Ritviks must resign and show integrity!

[Guest guest]

Dear Adri Prabhu.

 

PAMHO. AGTSP.

 

Your text is full of innuendo. I will try to answer your points without

wasting everyone's time.

 

I believe your position demonstrates no faith in Srila Prabhupada.

 

You have attacked the authorised devotees and the system which Srila

Prabhupada set up to manage our society. You seek on a daily basis,

apparently spending Srila Prabhupada's laxmi, to undermine his work.

 

Mr. K.K. Desai (Krishnakantha is his legal name. He is not initiated), is

not a seasoned devotee with any kind of track record, yet you put his

'wisdom' above the collected experience and knowledge of all your senior

god-brothers, including those who lived with and were taught by Srila

Prabhupada personally.

 

That doesn't exactly show the kind of humility which Srila Prabhupada

describes in his books. It is certainly not Vaishnava behaviour. It looks

more like the plotting of Duryodhana as time goes by. It shows a disregard

for Srila Prabhupada, the head of our family. This will ultimately be your

undoing.

 

In a few years time, there will be a group within your group who will rebel

against you are your cronies. They may have even wilder ideas than yours.

They may say Srila Prabhupada was poisoned, and blame you for it. Already

people in America are plotting against you on this basis.

 

This is a result of abandoning the authorised system set up by Srila

Prabhupada. It is your choice to be a rebel. It is a clear indication that

you have no faith that Srila Prabhupada was qualified to establish a viable

management system for ISKCON. Each new trick you pull minimises Srila

Prabhupada's position.

 

The problems that must be dealt with by our ISKCON society are broad and

deep. Srila Prabhupada appointed his best people to deal with them, and set

up the strength of a collective management, as authorised and instructed by

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Your rebellion against this system is a

rebellion against the parampara itself. And of course we have seen exactly

the same thing in the history of the Gaudiya Matha.

 

Whatever your opinion about initiations and ritvik, according to Srila

Prabhupada's instruction, you must accept the version of the GBC as the

authorised version. You have had ample opportunity to express your points to

the GBC, but you have failed to convince them. Now you have resorted to a

populist propaganda campaign, with Court Cases is Calcutta, just like the

Gaudiya Math rebels of old.

 

The honest choice you face is whether to accept the system of management and

accountability which was established by Srila Prabhupada and authorised by

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, or go elsewhere and show how your theories are

workable, viable and approved. You cannot have your cake and eat it - in

other words launch a rebellion against Srila Prabhupada's system, using

Srila Prabhupada's resources.

 

It's time for you to step down from your position in Calcutta and hand over

the reigns to Srila Prabhupada's authorised system of management. Similarly

in Bangalore and Singapore, your people must resign.

 

If you have the courage of your convictions, this will be an obvious step.

You can go and preach in New York like your godbrothers did under Srila

Prabhupada guidance all those years ago. Maybe you will find some of the

humility that they have!

 

Surely you have the conviction that if what you believe is right, then Srila

Prabhupada, Lord Krishna and Lord Chaitanya will support you. You keep

claiming such support - well let's see if it is true!

 

This is rebellion with integrity. Your position right now has no integrity.

Under the smokescreen of 'purifying' ISKCON (through the Courts?), you hang

on to your positions and resources and give more pain to your godbrothers.

Don't you have the courage?

 

The mood that proceeds from you is just like the Zonal Acharya mood - that

all problems can be solved simply by a few clever strokes here and there.

The management of ISKCON is not just about a few clever strokes. In the last

few years especially, it has been about deep reflection, and almost anguish.

And sacrifice for the sake of Srila Prabhupada. Your campaign neatly tries

to sidestep these deeper issues of ISKCON, (Varnsarama and the inclusion of

women in our society, to name two), to revive some rah-rah-rah mood of the

zonal-acharya days.

 

The problems that our movement faces will continue to require the deepest

reflection and honesty. My vote will never go to a propagandist. I will

always take shelter and association of those who have the sincerity and

humility to work together, despite whatever difficulties, according to Srila

Prabhupada's instruction.

 

Only your resignation notice will show me an indication of your sincerity.

That is the only respectable position.

 

Best wishes to you and your family.

 

YS

Bhagavat Dharma dasa

 

 

 

> Dear Bhagavat Dharma prabhu, PAMHO, AGTSP.

>

> 1) I see you have not answered the point I made with regards Bhakta

> Rupa prabhu's self contradiction. He is telling me to do something which

> he himself is not doing. That is my only point. Once more why is it

> 'childish' to point out his glaring self-contradiction? Are you saying

> that all debate is 'childish', or just all debates where self

> contradiction is pointed out? I am afraid you have lost me.

>

> 2) You also label whatever I say on Srila Prabhupada's instructions on

> initiation 'politics', yet when you or Bhakta Rupa or the GBC say anything

> then of course magically it is not politics. This is a similar type of

> contradiction, unless you can actually prove and that all ritviks are

> simply trying to gain power over men and money (the definition of

> politics). I look forward to seeing the evidence for the above.

>

> 3) You also are hypocrite in that you claim to be speaking up for Bhakta

> Rupa prabhu but refuse to follow his advice to take shelter in the holy

> name. Instead you are happy to engage in the verbal politics that Bhakta

> Rupa prabhu was trying to warn us against. Do you take regular shelter of

> the holy name?

>

> 4) You say I insist on war, yet if you cast your mind back it was the GBC

> who tried to expel myself and Madhu Pandit from ISKCON simply because we

> did not agree with them. We never instigated this war. I did not hear a

> squeak out of you when the GBC issued their expulsion order. And when the

> war has begun you now want to pontificate about 'confrontation' etc. Are

> you saying that if something illegal is going on within ISKCON then nobody

> should do anything about it? If that is your position then it is nothing

> to be proud of, I should keep it to yourself if I were you. In stopping

> the ritvik system the GBC have acted illegally. In defending themselves

> the GBC have even committed perjury! When will you wake up? Never mind

> your grandchildren, what will your own children think when they understand

> what type of nonsense guru system you defended to the very last?

>

> 5) Could you tell me which of the accusations (bogus, abusive etc) I

> made against the current guru system is inaccurate? Which thing mentioned

> has not occurred? Please be specific

>

> 6) You also launch a nasty and inaccurate ad hominem attack on

> Krishnakant prabhu. Of course when you or the GBC make up falsehood and

> snide innuendos then it is just fine.

>

> 7) Your intellectual powerhouse is of course Tamal Krishna who has changed

> his mind NINE times over the issue of the Guru in the last twenty three

> years. He is the source of your understanding, even Ravindra quotes his

> Topanga Canyon confessions as though they were some sort of sastra, yet he

> has caused untold mayhem. Do you deny this? If so you should read his own

> academic book where he confesses some of this mayhem. He is the person who

> has been 'a trouble-maker from day one' of Srila Prabhupada's departure,

> you got the wrong guy.

>

> 8) Please tell me which bit of the Final Order paper is twisted or wrong?

> Please be specific, maybe I can clarify things for you since you seem

> prone to misapprehension.

>

> 9) With regard salaries, I simply pointed out the great danger that you

> will be controlled, and in your own words 'used', by the people who pay

> your salaries. You brought up the subject of being 'used' not me. You have

> forgotten that it was your ad-hominem not mine. Factually you are being

> 'used' for various purposes by those who pay your wages. The point is

> that you need to defend the corrupt Guru system since your livelihood

> depends on them, and that is the only recent you are saying what you are

> saying. You have a track record of singing the tune of whoever pays your

> wages. You have made a paid career out of defending the zonal acharya

> regime, the Siva Rama regime, and then the Harikesa regime. It is a simple

> fact that your opinions co-incinde with whoever happens to be paying your

> wages, or who may pay your wages in the future. I however have no need

> to take a single paisa from the temple for myself. I come from an

> extremely wealthy family, and therefore it is not possible for anyone to

> keep me in their pocket by paying my wages - since I do not need any.

>

> Best wishes

>

> ys, Adri