A Letter from Tirtha in Prison
BY: TIRTHA DAS
Jan 8, USA (SUN) — [Revised] 2nd Editor's Note, Jan 9th: Following, in underlined text, are several revisions to the Tirtha letter. These revisions come as a result of the fact that the letter was originally sent to the Sun in the form of eight JPG image files, which were scans of the original hardcopy letter received by the 'messenger' from Tirtha in the mail. The messenger then scanned the pages and sent us the JPG's. It seems that the scans were done at a high resolution, then the images were reduced in size or resolution in order to make them easily send-able by email. When received by Sun staff, the JPG's were printed as hard copy, and the text was typed in from that hard copy. Due to the resolution/size reduction, portions of the text truncated, and essentially disappeared from view in the hard copy. Having now re-proofed from the original scans, we have inserted the text that was missing.
Editors Note: The following letter was recently received from Tirtha in prison. It was delivered to us by a 'messenger' to whom Tirtha directly sent the letter. We are told that Tirtha is only able to receive and send mail (hard copy), and he can make collect telephone calls. He does not have Internet access. Tirtha presumably addressed this letter to the 'messenger'. The letter follows in its entirety, and has not been edited or corrected.
Dearest Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga. Hare Krsna and Happy New Year. I hope you are well. I recently received one of the Janmastami blogs to review, "NV History, for the record," Janmastami, AKA John Sinkowski. What is disturbing to me is how many devotees are becoming confused and unsettled over these accusations. I previously was reluctant to delve into these matters, wondering what good might come from regurgitating such things from the past. However, because unscrupulous persons have dared to falsify and distort the facts, I am forced to come forth and respond. However, I wish to make my position clear. I do so not in an attempt to vindicate myself or justify my actions, I do so only in the interest of truth and justice.
Therefore, I'd like to present a more complete presentation of what I know to be the truth, presented from my own personal involvement of events. I encourage you to use on the various web-sites, to refute, point by point, these lies and wild accusations of Janmastami and others, who regrettably, appear to have lost their minds. You may quote me as you please.
The internet gives facility to both the well wisher and the blasphemer. Unfortunately, poison words that spew forth from cyberspace into the minds of anyone who might read them act like a virulent disease. Such accusations, left unchecked for too long, can serve to erode the consciousness of not a few well meaning but impressionable devotees, with twisted words being accepted as fact.
I will say from the start that my presentation is not for personal vindication or mitigation of my culpability. While I shall always remain a villain to some, it is one thing for people to dislike me for my personal involvement in unpleasant activities, but quite another to unjustly label everyone who ever lived at NV as corrupted or suspect.
Imagine if someone had ever physically attacked Srila Prabhupada. Practically to a person all of his disciples and well wishers would have wanted to see blood retribution. This point can't be overstated. Even though there would have been calls for calm, it would have been difficult to guarantee such a person's safety and destiny. Especially so if Prabhupada had been seriously hurt, as Kirtanananda (K) was. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that K's disciples and well wishers thought in similar terms. Yet even after the NV devotees caught and held Triyogi for the police, they did not harm him. But upon hearing of this supposed cowardice, Janmastami remarked, "That's the problem with Kuladri and these wimps. They have no backbone. He should have been killed immediately."
Triyogi's attack changed just about everything at NV, and especially for K. A very different K emerged after his attack and subsequent coma. Upon awakening he was fond of German Shepherd dogs, and would appear to be much more openly homosexual.
It is no exaggeration to state that K was almost as revered at NV as Srila Prabhupada. Some magazines and books published at NV described K as, "Founder-Acarya of the New Vrindaban Community," even though other devotees had an equal hand in its founding, and as "Srila Prabhupada's first sannyasi disciple." Even before this time a strong personality cult began to evolve around K. His word was law. His power completely centralized and absolute. Still, it was not seen as a bad thing. In the movement worldwide, devotees sought strong leadership from a central figure. NV was no exception to this mentality. At NV , it was either K's way or the highway. Dissenters were neither welcome nor tolerated. Should someone stray into that dangerous area, persons like Janmastami would heap scorn upon them, sometimes even physically threatening them. Not a few good people were sent packing simply for questioning K's tactics or motives.
After Triyogi's attack on K, Janmastami openly bragged that if no one else had the stomach for defending the guru's honor, he would. What was worse, Sulocana foolishly intimated that he had a hand in coaching Triyogi's attack. That was akin to signing his own death warrant. Sulocana was already greatly disliked at NV due to his rambling expose, "The Guru Business." Plus he openly advocated the use of violence against all of the ISKCON gurus. Quite naturally, Sulocana became a prime target for NV's frustration and anger.
The devotees at NV weren't a bunch of brainwashed Moonies. They were thoughtful, if isolated devotees, who were loyal to a fault to their authority figure, K. They were all wonderful Vaisnavas who kept up a high standard of worship for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban-Chandra. Prabhupada's Palace was a fabulous success and a growing tourist attraction. The kirtana's and other programs were enlivening. NV was a dynamic spiritual Tirtha.
One must not forget that in KC, loyalty and submissiveness to the spiritual master is everything. Without pleasing the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement. If you wanted to please Srila Prabhupada at NV, you did so by first pleasing K. Love me, love my dog. There was no other way of looking at it. To many NV residents, K was everything. He was their living link to Srila Prabhupada. Accordingly, as K went, so did NV.
After Triyogi attacked K, Sulocana stepped up his rhetoric and verbal attacks on K and other persons at NV. As a publicity stunt he traveled to the Moundsville area and checked himself into the local jail, claiming his life was in jeopardy. From his cell he issued strange, rambling "Press releases." His publicity stunt was a bust. He returned to California.
A few months later, Sulocana returned to Moundsville area. He visited the US Attorney's Office of William Kolibash in Wheeling, WV, with "evidence" of wrongdoing by K and NV. The Feds weren't so sure. To them it looked like a lot of smoke, but no fire. Then Sulocana began telephoning NV, threatening to kill Kuladri and his children from a sniper's position in the woods. He threatened to kill his ex-wife Yamuna and her new husband. He declared war on NV. His threats were taken very seriously. The police were called.
At that juncture a legitimate, legal surveillance was initiated at the suggestion of the Marshall County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Donald Bordenkircher. It was done with their authorization and assistance. In this there were actually two phases of organized, authorized surveillance of Sulocana, conducted as a combined effort of the police and NV. Its purpose was to keep a close, detailed surveillance of Sulocana, to both track his movements and observe if he was engaged in any illegal activity. It was during this first authorized phase that Kuladri and others at NV played a logistical role. To my knowledge, during that time period there was no mention by anyone associated with the leadership of NV or the Sheriff's Department to harm Sulocana. This surveillance extended along the Ohio-West Virginia area. The second phase of this surveillance extended to the Detroit area and to California. I participated in all three areas of this surveillance.
The surveillances in Detroit and California were initiated after the Sheriff's Department shared certain portions of Sulocana's personal diary wherein numerous addresses were written. It was in California where I met Janmastami, who was already looking around in the area of the LA temple. He openly spoke of the need for killing Sulocana, and volunteered to assist in killing him. He never said that he was under orders from anyone to kill Sulocana, but rather, insisted it was his duty as a disciple of K. In his van he kept a large metal strong box where he stored several guns, knives, and even a vial of cyanide for his avowed purpose. He flatly stated that the surveillance exercise was merely a prelude to killing Sulocana.
It was during this trip that Janmastami and I traveled first to the San Diego area in hopes of finding Yudhisthir (Jeff Corina). It should be noted that he lived in the San Diego area, not the temple, only occasionally frequenting the temple. Unable to locate him there, we were given the name of a friend of his at the LA temple, Krsna Katha (KK). We then proceeded to locate KK, who was living in an apartment on Watseka Avenue, across from the temple. In speaking with KK, we introduced ourselves as being from NV. I gave my real name and Janmastami referred to himself as Barney. It soon became evident from speaking with KK that he also had an interest in killing Sulocana, referring to some vague comment by his guru about giving Sulocana a "new body." It was during this time that Janmastami, Krsna Katha, myself and one other devotee friend of KK's traveled to Apple Valley in KK's Alfa Romeo to look for mine shafts. KK's court testimony can substantiate all of this.
As it happened, Sulocana was eventually arrested in West Virginia and sentenced to one year in jail for carrying a concealed, unlicensed weapon. With Sulocana locked up he no longer posed a threat to NV, and the entire matter was defused. Months later when Sulocana was released from jail, a second unauthorized surveillance was begun by myself, Randall Gorby, and persons from the LA temple. I took steps to secure approval for dealing with Sulocana.
Because of Sulocana's outspoken criticism of all ISKCON authorities, beginning with his supposed exposes, and later, graduating to making direct threats of harm toward persons at NV and LA, Sulocana was seen as a pariah, and was persona non grata at both temples. Accordingly, and as previously stated, the first surveillance was initiated under the authority of the local police, who recognized that Sulocana posed a direct threat to the safety and well being of persons at NV.
It is important to understand with regard to NV's involvement in police authorized surveillance that no inference should be drawn implying their involvement in any later criminal activity, since as already stated and as can be verified through court and police records, the first surveillance was conducted under the umbrella of the local police.
Even before the first surveillance was completed, Janmastami dasa, AKA Barney, AKA John McPherson, AKA John Sinkowski, was a coconspirator to murder. Later, with the exception of myself, Janmastami and Randall Gorby, who was a West Virginia resident, all other persons who were part of this conspiracy were devotees of the Los Angeles temple. The court record indicates as proof that various Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies thoroughly investigated these matters and concluded as I have stated above. The court record is a public document and can be easily obtained by anyone. The Federal Court is located in Martinsville, West Virginia. The Marshall County Sheriff's Department is located in Moundsville, West Virginia, 26041. The US Attorney's Office is located at US Federal Courthouse, Wheeling, West Virginia, 26003.
Prior to this time, in the matter of Cakradhari dasa, the complete chronology of events and facts is known only to myself and Daruka (Daniel Ried). Briefly, Daruka was incensed that Cakradhari had purportedly raped his wife, Vrsni, and wished to kill him in retaliation. When Daruka first informed me of his intention to kill Chakradhari, I tried my best to talk him out of it. I even proposed that we give Chakradhari a severe beating and have him permanently banned from the community. Daruka listened, but was not persuaded. He remained adamant about killing him. I finally convinced him to first speak to K about the matter, confident that K would counsel him properly. I then personally drove Daruka to K's house.
Daruka informed K what had transpired and of his intention to kill Chakradhari. He presented my argument for
beating and exiling him, but K waved him off, saying that would only make matters worse. It was then that K said he had knowledge of Chakradhari previously raping other women in the community. What was especially troublesome about his raping Vrsniu was that she still carried stitches from recent childbirth. K intimated that Chakradhari should be killed, pointing to Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.16), The Son of Drone Punished, which states, "An enemy who sets fire to the house, attacks all of a sudden with deadly weapons, plunders wealth or usurps agricultural fields, or entices one's wife is called an aggressor. Such an aggressor, though he be a brahmana or a so-called son of a brahmana, has to be punished in all circumstances… there was no question of sin in killing such a brahmana's son who provide to be a villain." K emphasized the words "entices one's wife," what to speak of raping her. He then added, "Besides, who will ever miss someone like him?" K then suggested Daruka get with me on the matter, saying I was expert in such things.
When Daruka informed me of what K had said, I was taken aback. I was somewhat amazed he had given the order to kill another devotee. After thinking on it for several days I concluded that if K's vision was that Chakradhari should be killed, I should assist Daruka as he wanted.
As previously stated, I hold no desire to mitigate my personal involvement. However, I ask that you try to put yourself in Darkua's place. Here was a man who had befriended Chakradhari when practically no one else in the community would. He considered Chakradhari his friend and had grown to trust him, even allowing him to sleep in his own home. But when the first opportunity arose while Daruka was out of town, he became intoxicated and raped Vrsni, causing her severe physical and emotional trauma. This heinous crime was intolerable. And while I am not necessarily advocating taking the law into one's hands, what happened to these victims is difficult to swallow. For many months Vrsni hovered near a complete nervous breakdown. This was doubly injurious, since the act had been perpetrated at the hands of a supposed friend.
There was no wide conspiracy to kill Chakradhari as some foolish people allege, and certainly not by any other members of the NV community aside from those already stated. Nor was there any need, since sanction came directly from the top. For my part, I acted solely on the mistaken belief that the test of guru, sadhu and sastra had been satisfied. I am extremely sorry for my role in this. I cannot speak for Daruka.
Some time prior to this, K intimated that he wanted one of our neighbors, Richard Rose, killed. He was emphatic that it be made to look like an accident. Steps were taken to plot out a location to abduct Rose while he traveled away from his nearby farm. After about 6 months of such research, K called the matter off. He later said he never asked us to look for a way to abduct and kill Rose.
Rose was the land owner of the earliest Vrindaban farm that NV was originally based upon. Because K always told us that Rose was a demon, we naturally believed him and assumed the same. Demon or not, Rose was at least a conniving crook. He hoped to void the 99 year lease he had signed with the devotees and illegally evict them from the land on the plea that the yearly lease payments had not been made. Due to some sloppy records keeping by the devotees, the accountant could not at first find the proper documentation to refute his claims. Later, when receipts were found proving that payment had been made, the matter was defused.
After Sulocana was released from jail he first traveled to his parent's home in Royal Oaks, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. I went there with Randall Gorby to observe his movements and placed a "Snoopy" bumper sticker on the rear bumper of his newly acquired van. Gorby thought this would unnerve him. Approximately 2 weeks later I received information from Janmastami who was then staying in Philadelphia, that Krsna Katha (KK) had called him to say that Sulocana had arrived in the LA area and was living out of his van with Michigan license plates. Shortly thereafter I traveled to LA and met with KK.
In the time immediately after Sulocana's death, several persons were knowingly and unknowingly engaged in the transfer of several sums of money. It is important to note that Radhanath Swami and Umapati Swami, played no role in furtherance of any events connected to any criminal activity. These events were thoroughly investigated by the police who found no wrong doing on their parts.
After Sulocana's death, a Federal Grand Jury was convened to help investigate the entire matter. One allegation alludes to Radhanath Swami and the Assistant US attorney, Michael Stein, giving each other "high fives," outside the Grand Jury room. We must remember that during this time, William Kolibash of the US attorney's Office in Wheeling, West Virginia, was singularly focused on bringing all of NV down, hoping to indict as many people as possible for their possible role(s) in criminal activity. Millions of dollars and great effort were expended in their extensive investigation. Among others, the police repeatedly sought to learn Janmastami's identify from me, since he had identified himself only as "Barney" to the other coconspirators in LA. Because I refused to cooperate, they never came to learn of his actual identify.
When K began to display certain peculiar, abnormal behaviors, devotees were quite lenient, thinking the trauma of his attack had caused him some temporary damage. When K went to India with his guard dog and took the pooch inside the temple with him, the Hindus were aghast. He simultaneously announced more radical changes for NV, including Christian style music and instruments, and a great pipe organ. Robes supposedly styled after the Trappist monks supplanted dhotis and saris. A gigantic Buddha-like Prabhupada murti was constructed behind the Palace, its scowling face seeming to implore that someone please look at how NV had taken a wrong turn.
After a time the community began to split into two camps; the traditionalists and the faithful. At first their differences were confined to polite discussions. But as the numbers of the traditionalists slowly grew, tempers began to flare. Questions eventually arose about K sitting on the Vyasasana with his German Shepherd dog, along with other aspects of his personal behavior. However, merely questioning these practices could earn one the wrath of K and Janmastami. It was during this period that Janmastami first began his campaign of hatred toward Radhanath Swami. In Janmastami's eyes, anyone who didn't cooperate fully with the vision of his guru was considered the enemy and part of the problem.
Later, even after the facts of child molestation came to the surface, Janmastami continued to defend his guru, threatening violence against those who dared speak out against K. Janmastami saw Radhanath Swami as the leader of the rebellion and the would-be usurper of K's once grand empire. Here he began his blasphemous crusade in earnest. Later, when K was barred from NV, the devotees voted to expel Janmastami for his continued practice of threats against devotees. Thus, Janmastami's virulent behavior is nothing new. And now that he has apparently found a home in the lap of the Rtvik camp, he can blaspheme not only Radhanath Swami, but all of ISKCON. In contrast to this unfortunate fellow, anyone who knows the character of Radhanath Swami knows what he is truly about. He is not faking it. He has dedicated his entire life to the propagation of the holy name, fulfilling the order of his spiritual master. And on the other side, the accuser, is a person who does not bother to chant even his vowed rounds, does not follow the regulative principles, and makes it his hobby to blaspheme devotees. Why is there even a hesitation or question as to who is telling the truth? Have devotees so lost their way, become so jaded by the supposed faults of other devotees that they can't distinguish wrong from right?
Listen. Why would such an esteemed Vaisnava casually ask the NV plumber's helper to assassinate someone? To what end would that have benefited Radhanath Swami? Even on its face it takes an incredible leap to fathom why he or anyone would ask someone of Janmastami's caliber to do this. More likely, "Here, go plunge out a stopped-up toilet, or go to Pittsburgh and sell scarves, or maybe flowers." That is reasonable for the plumber's helper. Everyone who knows Radhanath Swami is. Thousands of devotees can vouch for his character. The same can be said of Umapati Swami and Kuladri. These devotees know only their service to Srila Prabhupada.
But what of this other fellow who blasphemes? Who among you know him beyond his illogical rantings on the internet? Yet he was not always as crazed as this. He was once a good devotee with great potential. However, for as long as I have known him, over thirty years, he always held a penchant for faultfinding. He has been counseled about it repeatedly, but seeming to no avail. And now we can see the fruit of an uncontrolled mind. Compounded, since there are problems associated with being a liar. It's difficult to keep one's collection of lies lined up properly. Something is always getting out of order, out of place.
I was not given a death sentence as Janmastami alleges, nor did I parlay a sentence reduction for my testimony against K. I never changed my "version" of events, since I never spoke to anyone to give a version. Implying that my testimony against K was done for a re-initiation guru dakshin is likewise false. I never took formal initiation from Radhanath Swami. Nor has NV ever given me one cent for any of my "expenses".
Janmastami has also suggested there was a conspiracy between and among NV, the Warden?, and the FBI. Conspiracy theories aside, Sulocana was housed in the county jail. There is no warden there, only a Sheriff and his Deputies. Yet according to his theory we are asked to believe that the Sheriff, under orders from the FBI, conspired with NV to do… what? And to what end? In truth, the Feds were vigorously prosecuting NV with the assistance of the Sheriff. Both agencies were bent on destroying NV. The fact that NV once had the cooperation of the Sheriff is irrelevant. Once Sulocana was killed, everything changed.
There was a diary of Sulocana's that was seized by police when he was arrested for the weapons charge. This was made available to persons from NV. It was probably unethical for the Sheriff's Department to do this, but not illegal. I did have a copy of this list, as the police made it available for our authorized surveillance of Sulocana. To state that Radhanath Swami distributed this list is ludicrous. Where is the proof of this? It never happened. I knew all of the people that had involvement. Radhanath Swami was not one of them. I gave Janmastami a copy of the list while we were staying in California.
As a point of practical reference, the FBI did not ban Kirtanananda from ISKCON. FBI is law enforcement. However, Judge Mehrige did ban Kirtanananda from setting foot in NV. Likewise, to say that I was awarded sannyasa in remuneration for my illegal acts is ludicrous. Anyone who believes this sort of tripe has no proper conception or understanding of what sannyasa really is. It isn't a prestigious material designation, especially in prison. It means one completely dedicates his body, mind and words to the service of guru and Krsna. It is a position of complete humility. People who think sannyasa is a great gift should think again. It means one enters into a life or penance and austerity, complete lifelong celibacy, etc. The reason I thought to take sannyasa was because I fully expected to be executed in California. I wanted to wind up my life in a mood of greater renunciation. With this in mind I asked the devotees if it was proper and acceptable under the circumstances. I took sannyasa under that pretext. In realizing how my vows of sannyasa have upset certain of my Godbrothers and sisters, I no longer ascribe to using my formal sannyasa title.
There are persons who object to devotees visiting or otherwise communicating with persons who are incarcerated. However, there is an authorized arm of ISKCON called ISKCON Prison Ministry, authorized by Srila Prabhupada himself. The head of this department is His Grace Candrasekhara Prabhu. It exists as an outreach program for incarcerated persons, without discrimination as to offense, or any other material consideration. If a person contacts IPM asking for information, etc., such a request is taken seriously and all accommodation is made. With this in mind, why should anyone object if a merciful devotee attempts to rehabilitate another fallen devotee who happens to be in prison? Is this not also a part of IPM's mission? What of my own rehabilitation? Am I to be eternally condemned? Is this the Krsna conscious philosophy?
Why then is a fallen devotee or a devotee due to circumstances, that ends up in prison automatically excluded from spiritual rehabilitation? Where does it say in sastra that he is automatically and eternally condemned for whatever offense he has committed? Please quote chapter and verse in sastra to substantiate this claim. You cannot. Therefore why criticize someone who is working to rehabilitate prisoners who are initiated devotees? The philosophy of Krsna consciousness is based on compassion. Forgiveness is the defining characteristic of a Vaisnava. It doesn't imply we become naïve, but it means we are always ready to forgive those who may have offended or harmed us. Lord Jesus Christ forgave his tormentors while on the cross. We especially do not hold grudges and blaspheme devotees we disagree with. When we find a person who regularly blasphemes devotees we should steer clear of such a person. Even reading their words and comments will cause us to likewise lose all of our spiritual credits.
If a person has expressed genuine remorse and is truly repentant for their offenses, that is the first step in their rehabilitation. At that point the devotee should be given counseling and examined to try to understand their actual heart in the matter. If they continue to show humility and sorrow for their transgression they should be accepted back. Such a person is never permanently banned from devotee association. Anyone can become deluded and make serious mistakes in their life. We should not be so cruel and callous as to never forgive them. At the very least some atonement should be given them to officially prepare a way for them to become redeemed. Even the Christians are not so hard hearted as some of the devotees pretend to be.
Still, there are some situations where a person can never fully forgive someone. If a person wishes to remain inimical toward an offender, that is one thing. However, what is the gain of taking this attitude toward persons who hope to rehabilitate such offenders? Either there is an IPM or there isn't. And if there is, it must be for all persons. With this in mind, I humbly ask all devotees to please assist me in going back home to Godhead. Please help me become spiritually rehabilitated. I accept that I am your servant and humbly request that you kindly give me some service to perform. If you wish to know more about me I have a website, Tirthainprison.com. I am available for your comments and corrections.
In closing, too many devotees obsess over incidents they know nothing about. Many are addicted to reading accounts and stories, listening to rumors to the extent that over time they automatically accept whatever is said to be the truth. If a lie is repeated often enough it becomes the truth. Listening to gossip and spreading gossip is prajalpa. If someone genuinely needs to understand the truth of something, there is a process. Gossip and speculation only poison one's consciousness.
In the matter of events that happened 20+ years ago at NV, one should approach a reliable person who was at the core of events. You should then check that person's integrity and credentials to satisfy yourself they are telling the truth. But if the person supposedly propounding the truth is a chronic blasphemer, we should automatically doubt their veracity. Does the person follow the four regulative principles? Does the person chant 16 rounds every day? Srila Prabhupada said we shouldn't trust anyone who wasn't at least doing this much.
If you truly wish to know about the incidents I have alluded to, then you should ask the only person you knows. I am the only person who knows exactly what happened, with whom, and why. You can obtain the court transcripts to find out for yourselves. Go to NV and ask the devotees who were there during this period such as Nityodita or Sulocana's former wife, Yamuna. Ask them if I am telling the truth. You should substantiate if I am following the regulative principles, chanting 16 rounds and eating only Krsna prasadam. You should carefully examine my character and statements to see if I have a propensity for blaspheming other devotees. You should very carefully examine everything I say. Then you can make up your mind. Not based on rumor, gossip or slanted commentaries by blasphemers. It is your choice.
Hare Krsna, Your servant,
(signed) Tirtha dasa
