Guest guest Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/nyregion/11swami.html > A Swami, Paroled Into the Open Arms of His Temple > By PETER DUFFY > > Published: July 11, 2004 > > > A disgraced religious leader has served his time in prison and has now > returned to lead his New York City flock. > > Kirtananda Swami Bhaktipada was once a major figure in the Hare Krishna > movement. For the past several years, he has been in a federal prison in > North Carolina after pleading guilty to racketeering charges. > > Released on June 16, Mr. Bhaktipada, a Peekskill native who was born Keith > Gordon Ham, returned to Manhattan and took up residence in the downtown > headquarters of his Hare Krishna splinter organization, the Interfaith > League of Devotees, which operates out of a building on First Avenue near > Second Street. > > But even as he celebrated his freedom, the International Society of > Krishna Consciousness, which expelled Mr. Bhaktipada in 1987, sent out a > memorandum reminding its membership that he is prohibited from visiting > any society temple. > > Undeterred, the 66-year-old swami is resuming his ministry. And the men > and women who regard him as a great teacher could not be more pleased. > > "It's like having your father back," said a woman who gave her name as > Eternal Love during a recent prayer session in the building's second-floor > temple. > > Mr. Bhaktipada was one of the first American followers of A. C. > Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, an Indian holy man who opened a temple in > the East Village in 1965. His organization, the International Society of > Krishna Consciousness, was seen by young members of the counterculture as > a thrilling novelty. Known as Hare Krishnas, his followers were famous for > dancing around Tompkins Square Park in saffron robes, beating drums and > chanting. > > In 1968, with the society gaining in popularity, Mr. Bhaktipada found > cheap land in West Virginia and began building a commune named New > Vrindaban. Its centerpiece was a resplendent Palace of Gold that soon drew > busloads of tourists. The domed structure had mirrored ceilings, crystal > chandeliers, quartz-handled faucets, finely carved teakwood furniture, and > a bevy of murals depicting scenes in Krishna's life. > > But as the commune grew to include as many as 700 devotees, Mr. > Bhaktipada's manner concerned his colleagues in the Hare Krishna movement. > He was expelled from the society in 1987 for "numerous, serious illegal > acts" as well as deviations from its teachings and elevating himself above > its founder, Mr. Prabhupada. > > Then, in 1990, after a two-year investigation, the federal government > indicted Mr. Bhaktipada on five counts of racketeering, six counts of mail > fraud and conspiracy to murder two Hare Krishna dissidents. The government > alleged that Mr. Bhaktipada masterminded scams that netted a profit of > more than $10.5 million over four years. It also charged that he ordered > the killings - eventually committed by another Hare Krishna devotee - > because the victims threatened to reveal that he sexually abused minors. > > Jim Lees, a lawyer who represented Mr. Bhaktipada, said that the > government was overzealous in its prosecution. Mr. Bhaktipada refused to > be interviewed for this article. > > The swami was convicted on 9 of 11 counts in 1991, but the United States > Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit threw out the convictions, saying > that child molestation evidence had unfairly prejudiced the jury against > Mr. Bhaktipada, who was not charged with those crimes. > > In 1996, before Mr. Bhaktipada's retrial was completed, he pleaded guilty > to one count of racketeering, admitting to his role in the scams and > murders. After the swami's imprisonment, the International Society of > Krishna Consciousness conducted its own investigation and determined that > he had committed sexual abuse against two children, said Anuttama Dasa, > communications director for the society. > > Adi Purusha Das, a spokesman for Mr. Bhaktipada, characterized the charges > as "totally fallacious." Mr. Bhaktipada has also been named in two civil > cases that allege he allowed child sexual abuse to occur at New Vrindaban. > Mr. Purusha Das also denied those charges. > > Susan Howard, a community activist on the Lower East Side, said she was > reluctant to jump to conclusions about sexual abuse allegations that have > not been proved in court. "If he came out of prison and was a known sex > offender, I would be concerned because we have so many schools in the > neighborhood," she said. "But I don't believe unsubstantiated allegations > are enough to cause a knee-jerk response in the community." > > According to Mr. Purusha Das, Mr. Bhaktipada is dedicating his life after > prison to prayer, preaching and writing. > > Near the end of the worship session that was filled alternately with > subdued prayers and the trademark singing of "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna," > Mr. Bhaktipada, who because of the lingering effects of childhood polio > now uses a wheelchair, took to the microphone to answer questions from his > disciples. > > When a young man asked about confronting persecution, Mr. Bhaktipada told > him not to worry, because true devotees exist on a "platform above good > and evil." Only God can truly judge their worthiness, he said. > > "If the Lord wants to kick me, he kicks me," he said. "If the Lord wants > to embrace me, he embraces me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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