Basu Ghosh speaks out - yet again! ad infinitum...

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhakta Vijay,

 

Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

 

You wrote:

 

> With that in mind, can you address my previous question: Would you

> continue to recommend Bhakti Vikas Swami to guru-seeking aspirants after

> seeing his use of the term? If so, how does this fit in with "shrotriyam"

> and "brahma-nishhTham" ? [i have also read the

> Swami's response, and though he says he is against the use of terms like

> "witches," his current response doesn't match his previous messages on the

> "feminazi" topic.]

 

Bhakti Vikas Maharaj & I discussed your above para. He said that there are

two possible reasons that you have inquired about this; a) you think that

BVKS is simply a bigot or b) you have some reason to feel aggrieved.

 

If you wish to think he's a bigot, you should examine his whole character

first.

 

Yes, he was accused on Chakra for "preaching in a way that breaks up

families", when in fact by his preaching he has saved several marriages.

 

Other members of the conference had similar grievances due to being

aggressively attacked by "quasi-feminists". One of the GHQ members coined

the term "feminazi" and it was used in a few texts until Bhakti Vikas

Maharaj suggested that such terms not be used. So it was a term used

somewhat jestingly, somewhat in hurt, and in a **PRIVATE** conference among

a few devotees.

 

Srila Prabhupada said many things about his godbrothers *in private*,

comparing one to Putana, saying that "they wouldn't pass air if it would

help you", "rascals", etc.

 

But then again he treated them with respect when he met them - he didn't

reject them as devotees.

 

Maharaj says; "Let the GBC investigate and if they like, ban me from

initiating. I won't mind. It will be less headache for me."

 

Bhakta Vijay: here is a "cut & paste" from one of the first GHQ texts, that

will give you an idea about what the conference was about:

 

> I feel it is very important that we address all the points brought up in

> the papers presented by Mothers Jyotirmayi, Pranada and Visakha. Their

> misunderstandings must be clearly exposed. We can either do so as a point

> by point rebuttal or they may be addressed by presenting a comprehensive

> paper dealing with the categories outlined below. Or we could do both.

> Please give your feedback on this summary. What else should be added or

> removed? Should it be structured in an entirely different manner? This

> is sent out to start the process.

 

My compliments to the stoic efforts of certain Matajis who are reading this

text, who's names we all know, who are attempting to create a smokescreen -

one big "hue & cry"; in the name of a "conspiracy" [heaven's no! ] "to

limit the service opportunities for vaishnavis", so that they can divert the

attention of the community of devotees to the deviations from the teachings

of Vedic culture and Srila Prabhupada that they propagate both on COM, on

the internet and within the managing bodies of ISKCON, right up to the

highest level.

 

They shall not succeed. Why?

 

yatra yogesvaraha krishno

yatra partho dhanur-dharaha

tatra srir vijayo bhutir

dhruva nitir matir mama

 

TRANSLATION

Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is

Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory,

extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion. Bg 18.78

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Vijay Prabhu, I think the problem I am talking about here (which I why I

felt the need to particpate in GHQ) is summarized by Lord Krishna very

nicely in the Gita:

 

"He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims

attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination."

 

"One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the

regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one

should act so that he may gradually be elevated." Bg 16. 23-24

 

Now, can you put 2 + 2 together here? Our godsisters & nieces who are now

shouting "conspiracy", seem to be advocating a path (or paths) that are

contrary to the teachings of shastras. And by evoking sympathy from you &

the others who have made only a cursory inquiry into the subject, they feel

that they will succeed.

 

What is "contrary to the teachings of shastras" that is in question here?

The idea that society, both within ISKCON & without, can indeed be led by a

lady or ladies. (Of course, there ARE other points...)

 

Srila Prabhupada clearly rejected that. Here:

 

"We have got.... In India we have got little experience. The female is

always controlled. Female is never given the position of controller.

Nowadays it is going on. Just like Indira Gandhi, she has (been) given the

position of controller. This is artificial. In the history of India, greater

India, Mahabharata, you will ***never*** find that a woman has been given a

position of controller. No. It is not possible."

 

You being from a pious family of South Indian (Konkani) Brahmanas (btw, I

enrolled the late T.A. Pai & T. Narayan U. Pai [at Udupi] as life members of

ISKCON back in 1978), I know that you know that the duties of women in Hindu

society have been established for centuries & the cultured ladies of such

families possess numerable good qualities that they imbibe from vedic

scriptures such as Mahabharata (mentioned above by Prabhupada), Ramayana,

Srimad Bhagavatam, etc.

 

And by now you have had plenty of experience of the cultural bankrupcy &

social disturbances of the society there in the United States. Do you think

it wise that we borrow our concepts of morality & duty from such a society?

 

Or do you think that we should develop our ideas of morality and duty from

the vedic scriptures as Srila Prabhupada taught us?

 

Hope you agree with my outlook. I welcome your sincere inquiries and views

on my statements.

 

dasanudas,

 

Basu Ghosh Das