Letter to Harikesa Maharaja's diciples

[Guest guest]

Executive Committee of the Governing Body Commission

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

 

August 12, 1998

 

Dear Disciples of Harikesa Maharaja,

 

Please accept our humble respects. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

With much heaviness of heart we have had today to put Harikesa

Maharaja on probation as a spiritual master and on suspension as a member of

the GBC. We held back from taking this action for as long as possible, but

finally we became certain that there was no alternative left. We have not

undertaken this lightly.

 

We have taken this action for the protection of Srila Prabhupada's society

and for your own protection. At the same time, we understand how profoundly

this affects each of you personally, and we are deeply sympathetic with you.

We share with you the anguish you must all be feeling at this time of

turbulence for your spiritual master, Harikesa Maharaja.

 

All of us are highly conscious of the awesome amount of service

Harikesa Maharaja has rendered Srila Prabhupada over the last twenty-nine

years. He pleased Srila Prabhupada by his personal service and by fulfilling

his desires for preaching in many fields, most notably in the area of book

production, printing and distribution. For his extraordinary accomplishment

in organizing the NE European BBT, Srila Prabhupada called him "the most

important grand disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur." Such

glorification was neither given cheaply nor cheaply earned.

 

Since then Harikesa Maharaja has continued doing wonderful service for

ISKCON, not only individually, but also by training, inspiring, and engaging

all of you, his dedicated disciples.

 

Whatever you have received from him that has lodged you at the lotus

feet of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Krishna is permanent and eternal,

and the present disturbed circumstances do not detract from that in any way.

 

As you know, Harikesa Maharaja is not at the present time in a

mentally and emotionally stable frame of consciousness. In June he suffered

a physical and mental collapse which has been followed by a period of

tremendous emotional turbulence and upheaval. It is evident that this

process is not yet concluded. He has decided to give up his sannyasa asrama

and may eventually get married. As well as this he is re-examining his

relationship with Srila Prabhupada and also with Srila Prabhupada's

movement, ISKCON.

 

For this reason, the Executive Committee of the GBC, have today

taken the step of suspending Harikesa Maharaja from his managerial duties as

a GBC, Property Trustee and SMPDC Chairman. This suspension is effective

until the GBC meetings next Gaura Purnima in Mayapur.

 

In regard to his position as guru, after careful consideration it is

clear to us that he is not able to give instruction representative of the

principles and teachings of Srila Prabhupada at this time. We have thus

placed him on probation, a status to be reviewed next Gaura Purnima. Because

we are hopeful that this is a only passing phase we are recommending that

while you should not take siksa from him for the time being, you may still

honor him as your spiritual master. (The specific conditions of his

probation are contained in the official statements of the Executive

Committee.)

 

The unusual circumstances surrounding his present inability to

function within ISKCON, leads us to hope that this will prove to be a

temporary state of affairs. That is why we chose to invoke only a suspension

and probation rather than a full removal of his duties.

 

Some disciples may think that they will be breaking faith with their

spiritual master if they discontinue for now to take all he says and does as

spiritual absolutes. Rather, you should keep faith in him by honoring the

faith he instilled in you in Prabhupada and ISKCON. For now he has broken

faith with himself, and to encourage and support him in this would be the

greatest disservice to him and would do him immense harm.

 

Rather we advise you all to continue to take shelter of Srila

Prabhupada and his teachings and to take help and advice from the senior

devotees and sadhus in his ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada has kindly provided us

with full shelter in every respect. He taught us that we have three

authorities to take advantage of - guru, sadhu and sastra. All three link us

to Krishna and all three help us to advance.

 

In ISKCON we are fortunate that we have the security of Srila Prabhupada's

books, his personal example, his service, the Deities, and above all the

association of the Vaishnavas. Taking shelter in these will protect you

spiritually. Be assured that in these difficult times Srila Prabhupada will

give his special blessings to you all to support you in your progress back

home back to Godhead.

 

Your relationship with Harikesa Maharaja can continue, now with the

spirit of support for him in his hour of need. As Srila Prabhupada once told

us in Teheran in 1976, each and every devotee must sometime pass a "severe

test of examination." We can all pray to Sri Sri Radha Madhava that he

successfully passes this test and goes on with brilliant success to serve

Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON movement.

 

We remain your ever-well wishers,

 

 

Executive Committee of the GBC

 

Ravindra Svarupa dasa, Sesa dasa, Badrinarayan dasa, Akhandadhi dasa.