In Defense of CPO and Tamohar Prabhu
BY: RADHAPRIYA DEVI DASI
Jul 24, USA (SUN) — There is so much talk over the Internet about the International ISKCON Child Protection Office and in particular the Director, HG Tamohar Prabhu. I find this talk to be very offensive and belittling. Some have been audacious enough to label him as a JBD or Jewish Background Devotee!
What the devotees who are attacking the CPO and HG Tamohar Prabhu don’t realize is that he is trying his best to serve the children of ISKCON. What he is doing is a thankless task and I am sure it is a great burden for him.
Most people do not realize the pressure that is placed on devotees in this area of our Movement. We must remember that both sides of the cases involve devotees who deserve to be treated with respect and honor, and so there is a fine line between doing what is legally right, and what is a proper Vaisnava attitude. The respect and forgiveness must be considered by all devotees involved in any case.
The amount of work involved in dealing with cases is sometimes protracted so we must learn to be patient. The case against Gauri Prabhu the Temple President of the Manor took some time in order to gather all the relevant information, but as soon as a sound case was developed he was adjudicated on in a fair and very just manner. So please be patient and know that the system is there for everyone’s protection. The system works but what we must also realize is that any decision that is made is made not only with looking at the substantiated evidence, but also takes into consideration the proper Vaisnava etiquette so as not to commit the wild Elephant offense.
The devotees/gurukulis like Kapila and Saunaka Rsi have only a small picture of what is happening and the complexities of the task that our International Child Protection Offices has to deal with. They are young and inexperienced of the world and spiritual matters.
Many Gurukulis have suffered unnecessarily in their youth and much of that suffering was brought about by their lack of understanding of our philosophy. I do not blame them for harboring feelings of frustration and sometimes rage at what they see as injustice, but they must understand that the world is not against them.
There are adults and more experienced devotees that can help them understand the real reasons why they feel they want to fight back at the system that they believe did not protect them. I don’t only mean ISKCON devotees who I am sure they feel some resentment against, but professionals who are trained and experienced in treating these problems.
That is why devotees like Braja Bihari prabhu and Anuttama Prabhu arranged for the multimillion dollar payment, so that our second generation who had problems in their childhood can heal and get on with their lives. We must all learn to heal in this life the reactions of our past and in doing so, move ahead sure in the faith that a lesson learned is a lesson we will never face again.
Let’s drop all of this petty squabbling and learn to let go of bad feelings and the past and move ahead together into the future. I am sure many of you want to move ahead with your lives? I mean, no one wants to dwell too much on things that they don’t understand and are unable to control.
I say let Tamohar Prabhu do his job and keep up the good work of protecting the children of ISKCON in the best way possible and instead of causing trouble, lend a hand. How many Gurukulis have written in and thanked him for his tireless support of their cause? Not many, I would imagine. So this needs to change. We need to be more thankful and appreciative as devotees for the hard work and dedication of our seniors.
