ISKCON's retirement program?
Ameyatma das (ACBSP) <ameyatma@16108.com>
wrote:
Pamho AgtSP - Tangent Topic.
I have been visiting the Atlanta temple on and off for over a year. We have work in the Atlanta area a lot. We don't have a house here (not yet, not sure, we are sort of looking). It appears it was just a little over a year ago the temple got a new TP. Previously Bala Bhadra was TP, a senior Prabhupad disciple, he has been a part of that temple since the early 70s and TP there for over 30 years. A year ago we came and were shocked to find he was no longer TP.
Bala Bhadra is very humble, and has remained an enthusiastic "cheer leader" type supporter of the current ISKCON gurus. Even at the last Pani Hati festival this summer, almost a year since he was replaced as TP, still he enthusiastically glorifies Jayapataka Maharaj and other gurus. I asked him last year (and several times throughout the year) what happened? Had he stepped down? Had he been asked to step aside? He just smiled and refused to say. I asked some other ,and they were said that the GBC removed him. I asked why. I was only told it was due to health reasons, but no one would tell me much. One devotee told me that BB doesn't want to talk about it. All he will say is it was health related.
The new TP, Vedasar, I think is Jayapatakas disciple? He is from India, Assam, but spent most his life in Mayapur, grew up in the gurukula there. He is about 30 yrs old, just married (an American). He is nice devotee, he is not the one who pushed Bala Bhadra out; he is just doing what the GBC have asked him to do. For many years JP was GBC for New Pani Hati. I am not sure when the GBC was changed, but I am told that Hrdayananda das Goswami is now the GBC?
A few weeks ago Bala Bhadra's wife told my wife what had happened (Note: I am getting this very indirectly, through 2 matajis, so the facts my be somewhat different). Bala Bhadra's wife said that BB's health weakened for a while. During that time he was unable to come to Mangal Artik for some months. He was still coming to the temple every day and managing, but was not able to wake up early and come to Mangal Artik. Some devotees complained, and on HDG's visit Hrdayananda told BB that he had to attend Mangal. BB told him he wanted to, but due to being weak in health, he was not able to for a while.
HDG insisted that if he didn't come HDG would replace him. His wife told us that this made her husband very depressed. She said he was feeling weak for some months and just didn't have the strenght to get up early, and now fearing that he may be removed as TP, this made him more depressed. He got so depressed that he just stopped coming to the temple at all for a few days. Hearing this, HDG chose to replace him. The man is over 60. Getting bouts of fatigue at that age is generally a sign of a health related issue. What Bala Bhadra needed was a little medical care, maybe better nutrition, at least a check up by a good Aurvedic doctor, or even a check up with a Homeopathic or regular doctor would have been a much more compassionate path to take.
Instead, he was simply pushed out and aside. The congregation was not even consulted. Bala Bhadra, amazingly, has remained very humble through the whole affair. Note: According to DOM and other letters by Srila Prabhupad, a GBC does not have the authority to remove/replace a TP. That is for the congregation. What I understand is that the temple devotees and congregation did not want BB to be removed/replaced. Many devotees were shocked that Hrdayananda would do this. BB had been TP for over 30 years. When we came last year the new TP had just come. Bala Bhadra was giving the Sunday classes and seemed to still be very active and part of the leadership. He didn't seem to mind a new TP, as he was still being consulted and felt part of the management team.
But, on our visit this year, his wife said that he is no longer asked to give any classes. He is no longer consulted, no longer asked to attend any meetings. Out with the old, in with the new. But just see, we stayed at the temple for 10 days and not one single day did the new TP make it for Mangal Artik! Not once. He rarely showed up for Guru Puja. But was ALWAYS there for prasadam. Not to say he does not do service. Veda Sar cooks and cleans and gets, etc., but BB was pushed out because of not coming to Mangal Aratik everyday, and the new TP is no better in that regard.
BB's wife is 60 years old. BB is older. The only thing BB did tell me a few months ago was that he said after so many years of service for the Temple, he had been given the equivalent of ISKCON's golden watch, basically tossed aside. I asked him what he was doing? What work he did? He told me that he was having a real hard time finding any work. He is over 60, he has been an ISKCON devotee most of his life. He hasn't had any outside job for way over 35 years. He doesn't have anything to fall back on. He has no retirement account. He doesn't have any medical insurance. NOTHING. At 60, it is like he just stepped out into The World for the first time. He told me he has been having a hard time getting any sort of work. He told me he has some odd work, but seemed too embarrassed to tell me what he does.
His wife, however, told my wife that SHE had to get a job to help support them. She used to do Purjari work full time at the temple and assist her husband in his service as TP. But now, at 60 years old she has had to go out and get a job and start living on their own, at such an advanced age. She got a job at Home Depot as a checkout clerk, because at least she doesn't have to sell meat as she would at a grocery store. This is ISKCON's RETIREMENT program!? A dedicated and humble Temple President for over 30 years and this is retirement? Basically pushed out of the way, with NOTHING. BB told me he found NO ONE to turn to. The GBC? They are the ones who just pushed him out. He finds himself all on his own, no means to earn a livelihood, no help from "ISKCON" or the temple, or the "GBC," no medical, no retirement plans, no pension. And not even any Social Security since he has not paid a penny into SS all those years. At over 60 he has to START working, rather then retire.
There is something REALLY WRONG with this picture here. (My wife and I were put into a similar situation years ago, and we are still struggling with it, with 3 kids to raise in the process.) And, this is not all. My wife had been helping on the altar, dressing, and my kids helping in the purjari rooms while we were visiting. My wife was complaining the standards are very low. BB's wife then told us that before Hrdayananda became GBC the standards were some of the highest in North America. She said when she was still serving in the pujari department HDG came and had a great idea for increasing Book Distribution. He decided that the pujari standards should be cut back. (This is against SP's instructions. SP said that it is offense to cut back on established Deity worship standards.) HDG's idea was that if they could cut back on the Deity worship that the devotees who used to do Pujari work will now have more time to go out and do book distribution.
Some of the standards she noted that were cut back: They used to undress the Deities in the evening and put on night clothes, a standard in all temples I know. Now they only put on night clothes on certain festivals. The Deities take rest in Their day clothes and have Mangal Artik in yesterday's clothes. My daughter noticed a layer of dust on the Deities' night clothes. They are hardly ever touched any more. They stopped doing bathing ceremonies each day. Rather, now, they give the Deity bath only on Sunday. (Yuck, imagine taking bath only once a week. Do you think Krsna is happy about this?) The idea was that by cutting out the night clothes the pujaris could take rest earlier, then get up earlier and get all their rounds done before Mangal Artik, and by cutting out the bathing, they will be off the altar sooner, giving them time to hit the road for book distribution early each day.
She said it never happened. After this, she said, all the standards fell. Previously no one was allowed in the Pujari rooms and kitchen unless they were freshly showered with fresh clothing. Now, devotees walk in even after just eating, and even in karmi clothes. She said that when HDG made these changes she pleaded and begged him not to. But he insisted that this was needed in order to increase the book distribution. In the end Book distribution never increased at all. The devotees did not use the "extra" time to go out, they basically fell into more maya. The head pujari resigned, mostly because he could not cope with the lowered standards. BB's wife also had to give up her pujari service, and so now they not only have no one doing book distribution, but they can't even maintain the new lowered standards.
So many of the older more fixed devotees got so depressed and blown out they
quit. So now they are sending in brahmacaris and grhastas from India to do the
much lower standard pujari services. And, she said most of them are being PAID
to what others used to do as service, without any pay. And most of these Indian
brahmacaris, while nice individuals, many talk to the unwed women. One just came
from Vrindaban. He is "brahmachari", but the temple has to PAY HIM salary to help
in the pujari rooms and kitchen.
The GBC, at minimum, is supposed to Keep UP the standards SP gave us. They Have
FAILED MISERABLY. They appear more interested in collecting disciples and dakshin
and making sure they have air fare paid, and first class accommodations for themselves,
than in doing their GBC services.
GBC are not to have such authority to come into a temple and wreak such havoc as this. All they are supposed to do is give good guidance and advice. Not replace TP's, not dictate a lower standard for Deity worship. The new TP, he is a nice devotee. I have nothing against him. But Bala Bhadra should not have been pushed out and aside the way he was, simply due to weakened health. Where is the COMPASSION? At the most, the GBC may have suggested sending Veda Sar as an assistant to help BB, not replace him and basically push him out of the way. If he is weak due to bad health, then HELP him! My God, he gave 30 years of his life in service to that temple just as the TP, and 5 or so years before that as well. This is not how ISKCON should reward those who have served a temple faithfully for over 35 years. No retirement, no support, no nothing! He is weak, so just kick them out into the cold without a blanket, that'll teach him to have weak health! Do unto others as you want them to do to you. Look out HDG, what goes around, comes around.
And also, just see, this is how the GBC/Gurus have rewarded a very faithful
and loyal supporter of their current system. At Pani Hati BB was leading in the
JAYA JAYAPATAKA chants. And this is how they reward a faithful supporter?
ys, ameyatma das