired sannyasi. The other guru simply left and started a new life.

And so here I am, trying to figure out which is better. Clearly, neither are ideal.

A guru is the person who will be taking you back to Godhead. S/he is a liberated soul and a pure devotee. Obviously, any fall down is pretty well proof (in my book) that this person isn’t presently qualified. Yes, there is certainly redemption and the healing power of bhakti is something not to be taken lightly. However, neither of these ex-gurus have sought redemption (and neither of them have gotten it).

In the first case (Satsvarupa), he lied for two decades, making one of his disciple’s lives hell just so he could be around her. He then had a sexual relationship with her. Yeah, he fell down and there is redemption that can take place, but he doesn’t seem concerned about it. Especially seeing how he covered it up for 20 or so years. Why? Wasn’t there another option?

In the second case (Vipramukhya), he stepped down. He simply stopped being a devotee. He met a woman (who is now his wife) online, started a relationship with her and then stepped down. Now, leaving the devotees is not a good thing, but it seems like he didn’t know what else to do.

While both cases had different outcomes, the situations were strangely similar. Each were in a role that they could not play. Each tried to maintain standards they could not maintain. And though one chose to stay and one chose to leave, they each did so for the same reason.

In Satsvarupa’s case, he’s clearly not much more of a sannyasi than I am. Yet there he is, in the garb of a sannyasi, being seen and treated as a sannyasi (even though he has the status of “retired”). Why didn’t he step down? Why didn’t he put on white (or just blue jeans), continue with his painting and writing and just be a normal devotee?

And in Vipramukhya’s case, I could tell that he wasn’t on the up and up by the way his web page was changing. He was doing things on it that weren’t quite what a sannyasi should be doing. Nothing “bad” of course, but just indicators. And soon after that, he announced that he was stepping down to get married and also leaving the association of devotees. Why couldn’t he just put on white and be a regular grhasta?

Why couldn’t these two supposedly pure devotees take the humble position and still remain devotees? I don’t know. But in both cases it’s sad.

It’s sad in Satsvarupa’s case because he’s still playing a role that he’s clearly not meant to play. And it’s sad in Vipramukhya’s case because he’s no longer a devotee.

Folks, we really just have to allow each other to be honest. If our gurus and sannyasis can’t be gurus and sannyasis, at least let them be devotees. It does nobody any good if our gurus and sannyasis are fake. And it does nobody any good if our senior devotees (who were once gurus and sannyasis) leave.

But this is the situation that we put them in. This is because of the pressure that we apply.

All that said, I believe I’ve got more respect for Vipramukhya in his decision. While he left the association of devotees, which isn’t good, he didn’t lie for 20 years, falsely initiating devotees who thought he was pure. He met a woman and decided to leave. He didn’t stick around to make a huge mess that we’d have to make lame ass excuses for. He didn’t put us, as devotees, in a position where we have to create a whole new institution (that of “retired” sannyasi and guru). And most importantly, I don’t feel that Vipramukhya lied to us. Satsvarupa did quite a bit and we still don’t know the whole story. Yet, the “honest” one is gone and the other one is still worshiped.

I don’t have any answers, and I apologize for this basically becoming a rant, but it’s really something we should take a look at.

Nice piece Eric. Vipramukhya das wasn’t my own fake Guru and I might feel differently if he was but I wish him well and hope that he continues his spiritual journey with support from the devotee community. I’d have no problem sitting and having a chat or a chant with him. Satsvarupa Swami on the other hand makes me feel physically sick at the very sight of him. He’s also not my own fake Guru and I’ve not had any bad experience with him personally. Still, I see him and feel as though I just stepped, barefoot, into something nasty, and I don’t mean spilled sabji from lunch. Maybe I’m just a big ol’ demon. Yeah, that could be it. I don’t know.

On one matter, I do have a different opinion. You say “this is the situation that we put them in. This is because of the pressure that we apply” now I don’t really understand how “we” are putting pressure on them. Sure there’s pressure, but isn’t it coming from Sastra, Srila Prabhupada and the disciplec succession? The standard is high but for good reason. They are personally responsible for delivering those they have initiated. That’s the deal. So when a Guru gives initiation, he is saying that he’s qualified. The laws that prevent a person posing themselves as a doctor are there in order to protect the innocent who could be harmed. The standards set by sastra are there to protect the disciple AND the Guru.

Now let’s suppose we’re on a plane and the pilot has a heart attack and dies (hope no-one’s reading this on a plane). There’s no co-pilot and the only chance we have is a guy who’s been studying to be a pilot and has some hours in a flight simulator. He promises to do his best and try to follow what he’s learned. Now if this guy lands the plane safely, three cheers and a 7-Up for him. If he cracks under the pressure, fair enough, we plummet like a coconut laden swallow but he did his best, three cheers and a 7-Up for him. Let’s back up a bit, what if, after the pilot dies, some guy pushes to the front and declares himself a qualified pilot. Naturally we would all vote for him rather than the trainee pilot. If this guy starts to crack and make mistakes, perhaps because he wasn’t as qualified as the mail order diploma company said, but he refuses to admit it, even when the trainee could do better, should he continue to be in the driving seat? Should he get three cheers and a 7-Up?

I can’t see what a wonderful job our pilots are doing. Is the engine supposed to be on fire?

I just saw Vipramukya’s (now Wayne Boyd’s) website….I dont know what to say….It brought back a lot of stuff for me….and it makes me wonder too, I feel like he dropped Krishna Consciousness too easy. I mean, he makes it more like a phase of his life that he’s over now. If he could get over it that easily and quickly then…i dunno. All that’s running through my head right now is remembering when I was reading his final letter and I frantically tried to contact him, to beg him to stay in Krishna Consciousness no matter what, but it was to no avail. I feel really weird and sad.

See, I can understand if you want to stay away for a little while- when something major happens and affects practically the whole world- you probably need your space. But its like he doesnt even hanker a little. I mean, at least stick a link or two about ISKCON or Srila Prabhupada in there. but nothing. Just a thing about his life and about his stupid wife. I think what im getting at is- if so many people could believe that Vipramukya was a good enough to not only be a guru for hundreds of people but also be a leader for a worldwide organization- then how many people out there have we taken shelter of can we trust? And then, if he could brush off being Hare Krishna like dandruff on his shoulder then what is my chance of survival?