More from the pioneering years of ISKCON's Zonal Acarya days (after 1977)

Kulapavana · May 12, 2008

Ha he sat in his little village in India for over 90 years sqandering so much knowlege, fighting his gobrothers in the courts over ownership of the Gaudiya matha and eating prasadam, thats all he ever did!!.

In fact if it was not for Prabhupada, Beggar would not be quoting him at all because no one would of known about him!!

Is that all you think he did? You know little. :rolleyes:

And his knowledge is preserved and made available forever in his books and tapes, just like Prabhupada's. And all his Western disciples are very grateful to Srila Prabhupada that he led them to such a saint.

Sarva gattah · May 12, 2008

Sarva, this is not the correct attitude.

:rolleyes:

Also, you do not realize how great Srila Prabhupada's appearance is. Lord Caitanya and his close associates of whom most were Vishnu tattva, came for Lila

The spreading of the Sankirtan Movement was left to their disciples and grand disciples etc. And the greatest preacher of all of them over the last 500 years, that includes Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, was AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

And the proof of that is none of us would of known about Gaudiya Vaisnavism without the teachings of srila Prabhupada. This is why out of all the parampara Guru's, he is the greatest for his world wide preaching.

No one in history, including God himself (Sri Caitanya) has been a greater preacher of the holy names than Srila Prabhupada

When are you going to realize how great and rare a soul like Srila Prabhupada is?

Also are you a Prabhupada disciple?

cbrahma · May 12, 2008

nobody I know has a more confused view of guru-tattva than disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Just look around - it's a mess: from zonal acharya grouppies to ritviks, and from blind GBC acceptance to "guru is the book" crowd. This is your "golden standard"?

In the matter of explaining that subject matter I know of no better guru than Sridhara Maharaja.

I'm not talking about his disciples. I'm talking about his clear instructions. Your views on guru-tattva are also questionable.

bhaktajan · May 12, 2008

nobody I know has a more confused view of guru-tattva than disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Just look around - it's a mess: from zonal acharya grouppies to ritviks, and from blind GBC acceptance to "guru is the book" crowd. This is your "golden standard"?

While the Gita class was going on, I entered the prasadam hall and I found the room was filled with kids of all ages and their parents, and I said, very loudly:

"nobody I know has a more confused view of guru-tattva than disciples of Srila Prabhupada.

Just look around - it's a mess: from zonal acharya grouppies to ritviks, and from blind GBC acceptance to "guru is the book" crowd.

This is your "golden standard"?"

Then suddenly everyone simultaneously threw plates of dhal and rice on me. I was covered head to toe with it.

I cried a little and ran out --the worst part was the stares of strangers on the tram. But some people asked for the recipes and I had to tell them truthfully.

So you see, it turned out all right until I got home and slipped & fell on a puddle of dhal while also ripping down the window curtains I grabbed as I fell --That's when all hell broke loose . . .

Vigraha · May 14, 2008

Quote:

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Bhavananda Tyranny

BY: KURMA DASA

May 13, AUSTRALIA (SUN) —

In my own memories regarding Bhavananda and his supporters who tightly controlled the Australian temples, I personally (like many I know) would not give so much sympathy to Bhavananda and his henchmen, as was the case with the article entitled "

Bhavananda and Early ISKCON History

", which was posted yesterday on the Sampradaya Sun.

One of the big problems with ISKCON Australia is that not too much has changed. People in other parts of the world may be surprised to learn that many of the same people who were outspoken cheerleaders of Bhavananda are still in positions of confidence and leadership here in this Country. Some have moved to other parts of the world and others are hiding, but are still supporters of the regime.

Those days were horrible. The so-called leaders and thugs were all paranoid, incompetent bullies who successfully combined tight control of minute details/procedures and who were overall complete "control freaks"!

This category of devotees represent the really nasty beasts of our ISKCON jungle.....that's for sure. And for all the naive people out there who imagine that they went away? Well, they haven't! They are still lurking around within ISKCON like they didn't do anything,.... No apology, no regret, and with such an arrogant contempt that they imagine themselves entitled to ownership of some special type of spiritual privilege.

The Australian Yatra is

absolutely

overrun with these individuals, who saw, and still see, ISKCON as some type of animal experiment whereby they are the big big spiritual individuals. The ones who supported Bhavananda in his tyranny (that's all it was) were given a license which entitled them to use and abuse the rest of the devotee community both physically and emotionally.

Let us never be complacent regarding those people who disobeyed our Srila Prabhupada, and brought His Society into shame. Let them fully apologize and redeem themselves. Even if they did redeem themselves and apologize, is it wise to place them in positions of confidence?

One thing we might always seriously wish to consider is that Bhavananda, and in fact all of the accused bogus gurus,

did not

do this on their own!

Where are their assistants today? ....Think about it!

Kurma Dasa (not the chef)

Trust?

BY: JAGABANDHU DASA

May 13, FORT WHITE, FLORIDA (SUN) —

In 1978, when the new Zonals approached Srila Sridhar Maharaj, they told him that they were appointed by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as his chosen successors. Because of his saintly nature, Sridhar Maharaj simply trusted their word and also very much wanted to give ideological assistance to the Sacred ISKCON Mission during a time of great turmoil.

However, some years later in the early eighties, when their true character and less than truly spiritual behavior began to manifest, Srila Sridhar Maharaj came to his own conclusion based on his own perception that Srila Prabhupada did not really make any such appointments of these individuals as his allegedly chosen successors.

What first drew myself (and later my good wife) to Srila Sridhar Maharaj's Teachings were his various expressions about "society consciousness (wherein the outer world of pretense and appearance in a social setting is given emphasis)" as opposed to true "God Consciousness" (which the real inner life or development is emphasized and is rarely seen in an organized collective setting despite many noble attempts to do so.)

Although being raised on opposite ends of America, my wife and I had both ended up frustrated and unfulfilled by all of our experiences with organized religion, which we unfortunately found to be largely superficial in application resulting in much socialized 'religious" hypocrisy and very little real God Consciousness.

It may be interesting for our audience to consider that both Srila Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada were not naively idealistic supporters of their own Guru Maharaj's Sacred Mission after his departure, but rather they followed the spirit of His Divine Grace's message which they expertly conveyed within whatever setting was arranged for them by the Sweet Will of Providence (after they both became unenthusiastic to participate in the "society" consciousness collectively displayed and ostensibly manifesting as God Consciousness).

Regarding "societies," if His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada were a young man seeking for spiritual truth (and also suspicious of the garden variety "sadhus" foisted upon him by the polite culture of his youth), would the current attempt at socialized Krishna Consciousness be something which he would feel inspiration and attraction towards, thereby naturally compelling his participation and involvement?

Or would he simply feel disgust as he turned his back and walked away to pursue his own inner life, leaving the acolytes of Churchianity (or society consciousness) to become overwhelmed with dismayed despair and a 'religious" disaster of their own making?

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The above is true but can be explained as follows from "unknown author"

"In all fairness and honesty, the most probably reason very few did not speak or even recognise the truth all those years ago is, we were too young, inexperienced and immature to know any better. When Prabhupada left us in 1977, the average age of the devotees was only 26 years old. In India at that age one is still considered just boys and girls

Therefore, many also felt they were too fallen, useless and afraid to speak out about what little truth they new and expose the childish lies and difficult struggles of other very young devotees, who were also still learning how to be leaders and Gurus.

So they remained silent and lived the sentimental lie because they did not know any better, and look what happened - It turned out to be a very hard way to learn a lesson.

In other words we were not smart enough to learn through knowledge of the Veda, So we had to learn the hard way by trial and era

The fact is all the problems ISKCON faced in those years after 1977 was simply due to inexperience and immaturity.

These things happened due to the arrogence of our youth that convienced us we new EVERYTHING, their was no plan of deceit by anyone in the Temple, at least not in Australia and certainly not by me even though I did struggle as revealed in a letter Prabhupada sent me.

In all fairness there was an innocents back then that was in all the devotees because when one is young, as we all were back then, our ideals were very strong, we were very young and inexperienced in our attempts to understand and follow an age old religion.

There is a point and lesson in all this, don't let anyone tell you what you can, and cannot do if it shastically does not make sense!! Which means one has to learn and study Srila Prabhupada’s books so anyone, aspiring devotees or karmis does not treat one like a mushroom and used or mislead

And certainly never ever remain silent when you see things are not quite right, no matter how fallen you are.

The old immature ways and sentimental ideas in ISKCON have to be out grown if we are to learn and go forward instead of remaining stagnant within the realms of our pioneering immaturity years"

cbrahma · May 14, 2008

Sridhara Maharaja believes in physical diksa as a necessary condition for advancement. That is a religious requirement quite in keeping with traditional Hinduism - Churchianity Indian style. I don't buy the 'social consciousness' vs 'God consciousness' idea therefore. Physical diksa imposes an authoritarian hierachy which feeds on a collective consciousness.

Beggar · May 14, 2008

Sridhara Maharaja believes in physical diksa as a necessary condition for advancement. That is a religious requirement quite in keeping with traditional Hinduism - Churchianity Indian style. I don't buy the 'social consciousness' vs 'God consciousness' idea therefore. Physical diksa imposes an authoritarian hierachy which feeds on a collective consciousness.

If Srila Prabhupada didn't believe in diksa, IOW giving the diksa mantras to his disciples (the different lines of Gayatri) then why did he perform this function? It is Srila Sridhar Maharaja who said that the Gayatri "mantra retires at liberation" and that the Mahamantra is eternal and continues even after liberation. In recent years this has been misunderstood by some so that they disparage the diksa process but was not the intention of Srila Sridhar Maharaja. If cbrahma wants to have an opinion these substantive and historical topics then he needs to the research and not just shoot from the hip. Of course the kind of research I mean in this context would require one to step back to some kind of neutral and dispassionate postion.

One should not pose as if they know everything when they really don't.

BTW, I certainly don't know everything and am learning a little bit every day.

Beggar · May 14, 2008

Sri Guru and His Grace

God Consciousness vs. Society Consciousness Responding to the necessity of the times Srila Sridhara Maharaja lucidly explains the absolute societal conception of Krsna consciousness:

Devotee: Within a religious mission, sectarian policies may appear to bar the path of progress and pragmatic concerns take precedence over spiritual ideals. Should one risk leaving the formal institution or should he try to remain within and work out the problems?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Progress means elimination and new acceptance. So, when there is a clash between the relative and the absolute standpoint, the relative must be left aside, and the absolute accepted. The example is given of a socialist in a country of capitalists. When there is a clash, one will not express their creed for the sake of peace. But to maintain the purity of their faith for the socialists they will try to leave and join the socialists.

Higher Ideal

So, the absolute and the relative are two different classes of interest. And we find more importance in the absolute interest. We must be sincere to our own creed. The form is necessary to help me in a general way to maintain my present position. At the same time, my conception of the higher ideal will always goad me to advance, to go forward, and wherever I do, I must follow the greater model, the greater ideal. Spiritual life is progressive, not stagnant. We are in the stage of sadhana, and we want to go ahead, not backwards. The formal position will help me to maintain my present status, and my extraordinary affinity for the ideal will goad me towards the front. The search for Sri Krsna is dynamic and living, so adjustment and readjustment is always going on. And we should also change our present position accordingly, so that we may not have to sacrifice the high ideal for which we have come. Einstein had to leave Germany and go to America for his high ideal of life. And so many similar instances may be found in the world. The ideal is all in all. The highest ideal in a man is his highest jewel. Our most precious gem is our ideal.

Many things are recommended in the scriptures, but they are meant to promote us towards the truth in an indirect way (sva-dharme nidhanam sreya ). [bg 3.35] It is recommended at a certain stage that for the sake of our close friends, we should give up our ideal. But in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna's final instruction is sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "If it is necessary to maintain the highest ideal, you must give up your friends. Surrender to me. I am the real purport of the scriptures." The highest kind of idealists give up their country, their family, their friends, and everything else, but they can't give up their ideal.

In the Bhagavad-gita, [3.35] Krsna says, "It is better to die while performing one's duty that to try to do another's duty." That is one stage of understanding: the relative consideration. The absolute consideration is also given in the Bhagavad-gita: sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [bg. 18.66]. Krsna says, "Give up everything. Come to Me directly." This is the revolutionary way. This is absolute. And this is relative: "Stick to your own clan. Don't leave them." That is the national conception. There is nation consciousness and God consciousness; society consciousness and God consciousness. God consciousness is absolute. If society consciousness hinders the development of God consciousness, it should be left behind. This is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.18):

<center> gurur na sa syat sva jano na sa syat

pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat

daivam na tat syan na patis ca sa syan

na mocayed yah samupeta mrtyum </center>

Even a spiritual master, relative, parent, husband, or demigod who cannot save us from repeated birth and death should be abandoned at once."

What to speak of ordinary things, even the guru, may have to be abandoned. One may even have to give up one's own spiritual guide, as in the case of Bali Maharaja, or one's relatives, as in the case of Vibhisana. In the case of Prahlada, his father had to be given up, and in the case of Bharata Maharaja, it was his mother. In the case of Khatvanga Maharaja, he left the demigods, and in the case of the yajna patnis, (the wives of the brahmanas ) they left their husbands in the endeavor to reach the Absolute Personality.

We need society only to help us. If our affinity to the society keeps us down, then that should be given up, and we must march on. There is the absolute consideration and the relative consideration. When they come into clash, the relative must be given up, and the absolute should be accepted. If my inner voice, my spiritual conscience decides that this sort of company cannot really help me, then I will be under painful necessity to give them up, and to run towards my destination, wherever my spiritual conscience guides me. Any other course will be hypocrisy, and it will check my real progress. If we are sincere in our attempt, then no one in the world can check us or deceive us; we can only deceive ourselves (na hi kalyana-krt kascid durgatim tata gacchati ) [bg. 6.40]. We must be true to our own selves, and true to the Supreme Lord. We must be sincere.

Disappearance of the Guru

Devotee: After the disappearance of the spiritual master, how should the disciples continue the mission?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: You must not neglect your conscience. Otherwise you have no faith in your own cause. There may be disturbances but we should not leave the preaching of Mahaprabhu, despite all differences. Disturbances must come, and we must undergo them. Still, we must remain sincere; we must face the difficulty in a proper way. It has come to train us to go in the right direction.

The Fire has Come to Test Us

What we have received from our spiritual master we understood only in a rough estimation. Now, things have come in such a way that we have to scrutinize ourselves in every position. We have to analyze ourselves. Atma-niksepa, self-analysis has begun. We are under trial. What we have received from our spiritual master, in what way have we received it? Properly, or only showingly? The time has come to purify us, to test whether we are real students, real disciples, or his disciples only in face and confession. What is the position of a real disciple? If we live in a society, what is the depth of our creed? In what attitude have we accepted his teachings? How deep-rooted is it within us? The fire has come to test whether we can stand. Is our acceptance real? Or is it a sham, an imitation? This fire will prove that.

So, this is the real field of sadhana, or practice. Our practice, our advancement needs these difficulties. Otherwise, we may not know what is progress, and we will become hypocrites, and give the adulterated thing to others. So, to purify ourselves, it is necessary that so many disturbances come.

And God has no error. He commands the environment. It is not our responsibility. The responsibility of the environment does not rest upon us. If I am sincere, then I have to adjust myself with this environment and put my faith before Him. "Everyone may leave me, but I shall stand alone!" With this attitude we must march on, whatever the circumstances may be. Then the recognition may come in my favor, that "Yes, under such trying circumstances he is still there." Our superiors will be pleased with us.

The relative and absolute considerations are always coming in clash. The absolute should be accepted and the relative sacrificed. Still the relative is necessary. After graduation from primary school another teacher is accepted for higher education, but that does not mean that the primary teacher is neglected or insulted. For our own interest, whatever we find which is akin to what was given to us by our guru maharaja, whatever we find that will enlighten us further, and whatever will help us to understand more clearly what we heard from our guru maharaja, must be accepted. Is my realization a living thing, or is it dead? Anyone who has come in connection with the infinite cannot but say this: "I am nothing." That should be the salient point.

We have left all social concerns and so many other shackles. For what? For the Absolute Truth. And wherever I shall find that, I must bow down my head. And if a great soul shows us, "This is the path to where you will find your thirst quenched. The line is in this zigzag way," we must accept that for our own interest. We are worshipers not of this form, but of substance. Wherever I feel the presence of my Lord in an intense form, I must be attracted to that side. Krsna says, sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Wherever we shall find Him, we must run in that direction. My interest is with Him. Not that we can challenge, "Why did Krsna appear here, and why is He appearing there?" If a man in a boat is passing through the current and finds himself in danger, then from whatever side help may come, he must run to that side.

If we are worshipers of Siva, when we understand the special superiority of Narayana, should we stick to Siva? And then Krsna? In the Brhad-bhagavatamrta the story is told of how Gopa-kumara, by chanting his Gopala mantra, gradually leaves one stage and progresses to the next. There, the gradation of devotion is traced from the karma-kanda brahmana, to a devotee king, then to Indra, then to Brahma, then to Siva, from him to Prahlada, then to Hanuman, then the Pandavas, then to the Yadavas, to Uddhava, and finally the gopis. In this zigzag way he is passing. In the sincerity of his quest, his thirst is not being quenched until he goes to Vrndavana. So, the Brhad-bhagavatamrta has shown us the line of guru parampara, or the real line of our quest, of our search.

Sincere Hankering for the Truth is Our Guide

If we are sincerely searching after real truth, then wherever we go may be a contribution to our experience for further preaching in the future. We may cross many guru paramparas before ultimately attaining the Vraja-lila of Krsna, as given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sometimes the father may not be our guardian. Our uncle may be our guide, and not the father. It is possible. The line of interest is to be considered the most important. So, our line is the siksa guru parampara.

I am thankful to those that are helping my spiritual understanding not only in a formal way, but in the real sense. Whoever is untying the knots of our entanglement in this material world, giving us light, and quenching our thirst for inner understanding and satisfaction is our guru. In this way, we live on the contribution of all these spiritual masters. They are all our siksa gurus. All the Vaisnavas are more or less our instructing spiritual masters.

And our own sincere hankering for the truth will be our guide. That is guru parampara. So the real disciplic line provides practical knowledge in support of the divine love which is coming down. We must bow our heads wherever we find support of that. We should not become formalists, but substantialists; not fashionists, not imitationists, but realistic thinkers. That should always be our temperament.

And what sort of saintly persons shall we try to mix with earnestly? In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.91) Rupa Goswami has said, sajati-yasye snigdhe sadhau sangah svato vare: Those who are in our line, who have the same high spiritual aspirations as we do, and who hold a superior position. To associate with such saintly persons will help us the most to progress towards the ultimate goal.

There may be some obstacles, but if at heart we are sincere, the environment cannot deceive us, because God's inner help is there, cooperating with our sincere, inner need (na hi kalyana krt kascit durgatim tata gacchati) [bg. 6.40]. What we want from our innermost hearts cannot but come true, because Krsna knows everything. There may be some obstacles, but by Krsna's help, they shall all be eliminated and our innermost aspiration will be crowned with success.

The formal societal position helps one to maintain their present status while our affinity for the high ideal will always push us to advance in Krsna consciousness. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.18 it is stated that whatever hinders our advancement must be left behind, even society consciousness. The society is there to help us, not hinder us. Our process is Krsna consciousness not society consciousness.

Shakti-Fan · May 14, 2008

Sridhara Maharaja believes in physical diksa as a necessary condition for advancement. That is a religious requirement quite in keeping with traditional Hinduism - Churchianity Indian style. I don't buy the 'social consciousness' vs 'God consciousness' idea therefore. Physical diksa imposes an authoritarian hierachy which feeds on a collective consciousness.

If Srila Prabhupada didn't believe in diksa, IOW giving the diksa mantras to his disciples (the different lines of Gayatri) then why did he perform this function? It is Srila Sridhar Maharaja who said that the Gayatri "mantra retires at liberation" and that the Mahamantra is eternal and continues even after liberation. In recent years this has been misunderstood by some so that they disparage the diksa process but was not the intention of Srila Sridhar Maharaja. If cbrahma wants to have an opinion these substantive and historical topics then he needs to the research and not just shoot from the hip. Of course the kind of research I mean in this context would require one to step back to some kind of neutral and dispassionate postion.
One should not pose as if they know everything when they really don't.

BTW, I certainly don't know everything and am learning a little bit every day.

The amazing thing about internet forums is that posters are not really held accountable for accuracy or the impact of what they essentially publish.

Vigraha · May 14, 2008

Also, you do not realize how great Srila Prabhupada's appearance is. Lord Caitanya and his close associates of whom most were Vishnu tattva, came for Lila

The spreading of the Sankirtan Movement was left to their disciples and grand disciples etc. And the greatest preacher of all of them over the last 500 years, that includes Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, was AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

And the proof of that is none of us would of known about Gaudiya Vaisnavism without the teachings of srila Prabhupada. This is why out of all the parampara Guru's, he is the greatest for his world wide preaching.

No one in history, including God himself (Sri Caitanya) has been a greater preacher of the holy names than Srila Prabhupada

When are you going to realize how great and rare a soul like Srila Prabhupada is?

Also are you a Prabhupada disciple?

Ahmen (HARE KRSNA) All glorious to Prabhupada

Ashvatama · May 14, 2008

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); padding-left: 3ex; padding-right: 3ex;" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"> Originally Posted by Vigraha

'It's not just only the bad devotees who have caused all the problems in ISKCON, the blame and responsibility also must be shared by all those good hard working dedicated devotees with good intentions, who have stood by and did nothing, even when they KNEW wrong was being done, letting the bad things happen year after year after year and doing nothing about it!!!'. - Discribing ISKCON in the1980s in Australia and America. Devotees new what was going on in the 80s, but did nothing.

It is certainly not ‘all’ Bhavananda’s fault either; his Godbrothers lavishly glorified him first before he had any disciples

Also he never ever demanded respect and worship off me, although Ramai Swami always would DEMAND it with threats to kick you out of the Temple if you did not fall at his feet, he was very arrogant, demanding and secretive and no-one could ever get too close to him.

He always treated me impersonally and always patronised me and others. On many occasions he would say “get down and bow when you see me coming’, he would demand proudly. Sadly he was a clever bully to those who were not submissive to him.

Anyway I never experienced that impersonalism with Bhavananda. It’s like Ramai had this invisible shield around him. I travelled with him for years like this and his 'coldness' was very frustrating. Even now he remains aloof from everyone even if his with them right in the middle of all the GBC men. Bhavananda was not like that. His Godbrothers, including myself, are to fault by taking his worship way over the top.

Back then, we had the 'frog in the well' mentality, puffed up with the little knowledge we had, especially Ramai Swami, he thought he new everything, but now we can see how blind we all were back then, Ramai Swami had no idea how to lead and protect the lives of others. 'He new everything that was going on'

He did not know how to deal with or handle so many basic issues he new about, he new me better than I new myself at the time but still had no idea how too deal with me or anyone else for that matter. I was too insecure to not go along with it all, after all, ISKCON was my only family.

Personally Bhavananda treated me fine, over all the years he was always kind and encouraging to me, he never ever demanded worship off me; in fact in all fairness to him, it was his Godbrothers, including myself, who saw him as a substitute 'Prabhupada' so to speak, and then treated him like Prabhupada, building him up to be a 'Prabhupada' we called 'Vishnupada'. His Godbrothers gave him that name; he certainly never gave it to himself.

Once again, when Bhavananda was away from his disciples, he was a reasonable person; he never ever raised his voice in anger to me, even though he did to others.

Ananda Prabhu should have been warned

I remember one time I became disturbed by what he did when I was Temple Commander of Vrndavana Temple in 1978. We used to go around to all the rooms in the Temple and Gurukula to see if they were clean in the morning, on this occasion, Bhavananda came for the inspection, all the Gurukulis were suppose to be in the Temple room chanting.

However, there was one room where two Gurukulis were still sleeping, Bhavananda went into a rage when he went into their room, picked one of the boys, Ananda Prabhu, who was 10 or 11 years old at the time, and threw him into the wall, then picked him up and did it a second time. I stood by and watched in surprise as I did not know nor experience that side of Bhavananda, after all his role as Guru had only just begun

What could I do, that’s just how it was in those days because that how we were treated when we went to school in the 50s and 60s. (I was 17 when I first went to the Temple in 1971) Bhavananda then turned to me and said “these boys need discipline, this place is not a free motel, make sure no one is in any of these rooms during the morning program”

In my mind I was thinking I should have warned the boys that Bhavananda was inspecting the gurukuli rooms with us as I new they were resting. Afterwards I went back to see if Ananda was alright, he had a hobby of reading books on airplanes and jets, which he was reading when I went into see him, he just carried on like nothing had happened’

Ananda Prabhu had a gash to his head that I treated and bandaged and some bruises on his body, I told him what had happened to him shocked me because I did not know Bhavananda could get so violent, as I was talking to him, Danavir, his school teacher, came in and yelled at him more for not attending the morning program.

Later I took him down Loi Bazaar in Vrndavana and we had a kumba Lassi drink (the best place in the world to get this drink) and checked out all the shops, he new so much about Vrndavana, showing me the best places to buy dhotis, shirts and Deities, then we visited Prabhupada’s room at the Radha Damodar Temple, Ananda Prabhu told me how early in the morning Srila Prabhupada would translate Srimad Bhagavatam and then chant his rounds. Afterwards walking around the samadhis of Jiva Goswami and Rupa Goswami chanting Hare Krishna. We then went to Davanala Kund and swam with others boys, on the banks of the Kund was a Shiva lingum and Ananda Prabhu and an older boy Dvarkadisha das ACBSP explained how the young girls from the village came to worship the lingum. I remember thinking what the early British Christian missionaries must of thought on seeing such worship. I remember someone took photos of us all swimming at Davanala Kund, love to see those photos now

In all fairness and honesty, the most probably reason very few did not speak or even recognise the truth all those years ago is, we were too young, inexperienced and immature to know any better. When Prabhupada left us in 1977, the average age of the devotees was only 26 years old. In India at that age one is still considered just boys and girls