Tuesday, June 20, 2023
An interview with the author: FDG, Do We Need Them?
In this talk Sītāpatī Prabhu and his dharma-patni talk to the author of the book FDG: Do we need them?
https://youtube.com/live/bSjO5dEqqDg
Aggressors of Śāstra-sādhu-guru-vākyas
The following are the links to the articles that expose the real aggressors of Śāstra-sādhu-guru-vākyas:
(1)
Kaunteya dasa: The real aggressor of Bharadvāja-saṁhita : https://svatantra.info/?p=564
(2)
Kaunteya dasa: THE REAL NEO-SMĀRTA EXPOSÉ : https://svatantra.info/?p=512
Opinion of other Vaiṣṇava sampradāya scholars on FDG
(1)
Interviews with renowned Sanskrit scholar and descendant of Śrīmān Nātha Muni, Śrīmān Vasudevan Tāttacārya and descendant of Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, Śrīmān Murali Bhaṭṭar, chief priest of Śrī Raṅgam Raṅganānātha Swāmi main Temple - https://tinyurl.com/yckc55dr
(2)
Interview with Śrīman AV Nagasampige, former Principal of Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha Sanskrit Patashala - https://youtu.be/eHiMO7ocY9M
(3)
Late Prof. M.A.Lakshmi Tattacharya (Melkotte)
Thursday, September 1, 2022
ISKCON devotees debate with Sakshi Apologetics - a closer review
Basics of reincarnation
Sridhara Srinivasa das: September 1st, 2022
Background:
Recently, some devotees of ISKCON and a team of Christian apologetics from Sakshi TV engaged in online debates, on the topic of reincarnation. Subsequently they also exchanged email communications post the online debates. I have watched these debates in parts and although I was invited to take part in these debates I did not participate nor do I intend to participate in the future debates. Nonetheless both the teams have kindly agreed to keep me informed about the proceedings by including me as one of the recipients of their email communication. I take this opportunity to thank them for their kind gesture. In this short article, I would like to express my views on how these debates should have been conducted in the past and how they may conduct future debates should they plan to continue.
However, my understanding of the whole topic of debate, based on the post-debate emails chain, is expressed in the following passages. My views can be shared with both the ISKCON side and Sakshi side. As a principle, I refuse to engage in any debates wherein there is no clear stated position. Unfortunately, after going through all the communications that have happened over emails I strongly feel that these debates clearly exhibit the syndrome of ambiguity in stating the position of each side. First of all, both sides should have a clear understanding on the position taken by both sides that are planning to debate; instead the debates started out with prejudice as seems to be the strategy that the Sakshi team has been undertaking. In other words, Sakshi team did not clearly state their position in regards to reincarnation, instead they jumped the gun of assuming the oppositions’ position and started to attacking the oppositions’ view point without allowing the opportunity for the opposition to state their position.
Another reason for me to not take part in these debates is that, as I suspected before, giving real truth to the people seems to be missing instead the intent of this debate seemed to be to just wedge some convoluted understanding into the minds of the innocent. So there is no real information exchange between the two sides but only seems to appear to incite a verbal fight. Please forgive me for my choice of harsh words but unfortunately I see no better way to describe the whole episode. The reason I say so is not because I belong to ISKCON sect and nor do I just want to engage in ad-hominem of the Sakshi team, but the email responses post-debate clearly shows that there was no specific position taken or challenged by both sides. It seems to me that the debating sides (both) did not know what they are debating on.
My intention of writing this article is to document my understanding on this topic and how this debate should have been conducted so that we all get benefited by such debates instead of war of words. Honestly, I am an ISKCON affiliate and hence my views are biased towards ISKCON side of understanding. Nonetheless, I would also like to hear the position of the Sakshi team in no ambiguous terms and hence I welcome them to comment on my writeup.
Having stated my position and intent, I feel that the topic of reincarnation is as broad as an ocean itself. Both sides should have narrowed down to specific aspects of reincarnation instead what was perceived was that the Sakshi team is challenging or claiming rather audaciously that Vedas don’t define it at all, without stating their understanding of what reincarnation is all about. It is not even clear whether Sakshi, according to their belief system, accepts reincarnation or not. So, the question is why don’t we hear what Sakshi’s position of what they believe as reincarnation is according their scriptures that they follow. What authority is Sakshi team following?
For example, a simple search on the Vatican church’s view on reincarnation, yields the following as the first and foremost search result:
https://www.irishcatholic.com/what-does-the-church-teach-about-reincarnation/
As per the above article, it is clearly stated that 38% of US catholics believe in the Vedic definition of re-incarnation as possible in both human and animal bodies, even against the church’s belief that re-incarnation means either re-joining with the body in heaven or burn in hell for ever depending on whether one believes in Jesus or not respectively.
So which view the Sakshi apologetics actually subscribe to and whether or not, in this regard, they follow the Bible? If so is it the old testament or the new testament that they follow? If they do follow either or both, can they state what their scripture says about reincarnation? How would they classify the 38% of other worldwide Christians who do believe reincarnation of soul is possible between animals, plants, and human bodies, quite contrary to the church’s view or probably Sakshi’s views?
It also seems like the ISKCON side came into the debate with some assumptions and not clear about what are the specific aspects that constituted to the topic of debate. Their expectations seems to be to first hear from Sakshi team what their understanding on reincarnation was based on their scripture of bible. As far as the Sakshi team is concerned they seem to have come into the debate with a pre-conceived notion of establishing that reincarnation as believed by the Hindus are bogus, without even offering their understanding of reincarnation from their scriptures. So obviously how can any meaning be made out of this debate. Garbage in Garbage out.
ISKCON’s fundamentals:
ISKCON accepts Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam as their main scriptures and that all information that are presented in all other Vedic scriptures are contained in essence within these two scriptures. So, yes whatever be the apparent contradictions presented in other scriptures can and shall be harmonized with these two scriptures. Bhagavad-Gita 15.15 is our basis for this understanding, which is stated below:
sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
“[Lord Kṛṣṇa says:] I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”
All our great teachers including Ādi Śankarācārya have stated that the Bhagavad-gita to be the essential scripture for all human kind:
ekaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putra-gītam eko devo devakī-putra eva
eko mantras tasya nāmāni yāni karmāpy ekaṁ tasya devasya sevā
“In this present day, people are very much eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion and one occupation. Therefore, ekaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putra-gītam: let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world – Bhagavad-gītā. Eko devo devakī-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world – Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Eko mantras tasya nāmāni: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer – the chanting of His name: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Karmāpy ekaṁ tasya devasya sevā: and let there be one work only – the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Gītā-māhātmya 7)
One more reference from the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam, which states that the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam is the essence of all vedic literature, as cited below:
nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.” [ŚB 1.1.3]
The basis of ISKCON’s understanding is certainly based on Vedic scriptures and as well as the explanations and commentaries on the Vedic scriptures given by great practitioners of Vedic scriptures like Manu, Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka Svāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and many other authorities of Vedic knowledge in India. We do not try to invent our own method of understanding nor do we accept the statements of those who are not authorized practitioners or of those who do not come under the disciplic succession of the above-mentioned great authorities. Yes, ISKCON very much accepts and abides by the words of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His devotees as the supreme authority.
ISKCON’s understanding of reincarnation:
The Bhagavad-gita’s verse 2.13 states:
dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” [BG 2.13]
The first axiomatic truth is that we are not the body but we are imperishable soul. Our body changes with time and dies, but the embodied soul does not die but passes on to another body at death. Furthermore, the relationship between our body and soul is explained in the Bhagavad-gita nicely with a very practical example from our day to day life, as cited below:
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” – [BG 2.22]
This is the point that Sakshi team should be aware of and whether or not they accept these statements determines the whole course of debate. Without understanding and agreeing to this fundamental view point, Sakshi team has jumped on with several assumptions and unverified statements and (mis)use the statements of the Vedic scriptures to their advantage. Hence they make an unqualified statement that reincarnation and varna system are inseparable. First of all we should ascertain whether Sakshi team agrees that in the cycle of reincarnation the unchangeable soul can transmigrate between human bodies and non-human (animals, plants, reptiles, birds, insects) bodies of life. If there is a disagreement between ISKCON side and Sakshi side then this should be the point of discussion and not a debate of whether reincarnation and varna can be separated or not. Going against this basic principle, Sakshi team, on their part, went on to build sand-castles of weak statements and fruitless arguments to establish their pre-conceived agenda at any cost.
Second point is, whether or not Sakshi team agrees with the actual meaning of the bible commandment – “Thou shall not kill” means that man should not slaughter animals, plants or any other non-human forms of life, not to mention about slaughtering humans. ISKCON Founder-Ācārya, Śrīla Prabhupāda, insisted that one who claims to be a Christian shall follow this commandment of Bible and not engage in meat eating, especially killing of the cows, who is our mother since we drink her milk. So, the ISKCON understanding of “Thou shall not kill” means one shall not kill any form of life, not just humans, unnecessarily.
Before getting agreements on these two points, any debate with Sakshi team will end up fruitless and mere waste of labor, time and energy.
Monday, August 29, 2022
Breaking News - GBC Executive Committee responds - August 29, 2022
ISKCON GBC's Response to India Bureau
The following is the email response from ISKCON GBC Executive committee to ISKCON India's letter of no-confidence
The GBC continues to misinform and employ gas lighting methods of repeating a false information over and over again. For a full review of this response click on the following link: ISKCON GBC Gas lighting strategy - debunked
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: GBC EC <GBC.EC@pamho.net>
Date: Sun, Aug 28, 2022 at 3:17 PM
Subject: Re: Reply
To: XXXX Dasa <XXXXdas@gmail.com>
Dear Respected Bureau, IIAM, and ICC Officers and Members,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
It seems that a significant degree of misinformation is circulating
regarding the GBC’s desire for additional dialogue with the Bureau members
(in response your request), and the two initiations by Narayani devi dasi
this past week.
The GBC remains committed in our deep respect for you as dedicated
Vaishnavas, as well as for your opinions on different matters, as well as
for your vision of preaching in India. Thus, we would like to clarify a few
important points.
Per an extensive study of Srila Prabhupada's writings and other
teachings—and after almost two decades of discussion and dialogue within the
GBC and with other ISKCON leaders, including an extensive dialogue lasting
for one year and two dozen sessions during which the GBC respectfully heard
and dialogued with senior representatives of the Bureau—the GBC affirmed
that qualified Vaishnavis may serve as diksa gurus in ISKCON under certain
conditions. This was passed by a 64% majority.
You raised several points of disagreement with that decision in your last
email. Most, if not all of those were discussed and answered during the
GBC-Bureau dialogue, but perhaps those answers were not relayed to you
accurately. As such, we offer some summary thoughts on that letter, as well
as a few relevant quotes from Srila Prabhupada.
1. Regarding women needing protection. We agree with this principle.
The 2021 GBC resolution on Vaishnavi diksa gurus (VDG) affirms the
importance of this. In your recent letter, an objection is raised to women
being under the protection of a son-in-law, Vaishnava/vi sanga, or grihastra
couple. We note this is in the spirit of exactly what Srila Prabhupada did
when he formed brahmacarini ashrams around the world. Vaishnavis in those
ashramas were/are under the protection of senior devotee men, or senior
devotee women, or god-brothers or god-sisters, and not just those in the
traditional role of “father, husband, or son.” As is often the case we see
that Srila Prabhupada expertly applied the principle (this time of
protection) according to time, place, and circumstance. We follow in his
footsteps. In addition, we offer this quote from Srila Prabhupada for your
meditation.
Of course, when woman comes to Krsna consciousness, that position is
different. We are speaking of ordinary woman.... So when we study things
from material point of view, these things are to be taken care. But when a
man or woman becomes Krsna conscious, he or she takes care of herself or
himself. [BG Lecture July 28th 1973]
2. We find your stated fear and conjecture that this will open the door
to women taking sanyasa is unfounded. The resolution says nothing about
that. Nor have the GBC members ever contemplated that. We are merely
applying Srila Prabhupada’s instructions regarding Vaishnavis serving as
diksa gurus:
I want that all of my spiritual sons and daughters will inherit this title
of Bhaktivedanta, so that the family transcendental diploma will continue
through the generations. Those possessing the title of Bhaktivedanta will be
allowed to initiate disciples. Maybe by 1975, all of my disciples will be
allowed to initiate and increase the numbers of the generations. That is my
program. (Letter to Hamsadutta /
January 3rd, 1969)
3. As discussed many times with the Bureau representatives, we find the
quote from the SB 4.12.32 to be descriptive and not prescriptive for all
times and places. Otherwise, why would Srila Prabhupada have written this:
“I hope that all of you, men, women, boys and girls, become spiritual
master?”
(Vyasa-puja Address, London August 22nd, 1973)
4. Regarding your quoting of sastric texts, we note this: “If a
spiritual master does not speak according to the revealed scripture, he is
not to be accepted.” It is the GBC’s stated position that Srila Prabhupada
is not just the diksa guru of many of us, but the Founder-Acarya of all of
ISKCON. Thus, all sastra should be understood through the lens of his
purports and example, as well as the mood and instructions of Lord Caitanya.
As Prabhupada taught:
So we should follow this instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, yare dekha,
tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. So you, every one of you, can become guru. You
may say that "I am not interested to become a guru," but Caitanya Mahaprabhu
says that if you are not interested, that is not very good. You should be
interested. You must be guru. That is success of your life.”
(Room Conversation – March 13, 1975, Tehran)
5. And, with all due respect, the GBC has not used “political force” to
implement Srila Prabhupada’s wishes on Vaishnavi diksa gurus. That is
inaccurate and misleading. On the contrary, the GBC studied the matter
carefully for almost two decades. We engaged in extensive dialogue,
listening to voices of devotees around the world, especially in India, and
then made a carefully considered application of Srila Prabhupada’s
teachings, and Lord Caitanya’s mood and principles, in our decision. To say
this decision was an unacceptable “imposition” is not accurate, nor helpful.
Nor do we feel, is it pleasing to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna.
As far as Krsna consciousness is concerned, everyone is capable of becoming
a spiritual master because knowledge in Krsna consciousness is on the
platform of the spirit soul [...] The word guru is equally applicable to the
vartma-pradarsaka-guru, siksa-guru and diksa-guru. Unless we accept the
principle enunciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this Krsna consciousness
movement cannot spread all over the world.
[CC Madhya Lila 8.128 purport]
6. Regarding the claim of the letter that the GBC was obliged to seek a
“convincing [of] the Bureau reps of your [GBC] stand.” That was never the
purpose of the dialogue. The purpose was for all parties to hear the views
and concerns of the others, and seek mutual understanding and cooperation.
As GBC members, we listened attentively to the concerns of our Bureau
partners. It is interesting to note that during the dialogue, most of the
Bureau representatives agreed that Vaishnavis may serve as gurus in ISKCON
under certain conditions. As Srila Prabhupada explained:
Actually one who has attained the perfection, she can become guru. But man
or woman, unless one has attained the perfection... Yei krsna-tattva-vetta
sei guru haya. The qualification of guru is that he must be fully cognizant
of the science of Krsna. Then he or she can become guru. Yei
krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya.
(Interview with Professors O'Connell– June 18, 1976, Toronto)
Returning to the other points of recent misunderstanding:
Please note that the GBC strongly affirmed that India--or any region of the
world--may opt of the VDG policy. I.e., if the India Bureau formally
determines that, as we expect, to not allow Vaishnavis to initiate in India,
it will be prohibited there. This exemption was granted specifically in
response to India leaders’ request, as expressed during the GBC-Bureau
dialogues and at other times.
Please understand that this was a major adjustment made in response to your
views and your requests. It is not, as some may claim, that the GBC has not
heard you, or does not respect you. We have, and we do. And, as the body of
servants of Srila Prabhupada tasked with guiding the ISKCON society
globally, it is the GBC’s duty to understand carefully what Srila Prabhupada
wants for the global ISKCON society.
Your mandate is to consider and voice what you think is best for India. We
respect that. Our mandate is to ascertain and voice what is best for global
ISKCON. In this case, we made an adjustment based on your request and your
perspectives, allowing you to opt out of a global decision. We suggest that
the leaders in India consider more carefully how allowing regions to “opt
out” is a reasonable and respectful way to both respect and facilitate your
views as to what is best for India.
Regarding Narayani devi dasi:
The recent GBC resolution does not limit the number of disciples that
Narayani dasi may accept. The decision states that Narayani has fulfilled
"all of the requirements per ISKCON law" and "can initiate where allowed by
the RGB or similar body." (This refers to the geographic "opt out" explained
above.) There was no numerical limitation discussed or mandated.
Nor did the GBC decision restrict Narayani dasi to only initiate the one
aspiring disciple who is terminally ill in Australia. We noted in our letter
to you that her initiating was "especially critical now in one case in
particular, since a prospective disciple who has all her faith in Narayani
Devi Dasi is terminally ill.” However, while we explained to you that it
was "critical now in one case," we did not state, nor did we mean to imply,
that it was critical in all cases, nor that she would be restricted to only
one ill disciple.
If our letter was not clear to you, we apologize for that shortcoming.
However, we believe that upon careful reading of our letter, and the GBC
decision, the conclusion is clear. “Narayani Devi Dasi is allowed to
initiate.”
Furthermore, we understand that Narayani chose to initiate her first
disciple on Janmastami day in Alachua to take advantage of that holy day. In
a mood of cooperation with ISKCON leadership, Narayani knew that the North
American Council (region) had previously given their approval to the
Vaishnavi Diksa Guru resolution, and thus she had the required authority and
blessings to initiate there. The Australian yatra gave their approval to
Narayani after that, hence the Australian disciple (the terminally ill
devotee) became the second initiate.
As noted in the same GBC decision, any initiations by other Vaishnavis are
on hold for ninety days from the passage of that resolution (August 10)
during which we hope to have a constructive dialogue with Bureau
representatives. Our guidelines for such a dialogue are elaborated in point
# 3-6 of the resolution, specifically that four members of the Bureau meet
with four GBC members (without Basu Ghosh prabhu or Jayapataka Swami). We
hope to hear from the India leadership soon regarding who will take the lead
from the Bureau side and connect with the GBC representatives.
If any of this is still not clear, feel free to reach out to us. Since
sometimes written exchanges or email can be misunderstood, if some of your
leadership would like to speak with our EC about this directly, we’d welcome
a call.
Hare Krsna,
Your servants,
Bhanu Swami
Revati Raman Das
Guru Prasad Swami,
GBC Executive Committee
Thursday, June 30, 2022
An article on understanding Krishna's Vedic culture
ISKCON Deviants - the new East India Company
systematic undermining of Krishna’s vedic culture
- Lakshmi Narasimha Das
ISKCON has been a successful mission and institution growing all over the world in relatively a short time of 50 years with a following of over a million devotees. However, within 40 years of passing of Srila Prabhupada, the founder-Acharya of ISKCON, a systematic infiltration of western culture antithetical to scriptural injunctions is threatening the very fabric of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON institution. Over the last twenty years there has been an increasing pressure from the ISKCON deviants to systematically destroy the Krishna’s vedic culture and hijack ISKCON’s mission to drift swiftly towards the liberal western culture such as equal rights for women in all fields including the diksha guru positions and authorizing the LGBT union/marriages etc.,
The deviant leaders of ISKCON facilitate the detractors of Krishna’s vedic culture by appointing them to the top positions in decision making authorities such as GBC, board of directors, Temple president posts, and including the top position of the Sastric Advisory committees (SAC). They also systematically recruit devotees of Indian background/body and train them systematically to denounce Krishna’s vedic culture and promote non-Krishna’s vedic cultures and concepts such as Female Diksha Guru and make them into sepoys.
Let us go through some obvious examples of such indoctrination of deviations based on recent incidents.
Breaking Krishna’s vedic culture:
1. Consider the following conversation of Srila Prabhupada during one of his morning walks, wherein he clearly sets the standards and expectations that men and women of his society are to follow:
Yogeśvara: So here's a problem: The women today want the same rights as men. How can they be satisfied?
Prabhupāda: Everything will be satisfied. Just like our women, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are working. ***They don't want equal rights with the men. It is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.*** They are cleansing the temple, they are cooking very nicely. They are satisfied. They never said that "I have to go to Japan for preaching like Prabhupāda." They never say. This is artificial.
Morning walk, Rome, Aug 27, 1974
In this conversation, Srila Prabhupada clearly state that Krishna Conscious persons, especially ISKCON women, do not claim for equal rights and compete with men. He says that his female disciples do not demand for equal rights to men in the way of Female Diksha Guruship or travelling all over the world like Srila Prabhupada and his male disciples. Yet, direct female disciples of Srila Prabhupada like Urmila Devi Dasi, Malati Devi Dasi et. al, whom Srila Prabhupada directly referred in the above conversations, travel to all places all over the world alone without protection of husband or sons. They preach/encourage other women devotees at the places that they travel to develop independent qualities, demand to occupy the highest positions in GBC, temples and in SAC, fight to become and institute asastriya actions such as Female Diksa Guruship.
Not only female disciples of Srila Prabhupada, some of the male disciples such as Anuttama Prabhu and Bhakti Marga Swami Maharaja have been violating these instructions of Srila Prabhupada by words and actions.
In the Midterm General Meetings of GBC held in October 2019, at Tirupati ISKCON, Anuttama Prabhu, a GBC officer and minister for ISKCON communications, gave Srimad Bhagavatam class on the first day of the start of the GBC meetings. While he was singing, “Jaya Radha Madhava kirtan,” he gestured to a temple brahmacari something which the brahmacari could not figure out. Later at the end of the kirtan he started his impromptu sermon to all the vaishnavas seated in front, insulting them of not knowing any Vaishnava culture and etiquette. He accused them (who are born and brought up in Krsna’s Vedic culture) of improper Vaishnava etiquette by sitting in front rows of Srimad Bhagavatam classes and showing their backs to matajis who are seated at the back. He even cursed that such actions will only earn them re-birth in female bodies for such grave aparadhas. He stated that having great, sincere, strict followers of Srila Prabhupada such as Malati Prabhu (Mataji who wears saffron saree) seated behind and showing their backs to such seniors and great Vaishnavis such as Malati “Prabhu” (please also see the note at the end of the document) is a grave offense. He emphatically stated that matajis sitting in front (even though they are showing their backs to senior Men devotees) is the Vaishnava culture which is far superior to any local traditional cultures (obviously he is attacking Tirupati ISKCON culture which, like other Vedic institutions, follows the tradition of men in the front and women at the back). He re-arranged the entire seating arrangement for his class, compelling the otherwise hesitant matajis of local congregation to occupy the front seats. Obviously he was not bothered about matajis and prabhujis seated in front showing their backs to many men Sanyasis and Gurus who were seated at back. Please see the picture below:
This is an example of complete disregard for Srila Prabhupada’s teachings from that morning walk in Rome, Aug 27, 1974. Whereaa Anuttama Prabhu preaches concepts of equality of women with men that Srila Prabhupada clearly denounced. Such actions are not only completely rude on the part of the visiting guest of Tirupati ISKCON center, his words and actions are against sastric guidelines. It is just like a visiting guest messing up the host’s furniture and kitchenette or even worst. This indicates that the “progressive” GBC already has a re-education program for the “backward” people of India so that they too can become “progressive.”
Now this was not just an episode since Bhakti Marga Swami Maharaja took upon himself the role of “temple commander” for the remaining days of the MGM GBC meetings at ISKCON Tirupati, to ensure that matajis, although hesitant and feeling shy, were compelled to occupy front seats on an equal level with prabhujis for the Srimad Bhagavatam class, which was clearly against the tradition and custom of Vedic India and also that of the ISKCON Tirupati center. Is it because Anuttama Prabhu and Maharaja, being the GBCs, need not care for permission from ISKCON Tirupati temple president to do such changes since their backgrounds are from the West and are the “superior sahibs” to the Indian temple president. The following pictures clearly shows how Bhakti Marga Swami Maharaja ushering and compelling the women devotees who are seen blushing against their choice of seating to come up to the front. There is a video of Maharaja’s determination to compel and coerce innocent matajis to rebel against the local custom and traditions of mataji’s position. All this is done to just ensure that Malati Prabhu (Mataji) and her associates gets a seat up front and equal footing with male sanyasis and gurus.
Picture of BMS Maharaja’s ushering matajis.
This is exactly what the British East India Company did successfully during the 1600’s and 1700’s to break the Indian Krishna’s Vedic culture and instigate rebellions in the Vedic society and thus destroy and demonize varnasrama dharma. Thus if one thought that introduction of Female Diksa Guru or LGBT marriages by ISKCON international is only in the West and will not affect ISKCON India, as some of the Indian ISKCON leaders believe, they are only waiting for the history to repeat itself. The actions of the ISKCON international GBC members, as cited above, only indicate that ISKCON international is the new East India Company.
Breaking the tradition through misinterpretations of Sastra
1. Moreover Anuttama Prabhu, Malati Prabhu (Mataji) et.al use their influence and power of being GBC members to recruit those devotees adept in twisting sastric injunctions through misinterpretations and political tactics. These recruits are not only so-called scholarly but are even adept at legal matters or professional advocates of modern egalitarian rights as “divorce lawyers”. These recruits are the GBC deviants’ boot on ground to facilitate socialization of asastric principles such as FDG, LGBT etc., into the very fabric of Krishna’s vedic culture of Asia and India. Some of those recruits includes and not limited to the devotees of pseudo-scholarly nature (and or born as brahmanas by birth) who exhibit double standards and exploit their academic Sanskrit grammar skills and political influence within ISKCON to achieve the hidden agenda of the deviants. These recruits are the sepoys of the ISKCON deviant army who claim very high of his birth as brahman by birth in front of Indian devotees but pose as very liberal in front of international GBC leaders. The deviants have very strong influence on the GBC that they spearhead the formation of Sastric Advisor Council (SAC) and appoint as leaders like Urmila Prabhu (Mataji), proponent and aspiring candidate of FDG, despite their conflict of interest. The deviants also engage these recruits to serve in key positions of SAC as sastric advisors. Some of these ex-SAC members are currently serving as GBC deputies and serve as sastric advisors for some leaders of the GBC. Hence, using the power, some of these deputies shamelessly twist sastra to their favour and at the same time conveniently neglect the sastra, sadhu, and guru vakyas. The devotee community in India either do not realise all these nuances or are wishful in thinking that these changes are not going to affect their day to day operations.
Conclusion:
This article clearly establishes the fact that some of these deviant devotees occupying the highest offices of ISKCON GBC have had a very shady background and character even after joining ISKCON. Certainly these “devotees” who are divorcees or support divorce or drug addicts or LGBT or with shady character, deride and insult devotees from Krishna’s vedic culture/background. Thus they fully exploit their situation as “special disciples” of Srila Prabhupada to rule over the Indian devotees. It is high time that the ISKCON India leaders and member devotees wake up to these schemes and plots of these western deviants. If the ISKCON Indian article allows this then it is only clear that the ISKCON Indian devotees are only worse than the fourth frog that Sri Bhismadeva refers in his instructions to Yudistira Maharaja in Maha-Bharata. That fourth frog had no chance to learn even by experience and incorporate corrective actions because it was dead by the time it realized its mistakes. But if ISKCON Indian members knowing well the history of the atrocities of British rule in India and remain complacent and indifferent to similar episodes happening within ISKCON organization then they stand to enter into the history books as the “frog in the pot,” that allowed itself to be boiled.
Note:
Source https://ghqredux.wordpress.com/2017/10/29/ghq-redux-2017/
An excerpt from the above source relevant to Malati “Prabhu” is presented below:
“On seeing the above image on the internet we did some investigation and found out that Malati dd, GBC and head of the Women’s Ministry, had indeed blooped in 1977, and then ran off with a sannyasi, Prithuputra x-Swami, whom she married and was involved in a ménage à trois that also included Bhugarbha x-swami. She got involved in satanism, black magic[14] and ran a brothel.[15] She and her lovers were heroin addicts and became HIV+. The two men died of AIDS. She became homeless and was found by Maha-vegavati mataji. In 1991 Malati dd eventually joined Kirtananda Swami, who had been excommunicated from ISKCON in January 1987. He gave her the order of sannyas[16]. In 1993 Kirtananda was finally exposed beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a child molester and thus New Vrndavan entered back into the ISKCON fold. That is when Malati dd finally rejoined ISKCON after a hiatus of 16 years. Seeing her many “qualifications” Ravindra Svarupa dasa[17] decided that she should become the GBC of New Vrndavana where she is known to drive around with a full-size murty of Srila Prabhupada in the passenger seat, virtue signaling her dedication to Srila Prabhupada.
Malati dd completely rests on her past laurels and milks the sentiments of innocent devotees who think she is loyal to Prabhupada yet all the while keeping friendship with serious offenders of Srila Prabhupada and doing whatever she can to undermine Srila Prabhupada’s life mission.”
More about Malati dd’s (Melanie Nagel) extra-curricular activities can be found here (do a search for “Malati”):
Dark Agents
Cops were spellbound by idea of magician as killer
Patrick and Melanie: Early ISKCON History
Patrick Geoffroy? (If you get a security warning just click through it actually works).
Re Malati (scroll to #3)
ISKCON OPPORTUNISM and rise of the Masculine /Feminist Vaisnavis
Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed in this article fully belong to the author of this article. This blog is just a medium to express them.
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