The hell called - Gurukula

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the kind words

By Raghunatha Stocker

 

First, I would like to express my gratitude to the many letters of support

and empathy that I have received in response to the first posting. It is

good to know that one is not completely falling on deaf ears. But, due to

some feedback, there are some points that I feel still need clarification.

 

First, HH Bhakti-Tirtha Swami asks at the end of his response, if I plan

to use my experiences to help save the vehicle which Srila Prabhupada built,

or use my experiences to destroy it, thereby ruining the lives of so many

innocent Vaisnavas. I have absolutely no desire to ruin anyone's life

whatsoever, but I do think that the "vehicle" Srila Prabhupada built, is in

serious need of a major overhaul.

 

As I mentioned in the original text, I see that what happened to the

women, children, and innocent devotees of ISKCON not as the sole

responsibility of the direct offenders, but has a more deep-seated cause

than most people are apparently aware. I feel that the root of the problem

lies more in the fact that in the name of renouncing material attachments

and affections, a deep-seated mentality of general callousness toward

Krsna's parts and parcels has been allowed to develop. I can give just small

example of what I mean, just so that there are no misunderstandings.

 

I have a sister who was born August 19th 1976, in Vrindavana, India. This

date just happens to coincide with Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa-Puja.

Three weeks later, Srila Prabhupada himself came to Vrindavan. My newborn

sister was taken to Srila Prabhupada, where her head was rubbed into

Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, and then she was placed on his lap, and

received her name directly from him. Taking into consideration the

uncommon events of her birth, and that she was conceived with all proper

Samskaras, according to KC philosophy, she has by all means taken a very

special birth, and should actually be handled with great respect and care.

Well, my sister also went to the Dallas Gurukula.

 

They had a system there that you had to write out a new verse of the BG

100x, every single day. Anyone who did not complete this assignment by the

next day, had to stand in front of the class, in a bent-over position

grabbing the ankles with the hands. The Teacher of course decided how long

you had to stand that way. And if you bent you're knees at all, he would

come over and smack on the back of the legs with a ruler. My sister, aged

eight at the time, had to once stand in this position for SIX HOURS just so

she would remember to write down Krsna's sweet words in the BG. Now in the

words of Srila Prabhupada "Do you think this is a very good situation?"

 

My sister is manifesting the results of her special birth in ways I cannot

begin to describe, but as far as ISKCON is concerned, she wants nothing to

do with it. Now how many children do you think there are out there who have

been robbed of their birthright because of this callousness?

 

That, my dear friends of the GBC, I consider to be Vaisnava Aparadha of the

highest degree. And I hold the GBC highly responsible for these crimes.

After all, it was the GBC who were assuring devotee parents that the only

option in ISKCON if you were not in MAYA, was to send you're children to

Gurukulas. Fair enough, but then it rests upon the GBC tomake sure that the

children are very well taken care of. After all, the GBC does claim to

represent the wishes and desires of Srila Prabhupada, so parents were

sending their children to Gurukulas in good faith, that they would be

properly taken care of.

 

So something went very wrong. And that would mean the responsibility for

these actions lies with whom? After all, Srila Prabhupada's teachings on

raising children are all recorded, coupled with how Srila Prabhupada dealt

with children in general. So the instructions were there. So why were they

ignored? Is this not deviating from the orders of the SM?

 

Speaking of which. My original letter was addressed to the leaders of

ISKCON, and although I received several replies of support and sympathy,

no GBC member has offered some concrete explanations, as to what can be done

to rectify the situation. Or does this all have to wait till the next

GBC meeting? Because I was just thinking how drastically and quickly Srila

Prabhupada would have responded, could I have sent my inquiries

directly to him personally? I can only imagine lightning-bolt heavy, Srila

Prabhupada would have been to weed this mentality out at the root.

 

But sadly, the present scenario is such, that pedophiles are still

presently receiving a paid salary from ISKCON, and even representing ISKCON

in court; and GBC members take it upon themselves to flat out LIE to the

open press about the history of past abuse. So therefore, my present stance

still is that this court case is the only thing that is going

to get anything moving.

 

Of course, I am always open to constructive dialogue. I would still love

to see this movement manifest it's full glory in this world, but that cannot

be done, until ISKCON is purged of this ignorant, callous, and even

downright demoniac mentality.

 

Yours in the service of the Lord, and his pure messangers,

Raghunatha Stocker

 

© CHAKRA 10-Oct-1999

[Guest guest]

Dear prabhus.AGSP first of all let me say that I shed tears with many of the

devotees of ISKCON about the atrocities that many of you have expirience,yes

I know what are you feeling since I to was a victim of abuse in my

chilhood,now im 35.

Coming from a well stablish family when my parents divorce my father send

some of us to Europe to get a good education,he send us with a tutor nice

lady ,after we were there she made us eat vomit, burn our hands, hit me with

and iron, cold water running hitting me with a extension cord,I still

remember and sometimes yes a cry.i pee on my bed until I was 12.

So when my father find out, after few years we return to my country I bet if

it was America I will have fund a hungry sick lawyer that will brain wash me

to sue my own father, was my father guilty??were my older sister guilty

keeping the silence wile this hell was going on??is KRSNA guilty???NO

wherever happen to me happen because of my karma, so shall I cry and roll in

drugs and beat myself in the head ''I was molested,!!!!I hate my father he

send me to Europe!!!!I will not trust nobody again!!!I dont want to

work,etcetcetcshall I take my own money and give it to the lawyers so they

can have a merry life? my point is you dear gurukulis think that by suing

ISKCON and getting big money like the lawyers will tell you, you think you

gonna be happy, and be relive from suffering??you think that seen SRILA

PRABHUPADA teachings been spit on by the karmi population is gonna be

beneficial for you the society, the world??no you gonna give more advantage

to Maya, so it can hamper the pure desire of many SP disciples and

grandisciples to surrender to KRSNA,

not every body in ISKCON is a sick molester why innocent people have to paid

for it, sue the individual send him to jail, why trying to burn you own

house??.

The only shelter that we have is vaisnava sanga,maha mantra ,seva,prasadam,by

taking shelter in the karmi law the only thing you gonna do is to make more

difficult your spiritual advancment,yes I talk with many gurukulis I have

many friends and I relate myself with them,but the solution is not blame

ISKCON ,get money and go on indulging in intoxication, disco party, and

offending nice sincere devotees that have never done nothing wrong, the

reality is that is not just the gurukulas faults,is also the parents faults,I

see in my practical life, devotees don't espend time with their chidren,we

are lazy, we are in Maya, parents don't talk to children, we are mess up, as

a society we are very young inexpirience,and more bad things are gonna still

happen, why?? because we are in the material world,so I dont remember my

early days as hell,yes I was molested but life goes on also I expirience the

love of my family,my sisters,etc,why been stok in your friking past??

Abimanyu die in the batterfield when he was 16 he gave up his life for the

cause, many of your parents send you to gurukula for the same cause and some

of you not all, were attack by demons why keep a revenge mood against your

family??are your karmi lawyers and friends gonna stop your

pain??NO!!!!!!SADHANA BAKTI!!!!!!!!! is the only solution,I have a gurukuli

friend that told me,I use that as an excuse so I can party in Maya with no

regret, now im growing up and I got to become serious in my spiritual life,

so please I beg you to don't give the chance to the lawyers to get SP

money,dont taint your hands with ISKCON laxmi,specially if you gonna use it

to forget KRSNA more,Everytime the gurukulis are in the temple is a

party,thats the real party, please get closer to us let us help you so in the

future that doesn't happen again, I beg to all of you have mercy, be

forgiving at least with the innocent, sue the individual send him to jail, if

you please but please ISKCON is working more that ever for the children of

KRSNA

my name is Premananda goura das I always feel like a gurukuli,Im afraid,

still I send my kids to MAYAPUR GURUKULA,I try to train my kids since they

were very little to be aware of demons predetors,SRILA PRABHUPADA WARN US

there are demons in the dress of devotees in this KC movement, still I have

faith in KRSNA I know that just like there are sexual predetors,there is also

the karmi music,movies,and all of that that you love so much,((I got teens

nieces and sons)) are also attacking my children here every day here out side

of our culture KC culture,so NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!!!,you want to become a

devotee?not sentimental but practical,really?,so get with SP program and get

on with your lives.say not to drugs,say no to suing ISKCON say yes to love

and care, for the future generatios.I BEG

premananda goura das.

[Guest guest]

> So when my father find out, after few years we return to my country I bet

> if it was America I will have fund a hungry sick lawyer that will brain

> wash me to sue my own father, was my father guilty?? Were my older sister

> guilty keeping the silence wile this hell was going on??

> Is KRSNA guilty???

 

> NO wherever happen to me happen because of my karma,..

 

I wonder if the same could not be also aplicable to the institution wich

allowed that this "karma" could take place. Is it posible to stop THAT

karma, and how?

 

ys, Harsi das

[Guest guest]

Karma is cure by dharma,our dharma is to protect and clean ISKCON of unwanted

impurities, concoctions,deviations,molesters, theories and so on,Iskcon is

for the next, generations, we have to work together as a family to solve all

the problems that we have, we have to clean our heart in congregations, we

have to chant hare KRSNA in our homes, we have to chant bajans with our

children, we have to teach them how to cook, worship etc,we spend more time

gazzeping,and watching tv ,we are not teaching our kids KC like SP wanted

us,we don't chant with our kids!!! as far I know I ask some parents and like

me said no!!ups we have to make SP happy and raise the standard of our KC

family, we have to work in cooperation,

your servant

premananda goura das

[Guest guest]

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

Text COM:2693605 (33 lines)

Madhusudani Radha (dd) JPS (Mill Valley - USA)

11-Oct-99 23:40

Topical Discussions [311]

---------------------------

> So when my father find out, after few years we return to my country I bet

> if it was America I will have fund a hungry sick lawyer that will brain

> wash me to sue my own father, was my father guilty??

 

I'm very sorry to hear of your tremendous suffering that robbed you of so

much of your childhood.

 

In terms of who is responsible, I don't think any of the gurukula alumni are

suing their parents (although they may be, for negligence). I think they're

are suing the abusers and the specific institutions (i.e. certain gurukulas)

that allowed this abuse to continue without interfering and whose

authorities

appointed abusers and molesters to worok with the children, without

conducting

any background checks or providing adequate supervision. Some of these

things

are stipulated by law and if the school authorities were found to have been

criminally negligent, thereby facilitating the abuse, they will be found

guilty. That's what happened to the Catholic church in Dallas. That case was

handled by the same law firm that is now representing the gurukula alumni.

 

So yes, ultimately the issue of responsibility is up to the laws of karma

(which we don't understand very well). However, there is also a law of

responsibility in the different countries in which we live and Prabhupada

wanted us to follow those too and be perfect ladies and gentlemen. So we

have to and we should count on being held accountable when we don't.

 

The silver lining of all of this publicity is that we finally got decent

internal laws re. child protection and that the GBC established the

international office for Child Protection (the fact that its funding is

about to disappear is another issue). Now let's al work on making sure they

are enforced locally. How many devotees on this conference are aware of

whether their nearest ISKCON community has a Child Protection Team?

 

Ys,

Madhusudani dasi

[Guest guest]

Premananda Goura prabhu's letter was indeed wonderful to read.

 

Not to want revenge is a very Vaisnava virtue. Justice can be sought by

providing evidence against individuals who actually did the molesting. And

true well-wishers of Srila Prabhupada's Iskcon can work with the Iskcon

devotees who have now been charged with the task of protecting our current

and future children from abuse.