By BV Bhagavat Maharaja (ACBSP)

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My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation
Posted on13 April 2010.
PART ONE

When I was asked to look at the report that the GBC has recently published concerning the conversation that took place between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja I immediately understood that they were going to try and present this in a way which would minimize Srila Narayana Maharajas importance in the Samadhi ceremony and his intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Therefore I was not surprised at what I saw but deeply disappointed. However upon examining the document with a Native Bengali speaker and comparing it to the sound file they provided I was shocked that they would be so bold as to make so many changes, omissions, and even additions to the conversation and still provide us with the original tape now highly digitally restored. I am not sure what they were thinking when they were doing this but it was obvious that they felt confident that they could get away with it.

In the early 90’s the followers of Srila Narayana Maharaja made a translation and transcription of this conversation which was published in the book called “Their Lasting Relationship”. The title of the article itself is “Prabhupada’s Final Order: On ISKCON and Srila Narayana Maharaja.” Based on the digitally restored file that I listened to with the Bengali translator there are also numerous errors in this presentation as well. However the translation work by Srila Narayana Maharaja’s disciples was done in the early 90’s off of a cheap cassette tape and not a digitally restored tape with all the background noise removed. I spoke to the person who listened to the cassette tape and did the translation for that book. He explained how he had to listen to it numerous times just to make out the basic words in the conversation and still he was not absolutely sure about some things but did the best he could under the circumstances. So considering the obstacles he had to face it is understandable that there would be errors in the presentation.

I am not sure what the excuse is for ISKCONS recent presentation, however, in commenting on their presentation I would first like to address the issue of the intimate relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja as it concerns this and other conversations which I and other devotees witnessed. If you go to the Veda Base folio and look at the conversation where Tamal Krishna and others are discussing Srila Narayana Maharaja coming on October 8th 1977 you will see that right after the conversation where Srila Prabhupada says: ”Narayana Maharaja comes; then everything is all right” the following conversation ensues after a break:

Prabhupada: When you have come back?

Bhagavat: I just came just now, a half hour before, from America.

Upendra: And he’s real skinny, Srila Prabhupada. He’s skinny.

Prabhupada: Why?

Bhagavat: Because I am following caturmasya. I have reduced to 160 pounds. Before I was 260. Now I am 160.

Prabhupada: Very nice.

Bhagavat: Shall I chant?

Prabhupada: Yes. (kirtana begins)

So here is the evidence that I was in Vrindavan at this time and witnessed Srila Narayana Maharajas intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

Not only was I present for several meetings between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja but others were present also. Here is a copy of a post made on face book by one of my god brothers Pita Das:

“GBC says that NM last Conversation with SP is Oct 8 1977. I was present Nov 10 or 11the when Srila Prabhupada met NM and Swami Bon. First in English I heard SP ask NM to watch over his disciples. Then there was a Bengali Hindi conversation lasting at least 20 minutes. Don’t know if it was taped. Many tapes of 1977 have disappeared Sankarshan Prabhu was duplicating them in Houston naming them by content. He now says they never existed”
This leads us to another question. Where are the tapes? In the folio there are no taped conversations listed from August 18th to October 1st. Why Is that? Where are the conversations? Srila Prabhupada was Silent for 6 weeks? Here we have a devotee who was a witness to a conversation only 1 to 3 days before Srila Prabhupada left where this devotee heard Srila Prabhupada say in English to Srila Narayana Maharaja please take care of my disciples. Where is that tape? Why is the ISKCON GBC saying there is no such conversation when we have witnesses that there was? This same devotee says that Sankarshan Prabhu was making copies of those tapes. I have received an email from Sankarshan Prabhu where he states that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but he never had any tapes from Vrndavan in 1977. Are the tapes in the archives? Let’s see what Ekanath Prabhu has to say about that.

I took the following excerpt from a letter posted to the Sampradaya Sun on February 5th 2010 titled “Setting the Record Straight on Srila Prabhupada’s Audio” written by Ekanath Prabhu the director of the BBT Archives. The following except reveals just how much audio of Srila Prabhupada has not been published:

PS. Ongoing progress chart as of 02-05-2010:

•Audio ready for transcribing - 47
•Bengali proofreading in progress - 4
•Digital cassette transfers to be indentified - 249
•English proofreading completed–Stage 1 - 110
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 1 - 62
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 2 - 16
•English transcribing in progress - 66
•Hindi transcribing in progress - 15
•Bengali ready for transcribing - 15
•Ready for Folio– Veda Base ® - 10
•Hindi ready for transcribing - 54
•Sanskrit ready for proofreading - 50
•Reels to be digitized and to be indentified - 161
•Sanskrit proofreading in progress - 26
•Transcripts ready for English proofreading–Stage 1 - 44
•Conservative estimate of new audio files forthcoming – 500
In this recently produced paper the GBC tries to make it look like Srila Narayana Maharaja has misrepresented himself when he says that he was there on the last day. However we have two witnesses that saw him on the last and next to last day. On the next to last day Srila Prabhupada had a conversation with Srila Narayana Maharaja which it appears was either taped and the tape is missing or was not taped and is only in the memory of the witness. On the last day Srila Narayana Maharaja communicated with Srila Prabhupada in a very powerful spiritual way which no other disciple of Srila Prabhupada could. Furthermore there are eyewitness accounts where it appears that there were times when Srila Narayana Maharaja went to visit Srila Prabhupada and he was not communicating with anyone else. Furthermore there is a video on You Tube in which Bhakti Caru Maharaja is speaking at the Devananda Gaudiya Matha in front of Srila Narayana Maharaja, Tamal Krishna and Giriraja Maharaja and many ISKCON devotees. He says the following words I quote:

“Although junior to Srila Prabhupada (pause in speech) Srila Prabhupada used to treat him like his intimate friend, of course in those days none of us were in Krishna Consciousness. But later on when Srila Prabhupada was in Vrndavan in 1977 preparing to leave this planet and go back to Krishna’s eternal pastimes. Srila Prabhupada displayed what an intimate relationship he had with His Divine Grace Srila Narayana Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja used to come and see Srila Prabhupada quite often and they used to discuss about various things very intimately.”
Here is the video:



Here we have a GBC/GURU from ISKCON, who is presently holding both those positions, who is contradicting in the present paper issued by the GBC body his previous statements of the frequency and intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja. These eyewitness accounts clearly indicate that Srila Narayana Maharaja is not exaggerating as the GBC contends but that rather the GBC is minimizing the frequency and intimacy of the relationship Srila Prabhupada had with Srila Narayana Maharaja and minimizing the position of Srila Narayana Maharaja in relation to ISKCON.

However the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja does not start in 1977 in Vraja during Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance pastimes as Bhakti Caru Maharaja points out, but starts 30 years earlier when they first met. Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja on September 28th 1966:

“Our relationship is certainly based on spontaneous love. That is why there is no chance of us forgetting one another…..From the first time I saw you I have been your constant well wisher. At first sight of me, Srila Prabhupada also saw me with such love. It was in my very first darshan of Srila Prabhupada that I learned how to love.” (Excerpt from a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja dated September 28th, 1966)
This letter makes it clear in Srila Prabhupada’s own words that Srila Prabhupada had very intimate feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja from the moment they met. Some devotees may say that Srila Prabhupada has expressed similar sentiments to various disciples. However the extent to which Srila Prabhupada is comparing the intimacy of his feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja with his own spiritual master’s feelings for him has, to the best of my knowledge, never been expressed to any of his disciples quite the way he is expressing it here to Srila Narayana Maharaja. ISKCON’s attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayana Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.

The claim of the GBC is that they are doing this to protect Srila Prabhupada’s movement. However it was Srila Narayana Maharaja who really saved Srila Prabhupada’s movement from being given to Madan Mohan De, who is Srila Prabhupada’s son from his previous ashram, by the courts.

In this court case brought against ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada departed, Madan Mohan De proposed that Srila Prabhupada was not a Brahmin and therefore could not take sannyas. According to presentation to the court this meant that Srila Prabhupada was in fact a business man and that ISKCON was his business enterprise and that it legally belonged to the blood relations, meaning him, the hereditary son. Srila Narayana Maharaja went to court in Bombay at least 6 times at his own expense to serve as a witness on behalf of ISKCON in this case. He quoted extensive shastric evidence proving that a person was a Brahmin by qualification not by birth. That any Vaishnava was equal to and greater than a Brahmin and therefore was qualified to accept the Tridandi sannyas order. He quoted extensive evidence about the history and authority of the tridandi sannyas order and its validity according to shastra. He further explained that it was the order of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the authorized Acharya in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya and the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that any person who is a Vaishnava by qualification, no matter what their birth lineage is in fact a qualified Brahmin and that person could and should take sannyas at the appropriate time. He explained that his Guru, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Goswami who was Srila Prabhupada’s God brother was an authorized sannyasi in the line from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and was qualified to award the sannyas diksha and mantras. In this way Srila Narayana Maharaja gave evidence that played a crucial role in the case to save ISKCON. Evidence that in fact no one at that time in ISKCON was qualified to give. So what is Srila Narayana Maharaja’s reward for helping Srila Prabhupada’s disciples to protect ISKCON from the court case of his son? What is his reward? He is banned from ISKCON.

If we look at the character of Srila Narayana Maharaja we see first of all that he came to the lotus feet of his Guru as a young man, leaving behind a wife and child and forsaking the orders of his father and mother. This may be no big deal in America but in India this is a serious breach of historical and Vedic social and moral customs. He took to the practice of Bhakti in 1946 and never left the practice of devotional service nor did he disregard its principles at any time in his devotional career. He took Sannyas in 1952 before most of us were even born and he never deviated from his Sannyas ashram vows in 58 years. He has always chanted a minimum of 100,000 holy names every day since the very beginning of his practice of Bhakti which is nearly 65 years. He has demonstrated his elevated position by remaining conscious and chanting Hare Krishna while under anesthesia during heart surgery. Only someone who is completely on the transcendental platform and whose soul is completely free from the encumbrance of the false ego and hence the entire subtle body could perform such a feat because his soul directly inhabits the body and is not affected by anesthesia. One morning during this past Kartik while we were listening to Srila Narayana Maharaja give his morning dissertation the priest from Seva Kunja came into our temple. He was carrying with him the Maha Prasadam and garlands from the previous nights Rasa Lila activities in Seva Kunja. The priest said that he was ordered by Srimati Radhika in a dream to bring the Maha Prasada to her dear sakhi who is known in this world as Narayana Maharaja. Srila Narayana Maharaja is the Mahabhagavat who is dearly beloved of Srimati Radharani and Srila Prabhupada.

In contrast to this picture of ideal and transcendental devotional behavior and spiritual intimacy with the Supreme Lord we have a plethora of persons in ISKCON calling themselves Gurus and Spiritual leaders who are not even able to follow the most basic adjusted principles of Bhakti like following the 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds every day. Out of the so called original eleven Gurus, eight of them have admittedly fallen from the principles of Bhakti. There are numerous others who were made gurus later who have also fallen. Some devotees have been initiated and reinitiated as many as five times. The GBC as a body has written and rewritten one contradictory philosophical and theological position paper after another in order to protect its institutional conceptions only to change them later on. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against Srila Sridhara Maharaja and then apologized later on after realizing their mistake. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against their own exalted God brother Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja and then apologized when realizing their mistake later on. They tried to obfuscate that they wanted to ban only Srila Narayana Maharaja from ISKCON in 1995 by making a ban on all of Srila Prabhupada’s God Brothers from visiting the temples. Then they broke their own policy and invited both Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja and Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja to ISKCON Vrndavan demonstrating that it was really an exclusive policy against Srila Narayana Maharaja. Devotees in the institution of ISKCON up to its highest levels repeatedly committed physical and sexual abuses against children and women and then the GBC systematically covered it up for years.

This same GBC body is now saying that Srila Narayana Maharaja was not with Srila Prabhupada on the last day, did not meet with him numerous times and have intimate conversations with him, and did not receive instructions to guide and help his disciples. I have shown you in this article that we have witnesses Pita das and Myself, that were present when Srila Narayana Maharaja was with Srila Prabhupada on the next to last and last day. We have witnesses, including a standing member of their present GBC body, Bhakti Caru, who have seen Srila Narayana Maharaja visit Srila Prabhupada numerous times, besides the October 8th conversation, and have intimate spiritual discussions with him. We have witnesses like Pita das who have heard Srila Prabhupada ask Srila Narayana Maharaja to guide and protect his disciples and his mission and we have demonstrated in this article how he has performed this task by saving the entire society. Yet this same GBC Body who has made so many mistakes in the past are now trying to tell us that the Mahabhagavat, a person of great integrity and unblemished character who has lived a true and exceptional devotional life is misrepresenting the facts about his relationship Srila Prabhupada.

I have now shown you in this the first part of my refutation how the GBC have contradicted themselves on the points that they have tried to establish in their paper the Final Conversation. Now in the second part of my refutation I will present a new commentary on the conversation based on the accurate translation of the digitized audio of the October 8th conversation and demonstrate yet again how they have mistranslated the words and meanings of Srila Prabhupada’s words in order to minimize the intimacy of his relationship with Srila Narayana Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to him to take care of his society and his disciples.

Bhakti is for Sharing:

9 Responses to “My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation”
B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja says:
April 14, 2010 at 11:25 AM
I received an email today from Sankarshan Prabhu who says that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but not those tapes from Vraja in 1977. So I reported what Pita Das told me and now Sankarshan Prabhu says that he has none of those tapes. I accept his statement.

Reply
Das soham says:
April 14, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.

Reply
Admin says:
April 15, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Here are some comments collected from Facebook:

Jayadvaita Dasa April 14 at 4:36am
Hare Krsna Maharaja please accept my dandavat pranams all glories to Sri guru and Gauranga.Just a quick message thanking you for your response to the gbc paper. The facts are very clear and the potency of the Mahabhagavata does and always will shine through regardless of what others say or do.It’s a great service you are doing thanks. your servant jayadvaita dasa Wales.
P.s are you planning on coming to wales this year as your association was really nice last year?

Tulsi Krishna April 13 at 10:31pm
Thank you so much Maharaj for such a very extensive presentation of facts. And more so, because you yourself was there, talking now on first hand account . Indeed Krishna is so merciful that He will always arrange in such a way that what Srila NArayan MAharaj told us is substanciated by wisnesses such as yourself. With your exposition, the deeper my love became to our beloved Srila Narayan Maharaj.

I did not meet Srila Prabhupad personally , although I’ve been a devotee since 1970 because the one incharge here in our place has some personal motive.He did not let any of us write a letter to Srila Prabhuapad. I cried when Srla PRabhupad left Nov.14th 1977. . But when I visited his samadhi last 1988, I was there crying at the back of his murti , hiding so no one will see me, and praying to please show me the person he favors to lead me to Krishna. Then the next day, , I met Srila Narayan MAharaj. I still have to this day a photo I took on that event.

Since I was the personal servant of Tamal Krishna Maharaj then, I was not able to have so much association of Srila Narayan Maharaj. I followed Srla NArayan Maharaj in some parikrams. Tamal KrishnaMaharaj noticed my behaviour towards Srila Narayn Maharaj that he took my passposrt and forwarded it to Gopal Krishna Maharaj in Bombay just to remove me from Vrindaban.

So I went back here in Philippines broken hearted. But 10 years later 1n Feb 8 1999, Srila Narayan Maharaj came here in our country with the help of Radha Kanta Prabhu. I was able to serve Srila Narayan Maharaj then more personally and ask him to take me as his disciple. ISKCON banned me upon knowing this, but I AM VERY HAPPY because Srila Prabhupad answered my prayer for he sent Srila Narayan Gurudev even to this very far place of asia!!!

Jonathan Glass April 13 at 2:40pm Report
Dear Bhagavat Maharaja,
dandavat pranams. thankyou so much this clarity. I pray all devotees will read. very illuminating!
your servant
Nimai Caitanya das

Szymon Potynski April 13 at 10:46am
Maharaja, Thank you so much for writing the response. Really appreciate it. It’s so sad for me that ISKCON become so heartless, while the essence of bhakti is a deep heart connection. Thank you for all your work. Radhe Syam.

Sakhya Rasa das

Bhagavan Das April 13 at 12:26pm
Good work my friend. I’m glad you are still alive! The Great Body of Calcifides is not porous enough to allow love or truth to permeate the membrane of the mind or heart.

Bruce Slayman April 13 at 10:39am
Dandabats maharaja. Sri Sri guru gauranga jayatah!

I just posted Shyamarani didi’s paper athttp://bvml.org/contemporary/JD_p3f.html Will post your today or tomorrow. I am on my way to India to perform Chardhama yatra.

Ys,
BBd

Śrī Rādhā Vallabha Dear Sripada Bhagavat Maharaja, my pranams to you!
thank you for your wonderful publication!

Hari Saran Das
Many thanks Maharaj for writing this response to the GBC. As usual, you always surprise us with interesting historic facts, which in this case it is helpful to clarify those misunderstandings regarding the -spotless- relationship between Srila BV Narayna Maharaj and Srila BV Swami Prabhupada.

Santosh Lalgith
THIS is real clarification. Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.

Gita Dasi
I am certain that many persons are shaking in their wooden platform sandles after hearing this mighty roar of Bhagavat Maharaja.

Kishori Mohan
My favorite line is: ISKCONS attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayan Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayan Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.

Thanks! Excellent Rebuttal!

Narayanashram Austria
Please keep on publishing like this, and spread it ALL around, as it will give healing to the wounded hearts of thousands!

Przemek Premananda Pawelczak
Thanks You very much Bhagavat Maharaja!. This presentation give me so much reliefe. Just pasted it on polish forum “vrinda” and tomorrow start to translate. topmost urgency for truth!

Molly Carano
Thank you Bhagavat Maharaja! This letter is so needed and healing! you shared your beautiful and sweet memories…who can argue with that?!! Truth will out indeed!
Jaya Sri Saci-nandana Gaurahari! “He is absorbed in vraja-rasa. As the trascendental Kamadeva, He chastises the evil-minded and destroys deceit. As Radha-ramana Rama, He nourishes His pure devotees, drives away dry impersonalism, and removes all imitations of bhakti”, this is from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s wonderful bhajan ‘Kali Kukkura Kadana’
All Glories to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
Who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness and who bestows al spiritual perfection and happiness!
Patita Pavana Gurudeva!

Kilimba G Alvarez
Thank you, Sripad Bhagavat Maharaj, for standing tall above the sea of apathy around this vitally important issue. As an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada, diksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaj and a heartfully connected siksha disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, I would very much like to see Truth prevailabout the actual harmony and unity among the higher Vaisnavas. There is so much potential for sharing what we’ve been given by these maha-bhagavata pure devotees with the world. Imagine if we could show by combined behavior how powerful this Love really is..

Chiranjib Boyd
As a diksha disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a siksha disciple of Srila Gurudeva [BV Narayana Goswami Maharaja] I very much appreciate your efforts to defend the glory of their intimate relationship. I eagerly await your presentation of part two. I hope to get your association again at Badger Festival.

Bv Suddhadvaiti Swami
What a wonderful rebuttal letter in the face of these villains! What a splendid piece! Thank you so much, Maharaja.

Tracy Tabler Boyd
wow, this is so amazing, thank you for sharing this Maharaja, all glories to you!

Bv Damodara
You buried them so deep, they will need to dig with earth movers for the next 100 years to ever see the sunlight again……Thankyou Maharaja

Sudevi Dasi
Lol! Damodar Maharaj ! That really says it all…and more…

Guru Gauranga Das
As someone who doesn’t know Narayan Maharaja very well. And after reading both the GBC and your documents. I feel that I have gained more appreciation for Narayan Maharaja as a result of reading your document than I have gained doubts about him from the GBC document. It is always best to keep Vaisnava relationships strong. You must publish this on other sites. It will go along way to giving a balanced understanding of the situation.

There tends to be an understanding of them and us from the ISKCON camp. The GBC document is written to increase this feeling among their followers.The light of Bhakti is not trapped in the realm of any institution. And since when did ISKCON institutionalize Radha and Krishna, they are never bound. To imply that NM had a material agenda in regards to his relationship with SP is an insult. If they are not implying that, then what are they implying?

What is the logicical reason that the advanced devotees in ISKCON do not rise up against such blasphemy? The logic is that they are eating in the house of Duryodhana. And who is the Duryodhana of ISKCON? The Duryodhana is the internal personal pride and ambitions of the individual GBC and Guru’s. What is the reason that they maintain this internal Duryodhana of pride? Their reason is that they are protecting SP ISKCON. What does protection mean to them? Protection to them means to maintain a system that has proven to convert simple Vaisnava’s into disciple and money hungry businessmen! How is this maintained? By a system of exclusive Knitehood into their GBC based on exclusive boys club. Let us hope that creating a GBC in the NM camp does not end in the same way.

I pray that the salve of Bhakti will mend the hearts of those who have taken any position to lead any group of Vaisnavas. May Mahaprabhu bless everyone with his causeless Mercy!

Abhay Khurana
Thank you for this Maharaja. It’s wonderful to see false statements challenged quickly with the truth like this. All glories to your service.

Bankebihari Dasa
I agree with Sriman Guru Gauranga dasa that any “camp” spirit has been manufactured by the so called leaders of ISKCON in the wake of the coup-de-tat which hijacked an external manifestation of Srila Prabhupad’s beautiful bhakti wave. I haven’t seen any divisive camp spirit anywhere else. Institutionalism certainly cannot contain the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure maha-bhagavat representative on earth. Let the dogs bark, the caravan shall pass.

Ram-Chandra Das
Thank you so much Maharaj! the great research work to reveal the hidden truth!

Jaga Mohan Flood
Very well written and thought out.

Reply
Laksmidevi dasi says:
April 17, 2010 at 7:06 PM
Mahalo from Hawaii. Dandavats Bhagavat Maharaja! I pray every senior devotee of Srila Prabhupada’s who understands the truth you are speaking will also come forth with their stories as to why they left ISCON after their beloved Srila Prabhupada left. There are many, many who have their unpublished stories to fortify the truth about the GBC guys.
They need to say what they know while they are still on the planet.
I feel so sorry for those innocent devotees in ISCON who are bewildered by GBCON nonsense. When I was in Alachua they told me “Don’t ever call yourself a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.” I wept to the bone, my heart hurt so much. Even tho’ I read all of his books, I went to his temples, I associated with those actually initiated by Srila Prabhupada. He was so in my heart. I prayed to him to find me a Guru like him. I left Alachua on Radhastami, praying & chanting all the way back to California. Immediately I met a devotee who took me straight to Srila Narayana Maharaja. HARIBOL!!!!!! Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Jaya Radhe!! Jaya Krishna!

Reply
Acyutananda Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 5:13 AM
I wrote this on facebook, but it has not yet shown up here.

I want to share my thoughts on this issue, but I just hope this does not get taken the wrong way.

The issue between the GBC and our sanga stems not from an ideological dispute perse. Rather, it is being masqueraded as such to prevent the public from being concerned with the real issue at hand. The problem clearly is the attachment of a few select members (perhaps of the GBC) to their material assets (viz. followers, temples, property, prestige etc.) To think there will be some progress made at the legislative level (within ISKCON) by debating over the legitimacy of Gurudeva’s presence within their institution is an exercise in futility, because no matter how right you are, the problem is not an ideological one, but a material one.

‘Loyalty’ to Prabhupada in essence becomes a tool in manipulation to protect their vested interests, deceive the masses, and maintain some sort of doctrinal equilibrium. I do appreciate the articles that Syamarani didi, Swami BV Bhagavat and Swami BV Damodara have composed as it just continues to reveal ISKCONs ideological fallacy and reinforce our understanding of the true situation. But the issue is deeper, and I think that no matter how much we nail in these points, there’s always going to be something else they will manufacture to protect their assets. My real sympathy goes to all those who are currently being deceived into thinking that this type of attitude and behavior from the GBC is representative of Prabhupada’s innermost intention. Not only are they being materially deprived, but so much more so spiritually. In the political world this type of activity is termed ’spin’.

I beg forgiveness from my heart if I have offended anyone in this message, I just wanted to offer my perspective on the situation.

Reply
Jayanta Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Dear Sripad Bhagavat maharaja,
My dandavat pranams. Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !
I just wanted to offer my heartfelt appreciations to you, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar maharaja for the most wonderful shastric refutations defending our most beloved Srila Gurudeva against these maha, maha aparadhis ! Who are these blasdphemous rascals ? What are their qualifications ? What are their lives histories ? What are their motives and modus operadhis ? We will find that they are all nitya baddhas and never free from the four defects 1) tendency to fool and cheat others 2) sure to commit mistakes 3) sure to be illusioned 4) always has imperect senses.
It is their false egos alone that causes them to “use Srila Prabhupada’s name and fame” for their malicious intent. The very fact that they are nitya baddhas and not free from there four defects make them totally ineligible to be believed in anything they say. Does any of them chant pure Nama ? How can they if they disobey the first offence and that is not “to blaspheme the Pure Devotees who have given their whole lives for propagating this Krsna Consciousness” ! Srila Prabhupad himself has stated there will demons
who will be masquerading as devotees in our Krsna Consciousness movement. They are surely detected as soon as they open their mouths ! On the other hand, our most beloved Srila Gurudeva is a Nitya Siddha, free from the four defects, whose most glorious character is sung throughout the vedic scriptures and all the three worlds ! I’ve been silent for along time but now I feel compelled
to throw my little pebbles just like the squirrels did along side of Hanumans to please and protect our “Lord Ramachandra” against these most wicked Ravanas ! We must not be silent and make the mistakes in the Mahabharat, just like Grandfather Bhismadeva ! We all must speak up against these nitya baddhas who will always have the four defects of conditioned souls and are of this material world whereas the Nitay Siddhas whom they have offended, such as our most beloved Srila Gurudeva, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaja, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Gour Givinda Maharaja and others, are not of this material world but from Goloka Vrndaban, just to help conditioned souls like them, but they are blinded by their material ambitions and politics and lead others into a hellish condion with themselves ! Who would you believe, the nitya baddhas or the Nitya Siddhas ? The answer is
obvious and without doubt for all the simple hearted real devotees ! Hare Krsna ! All glories to Srila Gurudeva ! All glories To Srila Prabhupada ! Jaya, jaya Sri Radhe !
Aspiring for the mercy of Hari, Guru and Vaisnavas,
Jayanta das

Reply
Devarsirat das (ACBSP 1976) says:
April 18, 2010 at 9:14 PM
About The GBC Statement about Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

Dear Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja,
Please accept my dandavats pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Sri Sri Radha Vinode Bihariji

I also like to offer my deep appreciations to You, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar Maharaja for defending our wonderful Srila Gurudeva.

In a huge list of truth distortions by the GBC, the recent GBC paper, is one of the worst, because it shamelessly attempts to direct the reader away from Srila Prabhupadas final wishes and instructions. I just feel sorry for the many devotees in Iskcon, who are misled by such interpretations and go to hell because of the resulting offences they are bound to make against Krishnas pure devotee, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

When will everyone understand, that the GBC was not meant to be spiritual authority, but just a managing (money estates businesses e.g.) group of directors. Voting gurus in, Is not Vaisnava practice. Voting in a manager, yes, but not a genuine spiritual master. I was there when Srila Prabhupada passed away and when the managers suddenly became “divine graces;” Today, most of them have fallen down.

Why? Because at that time, their personal guidance from Srila Prabhupada stopped when He left for Goloka Vrindavan and they never took up to finish their training with Srila Narayana Maharaja.

They did not accept genuine Vaisnava Guidance from then until now, which is a huge gap in time and that explains the many disasters in Iskcon, we have all experienced or heard about. Everyone knows that Srila Prabhupada did not think these men were qualified and for them to have represented themselves as HDG Gurus immediately after Srila Prabhupada went into Samadhi, was disgusting and showed that they were not trained completely, otherwise they could have never done that. Srila Prabhupada knew their mentalities and for that reason He only made then managers. He wanted what He had begun, to be completed by HDG Srila Narayana Maharaja and this is the undistorted truth which the GBC members (which seem to process no shame doing so) try to distort by all means. To them it does not seem to matter, that they are misleading their disciples and all new comers wholesale.

Still what they began in those days, continues to this day, the idea of what a real guru is, has been watered down, with the only difference being, that this time there is no HDG title and the “Vyasasan” is a little lower. Today it is accepted in Iskcon that the Guru can fall down at any time…. GBC gurus give initiation and accept guru positions, without having had proper direct and complete training by a pure Vaisnava Spiritual master as directed by Srila Prabhupada.

Over and over again, some Iskcon voted in Guru has accepted disciples and they have accepted him, trusting this flawed voting system, thinking him to be very high, only later discovering to their despair (after they have given all their heart and so much money and service for years) that their “voted in” guru was not a highly advanced devotee after all and behind their back had sex with the wife of a disciple, or stole money, took drugs or was corrupt in some other way.

To make matters worse,the GBC,Instead of offering his lost disciples proper guidance, directing them to a real spiritual master as it is the system, handed them over to yet another so called spiritual master, who then later also fell down for some stupid reason.
In this way some devotees in Iskcon have had 3 or so called spiritual masters and this is going on to this day. Now they have the audacity, to criticise our beloved Srila Gurudeva whose record is completely unblemished and free from all faults.

Similarly to voters who believe that this time the next president or prime minister will be the big saviour of the country, Iskcon GBC also made their followers believe, that a guru can fall down and that the system is to surrender to yet another guru coming from the same unauthorised system. This is a grand deception and even so materially workable, spiritually it is like suicide.

Why was he voted in in the first place? GBC leaders have either no interest at all in promoting a genuine society of Vaisnavas and have no real mercy for the fallen souls Lord Chaitanya came to save, or they have completely misunderstood Guru tattva from the very beginning.

The existence of big buildings, lots of cash, opulent deity worship big positions and charismatic leaders (at least to the outside) does not automatically mean, that everything is pure bhakti and genuinely spiritual. Karmis and mayavadies also have big buildings and places for their practices and they also experience some bliss, but are we really so gullible to think, that the existence of wealth and marble, means there must also be real devotional substance?
If the genuine pure devotees direct personal guidance and direction is missing and another pure devotee is being rejected, is it really real?

Srila Prabhupada writes in the

Bhagavad Gita 4.42 Purport
One is therefore advised to study Bhagavad-gita, or any other scripture, under a bona fide spiritual master, with service and surrender. A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord as they were imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god, from whom the instructions of Bhagavad- gita have come down to the earthly kingdom. One should, therefore, follow the path of Bhagavad- gita as it is expressed in the gita itself and beware of self-interested people after personal aggrandizement who deviate others from the actual path. The Lord is definitely the supreme person, and His activities are transcendental. One who understands this is a liberated person from the very beginning of his study of Bhagavad- gita.

Reply
Gour Govinda das says:
April 22, 2010 at 1:42 AM
Dandavats B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja;

Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja
The Glorious Disciplic Succession will always be established in all Yugas and in all times. Nothing and I mean nothing can stop the progressive march of Lord Chaitanya’s movement.

Banishment is actually a sure sign that one is on the right track. The Pandavas were banished. Lord Rama was banished. The smartas tried to kill Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja. Haridas Thakura was beaten twenty-one times. Jesus was crucified. What little discomfort we my experience in the service of our beloved Gurudeva is nothing in comparison. These hindrances are merely meant to hone our skills in defeating all avaishnava philosophies. Actually without these trials we would become complacent in our sadhana. We have to delve deep within our hearts to extract the pure desire to serve the true Vaishnavas. Krishna would want nothing less than full surrender. That is where the nectar lies.

To remove all material obstacles is not easy. We need to just sit and deeply meditate on the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva and that is where we will find the strength to go on. Gurudeva’s words are full of such sweet nectar. His devotion is so very deep and his spiritual strength knows no bounds. To have a moments association with a pure devotee of the Lord is all that is necessary for making solid progress on the path of spiritual realization. The barking dogs offer up nothing but noise. They too shall pass into the annals of history as nothing more than sign posts towards a dead end.

Thank you Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja for bringing the light of truth into the dark and cold cellar of misconceptions. No one can touch the powerful pure devotees of the Lord.

Gour Govinda das

Reply
Sudarsana Das Vanachari says:
April 25, 2010 at 7:10 PM
All glories to Srila Gurudeva!

It is most wonderful that Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja, Sripada Damodara Maharaja and Srimati Syamarani didi have come to the defence of our beloved Srila Gurudeva and our beloved Srila Prabhupada in what can only be described as a devious and calculating ploy by those on the GBC, who by attepting to distort the truth are simply cheating others and themselves.

In the eyes of The Lord these personalities by their actions, are ”irrelevent” and their misdeeds will not go unpunished.
It is most heartening and enlivening to read all the comments of all the wonderful vaisnavas also who have certainly been blessed by our beloved Gurudeva.

This old verse I found in a book of “Quotations” and although “anonomous” rings true…….

For want of me the world’s course will not fail
When all its work is done, the lie shall rot
The TRUTH is great and shall PREVAIL
Where non cares whether it prevail or not!

Sudarsana Das Vanachari

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