The Letter

[cbrahma]

Please read the following letter from Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga, April 28, 1974.

 

"You are right about Sridhara Maharaja's genuineness. But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, AT LEAST HE EXECUTES THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. I do not wish to discuss about activities of my Godbrothers but it is a fact they have no life for preaching work. All are satisfied with a place for residence in the name of a temple, they engage disciples to get foodstuff by transcendental devices and eat and sleep. They have no idea or brain how to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."

My Guru Maharaja used to lament many times for this reason and he thought if one man at least had understood the principle of preaching then his mission would achieve success. In the latter days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disgusted. Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for more years. Still he requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. HE NEVER RECOMMENDED ANYONE TO BE ACARYA OF THE GAUDIYA MATH. BUT SRIDHARA MAHARAJA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISOBEYING THIS ORDER OF GURU MAHARAJA, AND HE AND OTHERS WHO ARE ALREADY DEAD UNNECESSARILY THOUGHT THAT THERE MUST BE ONE ACARYA. If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya. His idea was acarya was not to be nominated amongst the governing body. He said openly you make a GBC and conduct the mission. So his idea was amongst the members of GBC who would come out successful and self effulgent acarya would be automatically selected. So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. THE RESULT IS NOW EVERYONE IS CLAIMING TO BE ACARYA EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE KANISTHA ADHIKARI WITH NO ABILITY TO PREACH. IN SOME OF THE CAMPS THE ACARYA IS BEING CHANGED THREE TIMES A YEAR. THEREFORE WE MAY NOT COMMIT THE SAME MISTAKE IN OUR ISKCON CAMP. ACTUALLY AMONGST MY GODBROTHERS NO ONE IS QUALIFIED TO BECOME ACARYA. SO IT IS BETTER NOT TO MIX WITH MY GODBROTHERS VERY INTIMATELY BECAUSE INSTEAD OF INSPIRING OUR STUDENTS AND DISCIPLES THEY MAY SOMETIMES POLLUTE THEM. This attempt was made previously by them, especially Madhava Maharaja and Tirtha Maharaja and Bon Maharaja but somehow or other I saved the situation. This is going on. We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them."

 

This letter is definitive and unambiguous on so many of the points that the guru-purveyors try to promote.

Such as their guru is equal or superior to that guru. One must follow this or that guru...disagreeing with their guru is major aparadha and so on ad nauseam...a cabal of Tweedledeedees and Tweedledeedums.

[Guruvani]

 

 

Personally, I think that these kinds of statements by Srila Prabhupada have come home to roost in ISKCON and has engendered a class of absolute offenders that wantonly vilify, insult and demean some of the greatest Vaishnavas of the last century and this century.

 

I understand Srila Prabhupada's intentions and the situation he was in, but at this point in my life I can't help but feel that these statements went too far and as a result ISKCON is paying a high price.

 

This whole idea that we should respect Jesus and Mohammed but reject and abuse the Godbrothers of Srila Prabhupada just doesn't fly with me anymore.

 

Srila Prabhupada has written in his books that at times he was perplexed about how to exactly spread the KC movement.

 

I think in his perplexity he issued dated statements that eventually came back to bite ISKCON in the ass as a flock of Vaishnava aparadhis were produced out of a shallow and bigoted concept of Krishna consciousness.

 

I also think that to bring up these old letters today, some 30 years after the passing of Srila Prabhupada is a disgrace, an offense and a miserable attempt to justify the selfish ambitions of a class of neophyte ISKCON leaders who couldn't find their own ass if their life depended on it.

 

These letters are simply a disturbance to the progressive advancement of the KC movement that is also the right, the duty and the legacy of all of Srila Prabhupada's sincere Godbrothers.

 

These statements were simply a form of martial law that was enforced during a time of crisis.

When the crisis is over, the martial law must be lifted and freedom restored.

 

ISKCON wants to live under martial law forever.

However, that way of thinking is simply keeping ISKCON in shackles as the greater Gaudiya Vaishnava society expands all over the world leaving ISKCON in the dust of days gone by.

[cbrahma]

 

Personally, I think that these kinds of statements by Srila Prabhupada have come home to roost in ISKCON and has engendered a class of absolute offenders that wantonly vilify, insult and demean some of the greatest Vaishnavas of the last century and this century.

 

I understand Srila Prabhupada's intentions and the situation he was in, but at this point in my life I can't help but feel that these statements went too far and as a result ISKCON is paying a high price.

 

This whole idea that we should respect Jesus and Mohammed but reject and abuse the Godbrothers of Srila Prabhupada just doesn't fly with me anymore.

 

Srila Prabhupada has written in his books that at times he was perplexed about how to exactly spread the KC movement.

 

I think in his perplexity he issued dated statements that eventually came back to bite ISKCON in the ass as a flock of Vaishnava aparadhis were produced out of a shallow and bigoted concept of Krishna consciousness.

 

I also think that to bring up these old letters today, some 30 years after the passing of Srila Prabhupada is a disgrace, an offense and a miserable attempt to justify the selfish ambitions of a class of neophyte ISKCON leaders who couldn't find their own ass if their life depended on it.

 

These letters are simply a disturbance to the progressive advancement of the KC movement that is also the right, the duty and the legacy of all of Srila Prabhupada's sincere Godbrothers.

 

These statements were simply a form of martial law that was enforced during a time of crisis.

When the crisis is over, the martial law must be lifted and freedom restored.

 

ISKCON wants to live under martial law forever.

However, that way of thinking is simply keeping ISKCON in shackles as the greater Gaudiya Vaishnava society expands all over the world leaving ISKCON in the dust of days gone by.

I'm not the least interested from which camp the slurs are coming.

In the light of Prabhupada's clear instructions, ISKCON members are cautioned NOT to associate, or associate with great caution. If that is apharada then Prabhupada was an apharadi.

[Guruvani]

It is also a fact that if we follow the chronological sequence of Srila Prabhupada's instructions and accept that recent instructions override previous instructions, we will have to conclude that the latter statements of Srila Prabhupada concerning Srila Sridhar Maharaja negate and post-date the letter to Rupanuga.

 

It is a big mistake to take old instrucions of Srila Prabhupada that have been out-dated by more recent instructions and use that statement to try and establish the position of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Srila Prabhupada eventually expressed a different mood and position in regards to Srila Sridhar Maharaja, yet the offender group choose to ignore the most recent instructions and drag up old, out-dated statements that no longer represent the position of Srila Prabhupada.

 

These buffoons behind these letters today are a class of derelict offenders who will abuse Srila Prabhupada even for their own ambitions.

 

Srila Prabhupada tried to correct the situation but these idiots today won't let him.

 

It's a shame.

It's just a shame.

 

But, if we look at the most recent statements of Srila Prabhupada regarding Srila Sridhar Maharaja we will find something very different than that letter to Rupanuga.

[Guruvani]

 

I'm not the least interested from which camp the slurs are coming.

In the light of Prabhupada's clear instructions, ISKCON members are cautioned NOT to associate, or associate with great caution. If that is apharada then Prabhupada was an apharadi.

 

You are abusing the instructions of Srila Prabhupada.

His most recent instructions regarding Srila Sridhar Maharaja reflect a much different position towards Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Quit abusing out-dated instructions to satisfy your false ego and false pride.

[cbrahma]

 

You are abusing the instructions of Srila Prabhupada.

His most recent instructions regarding Srila Sridhar Maharaja reflect a much different position towards Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Quit abusing out-dated instructions to satisfy your false ego and false pride.

Instructions are out-dated. Nice. The ones you want to follow are up-to-date of course. It's this kind of rhetoric that fuels the offense skirmish.

[Guruvani]

 

I'm not the least interested from which camp the slurs are coming.

In the light of Prabhupada's clear instructions, ISKCON members are cautioned NOT to associate, or associate with great caution. If that is apharada then Prabhupada was an apharadi.

 

Srila Prabhupada's last instructions about Srila Sridhar Maharaja was that he told the BBT editors that if they had any questions about the philosophy that they should ask Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Obviously, his tone and his tune changed completely about Srila Sridhar Maharaja after he sorted out the situation about which Godbrothers were behind him and which ones were against him.

[Guruvani]

 

Instructions are out-dated. Nice. The ones you want to follow are up-to-date of course. It's this kind of rhetoric that fuels the offense skirmish.

You are talking out your ass now.

Anyone with a little intelligence can understand that.

Even the GBC eventually came to accept that recent instructions out-date previous instructions.

 

Your asinine position does not represent the GBC or Srila Prabhupada.

It represents a puffed-up fool who is protecting his pride and his false ego.

[Inedible]

Hi. I'm very new here. What kind of forum is this, anyway?

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Now I see why you might have thought Mahaksa-ji was referring to you.

 

What part of "time, place, and circumstance" do you not understand or accept?

 

In the beginning, Srila Prabhupada was very accomodating (and also protective) of his neophyte disciples (I'm reminded of that YouTube video of SF in '67). As they progressed, the standard of what was acceptable also rose, didn't it?

 

 

Instructions are out-dated. Nice. The ones you want to follow are up-to-date of course. It's this kind of rhetoric that fuels the offense skirmish.

[Guruvani]

 

It's this kind of rhetoric that fuels the offense skirmish.

 

Rhetoric?

Abusing out-dated instructions to serve a personal agenda of personal ambition is the real rhetoric going on with this topic.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

What part of "time, place, and circumstance" do you not understand or accept?

 

To clarify, *personal letters* are most certainly subject to desa, kala, patra, while the books are more timeless. Of course, in 5000 years, the average "English" speaker might find even Srila Prabhupada's books as comprehensible as we would find Beowolf (sp?) or the average American finds Shakespeare.

[Guruvani]

Srila Prabhupada's LAST and final meeting with Srila Sridhar Maharaja and his statements about Srila Sridhar Maharaja:

 

(Rupanuga letter dated 1974)

 

 

March 1977.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami: I do not know for how long I will be able to carry on. So, I came to see Sridhar Maharaj.

Devotee: If you all go away, then the world will become dark.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: [to Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami] It is so wonderful that the will of the Lord becomes manifest through someone.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami: I want very much, Maharaj, that you come and stay at Mayapur. Because Prabhupad always desired that you preach. He told me quite a few times, "Why don't you pull him out?" [They both laugh.] You know, I also tried to some extent before, but somehow or other it did not work out. Now, why don't you come and stay at Mayapur? Srila Prabhupad told me also, "Sridhar Maharaj is one of the finest preachers." I want to take you everywhere. At least at the place we have in Mayapur, people are coming from all over the world. Why don't you come and stay there? If you just agree, then whatever kind of building you want, I will arrange it for you. They are trying to build a house for me. So both of us will stay there. And whenever you want, you can come here to your Math.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes, as long as I am alive to fulfill Prabhupad's desire.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami: This is my earnest desire. Since you could not go around the world and preach, at least stay there and people will come to you. I shall make that arrangement. If you stay, then it will be helpful to me also. Sometimes I need to consult with someone but there is no one. There is no one that I can consult. I feel this deficiency very greatly.

Devotee: If he stays in Mayapur, then, all kinds of people will get to hear from him.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami: Yes, that's right.

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes, people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds will come there.

Bhaktivedanta Swami: Yes, and they are already coming. And in that house I will make arrangements for an elevator so that you won't have to go through the difficulty of walking up and down the stairs. You won't even have to move a step yourself. I'll make arrangements for a car and a lift. My disciples are telling me that they will build a house for me. So, both of us will stay in that house. Most of the time I am travelling around, so if you are there, then they can get some guidance. So, Maharaj, please, give me the order and I will make all the arrangements for you. That Planetarium [The "Temple of Understanding"] also will be built under your direction. My idea is to combine the Indian culture and the American money -- the lame man and the blind man policy. I tell them also that this will be very beneficial for the world.

 

This is how Srila Prabhupada wanted to leave this world and his FINAL position on Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

[cbrahma]

 

Rhetoric?

Abusing out-dated instructions to serve a personal agenda of personal ambition is the real rhetoric going on with this topic.

To call the direct quotation of Prabhupada's instructions abuse is the most blatant and self-serving rhetoric.

[cbrahma]

 

Srila Prabhupada's LAST and final meeting with Srila Sridhar Maharaja and his statements about Srila Sridhar Maharaja:

 

(Rupanuga letter dated 1974)

 

 

 

This is how Srila Prabhupada wanted to leave this world and his FINAL position on Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

This doesn't state his position vis-a-vis the devotees. He is conciliatory to somebody he had previously said was the best of them.

The zonal acarya fiasco, if I'm not mistaken was initiated under Sridhara Maharaja advice.

[Guruvani]

 

To call the direct quotation of Prabhupada's instructions abuse is the most blatant and self-serving rhetoric.

 

Quote the last and final desire of Srila Prabhupada.

don't quote outdated instructions that was a martial law imposed when Srila Prabhupada heard that some of his Godbrothers were opposing him.

 

Srila Prabhupada eventually came to know that Srila Sridhar Maharaja was not with Madhava Maharaja, Tirtha Maharaja and some others that were talking against him to his disciples.

 

You need to understand the circumstances behind the Rupanuga letter.

It was a reaction to some events in India when some disciples of Srila Prabhupada were being canvassed by some Godbrothers of Srila Prabhupada which DID NOT include Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Shortly after that Srila Prabhupada came to understand that Srila Sridhar Maharaja had actually turned these men away when they came to enlist him in their campaign against Srila Prabhupada.

Sridhar Maharaja defended Srila Prabhupada, supported him and rejected the Godbrothers who came to him for his support to subjugate Srila Prabhupada to them as their junior Godbrother.

 

You are working with a very scanty understanding of the situation.

 

Before you ruin your spiritual life with this dangerous position you need to understand a lot more about the circumstances of the Rupanuga letter and what transpired AFTER that which changed Srila Prabhupada's position towards his old friend Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

[Guruvani]

 

The zonal acarya fiasco, if I'm not mistaken was initiated under Sridhara Maharaja advice.

You are seriously mistaken.

That all happened because Jayapataka Swami and the others came to Srila Sridhar Maharaja and told the lie that Srila Prabhupada appointed them as diksha gurus of ISKCON.

Srila Sridhar Maharaja being the simple Vaishnava trusted them and counceled them according to what he had been told.

 

However, he was told a LIE and therefore everything he said in support of those gurus was withdrawn later when Srila Sridhar Maharaja found out that they were telling a lie about the appointment as gurus.

 

Jayapataka Swami and the gang lied and created the situation.

If they had not lied about things then Srila Sridhar Maharaja would never have encouraged them.

 

He encouraged them because he was told it was the last wish of Srila Prabhupada.

It wasn't.

It was a lie and now Srila Sridhar Maharaja is being made the fall guy for this terrible lie.

[theist]

Maybe these different camps would agree to ignore each, if nothing else then to make it easier to ignore them.

[CCC]

 

Please read the following letter from Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga, April 28, 1974.

 

"This letter is definitive and unambiguous on so many of the points that the guru-purveyors try to promote.

Such as their guru is equal or superior to that guru. One must follow this or that guru...disagreeing with their guru is major aparadha and so on ad nauseam...a cabal of Tweedledeedees and Tweedledeedums.

 

Dear readers of this Letter. Pamho agt Srila Prabhupada.

There is one very interesting point regarding the letter from Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga from 28th April 1974 in relationship to Sridhara Maharaja.

Srila Prabhupada: "You are right about Sridhar Maharaj's genuineness. But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service". I must say this statement of Srila Prabhupada really confused me for many years. He seemed to be making the point that Sridhar Maharaj was genuine and that he's the best of the lot and yet in the next breath he seems to be speaking sarcastically by saying "at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service".

This seeming contradiction lodged within my mind, and did not surface until many years later at a time when I was visiting Alachua with Jitarati and my wife Lokadrsti. Jitarati wanted to meet with Rupanuga so I took the opportunity to accompany him. During our discussions with him "this seeming contradiction" that had been stored up for many years in my mind resurfaced. So I took the opportunity and asked Rupanuga to kindly clear up my confusion.

Rupanuga said that In early 1974 he visited the Asrama of Sridhar Maharaj. He spent some time there and his realizations were very clear and strong about what was going on there. He stated that Sridhar Maharaja was trying to attract devotees away from Srila Prabhupada and Iskcon and over to himself. After crossing the Ganges and returning to the Iskcon Mayapura centre this fact was transmitted to Srila Prabhupada by mail.

Now for me the mystery was unraveled. Without insight into what Rupanuga had personally observed at Sridhar Maharaj's asrama and without knowing what he had conveyed to Srila Prabhupada by mail one would be excused thinking that when Srila Prabhupada said in his response to RUPANUGA "You are right about Sridhara Maharaj's genuineness" that he meant that Sridhara Maharaja was genuine.

This of course is not the case. Rupanuga had made it clear to Srila Prabhupada that Sridhara Mahararaj was going against vaisnava etiquete and he was not acting as a genuine well wisher of Srila Prabhupada or Iskcon. Thus one can understand that when Prabhupada said "you are right about Sridhar Maharaja's genuineness" he was referring to the lack of it. "Srila Prabhupada said "He's genuine and the best of the lot" (many ex Iskcon Sridhar followers would say) This very unfortunate misunderstanding is one of the main reasons so many Iskcon devotees went over to Sridhara Maharaj's camp.

Your servant

Kamsahanta dasa"

[CCC]

 

Srila Prabhupada's LAST and final meeting with Srila Sridhar Maharaja and his statements about Srila Sridhar Maharaja:

 

(Rupanuga letter dated 1974)

 

 

 

This is how Srila Prabhupada wanted to leave this world and his FINAL position on Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

where are the original tapes?

 

 

<table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td height="208" width="28%"><table border="8" cellpadding="3"><tbody><tr><td></td> </tr></tbody></table>

</td> <td height="208" valign="top" width="72%"> Sulocana Das, Dec. 12, 1985

Dear Vaisnavas and aspiring Vaisnavas:

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories

to the pure devotee who gave all of us the seed

of Krsna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada.

For those of you who have expressed difficulty reading my heavy-handed writing style, I would like to quote from a letter Prabhupada wrote to Karandhara if that may help:

</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

<hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

"No compromise-Rama Krishna, Avatars, yogis, everyone was enemy to Guru Maharaja-he never compromised. Some Godbrothers complained that his was chopping technique and it would not be successful. But we have seen that those who criticized, they fell down. For my part, I have taken up the policy of my Guru Maharaja-no compromise. All these so-called scholars, scientists, philosophers, who do not accept Krsna (or Prabhupada) are nothing more than rascals, fools, lowest of mankind, etc. So you go on with your work, it is very encouraging to me." (7/27/73)

 

 

<hr noshade="noshade" size="1">

Today I was presented with a book put out by Dheera Krsna entitled, The Guardian of Devotion. I took this as a response to our challenges even though he hardly touched upon any of the serious points we had brought up. Dheera didn't touch upon our point that Sridhar Maharaja preaches an impersonal origin of the soul, which we proved by extensively quoting from both Sridhar Maharaja's book Search for Krishna and Prabhupada's books. We have no choice but to assume that Dheera has nothing to say. Having no answer means he has lost the debate.

 

I beg to remind Dheera and his followers that I wrote only Part One of four parts, to the Sridhara Maharaja chapter of my book, The Guru Business. (Available $10.) 1 did not touch upon the bad advice he gave ISKCON's GBC when they approached him in 1978 for approval to play guru. Two famous quotes by Sridhar Maharaja at that time were: "It will be to deceive the disciple (telling them you're a pure devotee)" or, "There is no big mantra or little mantra for guru. Guru is one. (So go ahead and pose as uttamas.)" A few years later when that bogus advice exploded in a series of falldowns, violence and dissension, Sridhara Maharaja said to Dheera, "They will dig their own graves (and bury Prabhupada along with them.)" Then he summed it all up very clearly by saying to Yashomatinandan, "I am a form breaker," and, "I don't agree with Swami Maharaja (Prabhupada) in everything." The effect of Sridhar Maharaja's bad advice on ISKCON did not surprise us since Prabhupada had already warned: "They (specifically Sridhara Maharaja) cannot help us in our movement but they are very competent to harm our natural progress." (Letter to Rupanuga.) As such, the fact that Dheera could not answer the section on the impersonal tendency leaves little doubt in our minds that he will not be able to respond to these heavy charges, i.e., that Sridhara Maharaja unduly interfered with the divine mission of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Personally, because I have full faith in Srila Prabhupada, I never had to read further than the one quote written to Rupanuga wherein Prabhupada said, "Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Maharaja." Dheera simply refuses to address this and other serious statements made by Prabhupada. No one is denying that at one tune Sridhar Maharaja was sincere, advanced, friends with Prabhupada, etc., and that Prabhupada liked him and even confided in him, but when an offense is committed to a pure devotee, or his mission (the Gaudiya Math) which is non-different, one loses all importance in Krsna consciousness and immediately fails down to mundane mental speculation. (Narayana Maharaja said, "Don't you know this man (Sridhara Maharaja) is a breaker of institutions?") As far as "high realizations" go, I'm sure Jayatirtha also has some very high realizations which make him and his followers "faint" all the time. And Srila Prabhupada said about Jayatirtha just before leaving this world, "You are my only tirtha (shelter)."

 

We are not interested in those kinds of "high realizations." We are interested in solid, direct, and concise rebuttals to our philosophical points. Words spoken by Prabhupada in the mood of flattery, encouragement, Vaisnava etiquette, respect for seniors, humility, gratitude, friendship, etc., are not valid arguments to counter all of the negative statements Prabhupada made about Sridhar Maharaja just before leaving this world. Flattering and encouraging speech was always used by Prabhupada even when talking to the most disgusting human beings imaginable, so what to speak of what Prabhupada was capable of saying to a senior Godbrother, and in that Godbrother's presence. The words Prabhupada spoke about Sridhara Maharaja to his disciples when Sridhara was not there is the actual fact. And even then, Prabhupada was very cautious. If Prabhupada put in writing that Sridhar Maharaja is responsible for disobeying an order of his guru, that's it. Case closed. If Dheera wants to defend Sridhar Maharaja, then he has to confront these points, and not simply invoke the sentiments of those with no knowledge of Prabhupada's style of encouragement, his tactfulness, and humility and compassion. All these factors have to be taken into consideration when analyzing something Prabhupada says about an individual. To say that Prabhupada was whimsical when he wrote the letter to Rupanuga is very offensive. Prabhupada always was very careful about what went into writing.

So if Dheera still wants to defend Sridhar Maharaja on the basis of flattering statements, then first he has to explain why Sridhar Maharaja says the jiva soul originates in the Brahmajyoti, whereas Prabhupada says the jiva's original home is with Krsna. Why did Prabhupada write to Visvakarma in August of 1975, "I have now issued orders that All of my disciples should avoid all of my Godbrothers." And why did Prabhupada tell Gargamuni right after Sridhar Maharaja left the room once, "He is simply envious." These are solid facts that we require solid rebuttals to if Dheera wants to be a preacher and try and establish Sridhar Maharaja as being equal to Prabhupada. Actually, even though he denies it, Dheera and his clan are trying to establish Sridhar Maharaja as superior to Prabhupada. His statements clearly reveal this fact. For this reason it is extremely dangerous to read or even cite the words of Dheera or Akshayananda just as it is suicidal to read the Lilamrta, which was designed by ISKCON's bogus gurus to minimize Srila Prabhupada, "To make Prabhupada more acceptable to the general public" was their excuse.

At the present moment, the battle to remove the bogus gurus in ISKCON has reached a point where I have no time to finish the chapter on Sridhara Maharaja. I know many of you are anxious to start circulating the full expose since it is so painful to see our beloved spiritual master being minimized and shoved into the background like this but the priority at this time is exposing the ISKCON "gurus". I have every intention of finishing the chapter on Sridhara Maharaja at first opportunity. The source material for that chapter is so voluminous that it will take a solid week to sort through and compile. Until then, it is my humble request that if any of you still have doubts as to the real situation with Sridhara Maharaja, then please just put yourself on hold for a few more months. Very soon, maybe even within weeks, the ISKCON "gurus" will be fully exposed and removed from power. Once this offensive situation is gone, everyone will be able to breathe again and we can begin to rebuild ISKCON. At that time, if there is still a threat coming from the Sridhara Maharaja camp, we will compile the fun story.

 

The situation between myself and Keith Ham-asura (Kirtanananda) has reached the point where any day now it can ignite into a full-scale media battle which will bring the entire ISKCON situation into the public eye (enclosed is the latest front-page article). We consider the Sridhara Maharaja issue to be insignificant when compared to the preaching that must be done at this time to re-establish ISKCON as the pure society Srila Prabhupada wanted it to be. It is not our intention to allow ISKCON to dissolve into another tiny, obscure, dead body, like the Gaudiya Math, just because the "form breaker" prefers it that way. He successfully destroyed the institution of his Guru Maharaja but we will not allow him to destroy our mission as well. The only tool left to save ISKCON form the hands of these form breakers and imitationists is the media which is why I am giving full attention to them now. Enclosed is my introduction to reporters and a concise explanation as to what has happened in ISKCON since the departure of Srila Prabhupada. It is only a matter of time before the story breaks wide open. With the violent threats Ramesvara is throwing around these days, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't ignite the media fire that will purge ISKCON once and for all.

 

Another point specifically to those who use the bait and switch tactic of luring devotees into your camps under the pretense of being sincere to Prabhupada; both the ISKCON "gurus" and the Sridhara Maharaja "gurus" are doing this. It is illegal, demoniac and a crime that I have every intention to putting a swift halt to. I tell the same thing to Dheera's cult that I tell Keith Ham-asura's cult. That is: I don't care if you want to preach some bogus philosophy but if you continue to use the name of Prabhupada and Krishna as bait, then you're going to be stopped. It's not all right. It's not all one. I don't care if you continue to use Sridhara Maharaja as bait to prop yourself up as a "guru", any more than I care if you use Rajneesh, but if you continue to use Prabhupada's legacy and name as bait, then you will be stopped for that is illegal. If you don't present a response to all of the challenges we have made then you have to remove au of Prabhupada's pictures from your temples and stop making this asinine claim that Sridhara Maharaja is equal to Prabhupada. That is simply not a fact. We have proven that in only Part One of our expose on Sridhara Maharaja. Your silence is your defeat. Stop using Prabhupada as bait! This is not a request, but an order. You are defeated in debate and that means you have to surrender. Otherwise, you will pay dearly for each and every person you lure away from Prabhupada. And don't try to juggle your way out of this or try to impress us with a discourse on Brahma Gayatri either. We are only interested to hear a discourse from you on why Prabhupada said, "Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Maharaja," and that's all. Until you can answer this very simple and obvious question, don't pretend to be a scholar. So I'm saying, either present a full rebuttal to our challenge, surrender to the above demands, or expect a severe reaction. As you may have gathered by the way in which I'm dealing with ISKCON, I'm serious. When they're gone, you're next.

 

If anyone reading this would like to offer some tangible help in the service of Srila Prabhupada's mission then there are many different services available at this time. For instance, while Dheera is busy writing books by and about Sridhar Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada's thousands of lectures are just sitting here waiting for someone to come along to index. Until then, we have no access to all that pure knowledge, pure humor, and pure Prabhupada contained therein. Researching Vedic texts, such as Chanakya Pandit book Artha Sastra, or books on the vamasrama social structure in general, is also crucial if Krsna consciousness is to be established in the world. So rather than waste time with an "ease lover's" philosophy, we humbly request serious devotees to come forward to help establish the mission so kindly started by our real father, Srila Prabhupada. He gave us all we need to know about Radha-Krishna and the Gopis. The followers of Srila Prabhupada don't need Sridhar Maharaja's "high realizations" on that subject (as though they were higher than Prabhupada's). He said, "Work now, samadhi later." So there is much solid and practical work to be done right now. Prabhupada left the "down to earth" work for us. That's all we are competent for-and not imitating real saints like Prabhupada. We hope there are enough practical and solid devotees around to take some of the credit for all this real work that needs to be done. Thank you.

 

As a final point, we are not claiming to be saints. We have all kinds of problems dealing with the material energy that seem insurmountable. We are not pretending to be always absorbed in the love of the gopis like the Sridhara Maharaja club. Nor are we pretending to be scholars or brahmins like the smarta club of Subhananda, Ravindra Svarupa, and those who talk a lot but still get their bread and butter by handouts from demons. Nor are we members of "the end justifies the means" ISKCON "gurubhava" club that sits on thrones between semen breaks, drug deals, nervous breakdowns, wife stealings, child molestations, etc., etc. It is not necessary to join any of these clubs to understand Srila Prabhupada's books. He wrote his books for people just like us: simple but honest. In fact, it is only honest people who can understand Prabhupada's books. That's because honesty is the only leg left in this age and we are proud to be tightly hanging on that one leg. So for those of you who don't like this simple, direct, often crude, often angry, but at least honest way of speech, then why don't you come forward and do something better to remove these demons who have ravaged Prabhupada's movement? Dheera says guru is one, and Keith Ham-asura says we are trying to crucify Prabhupada. Both these statements are in essence the exact same thing: trying to place yourselves equal to Prabhupada, and that is an offense no real disciple of Prabhupada will tolerate, for long.

 

Your servant in the exclusive service of Srila Prabhupada:

Sulocana dasa, Dec. 12, 1985

[Beggar]

Maybe these different camps would agree to ignore each, if nothing else then to make it easier to ignore them.

This is really not so much of an issue of camps but of truth. If you go back and read the transcripts of Sridhar Maharaj's conversations with the GBCs and other ISKCON members, you will see the history unfold. Eventually Srila Sridhar Maharaj said, "They came to me and told me that Swami Maharaj appointed them guru, I am a simple man, so I accepted what they told me. But now due to their behavior I can understand that this was not the case, he (Swami Maharaj) could not appointed them it is impossible." And this was in 1982! The issue goes beyond camps because the GBC leadership has a complete disregard for the truth especially when the truth interferes with what is politically expediant.

[Beggar]

 

Today I was presented with a book put out by Dheera Krsna entitled, The Guardian of Devotion. I took this as a response to our challenges even though he hardly touched upon any of the serious points we had brought up. Dheera didn't touch upon our point that Sridhar Maharaja preaches an impersonal origin of the soul, which we proved by extensively quoting from both Sridhar Maharaja's book Search for Krishna and Prabhupada's books. We have no choice but to assume that Dheera has nothing to say. Having no answer means he has lost the debate.

In December of 1985 I was there in San Jose. "Dheera", Bhakti Sudhir Goswami Maharaj personally told me that Sulocana had threatened his life.

Sulocana told him something like, If you keep this up (preaching on behalf of Srila Sridhar Maharaj) something very bad could happen to you. Maharaj asked him if it was a threat and Sulocana said something like, "however you want to take it". From that time on Sulocana was not welcome to the temple but actually he left any way a few days later for L.A. and the devotees in San Jose were quite relieved. Then about a week later we heard that he had been murdered. We all knew that Kirtanananda was behind it, and we heard through the grapevine that some of Ramesvara's guys colluded in the conspiracy (a fact which was verified later). Sudhir Maharaj was still angry at Ramesvara in those days. But although he knew that Ramesvara's involvement in the whole thing was wrong and not befitting a Vaisnava sannyasi, still he expressed how, under the circumstances, he understood why Ramesvara reacted the way that he did. So it turned out that the man who claimed, to be an exclusive servant of Srila Prabhupada was a kind of desparado, living on the edge, and threatening devotees who he did not agree with. Maybe he thought that since his death was imminent he might as well take out those persons he deemed as Prabhupada's enemies. I only spoke with him once during his stay in San Jose but from what he expressed to me and what Maharaj told me, that certainly seemed to be his mentality. Anyway this Sulocana knew that the ISKCON gurus were vastly unqualified or bogus, so he gets some credit for that. Yet before Kirtanananda married his wife to another man, Sulocana seemed quite complacent about the obvious contradictions in "Bhaktipada". I also was acquainted with Sulocana in New Vrndavana in 1980, and did not dare tell him that I did not see "Bhaktipada" as pure devotee. At that time it seemed to me that Sulocana was a "Bhaktipada" supporter.

[Guruvani]

 

Dear readers of this Letter. Pamho agt Srila Prabhupada.

There is one very interesting point regarding the letter from Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga from 28th April 1974 in relationship to Sridhara Maharaja.

Srila Prabhupada: "You are right about Sridhar Maharaj's genuineness. But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service". I must say this statement of Srila Prabhupada really confused me for many years. He seemed to be making the point that Sridhar Maharaj was genuine and that he's the best of the lot and yet in the next breath he seems to be speaking sarcastically by saying "at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service".

This seeming contradiction lodged within my mind, and did not surface until many years later at a time when I was visiting Alachua with Jitarati and my wife Lokadrsti. Jitarati wanted to meet with Rupanuga so I took the opportunity to accompany him. During our discussions with him "this seeming contradiction" that had been stored up for many years in my mind resurfaced. So I took the opportunity and asked Rupanuga to kindly clear up my confusion.

Rupanuga said that In early 1974 he visited the Asrama of Sridhar Maharaj. He spent some time there and his realizations were very clear and strong about what was going on there. He stated that Sridhar Maharaja was trying to attract devotees away from Srila Prabhupada and Iskcon and over to himself. After crossing the Ganges and returning to the Iskcon Mayapura centre this fact was transmitted to Srila Prabhupada by mail.

Now for me the mystery was unraveled. Without insight into what Rupanuga had personally observed at Sridhar Maharaj's asrama and without knowing what he had conveyed to Srila Prabhupada by mail one would be excused thinking that when Srila Prabhupada said in his response to RUPANUGA "You are right about Sridhara Maharaj's genuineness" that he meant that Sridhara Maharaja was genuine.

This of course is not the case. Rupanuga had made it clear to Srila Prabhupada that Sridhara Mahararaj was going against vaisnava etiquete and he was not acting as a genuine well wisher of Srila Prabhupada or Iskcon. Thus one can understand that when Prabhupada said "you are right about Sridhar Maharaja's genuineness" he was referring to the lack of it. "Srila Prabhupada said "He's genuine and the best of the lot" (many ex Iskcon Sridhar followers would say) This very unfortunate misunderstanding is one of the main reasons so many Iskcon devotees went over to Sridhara Maharaj's camp.

Your servant

Kamsahanta dasa"

This is all lies and distortion.

See, the problem is that many, many devotees came to know Srila Sridhar Maharaja after the passing of Srila Prabhupada.

As such, they KNOW fully well that Sridhar Maharaja was never the kind of person that Rupanuga made him out to be.

 

So, either Rupanguga is a liar, a fool, an idiot or a dacoit or somebody else is misrepresenting him.

 

The description of Sridhar Maharaja as told by Rupanuga just doesn't fit the actual character of Srila Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Sridhar Maharaja actually never wanted to get involved with any of these western devotees.

He would have preferred to just be left alone.

He was not interested in Rupanuga or any of these western devotees.

 

He was dragged into the situation by western devotees and consented to try and help them out of duty to Srila Prabhupada and the mission of Mahaprabhu.

 

So, only a person who doesn't know anything about the actual person and character of Srila Sridhar Maharaja would believe this Rupanuga lie.

 

Anyone of those knew Srila Sridhar Maharaja knows that these kinds of accusations against Srila Sridhar Maharaja are just lies or misunderstandings by pea-brained idiots.

 

Outsiders have no right to judge.

People who live their lives on the basis of hearsay are the most pathetic fools of all.

[Vikram Ramsundar]

 

People who live their lives on the basis of hearsay are the most pathetic fools of all.

 

Agreed.

[Kulapavana]

 

In December of 1985 I was there in San Jose. "Dheera", Bhakti Sudhir Goswami Maharaj personally told me that Sulocana had threatened his life.

Sulocana told him something like, If you keep this up (preaching on behalf of Srila Sridhar Maharaj) something very bad could happen to you. Maharaj asked him if it was a threat and Sulocana said something like, "however you want to take it". From that time on Sulocana was not welcome to the temple but actually he left any way a few days later for L.A. and the devotees in San Jose were quite relieved. Then about a week later we heard that he had been murdered. We all knew that Kirtanananda was behind it, and we heard through the grapevine that some of Ramesvara's guys colluded in the conspiracy (a fact which was verified later).

 

This type of extreme fanaticism is only seen in destructive sects, where instructions from leaders are followed blindly by people who gave up their own better judgement and common sense.

 

The ill will of a large segment of Prabhupada's disciples towards his godbrothers and Gaudiya Matha in general is at least partially caused by Prabhupada's own attitudes towards his peers, such as expressed in the above quoted letter. Because many of his followers are accustomed to blind following and not thinking for themselves, this old feud continues, to the dismay and embarassement of many Vaishnavas on both sides of the barricade that SP built. Like Hathfields and McCoys, the feud is passed on the new generations. It is actually completely absurd.

 

Also, quite frankly, I dont see why Prabhupada was so hard on his godbrothers. He banned Bon Maharaja's books for example, not because they were off philosophically, but because he just did not like him as a person. Prabhupada criticized just about everybody at one time or another, often quite impulsively, but on other occasions he showed deep appreciation for his godbrothers. Too bad so many of his disciples just concentrate on the negatives.