1) SAN FRANCISCO RATHAYATRA
2) CALCUTTA SUICIDE FALLOUT (FROM THE TELEGRAPH)
3) JPS writes

Dear folks, PAMHO. AGTSP.

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1) SAN FRANCISCO RATHAYATRA

Very estatic! Many of the "old soldiers" came out of the woodwork to participate. Gurudasa, Vaikunthanatha, Gauridasa pandit, Jagganatha swami, Saradia, and many other older timers were out in abundance. The "GBC guru" presence seemed to consist mainly of Trivrikrama, and he was very busy keeping a low profile. OK Giriraja swami did make a surprise, albeit very late, guest appearance but he was mainly talking to one woman for what seemed like a few hours. What was very nice to see was the many young faces in the crowd. The new wave is definately picking up steam here. And some of the younger couples had babies in strollers, so in sum it looks like the tradition will have a force to carry it on. Encouraging.

Some of these young people remember our Berkeley crusades from 1984-1990, and although they are grown up a lot more, they still remember us favorably. The Berkeley "Hare Krishna Youth" program also had a booth there and we took a pile of their leaflets and advertised for them. They have expanded from just one day a week to: both Fridays and Mondays. Cool! Dvarkadisha is an old timer ex-gurukuli and he is coming to the Monday gatherings. Their newsletter reflects a lot of bhakti for Srila Prabhupada.

We were approached by some very nice devotees from the "Prabhupada Samkirtana Society" (Eugene Oregon) with their new audio kirtan tape. Very nice! Anyone who wants some good association in that area can contact them at: 23009 W. Sheffler Rd., Elmira, Oregon, 97437. Perhaps the Portland devotees and Nrsinghananda dasa can get together with this team and do something together sometimes?

Lord Jagganatha was in His traditional style of being very late. Well, we cannot speed up the Lord when He wants to go at his own pace, as we should know by now. Very nicely decorated carts and altars at the festival site. Srila Prabhupada's full-sized murti was also present as usual, and this makes for a very blissful looking altar arrangement. The kirtans were also very, vey sweet and nice. None of those hokey "guru questions and answers booths" were seen at all, as has been the same for the past many years. Perhaps that is because the last time that happened we asked the "guru": "Why did the GBC reinstate a known homosexual as a guru"? Also, thanks to Jagganatha swami for bringing in the heavy presence of private security, as such, we did not smell any burning pot on the site this year.

Oh oh. Some of the "Narayana Maharaja folks" were out there working the crowds with their "new edition of the Bhagavad Gita." Ummm, is this a new book? Anyway, one of their salesmen said it was the new "super excellent" version. Well, why isn't the original version from Srila Prabhupada super excellent? Mostly this was the Badger NM crowd, and they are not much of an impact to the local area, at least not now? They also had a magazine "Talks With The Acharyas" with a photo of Sridhara Maharaja. We thought that NM said he did not agree with SM? And we thought that Srila Prabhupada said that SM is not an acharya? So, we told their salesman that Sridhara Maharaja supported the GBC's bogus gurus and he went away without comment.

Many devotees also said that they overall like the Turley suit mainly because it will help corral in the GBC, and no other effort is being done to do that with any effect. Many devotees also told us they thought that Mukunda/ Sanat effort should not have publicly focused on the negative aspects of this case because: this is one sentence out of 38 pages of writing. And the courts and the media might not have even picked it up since they are not too sharp on these items? But, by their writing thousands of e-mails focusing on this point, and threats to kill those who did not like it, and indeed threats to kill --those who did not help them make threats to kill-- they forced it into everyone's attention and perhaps they are going to be the ones responsible for making this issue a big newspaper and media item? In sum, many folks thought that making a big huge death threats hoopla was going to make everyone notice this aspect when they otherwise might not have? And as such, the GBC would have been mainly on the hot seat? Another devotee said that all kinds of people criticize Krishna all the time, so why should we then give them free advertising?

In other words, if there is a problem like this it should not be flamed up and made a big focus in the media circles, because then their wish might come true, it might become a big focus. Also, most people thought that flaming up any of the ex-gurukulis at this point is bad strategy all round and it will make the matters worse. Some of the ex-gurukulis also told us that not all of them agree with that point in the case, and for others to blanket condmemn them all as "rurus" is foolish. Some of them even said that this style of blanket criticism is very GBC-ish and they do not like it at all.

An ex-guru's wife tried to corral us in by stating that our writing "exposes on the GBC's acharyas" is like making exposes on the rank and file devotee's fallen illicit sex life? Ummm, some neophyte's fallen illicit life has --what-- to do with the shaksat prabhu, the parampara, and the disciplic line of gurus? Nothing. And has what to do with Krishna's successors? Nothing. So this is the first problem, people are mixing up apples and oranges. The "parampara link guru" is the pure devotee of God, and the fallen devotee who is into illicit affairs is, well, a fallen neophyte?

Of course, if the fallen neophyte tries to juxtapose in his actions with the pure devotees, the parampara etc., then he causes chaos, murders and so on. This happens all the time in bogus cults all over the world. And that is what happened in her husband's GBC cult. People were banned, beat and even murdered. We reminded this woman that her husband had linked up with another violent GBC guru cult and they had brought some thugs into town to "take care of us." Had the Berkeley PD not sped to the scene of them chasing us down the street, ok three huge muscle bound weight lifter type thugs, they would have torn us to bits, and/or killed us.

She said, "that never happened." Ummm, well go ask Joe Sanchez who is now a detective investigator at the Berkeley PD? Joe saved us several times and he also said that our lives were in extreme danger there. See what the pros think? Of course, her husband's new guru pal at that time was a homosexual pedophile with a kid on his lap driving around in his jeep and fifty kids covering him with hands on the guru seat, and so on, so her husband was well aware of the homosexual pedophile nature of his new associate since this was all done in public?

Now, in addition, when married people are being banned, beaten and murdered, this can also cause stress on their marriage and can cause it to break. In addition, we helped save this guru's life when a disciple wanted to kill him for having sex with that disciple's wife. We told that disciple that his life would be ruined and he'd be in jail. So we simultaneously saved her guru husband from getting shot since this guy was going to get a gun and find her guru husband at that very moment. So this woman's argument falls apart again on this level as well, and we could find that her argument similarly falls apart in a million other areas. She finally said that "no one" listens to us because we are crazy. And so we said, "Is this the reason everyone is talking about the molestation problem, since we have mentioned this for many years, because it has no substance? Or is 'no one' listening to your argument: that this problem has no substance because we are crazy"?

Anyway, overall it was a lot of good progress and the tide is turning here in the San Francisco area. Prabhupadanugas rule! Jai Jagganatha!

ys pd

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2) CALCUTTA SUICIDE FALLOUT

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
----- Original Message -----

Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 12:02 AM

MONK'S DIARY LEADS POLICE TO MURKY TRAIL
BY A STAFF REPORTER
Calcutta, Aug. 4

A diary found in the cell of Sureshwar Das, the Iskcon monk who committed suicide in Presidency jail on Thursday, is leading the police on a murky trail from Albert Road to Mayapur. On Friday, the police started a case against the eight monks whose names were mentioned in Das' diary. All eight are members of the governing body commission, and have been accused by the deceased monk of "hatching a conspiracy" against him and his friends in the order.

Deputy commissioner of police, detective department, Narayan Ghosh said the Hastings police have registered a case of "abetment to commit suicide" and conspiracy against the senior monks who were held responsible by the monk in the suicide note. "The case was registered on the basis of a complaint by the jail authority," Ghosh added.

While seven of the monks are from Mayapur, one is based in the city office of Iskcon. The power struggle between the Mayapur and Calcutta branches of the order had divided the monks. Das, 54, was jailed after being charged with the rape of a 38-year-old woman at the Gurusaday Road office of Iskcon in July. The woman, a widow, was allegedly raped by Das when she went to the Iskcon office to collect her husband's pension.

"Das is a victim of a conspiracy by the governing body commission members," alleged Iskcon vice-president Swattik Das. He also said they will move the Supreme Court seeking justice and demanding that the truth regarding the conspiracy and the rape case be revealed.

According to the diary, Das, along with his followers belonging to the Iskcon Revival Movement in the city office, had filed a case challenging the leadership of Mayapur. "They said in the suit that some gurus of the Mayapur branch were indulging in illegal activities," the police disclosed. Iskcon officials said they will also file a petition before the state human rights commission "seeking justice".

State minister for jail, Biswanath Chowdhury, said his department has also ordered a probe into the incident to unravel the mystery of the monk's death. "We are waiting for the post-mortem report and will then inform the human rights commission about the case," he added.

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3) JPS writes

Dear Maharajs and prabhus, Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am writing to apoogize for my inability to take a more active role in dealing with the media. It seems that as I am ICC chairman this year some devotees are expecting me to try to coordinate our response.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the job description like this and I certainly would not have accepted the position for a second year running if it had. Chairman of ICC is a proactive role which means to involve all the ISKCON Managers in joint all India/continental excercises and certainly a media event of this magnitude would fall within this purview.

I simply do not have the skills or resources to do this. You are an expert communicator so it is hard to believe this. What is more, I am leaving tonight for a visit with my family in Australia and the US. This has been planned for some time and I am not willing to change this program at this last minute. This is a more practical obstacle.

Although the ICC has asked me to be its chairman, I am not even qualified to be a member of the ICC by the usual standards. I am not a TP, RS or GBC or even an officer of ISKCON. The current situation requires the actual leaders of ISKCON India to come together and meet the problem with intelligence, honesty, compassion and a global vision.

Now we are in India trying to do this, but at the moment when it hit I was in USA for Panihati festival and Mayapur SMPDC meetings which I could not avoid. As ICC chairman it was easier for you to inform the TP's in India. I will continue to participate as far as possible by email.

Your servant, Pancaratna das

Now thiings are blown over except in Calcutta where Adri is trying to gain some profit from ISKCON's loss by saying it is all due to fallen/sinful gurus and the real solution is ritvikism to end all child abuse. Meanwhile his own devotee raped a devotees widow and although he knows he had sex with her he has publicly gone in the media stating it was a plot against him. Still the devotee is in jail as the forensic reports showed his semen positive on the women's body. I am now going to Calcutta after a brief break in Mayapur to counter the 15,000 mailers Adri sent to all the life members around the city.

Some standard for communications is needed. Because the lady reported her rape to the police all the indian leaders got heavy on Dayaram das and me saying we should have covered it up since it was bad press when the police press came to know and flashed it. How can we cover up a rape? That would also be abetting the crime, I believe. If Adri wanted to he had enough time to settle something out of court with the woman before it went to the court. Instead he used it also to promote his rtvikism, but it made things more expanded in the press. If he had played it down and said he was only an employee and not a leader and if he is guilty then let the law take its course the whole thing would have blown over.

Instead he made it a bigger thing saying it was a frame up and he got forensic report saying it was negative before even the police got the report. He has been bribing left and right. so by saying that anaother test was taken and the investigation was taken out of the local police office to the detective section which is harder to bribe and the devotee was found to have his semen on the woman. Now with Adri he doesn't listen to us, but he would listen somewhat to you.

Adri made a big thing of this but instead Yasomati Nanda das is such a totally 100% blind follower of Adri that he can do anything and he won't object. I wasn't in India nor knew anything of this yet somehow even iget the blame like I masterminded it. As far as i am concerned Yasomati nandana and Adri are now totally discredited. to use an innocent women who is a rape victim as a pawn in ritvik politics is ridiculous and sinful. Adri didn't have to send this woman to Suresvara who was several kilometers away in a secluded place to get her Rs.2000 stipend.

Adri knew that Suresvara had previously fallen down with some woman and after that took allegedly took the woman to his own building for reasons best known to him. Even the day after the thing happened Sattvik das told devotees in the temple that "this is what happens if one doesn't control his sex desire". Everyone knows Suresvara das had sex with the woman. The woman is a helpless village widow of an 18 year veteran devotee who died due to neglect in Calcutta Temple. She was promised 2 lakhs stipend for her maintenance and instead it was reduced to 2000 per month and when she begged to get it from the lady cashier in the Calcutta temple Adri refused and sent her to this lusty devotee who not only harrassed her but forced her to satisfy his carnal desires before giving her the Rs.2000 stipend.

This is rape by cohersion and Adri knows it is true, yet still he is spending upto a lakh to hire top lawyers to unsuccessfully get a bail for the devotee but he couldn't give the pension he promised the lady. So this kind of criminal activity gets condoned in the name of good communications. No one should object. I certainly would have like th ematter to get solved out of court and Adri had every chance for it. When I reached india and heard of it i was shocked and initially led to believe that it was a frame up, but when I reached Calcutta and saw the innocent simple village lady and heard from grihastha devotees who were immediatel present when she came crying to them. It is clear that it is a genuine case. Still the Indian leadership said it shouldn't have been given to the police.

Is this our standard of integrity? Maybe Anuttama Prabhu can shed some light. I think internationally if the women's section of our society hear we can sacrifice the protection of a woman for communication credits they will totally lose faith in the ISKCON leadership (whatver little they have). So it would be good if we have a national policy for rape, murder, child-abuse whether we should try to suppress the facts and impede justice or whether we should be up front and distance ourselves from the perpetrator? this is a legal and communications issue so I am hopeful a practical standard should be considered and established.

Otherwise in India communications wise things seem peaceful I hope that this finds you in good health. Your servant,

Jayapataka Swami

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SITES TO CHECK OUT:

* http://members.xoom.com/prabhupada/ new ISKCON reform page

Srila Prabhupada wanted to be poisoned?
* http://www.equalsouls.org/tkg

* PRABHUPADANUGA'S:
* Seattle, Wa (Dhamaghosa dasa 206-729-0111) dasdasdas@aol.com

* http://iskcontimeline.homepage.com Nandini's history site
* http://www.krishnabooks.org Krishna Books
* http://www.prabhupada.cc Prabhupada samkirtana site

* http://mitglied.lycos.de/pada/ (Pada's Newsletter Archive)
* http://www.krishna.org/ (S.P. REAL AUDIO download)
* http://members.xoom.com/manvantar/index.htm (Sulochana's Homepage) 
* http://www.vedabase.com/  (Vedabase)
* http://tsa.ppp.ripco.net/das/articles.htm (DAS)
* http://tsa.ppp.ripco.net/padaweb/puranjan.html (Puranjana's Site)

* POISON TAPE audio and pada newsletters: 
* http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/3933 
* POISON TRANSCRIPT 
* http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/3933/19990519.htm 

* http://www.winink.com/tkg/  (Tamal Krishna)
* http://mitglied.lycos.de/gbc   (GBC expose)
* gbc_108@hotmail.com  (e-mail)

* http://pages.infinit.net/pragosh/home.html  (FRENCH)
* http://www.unlimited-resources.com/anubhavananda.html  
* http://members.aol.com/gauridas (Gauridasa Pandita Dasa)
* http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/5708/  (SPANISH)
* http://www.com.org/hb/ptd/cyber_gurukula.htm)  (Cyber gurukula)
* http://www.islandnet.com/krsna/  (Rocana's site)
* http://www.islandnet.com/krsna/vada/poison/poison.htm  (Poison issue)
* Vipramukhya and Jayadvaita's "illicit sex guru" rationalizations
* http://www.artnet.net/~yasoda/index.htm  [appointment tape fraud]
* http://www.gaura-nitai.net Gaura-Nitais Homepage Deutsch

* ISKCON WOMEN-PRABHUPADA'S TIME (by Jyotirmayi Devi Dasi)
* Polygamy In The Hare Krishna Movement (Pritha's Page)