1999
Million
Dollars Payed To Harikesh/Mafia |
Feb
8 - 1999 - BY IRG INDIA
Over a month ago, the ISKCON
GBC authorized another payment of 1 million US dollars to Harikesh Das for
his grhastha life. HH Gopal Krishna Goswami made a statement at the ICC
meeting held in Vrindavan that the GBC was threatened by the Russian Mafia
and that if they did not pay the money, some of the ISKCON leaders would
be exterminated.
When questioned that the Russian Mafia may continue to extort in the
future more money from ISKCON by making further threats, Maharaj replied
quite confidently that the Russian Mafias were quite honorable and they
didn't break their agreements.
Maharaj continued that there was a silver lining in this that some of the
guru's lives were saved and the Russian Mafia returned the BBT books
previously taken from the temple in Russia.
Feb
9 -1999 - BY SOMAKA DAS
An open letter to the GBC - Please stop the madness
Dear GBC please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada.
Maybe this letter comes late, because the Harikesa case its already old,
but better late than never.
Reading through the Harikesa case, made me to remember the Mayapur
festival 1987 and more specifically the 50 man committee that in that year
was supposed to review the remaining GBC after the big fall-downs of 1986.
I was part of that committee and I remember that we started in a very good
mode analyzing the GBC men. The first GBC we reviewed was H.H.
Hridayananda Goswami and after he left the room we voted, and for big
majority vote, he received a vote of no-confidence.
The next was the former Harikesa Maharaja, I remember that it was
extremely distasteful just to hear him or ask questions to him. He was
extremely proud and arrogant. Some weird story about his flying-saucer
experiment came out during the interview, and he replied in a very
arrogant mood just as during the entire time of the interview. When he
left the room all committee members were flabbergasted by his performance
and completely convinced that he was on a trip and dangerous.
But instead of giving the no-confidence vote, it came to a discussion that
he had many disciples and control over a lot of money and many suggested
that if we gave a no-confidence vote he may split away from the movement,
take disciples with him and take a lot of money. Instead of giving to him
a no-confidence vote it was decided, (please note that personally I did
not agreed with that decision) to give him a confidence vote.
As a result of this practically no more GBC where reviewed because we
concluded that if we gave a confidence vote to him, then in no way we
could give no-confidence votes to others.
To not make Hridayananda feel offended we had to give a confidence vote to
him too, and (ridiculous!) beg for forgiveness for giving a no-confidence
vote in the first place.
After that the all meeting became a joke, just voting on new candidate to
the body. I remember a man extremely ambitious complaining to me for not
having voted for him as a candidate (he poked his nose on my voting). I am
recalling this occurrence, to bring on a very important point - diplomacy.
The pride and arrogance of Harikes Prabhu was evident, he being on a
grandeur trip was evident, maybe at that point he could be rectified, but
with the diplomacy used, with the fear of loosing men and money, he went
on with is pride for many more years. He burned out many good
God-brothers, he accumulated more money, more men, and now just see the
result, all of Europe is in turmoil, thousands of his disciples are
suffering and going trough terrible confusion.
Who actually knows for certain how much money between stock-lost and what
he pretend to be his, Srila Prabhupada's movement has lost? And now he is
criticizing and faultfinding Srila Prabhupada. Inviting devotees to leave
ISKCON and so on.
This incident is a very important lesson for our leaders. It appear that
compromising the truth and the purity in the name of saving men and money
does not work, purity is the force not diplomacy. Diplomacy can only bring
more politics, more problems, more division more fall-downs.
Now after 22 years since the time Srila Prabhupada entered samadhi I can't
believe that the entire GBC body is convinced of the multiple acarya
system, the living guru system, or what else you want to call this
concoction. I can't believe that the entire GBC body does not understand
that if Srila Prabhupada's desire was to have acaryas he would have spoken
for days and days about it, giving all details how to do it. Is somebody
actually believeing that Srila Prabhupada would have left such important
point (ISKCON is divided and fighting over this argument for the last 21
years since Mayapur festival 1978) unclear and let Virabahu Prabhu, or
Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, smoke their brains over the folio to understand
what Srila Prabhupada's desire about initiation was?
Srila Prabhupada's desire it is clearly defined on the July 9th letter:
July 9th, 1977
To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the
GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada
indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act
as "ritvik--representative of the acarya, for the purpose of
performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His
Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in
that capacity:
His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami
His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami
His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami
His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami
His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami
His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
His Holiness Harikesa Swami
His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari
His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari
In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada
recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada
has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send
recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these
eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the
recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an
initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in
the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as
Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the above eleven
senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President
receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or
the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done
before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the
representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be
included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated Disciples" book.
Hoping this finds you all well.
Your servant,
Tamala Krsna Gosvami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada
Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
[Srila Prabhupada's signature appears on the original]
I do not like to repeat what so many other exalted vaisnavas already
stated. There are so many good article as "who is representing Srila
Prabhupada now?" by H.G. Madhudvisa Prabhu, "the final
order" by H.G. Krishna Kant Prabhu, "simple for the simple"
by H.G. Pragosh Prabhu, and so many others, that clearly demonstrate that
Srila Prabhupada's desire was that He will continue to be the diksa guru
and his disciplic continue to be the siksa guru.
2. Each temple will be an ISKCON property and will be managed by three
executive directors. The system of management will continue as it is now
and there is no need of any change. (Srila Prabhupada's will)
It is so simple to understand that there was no reasons to change the
system of initiations. The system of initiations trough "ritvik
priest" it was already functioning prior to the July 9th letter,
personally I remember initiations in France to be performed by Bhagavan
Prabhu as early as 1972, so if that system was to function only until
Srila Prabhupada entering samadhi what was the need of the July 9th letter
if the system was already functioning.
It is clear that the letter is as, the letter itself mentions, to function
henceforward. Of course somebody may argue that the July 9th letter was
just for changing the system of to whom to send the recommendation: In the
past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a
particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these
representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation
for first and second initiation to whoever of these eleven representatives
are nearest their temple.
Again I am asking if anybody actually think that Srila Prabhupada would
have left such extremely important subjects as initiation, guru, what to
do when a guru falls etc. to some of his disciple to brake their brains
over the folio to figure out what to do? Repeating what Sriman Pragosh
Prabhu said, simple for the simple, please note the following:
3. Properties in India will be managed by the following executive
directors: a) Properties at Sri Mayapur Dhama, Panihati, Haridaspur and
Calcutta: Gurukrpa Swami, Jayapataka Swami, Bhavananda Gosvami and Gopal
Krsna das Adhikari. b) Properties at Vrndavana: Gurukrpa Swami,
Akahoyananda Swami, and Gopal Krsna das Adhikari. c) Properties at Bombay:
Tamala Krsna Gosvami, Giriraj das Brahmahary, and Gopal Krsna das
Adhikari. d) Properties at Bhubaneswar: Gour Govinda Swami, Jayapataka
Swami, and Bhagawat das Brahmachary. e) Properties at Hyderbad: Mahamsa
Swami, Sridhar Swami, Gopal Krsna das Adhikari and Bali Mardan das
Adhikari.
The executive directors who have herein been designated are appointed for
life. In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the
said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the
remaining directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple
following strictly all the rules and regulations of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness as detailed in my books, and provided
that there are never less than three (3) or more than five (5) executive
directors acting at one time. (Srila Prabhupada's will) In the event of
death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a
successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining
directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple following
strictly all the rules and regulations of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness as detailed in my books. How this part of Srila
Prabhupada's will could be followed if the "concocted living guru
system" continue? I wish my God-brothers 100 more year of life still
in 100 years this will of Srila Prabhupada will not be possible to be
followed. Srila Prabhupada emphatically affirmed many time that this
movement will go on for the next 10.000 years, so his will also have to be
followed for the next 10.000 years.
Srila Prabhupada many times boldly said that He will never die, but the
GBC hare saying that Srila Prabhupada is dead and you need a living guru.
This is insanity. And where this insanity is coming from? From the desire
for name, fame, distinction, adoration. If everyone gives up this
attachment and become a humble servant of the servant it will be very easy
to understand. Simple for the simple.
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is
to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality
of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a
guru." (C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport) To rush to the post of guru
before having attained the maha-bhagavata stage it is insanity, there is
need of more fall-down to confirm this simple fact?
So now at this point of history the leader of ISKCON have to decide:
To accept Srila Prabhupada's final order given in the July 9th 1977 letter
and restore love and trust among the devotees. Restore in the movement the
original strength and enthusiasm to change the world, or to make a new
diplomatic arrangement to prevent some mega gurus to go of with men and
money (there is only a few left), and again compromise truth, for
diplomacy and continue the present situation that is causing so many good
devotees to become discouraged or ostracized from ISKCON.
'Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this
movement the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of
ritviks as the appointment of gurus. What actually happened I'll explain.
I explained it but the interpretation is wrong'. (Topanga Canyon
Confessions, 3/12/80)
Actually this disservice it is going on for the last 22 years it is time
to stop.
Please give up the attachment to name, fame, glory, worship and big
daksin, and let this madness stop and sanity to prosper.
Please forgive me for any offense and please allow me to remain your
humble servant.
Dasanudas
Somaka Das
Poem - From
The Garbage Can |
February
23, 1999 - BY ARJUNA SAKHI DASA
To Sri Visnupada (with hope these few words will reach him)
Not claiming for return of anything
not being regretful for giving you anything
just want you
to listen for a while
a thousand heart's pitiful sob
coming from the garbage-can
in your back yard
and one thing more
if you become a father of a boy
please give him the name
NARAYANA
so that calling of his name
can save you
and us (your disciples)
your humble servant,
still sticking to our
eternal loving agreement,
D. H. das
REPLY BY HARIKESH DAS:
"This is not a very good poem. Further, I did not throw my disciples
in the garbage can in my back yard. Because I resigned as a guru in ISKCON
does not mean that I have resigned as a person who has spiritual knowledge
and can give it to others. I did not resign from relationships based on
love. If there is no relationship, or it was artificial, then certainly it
is not worth keeping.
If you think that I need to name a son Narayan so I can chant the holy
name, then you are doubly foolish as I am chanting all the time in my mind
and many hours out loud. I think you do not know what you are writing,
which is not unusual nowadays. One should understand things properly by
deep consideration, and not take things on the surface as they appear to
those who wish to take things cheaply.
"Perhaps I am making you think? Anyway, good luck to you and all the
others as well. I cannot give up my love for you, but I can give up the
impossible manner in which I had to relate to thousands of people. Let us
see in the future, no? No agreement with anyone in the material world is
eternal. That which did not exist before cannot be called eternal if it
has a creation.
Think about it."
COMMENT BY ARJUNA SAKHI:
I don't care if you, or anyone for that matter, will read this text. I am
writing it and sending it for myself.
"This is not a very good poem. Further, I did not throw my disciples
in the garbage can in my back yard. Because I resigned as a guru in ISKCON
does not mean that I have resigned as a person who has spiritual knowledge
and can give it to others."
You are so boring. I think you have been writing this in every single
letter so far. It is just like in the good old days, isn't it? You have a
collection of drawers which you can take an answer from when you think
that it could fit approximately. Just that you exchanged the answers a
bit. Not the attitude though. Think about it!
"does not mean that I have resigned as a person who has spiritual
knowledge and can give it to others."
Humility seems to be a foreign word to you. But that it always has.
Nothing new.
"I did not resign from relationships based on love. If there is no
relationship, or it was artificial, then certainly it is not worth
keeping."
Relationships based on love... Let's all close our eyes, fix the mind on a
little candle and be quiet for a minute. Let's think about the deeper
meaning of this.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, oops, over, thank you!
Why do I only feel cheated by you? And not only by the fact that you have
been posing as the paramahamsa who will save the whole world, AND letting
people worship you in that way. But also the whole thing that you are
making out of it now. I mean do you actually write these letters when you
are completely awake? Look at them! They are such a joke, it is difficult
to be sarcastic about them.
You have a serious screw loose, my dear. And before you get this fastened
I think you should just be quiet.
Take this advice from an old well-wisher, before you run out of all your
credits.
"If you think that I need to name a son Narayan so I can chant the
holy name, then you are doubly foolish as I am chanting all the time in my
mind and many hours out loud."
I really don't want to be unfair. But you don't seem to have the qualities
of a person who can chant the holy name constantly?! What was that again?
Yeah, more humble than a blade of grass?
"You fool! Can't you see that I am chanting the holy name
constantly?!"
This could be a joke from an old Indian movie (Tulsi das?). Perhaps the
pandit who thinks that he is better then the simple devotee...
"I think you do not know what you are writing, which is not unusual
nowadays."
Here I have to agree with you. But you probably didn't include yourself in
that statement.
"One should understand things properly by deep consideration, and not
take things on the surface as they appear to those who wish to take things
cheaply."
When will you finally realize that the guru-thing is over? You keep
teaching and instructing and healing all the time. If you don't want to be
a guru than you have to stop going around and telling people what to do
and how to think. You don't want to be known as a guru, because it has
many limitations for you, on the sense enjoyment part. But you do want to
go around and have all the privileges of a guru after all, it seems to me.
"Perhaps I am making you think? Anyway, good luck to you and all the
others as well. I cannot give up my love for you, but I can give up the
impossible manner in which I had to relate to thousands of people. Let us
see in the future, no?"
Okay, let's see in the future maybe even I will come back to you for
spiritual guidance and some biology courses.
And I am very sorry for all this years where you HAD TO except all our
worship and respect and surrender. I am sure it was hellish for you.
You say you want to heal people, but you don't even listen to them. I met
you. And you where just speaking and speaking the whole time. You never
listen. You never have.
And so many silly and insincere excuses. "I am a company man".
That was your excuse for the whole thing! Man, you are getting better than
Danurdara.
Did you learn this in the ISKCON guru-school? How to talk yourself out of
it, in the case of emergency. Maybe I should take some classes in that.
"No agreement with anyone in the material world is eternal. That
which did not exist before cannot be called eternal if it has a creation.
Think about it."
Yes sir! I will think about it. What would I do if you wouldn't make me
think sometimes? I think my brain would be rotting. You can not deny that
I am eternally indebted to you for that. So maybe it is eternal after all?
Please enlighten me, great master!
Did you hear about the gurukuli who beat up Danurdar with a stick in
Mayapur? He said that he feels free now from the abuse he suffered by DN.
That actually inspired me to write this letter. I hope it will do the
trick. And I will be finally free from you. Somehow you are still clogging
up some parts of my mind, like white flour clogs up the intestines.
Nice comparison, he? It took me all night to think of that one. I think it
fits.
You want to fight the abusers. That in it self is a honorable course. But
you have to realize that there are different kinds of abuse. And cheating
honest people, who are searching for the truth and spiritual life, is
definitely one of them.
In my opinion you are guilty, directly or indirectly, for the following
things:
- child abuse (was it not your preaching that made parents send their
children with five to Vrindavan? Was it not the Mayapur where you where in
charge where little Indian boys, not older than 12, where working hard
carrying stones the whole day? Wasn't it you who made constant fun of
marriage and attachment to children? Saying that it is not service to take
care of them.)
- women abuse (no comment, since it is to obvious)
- bhakta abuse
- grihasta abuse
- new devotee abuse
- east European devotee abuse ( was it not your temples where Russians
were shipped in for three month to do all the slave work?)
- simple minded devotee abuse
- sankirtan devotee abuse
- last but not least, spiritual abuse
I know that I am not so smart, but nor are you. I always thought that you
were very intelligent. But actually I find you quite limited lately.
I don't say that you haven't also done good things. You have! But the sad
thing is that you are sorry for them now. That you twist them around now.
And make people believe that they were wrong.
All the best!
Your well wisher,
Arjuna sakhi
P.S. I hope you can understand one day that I actually do wish you well.
20 Years Of
Harikesa Rule In Austria |
April
17, 1999 - BY RAMMOHAN DAS
Krishna Consciousness in
Austria after 20 years of Harikesa's rule. I am a disciple of Srila
Prabhupada since 1972 and serving Prabhupada's mission in Austria since
1982. The reason why here in one of the most beautiful countries of Europe
there is no real temple, no farm and no association among the large number
of devotees which joined and left since the departure of Srila Prabhupada
is, that here the devotees where told over and over again for the last 20
years by Harikesa and his secretaries that there is no way to act legally.
You have to disobey the laws of state in order to spread
Krishna-consciousness.
This bogus and devotee-killing strategy which everybody believed was not
"wait, we are working on a solution", but an immoral strain
without end. Devotees left burnt out due to constant pressure of selling
books and make money like criminals. New devotees joined and where
"taught" the same rubbish: "You are a pioneer-saint, you
don't need any permission which we anyway don't get from this stupid
government." Usually after 2 or three years they lost complete faith
in such kind of leadership and left without ever being heart of. A
never-ending fear of being exposed by police and media extinguished the
fire of spreading Srila Prabhupada's mission in an expanding manner like
Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Spain, France, Poland, Hungary, Belgium,
etc. Prabhupada's philosophy is to always find a Krishna- conscious
solution and that there is no problem which can't be solved. But why the
GBC seemed to remain stuck? The answer is very simple.
All the illegal collected Laxmi from Austria was secretly transferred to
Switzerland and "legalized" in the Zurich Temple and than sent
back as "legal donation" from the Krishna Foundation
Switzerland. Since the hard working Austrian devotees where collecting
millions of dollars you might gradually understand that quite a big amount
of Laxmi remained in Zurich temple. In contrast the Swiss leaders liked to
do this kind of service of "helping" the Austrians to
"wash" their money. "Why do you need all of your money
back, you have no legal status there anyway and can't spent it for bigger
projects".
Additionally the BBT-price was constantly pushed up. During one visit in
Vienna Harikesa took 70.000.-US Dollars with him, claiming that would be
BBT debt. Today you will find in Switzerland big expensive temple
buildings, a big farm, other properties and a huge community of happy
devotees.
(They even laugh about their guru's fall in maya and call him bhakta
Robert).
Right now when I reflect on the situation here in Austria after so much
work of so many devotees after so many years we find ourselves like in the
year 1975 right at the very beginning. A 60 sqm rented place in the worst
part of Vienna, 3 devotees, 3 bhaktas. And as final topping: All the
surrounding temples send lots of their Sankirtan devotees just for making
quick money, because the people of Austria are known of giving bigger
donations.
My humble request to the present GBC and other leading devotees who feel
themselves concerned is to find a solution of justice for this spiritually
mistreated beautiful country in the heart of Europe and start together to
work out a solution for building a representative temple and farm for
Srila Prabhupada, Gaura-Nitai and a big number of hiding devotees who lost
complete faith in proper spiritual leadership.
May
1, 1999 - BY RAM MOHAN DAS
A Report from Harikes's
Zone
Srila Prabhupada would sometimes compare this material existence to a big
and vast unconquerable ocean. Devotional service, however, causing that
same ocean becoming as small as the water in the hoofprint of a calf. You
simply step over it without almost recognizing that tiny little amount of
water. During one morning walk Srila Prabhupada made everybody laugh by
saying if you want to cross the atlantic ocean by taking hold of a dogs
tail that wont be a good idea. He compares an unqualified so called guru
with a dog's tail and the person using this tail as not really sincere or
ignorant. Srila Prabhupada also used the example if you want to buy gold
you have to know the process to examine if the pure gold is pure or maybe
something else.
If you want to buy a diamond you again have to know the science of what a
real stone is and what's a useless copie. If you buy a house you cannot go
afterwards to court and claim the house is no good. You have to check it
out before. Better, if You are totaly blind don't blame anyone but
yourself. On the other hand, if someone knocks at your door and says 'I
have a golden watch for you to buy' and later on, after you bought from
this man you find yourself cheated, you can't even tell to police what
happened. They may fine you and call you a criminal yourself for buying
from an unauthorized person.
Here in northern Europe all the followers of Harikesa seem to be
traumatized by what happened with their big leader. After 20 years of
initating 4283 disciples and presenting himself as a guru of our parampara
he was considered to be at least a madhyama - adhikary.
But does anyone of his followers have the right to say Harikesa cheated
us, we are victims of a bhogus guru and he spoiled our spiritual life?
The answer is very simple: No! In all the sastra it is exclusively
mentioned if you are searching for a bonafide spiritual master you should
find an uttama-adhikary (above suspicion of falling down) and receive
initation only from him. Who is worse, the cheater or the cheated? Would
Srila Prabhupada comment 'one blind man follows another blind man and both
are falling in the ditch.' Instead of starting a campaign to humbly beg
for forgiveness to more than 100 Prabhupada disciples, that were kicked
out in Harikesas zone, all his regional secretaries, temple presidents and
sannyasa disciples now propagade the position that his followers are
actually the mistreated victims.
This mentality should be exposed. There is no difference whatsoever
between Harikesa (he insists on being called 'Robert') and his followers
unless they step down, admit their fault and use whatever amount of power
there might be left to stop destroying Srila Prabhupadas movement in
Europe.
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