ISKCON BANS SADHUS

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ISKCON BANS SADHUS

Submitted by Jadurani dasi

 

For the past few years, ISKCON leaders have had a worldwide ban

on Gaudiya Matha Indian sadhus. In particular, the ban is

targeted to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, one

of India's most renowned saints, who is honored by over 100,000

Indian and Western devotees and other religious-minded persons.

Not only do the ISKCON leaders make regular propaganda against

him, they do not allow him to enter their temples around the

world. In hopes that this ban would be removed, we, disciples of

Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja (the

founder-acarya of ISKCON) and also followers of Srila Narayana

Maharaja, did not make it public before. However, because it

has, on the contrary, become increasingly stringent, and many

sincere devotees are suffering as a result, we now find no other

option than to inform our respected Indian readers.

 

This ban does not only apply to Srila Narayana Maharaja. It also

applies to his disciples, as well as to the disciples of Srila

Prabhupada, and it also applies to other devotees who associate

with and appreciate him.

 

 

The Ban in Los Angeles

 

The following official letter from ISKCON of Los Angeles was

recently handed to one of Srila Narayana Maharaja's disciples

who had been living one block from the temple and attending its

functions for several years:

 

"The policy of ISKCON Los Angeles is that initiated disciples of

the guru Narayana Maharaja are not allowed on any of the ISKCON

properties, including the temple, the restaurant, the gift shop,

or the ISKCON property division apartment building on Watseka

Avenue. As an initiated disciple of Narayana Maharaja, you have

been informed of this policy verbally and by letter. The letter

you received also explained the reasons for the policy. Despite

these notifications, you have refused to obey the policy, and

have entered one or more of the above-mentioned properties. The

next time you violate the policy by entering any of the

above-mentioned properties, the temple will obtain a restraining

order, forbidding you to enter those properties. As soon as it

is issued, this order will show up on your police record. You

should also understand that if you violate the restraining

order, you might be subject to arrest, fine, and imprisonment.

Our hope is that you will respect the policy, and not force the

issuance of a restraining order."

 

 

The Ban at Bhaktivedanta Manor

 

The Bhaktivedanta Manor in England is another example. Its

policy is that any devotee who accepts guidance from Srila

Narayana Maharaja, or even just curious to meet him, is at

risk of being banned from the Manor and rejected from ISKCON.

Many of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, who have given up to 30

years of their lives for his service and the service of the

Deities, were banned from the Manor. Although these devotees had

faithfully distributed hundreds of thousands of Srila

Prabhupada's books, they were banned because of their faith in

Srila Narayana Maharaja. Their children were also banned from

attending the temple Gurukula, and young Indian members of

Pandava Sena Youth Forum who were interested in taking siksa

from Srila Narayana Maharaja were banned from the temple. When

local devotees approached Srila Narayana Maharaja's disciples

with criticisms of him, any attempt undertaken by his disciples

to defend him was immediately reported to the authorities as

"proselytizing." When the disciples of Srila Narayana Maharaja

protested that they had been forced into defending their

spiritual master, the authorities declared that even if their

guru was being blasphemed they were forbidden to answer back.

This was not an isolated incident. Approaching the devotees,

temple authorities threatened them with dire consequences should

they so much as mention the name of "Narayana Maharaja" or speak

about him in any way.

 

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja's Relationship with Srila Prabhupada

 

This is all very strange, since the relationship between Srila

Narayana Maharaja and ISKCON's founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada,

has been very intimate since 1946, before the birth of most of

the ISKCON devotees. Srila Narayana Maharaja's initiating guru,

Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, is Srila

Prabhupada's god-brother and sannyasa-guru, and Srila Maharaja

himself is Prabhupada's siksa-disciple.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja assisted Srila Prabhupada in his

preaching in Jhansi and other places in the 1950's. He performed

Prabhupada's sannyasa initiation in 1959 (even showing him how

to wear the sannyasa apparel), and he assisted Prabhupada in

publishing the books that he first brought with him to America

in 1966. He sent Prabhupada Deities so that he could train his

new Western disciples how to worship Thakurji, according to

authorized Vedic standards, in his brand new ISKCON temples. He

sent Prabhupada's Sanskrit books for his translation work, and

also his first karatals and mrdangas for his worldwide

sankirtana activities. He assisted Prabhupada in training the

first American disciples who Prabhupada brought back with him to

India, and he performed many other services until 1977.

 

Then, in November of 1977, when Srila Prabhupada was in his last

manifest days in this world, he requested Srila Narayana

Maharaja to take care of his disciples after his divine

departure. Srila Maharaja promised to do so, just as Lord Rama

promised his father Dasaratha Maharaja to serve his order up

'till his last breath. Although Prabhupada's own senior-most

disciples and also his own god-brothers were also present at the

time of his departure, he requested Srila Maharaja to personally

put his divine body in samadhi.

 

In 1986, on the request of the ISKCON leaders, Srila Maharaja went to the B=

ombay court and

saved all the ISKCON properties and funds from being given to

Prabhupada's previous son (who was suing ISKCON for all its

properties on the false plea that Prabhupada never took

sannyasa). Ever since Prabhupada's departure, Srila Narayana

Maharaja has been helping to give new life to thousands of

Prabhupada's followers who came to him for spiritual shelter.

Many thousands have been inspired.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja in the West

 

Although he is over 82 years of age, Srila Narayana Maharaja

regularly travels abroad. He preaches the glories of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu and Radha-Krsna, and the glory of ISKCON's

founder-acarya Srila Prabhupada, for 8 months every year, in

about 10 countries every year, and he has just completed his

fourteenth world preaching tour. In many of those countries,

especially in Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, he is invited to

give discourses on India's Vedic Sanatana-dharma, following in

the line of Sri Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasadeva and Mahaprabhu, at

prominent Hindu temples.

 

In June 2001, Srila Narayana Maharaja held his annual

Ratha-yatra festival in Birmingham, England. During that

week-long festival, the British Government had the RAF (Royal

Air Force) fly in the Olympic Flame in his honor, and it was

presented to him for his contribution to preaching love of God

and peace around the world.

 

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja in India

 

When Srila Maharaja is in India, he is regularly invited by

Indian dignitaries to speak at their spiritual programs.

Political leaders in India, before being voted in to their

posts, and after being elected, come to him for blessings.

Moreover, he is recognized by tens of thousands of Gaudiya

Vaisnavas, sannyasis, and acaryas as a pure self-realized

spiritual master.

 

A member of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya disciplic succession,

Srila Narayana Maharaja is highly acclaimed throughout all of

India, by at least a hundred thousand Indians, as a renowned

spiritual scholar and teacher, and as a pure devotee of Lord Sri

Krsna in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is recognized as a

strict follower of Vedic culture, Hindu sanatana-dharma,

Vaisnava etiquette, daivi-varnasrama, and bhagavat-bhajana. Most

of the notable spiritual scholars of Mathura and Vrndavana, such

as Sri Srimad Acyuta Bhatta Gosvami and the Gosvami of the

famous Radha-ramana Mandira, Sri Padmanava Gosvami, come and pay

their respects to him. They invite him to speak to their

assemblies, and he also invites them. He has made a tradition,

since 1954, to hold meetings and invite them to speak, and when

he himself speaks at those meetings, all are in awe. The

following is excerpted from an international news report on a

Visva-Vaisnava Raja-sabha meeting (Royal Assembly of the United

Vaisnava Community of All Sampradayas), held on August 27, 2000,

at Srila Narayana Maharaja's Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in

Mathura:

 

"Most of the prominent erudite Vaisnavas and panditas in

Vraja-Mandala assembled in Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha on this

auspicious dvadasi day to discuss the evolution of the

conception of suddha-bhakti in the Srimad Bhagavatam. In this

distinguished assembly, many elderly Vaisnava scholars of vast

learning and experience, along with their devoted disciples,

united on this momentous occasion to glorify suddha

bhagavat-bhakti according to the precepts of their respective

sampradayas. Such a council of Vaisnavas is very rarely seen in

this world. Some of the mahatmas gracing the assembly by their

noble presence were: Sri Srimad Manohara Lal Sastri, Pandita

Chote Lal Sastri, Sri Srimad Acyuta Bhatta Gosvami, Sripad

Vasanta Lal Sastri, Sri Thakurji Sastri, Sri Srimad Hariharaji

Chachaji and others. More than two hundred devotees attended the

function, eager to witness this unique event and hear the

inevitable flow of hari-katha. As host of the assembly, Srila

Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja welcomed and honored all the

respectable speakers with asanas, sandalwood paste, flower

garlands, and sweet words."

 

Many Indian government officials, like the DCP (Deputy

Commissioner of Police) and also many court judges, in Delhi,

Bombay, Calcutta, Mathura, and elsewhere, are Srila Narayana

Maharaja disciples. Many renowned industrialists and businessmen

regularly come to him to inquire about spiritual life and

receive his blessings. Many head pujaris throughout Vraja

Mandala visit him and honor him. Others personally send their

representatives long distances from the well-known Radha-Govinda

Mandira in Jaipur and Jagannatha Temple in Puri, to bring him

garlands from the Deities when he is about to commence on

another world preaching tour. The leader of all Lord

Jagannathadeva's servants, the Dayita-pati of Puri, also attends

his classes when he is in Puri.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja has been conducting Vraja Mandala

Parikrama for over 50 years, and during that time, the heads of

all the villages come to him and pay their respects. He's been

engaged for several years in organizing the renovation of many

holy places in Vrndavana, such as Bandiravana and Brahma-kunda

in Govardhana. These renovations are well known to the public.

The events in relation to the renovations are published in the

newspapers, and Srila Maharaja's work in this regard is also

recognized by the government. He also leads a Navadvipa-dhama

Parikrama every year at the time of Gaura-purnima, and at that

time he and other acaryas and sannyasis are followed by over

20,000 pilgrims from Bengal, and over 2,000 other Indian and

Western pilgrims. Most of the devotees from Bengal are poor

village people, and therefore they are given free facilities and

prasadam throughout the week-long festival.

 

Still, Srila Narayana Maharaja has been banned by ISKCON from

entering Prabhupada's temples, and he is not even allowed to

enter the samadhi mandira in Vrndavana, where he had personally

put Prabhupada in samadhi in 1977. On the very rare occasion

that he is allowed to come and pay his obeisances at an ISKCON

temple, ISKCON leaders try to keep local devotees away from him.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja does nothing but illuminate the words of

Prabhupada to make his teachings and the teachings of his

guru-parampara much more clear and vital to the suffering souls

in this world, and yet he is being unfairly discriminated

against.

 

The following is an excerpt from a transcript of a conversation

that took place on May 31, 2000, in the Beverly Hills home of

one of ISKCON's original eleven GBC-elected gurus, Hrdayananda

Maharaja. Another participant is Bhagavan dasa, who is one of

the original GBCs and a former ISKCON guru. Bhakti-Caru Maharaja

is also a GBC and another one of those later elected by that

body to act as guru. [The GBC (Governing Body Commission) is

legally charged with the administration of ISKCON.] Also present

was Svasa dasa, ISKCON Los Angeles temple president.

 

Bhagavan dasa: [speaking to Srila Narayana Maharaja] We like to

fight a little bit; but all the time is not good, and everybody

in this room has a lot of love for you and I believe you have a

lot of love for them. And I think that's the thing that

Prabhupada was very expert at; taking all of us who really

didn't like each other very much and making us like each other,

to some degree… My understanding is that you came to the West to

help Prabhupada.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: To serve; not to help.

 

Bhagavan dasa: Yes, to serve. And ISKCON needs service and help.

I understand that there has been a lot of pain because of the

way the GBC has responded to things.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: I think they want to serve ISKCON, this

movement, and according to their intelligence they are doing so.

But we can think further how we can honor each other and fulfill

the mission of Srila Swami Maharaja.

 

Bhagavan dasa: Is it your desire, if possible, to be an active

part of ISKCON – to work with people like Bhakti Caru,

Hrdayananda – [addressing all present] working together without

necessarily putting Maharaja as the new ISKCON Acarya but

working with…

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: I want only to help you in all ways. I

don't want to be Acarya. I don't want to be GBC. I don't want

any position. I want to help with the core of my heart.

 

Bhagavan dasa: …sometimes I think they have a fear that

Prabhupada becomes relativised.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: He is my siksa-guru; not less than my

diksa-guru.

 

Bhagavan dasa: If Prabhupada knew that Narayana Maharaja was in

town, he wouldn't want that Narayana Maharaja would be giving a

talk somewhere else and him giving a talk somewhere else. There

would be no question about that. You would be sleeping in his

quarters with him, telling jokes, having fun, giving massages,

making each other laugh, and talking on how to promote things…

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: That is what I want – that first we

make a proposal to discuss how we can honor each other, how we

can have no ban to meet each other. Then, I may go there, and

they can come to me everywhere.

 

Hrdayananda dasa Maharaja: At the same time we feel that it is

necessary that those who are senior in ISKCON should be

recognized as actually representing Srila Prabhupada and having

a special understanding of Srila Prabhupada. And, based on that

special understanding, Srila Prabhupada asked some of us to

represent him even in his physical absence. I bring this up

because for us this is one of the important things that has to

be acknowledged in our relationship – that there is some

understanding that is relevant to the co-operative mission.

Anyhow... I'll stop here.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: But you should also know that I have

been serving him since 1946, when there was no League of

Devotees and no ISKCON. Your Prabhupada was a householder at

that time, and he was one of the establishing members of the

Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. He was one of the founders, and I have

served him and associated with him since that time. I have

experience of more than 54 years service to him. Moreover, I

know that he is still alive and I want to follow him as my guru.

I see no difference between us. Our bodies are different and our

pronunciation of words is different, but we are in the same

disciplic line of philosophy and mood. Also, I was the priest of

his sannyasa ceremony in 1959. So I consider that I am also his

disciple. The GBC leaders should not think that only they have

served him. I think that I have served more than anyone, from

the core of my heart. I have so much regard for him. If anyone

says that only he has served, that is very painful for me to

hear. They should realize these things.

 

Bhakti Caru Maharaja: I understand.

 

Hrdayanda dasa Maharaja: Good. We are having a discussion. I

think I would never say that you have not served Prabhupada. I

would never say that, and I don't think anyone… I've never

heard…

 

Bhakti Caru Maharaja: Narayana Maharaja, why don't you suggest

what you would like ISKCON to…

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: I want that you should sometimes invite

me, and I will invite you. You should sometimes give me a chance

to offer my puspanjali at the lotus feet of my siksa-guru, Srila

Prabhupada.

 

Bhagavan dasa: Another proposal is that ISKCON temples are not

manpower rich. They need manpower. There are temples that have

hardly any pujaris. There are temples that hardly have cooks.

There are temples that hardly have people going out preaching.

There are temple presidents that need manpower. Narayana

Maharaja is taking devotees who for some reason or other have

lost their connection with ISKCON and he's given them some

shelter and a home. Maybe, sometimes the way you preach may not

be familiar to everybody. I don't think that's really a big

issue. I think the big issue is that the temples have no people.

I think that the big issue is there are projects that Prabhupada

gave his life for.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: I am ready to help. But we should honor

each other and think that we are in the same family of Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Whether someone is a kanistha-adhikari (a

beginner in bhakti) or an uttama adhikari (a self-realized

soul), we are all in the same family of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

Sravasa dasa: If I could interject something? I don't think that

Narayana Maharaja cannot come to the temple. He can come to the

temple, but there are certain restrictions… There are certain

restrictions the GBC have recommended for him coming to the

temple; so I think we should focus more on that.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Anyone else can go, without restrictions.

 

Sravas dasa: Yes.

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: If Mayavadis (impersonal philosophers

who don't believe in the personal form of God) can go, if

Hollywood Stars can go, and you are not inviting me, I don't

mind. But if I go and offer pranama, and I come to serve, what

harm is there?

 

 

Conclusion

 

According to sastra, pure devotees are truly self-effulgent, and

that effulgence is not dependent on being accepted by ISKCON

management. Still, for the benefit of all, why should Srila

Narayana Maharaja not be welcomed and invited to preach in Srila

Prabhupada's temples? His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada would

want nothing less.

 

[The author of this article, Jadurani dasi, is one of the

earliest female disciples of ISKCON'S founder-acarya, Srila

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. She was one of the main

illustrators of Srila Prabhupada's books, as well as one of his

main preachers, ever since the Hare Krsna movement began in the

West in 1966. She has been receiving personal guidance from

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja for the last ten

years. She has kindly offered to meet with any leaders of the

Indian community to further discuss the subject matter of this

article, and also to assist those who would like to meet Srila

Maharaja.]

 

If you would like to receive transcriptions of the classes given

by Srila Narayana Maharaja during his preaching tours in the

West, you can to our mailing list,

bvnmharikatha-, and you can also do so

by sending your email address to syamarani. Also,

you are invited to visit Srila Maharaja's website at

www.gaudiya.net

 

If you would like to see the Internet news article regarding the

ban at Bhaktivedanta Manor, you may log on to

URL www.vnn.org.