REPORT FROM BHAGAVAT DAS

USA (VNN) - Bhagavat Das Reply to ISKCON's Official Report

My Dear Prabhus:

PAMHO! AGTSP! I read with interest the statement by the GBC and the response from Rochan. To be honest I am amazed at everyone's inability to focus on the most important point of this investigation, which are the words of His Divine Grace "Someone is poisoning me". These words were the reason for launching the investigation and they continue to remain the most compelling reason for the investigation to continue. After conducting a closer examination of the tape, to ascertain whether there was more information on the tape that might shed more light on the statements of His Divine Grace, the whispers were found. Unfortunately everyone has chosen to focus on the whispers instead of the statements of His Divine Grace, which are the real evidence in the case for his being poisoned.

First of all even if we approach this from a practical point of view Srila Prabhupada was, during his grihasta days, the manager of a pharmaceutical house. He designed, manufactured and marketed his own pharmaceutical preparations like De's liniment. Srila Prabhupada was very conversant with how herbs, chemicals and poisons interacted with the human body. Srila Prabhupada also owned his own pharmacy in Allahabad where he sold prescriptions where he would have to have knowledge of drug interactions with the body. So even from a practical point of view we must concede Srila Prabhupada was educated enough in medical science to know if he were being poisoned just from the reactions he was feeling in his body.

Secondly, and more importantly, he is the Nitya Siddha pure devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna, meaning he is by the grace of Supersoul fully conscious of the hearts and minds of his devotees. In 1974 there was some controversy with several leaders in our society who were claiming that Srila Prabhupada was not a magician and that it was foolish to think that he knew what was going on in his temples and in the hearts of his disciples. I argued then against such nonsense and when I was in Bombay Srila Prabhupada received a letter from his disciple Sarva Mangal dasi. She said there were devotees making these opposing statements, and while she believed that he knew these things, she wanted His Divine Grace to please confirm her understanding. Srila Prabhupada told his secretary, "For a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord this was not difficult." The secretary then asked, "So I should tell her that you know this?" Srila Prabhupada replied, "That's not what I said. I said a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord would know these things. I am not a greatly advanced pure devotee, I am not even a devotee. I am just trying to be a devotee." Also Srila Prabhupada stated that Supersoul tells him whatever he needs to know.

We can thus conclude that Srila Prabhupada is a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord and he most certainly knew that he was being poisoned and by whom. Is anyone able to present any argument against the fact that Srila Prabhupada is a greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord who knows what is going on in the hearts and minds of his devotees? Can anyone refute Srila Prabhupada's statements about the abilities of a greatly advanced pure devotee? If you can prove Srila Prabhupada was not a greatly advanced pure devotee and did not know he was being poisoned, then please publish your foolish and offensive argument so we may all know who you are.

Unfortunately during this investigation there are some devotees who have been diminishing the words of the greatly advanced pure devotee Srila Prabhupada by portraying him as an ordinary man. Even more amazing is that some of them are the same devotees who I argued against over 20 years ago about the same thing. I have heard statements like "he was old and sick and could not understand", "he was senile", "usually old Indian men who are dying think they are being poisoned", "he was confused", and other mundane assessments of His Divine Grace. If these assessments are accurate then how could he translate Srimad Bhagavatam until his last days. Are we to accept that last translation work as the ranting of a confused, senile old man? If any one thinks such, please publish your case so we can all know who you are.

Just because doctors were examining Srila Prabhupada doesn't mean that they could ascertain that he was being poisoned, unless they tested for it specifically. Many poisons cause the rapid onset of certain diseases (like heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, etc.) and death. It was said in certain circles that when Indira Gandhi held Jayaprakash Narayan under house arrest she slowly administered poisons that caused kidney deterioration and his death. This kind of poisoning cannot be detected by routine medical tests. Therefore, when foul play is suspected, in addition to a doctor's exam, an autopsy is done to ascertain the truth. However, I am neither suggesting, requesting, or in any way insinuating that Srila Prabhupada should be exhumed for an autopsy. I am totally against it. So the statements of some that the doctors did not notice poisoning is not evidence that he was not poisoned. Srila Prabhupada, being conversant with the effects of various substances on the body, and being that he was experiencing it first hand, makes him the most likely person to ascertain the truth of the situation. Also he is the greatly advanced pure devotee who is aware of what is going on.

This truth is being obfuscated by all this rhetoric about the whispers and whether they are real or not. The whispers don't even really matter! What matters most is that the greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord, my spiritual master, said, "Someone is poisoning me". Doesn't the Nectar of Instruction warn us that to consider the spiritual master, as an ordinary human being is greatly offensive? Are there not many other verses that say the same thing? How many verses are there, which state that faith in the words of the spiritual master is the real key to enlightenment?

It has been asked how Srila Prabhupada, the greatly advanced pure devotee, could be poisoned? How could he be vanquished? Didn't Jesus Christ accept the crucifixion after praying to the Lord, "Let this cup pass from me but thy will be done"? Didn't Jesus Christ forbid Peter from fighting with the Roman soldiers when they came to take him? Srila Prabhupada died for the sins of his disciples: that is the covenant he made with us at the time of initiation. He could have stayed with us. He said, "Krishna said it is up to me -I can stay or I can go, but what do you want?" Obviously there was a Judas amongst us who wanted him to go, and so he departed. That is not the same as being vanquished. "He reasons ill who says that Vaishnavas die when living still in sound" Srila Prabhupada left us his words, his voice beckons us to bring him justice. Which devotee is there who will argue that the words of the spiritual master are wrong? Please publish your case that when Srila Prabhupada said, "Someone is poisoning me," he was wrong. Who are you?

What is really at the core of this issue is faith in the eternally transcendental position of the spiritual master and his words. The entire political diatribe and semantics is just a desperate attempt to conceal the truth. We know that somebody poisoned Srila Prabhupada! How? Because he said so! The only question now is who? The failure of the whispers to prove that (if in fact they do not) is not the end of the case! It is only insufficient evidence! Maybe Srila Prabhupada wants us to look at it from another angle. One thing we can be sure of he is in control! It is up to him when and where and how we find the truth and the price we will have to pay for that is complete faith in the words of His Divine Grace.

There are many who were in Vrindaban during Srila Prabhupada's last days who feel that it would have been impossible for them to not notice that this was going on. But how many times were we involved in difficult situations and only Srila Prabhupada understood everything; we didn't even have a clue. No one knew about Judas except Jesus Christ. None of the apostles knew. Didn't Srila Prabhupada tell us he was being poisoned? Still we did nothing about it. How sadly history repeats itself. There are those who will try to distract you from the truths written in this letter by discrediting me. But this letter is not about me, it is about Srila Prabhupada and his words. I am easily discredited, there are so many things I do not do, but one thing I have never done is considering my Spiritual Master to be an ordinary man or doubted his words. I can say with conviction, however, that anyone who follows all the rules but fails to accept that Srila Prabhupada is a Shaktavesh Avatar, Nitya Siddha, greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord whose words are never wrong, is a spiritual failure.

The real issue is do we believe our Spiritual Master when he says, "Someone is poisoning me"? Do we believe that the words of our Spiritual Master are never wrong? Do we believe that this greatly advanced pure devotee would make a mistake about something so serious as this when he is receiving his information from the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna? It is faith on trial here, faith in the Spiritual Master and his words. The line is drawn: on one side are those who doubt the words of the greatly advanced pure devotee of the Lord. On the other side are those who believe that if the spiritual master says it's a rope then it's a rope and if he says it's a snake then it's a snake. I know which side I am on. My spiritual master, right or wrong he is always right, he is never wrong. Which side of the line are you on?