Thoughts about Bhaktipada in Karachi and Those who "prop up" Pretenders
BY: HRISHIKESH DAS
Feb 22, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA (SUN) —
I have just discovered a You Tube video of Kirtanananda Swami's November 2009 visit to Karachi, and shared the video with some devotee friends. One former New Vrindaban resident responded with a thought-provoking letter, and I wish to share our correspondence with other interested devotees. Thank you for this opportunity to present my perspective about Bhaktipada in Karachi and those who "prop up" pretenders.
Sincerely,
Hrishikesh dasa
Hare Krsna Hrishikesh,
I do not know what to think of this You Tube video that you sent me. I know about Kirtanananda's mixed past, especially after having read the chapter of your forthcoming history of New Vrindaban posted on the Internet.
Varsana Maharaja is here in Gainesville. I have no desire to go see him. I keep thinking: Here is this godbrother whom I assisted for at least four years while I was at New Vrindaban. I was his right hand man for two years from the summer of 76 to sometime in 78. I know that he is very advanced compared to me, but I think, "Why did he not speak out when KS [Kirtanananda Swami] was going astray? Why did he put on the robes? Why did he sit idle while devotees like myself and others were forced to leave due to KS's behavior? Why are they so advanced that they never even feel that an apology is appropriate?" Even Lord Balarama went on pilgrimage to "atone" for his sin of go-hata (killing the bull demon).
Are you willing to tell me what you think of this video?
I am mixed. If Kirtanananda Swami is willing to go to a Moslem country and preach Hare Krisnha, I applaud him, for this is something that I would never do. But if he is presenting himself as a guru, that is disgusting and a cheating mentality.
Your confused devotee friend
My dear Prabhu,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Regarding the video; I see several things.
1) I see a disciple of Srila Prabhupada with shaved head and tilak and saffron robes who is inspiring many to chant Hare Krishna. He is attracting disciples who I assume chant 16 rounds daily and follow the four regulative principles. In Pakistan they are preaching to the best of their capacity, which means they can only preach to Hindus or Christians. It is illegal to preach to Muslims. So they must be careful, as the punishment is severe for this crime against the state religion.
Kirtanananda has many disciples in Pakistan. I believe it was nearly 30 years ago when he first visited Karachi in 1982. If I recall correctly, when he attempted to return to the United States he was detained by Pakistani authorities who accused him of trying to smuggle gold out of the country. He was held for a week before they let him go. His Pakistani disciples have been preaching Krishna consciousness under his guidance-in-separation for nearly 30 years. This is a wonderful thing; their faith and devotion under such difficult conditions. I congratulate and honor them.
2) However, when I see this video I also see an unrepentant hebephile accepting worship as guru. One who was practically kicked out of New Vrindaban in 1993 after he was seen having amorous relations with a young male Malaysian disciple in the back of his Winnebago van. After he denied the accusations in a public meeting in the temple before the deities (I was there), "I have not broken any of the regulative principles since I met Srila Prabhupada," (a blatant lie) he retired to Silent Mountain where he had daily sex with his man servant (told to me years later directly by the man servant, my godbrother and former New Vrindaban gurukula teenager).
I see a criminal who spent 8 years in prison (and we all know he got off lightly) and who was accused by his cell mate of making a pass at him. (See "Bhaktipada's Palace of Love"), which is correct, according to my research. I have also the copies of the articles in my library.
I see a man who lived for 4 years in the Interfaith Sanctuary in New York City, and his own disciples tried to evict him from the premises after one woman accused him of molesting her son.
I see a man who, practically without disciples, left the United States with his servant and confidant (Gopinatha, aka Radha Vrindaban Chandra Swami, who molested at least two boys while he was head pujari at New Vrindaban) because, in his own words, "There is no sense in staying where I'm not wanted." (See "Kirtanananda Swami Leaves US, Moves to India Permanently")
His still-faithful disciples in India and Pakistan have been isolated and insulated from contact with his Western disciples due to vast distance in geography and language. His Pakistani disciples think he was unjustly kicked out of ISKCON and New Vrindaban.
This is revealed by one offering in Bhaktipada's 2002 Vyasa-puja book:
"Our beloved Gurudev Srila Bhaktipada Maharaj is the only disciple who built the Golden Temple in West Virginia on the instructions of His Gurudev, Srila Prabhupadaji Maharaj. During the construction, he took His bath in melted ice water and ate only popped rice. This is not only a Temple but it is a heaven on earth because it is so beautiful and green just like the Vrindaban of Krishna, so that's why it's called New Vrindaban. If a person goes there for a visit he will never want to return back. But our beloved Gurudev left New Vrindaban at the insistence of ISKCON devotees; but this is the evidence of a real devotee of Krishna because He doesn't need this temporary material thing. He needs only the eternal love of Guru and Krishna. This is the reason that He didn't feel any sorrow at the time of leaving it."
—Santosh dasa, Karachi, Pakistan, p. 34.
In Pakistan, Bhaktipada has become a legend, much bigger and greater than reality, just as he was a legend in New Vrindaban. We all thought he was a pure devotee. We thought he was Srila Prabhupada's greatest disciple. We thought HE was the person who got the idea to build a palace for Prabhupada.
Not true! Years later I discovered that it was Bhagavatananda prabhu who first got the idea to build a palace for Srila Prabhupada, and at first Kirtanananda refused to do it. Only when Bhagavatananda showed Kirtanananda a passage from Nectar of Devotion did Kirtanananda consider it. Years later, when Bhagavatananda mentioned in conversation that HE was the person who first thought about building a palace for Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavatananda was threatened with bodily harm by an irate devotee who believed he was blaspheming Bhaktipada. This example reveals how an actual historical fact is distorted by propaganda into fantasy and legend.
We CHOSE to believe that Bhaktipada was a pure devotee, despite evidence to the contrary. And Radha Vrindaban Chandra Swami, who knows the truth about his master's checkered past, is continuing to prop him up today, probably because we believe that Radha Vrindaban Chandra Swami is in charge of Bhaktipada's finances. He holds the key to the bank accounts, and for other reasons also, perhaps related to inappropriate sexual conduct.
So many have propped Bhaktipada up through the years. Hayagriva, of all devotees, knew about Bhaktipada's shenanigans with the Mexican men at the Frazier Smith house in 1978 or 79, but Hayagriva continued to let us all think Bhaktipada was a pure devotee for ten more years, until his untimely death in 1989. In Hayagriva's book, "The Hare Krishna Explosion," he completely glosses over Kirtanananda Swami's fall-down of 1967-1968, when he fell away from Srila Prabhupada's service and stopped following the regulative principles. Hayagriva purposely propped Kirtanananda up by the sin of omission.
Others propped Bhaktipada up, including the once-powerful comptroller of the community. One former New Vrindaban resident recently told me that back in 1982, he walked unannounced into the New Vrindaban comptroller's living room in Talavan and got the shock of his life: he caught the comptroller and Bhaktipada drinking beer and snorting coke. Of course, everyone knew at New Vrindaban that the comptroller engaged in these forbidden pleasures, but Bhaktipada—the "pure devotee" guru at New Vrindaban, and even advertised as such in Back To Godhead magazine? This was beyond belief.
The next day this devotee was taken for a ride in Bhaktipada's jeep, and in so many words, was told by Bhaktipada that if he didn't leave the community immediately his life would be in jeopardy. If this is true—and I find little reason to doubt this story despite the comptroller's claim of innocence when I asked him about it—then the comptroller was another who propped Bhaktipada up for many years.
Others, such as Radhanath Swami, were informed about Bhaktipada's molestation of young men, but Radhanath chose to believe that they were probably lies, even when approached directly by a molested teenager in 1986 or 1987. Radhanath later explained personally to me that he did not publicly speak out against Bhaktipada at the time, because he feared that his denouncement would be seen as a political coupe, or bid for takeover. Radhanath told me he refused to let himself become involved in politics—as if sexual molestation of teenagers was politics!—and therefore decided to leave everything in Krishna's hands; to let Krishna take care of the situation. He would simply bide his time. In fact, Radhanath bided his time for six or seven years before finally leaving Bhaktipada's service after the 1993 Winnebago Incident.
It seems clear that those who prop others up are simply concerned with keeping themselves in a comfortable position. Hayagriva had a good situation in New Vrindaban, and money to travel to resorts in Goa and Mexico in the winter. New Vrindaban's comptroller was making money hand over fist at New Vrindaban in many capacities, including money lending and buying and selling recreational drugs. He had a beautiful house and a gorgeous, sweet-natured and submissive wife. Everyone knew this. When I was a brand-new brahmacari living at the backwoods Vrindaban farm, my authority, Atmabhu Swami, told me in no uncertain terms who I WAS NOT ALLOWED to associate with, and one of those persons was the New Vrindaban comptroller.
But what about Radhanath? Radhanath was not a sense enjoyer like the others. He was 'truly renounced'. However, perhaps he was afraid to go against Bhaktipada because maybe, as Janmastami claims, IT WAS really Radhanath who ordered Janmastami to murder Sulocana. Eventually Bhaktipada and Tirtha took the rap and Radhanath got off scot free. If it became common knowledge that Radhanath was involved in Sulocana's murder, he would lose his credibility as a preacher. I do not know this, but I think it is a possibility to consider.
