Response to "The Big Lie"

BY: DVIJAPRIYA DASI

Sep 14, USA (SUN) — I was shocked and offended at the widespread inaccuracies and unfairness of Rocana prabhus editorial about Kirtanananda, Dharmatma and New Vrndavana women's SKP party. Having been a resident there for 13 years and a SKP devotee, I feel I must set the record straight for all the devotees that may read your story and believe it to be factual.

While there is no doubt atrocities were perpetrated by Kirtanananda, in the name of Krsna, and of course, the illegal methods of SKP collecting cannot be defended, at the same time, you fail to recognize the good things the devotees did, and the sacrifices many sincere devotees made in service to Srila Prabhupada. I won't get into the question of your comparison with what was basically a spiritual-based community to a mundane greed-based corporation. However, your first mistake among many was in saying:

>>By the time Srila Prabhupada departed, New Vrindavan's unique mood, methods, and mentality were in full swing. In the minds and hearts of most of the inhabitants, there was equal if not more attachment to their local leader, Bhaktipada, than to Srila Prabhupada.>>

This may have been true of some devotees there, but I and so many others were disciples of Prabhupada and only followed Kirtanananda as Prabhupada's representative and the one who inspired us to serve Srila Prabhupada. If you ask other former NV devotees, many will agree they felt the same way. Prior to his falling from grace, he inspired so many devotees by his enthusiasm and devotion to Srila Prabhupada. Don't forget, he built the palace as a residence for Prabhupada which later became a wonderful memorial.

You go on to declare:

>>Kirtanananda's "hook or by crook" rationality, under the philosophical guise of using everything in Krsna service, was introduced in the early days. At that time, only a few insiders were privy to the drug smuggling, money laundering and phony bookkeeping, which later evolved into a well-organized money collection army. Book distribution was never part of their program. They were focused solely on collecting mass amounts of cash. Kirtanananda was in complete control of the purse strings. No one knows were all that cash ended up.

Dharmatma was happily milking the cows, tending the bee hives and relishing the austere New Vrindavana mood and volunteered to take out a SKP party to distribute books, incense and to collect laksmi because the cows needed hay and there wasn't sufficient money. That was the beginning of NV SKP. We rose very early, chanted rounds, quoted verses had mangala arotik, all before going out, and if near a temple, would always attend their program. Contrary to what you've said, the focus WAS on book distribution. The laksmi collected was used in the building of NV. A visit there might give you an idea of how much of the laksmi was spent. Granted, as the monetary needs of the growing community expanded, the focus of the SKP became more and more just collecting $. I can't speak for Jiva's or your party, but there was not drug-smuggling, etc., as you state, on the NV SKP party. The extent of Dharmatma's illegal activity was making some hats and stickers with copyrighted characters, such as Snoopy, on them. Interestingly, almost every temple in North America was purchasing these items from him. Surely you can't blame him for the escalation of All the illegal pastimes that spread throughout the movement.

Now, I have to say, that this next paragraph made me say to myself; "Huh?" What are you talking about? Simply your speculation and concoction!!

>>Dharmatma das, in charge of many traveling parties, didn't allow his surrogate "wives" to associate with other fellow disciples, nor did he allow them to visit other temples. After most events they would simply disappear, being propelled nonstop to another gig. Back at the farm, Bhaktipada was busy concocting bogus philosophical explanations about how his women worked so long and hard because they were absorbed in the mood of the wife selflessly serving the husband, infused on a transcendental level by the powerful shakti and pure love of Bhaktipada. As a result, they got a double dose of love, both material and spiritual, and voila! There were amazing monetary results.

This is another instance of you perhaps taking hearsay as "fact." Dharmatma prabhu did not keep us segregated, as a matter of fact, we stayed at temples like Chicago, New York, New Orleans and others, going to the airport with local devotees to DISTRIBUTE SP books. Many temples welcomed us and hosted us during our travels. It is true that much later, when our focus was solely on building SP palace, we did not get much association or sadhana, and the pace was nonstop, which proved to be a mistake for all in the end.

I think you reveal a certain prejudice, and lack of objectivity, in these next few lines;

>>I was ordered to get trained-up by Dharmatma's first disciple, Jiva. This was the point at which I got a look behind The Big Lie. In the first place, these men were being encouraged to have sex with the women under their control. Even if you bought into the polygamy hoax, there was no official marriage and certainly no 64 rounds.

Jiva had nothing to do with my husband, Dharmatma. When asked by Hamsadutta maharaja to show Jiva how the NV party was so successful, my husband reluctantly agreed. He told Jiva that our success was hard work and a strong desire to please Srila Prabhupada and yes, Kirtanananda, out temple president. Yes, he was encouraged to take more than 1 wife, but as to the "official" part of it, what would you know. Sorry prabhu, I did chant 64 rounds and the result was a wonderful son and devotee, Dhruva das(see ITV'S-Pilgimage to Ahovilam.) What a thing for my he and my others sons to read! You should be ashamed for writing such nonsense. Was that really necessary?

>>Was this sexual element the Big Lie? No! It was only the tip of the iceberg. What eventually sank the ship lurked below the water's surface. The women in these parties were performing such great heroic feats because they were being fed a cocktail of performance enhancing drugs before every event..commonly known as speed. For the most part, they weren't encouraged to chant their rounds, nor were they engaged in regular sadhana practices. In other words, they were used and abused, like common prostitutes are by their pimps, in order to generate their required daily quota.

This paragraph to me, is where you go too far with your false allegations. Whatever went on in other parties, I can't speak for, but I CAN without a doubt say the NV women were NOT fed "speed" to boost their scores. And yes, their service was heroic. Have you spoken to these ladies personally before you decided to write such an unbalanced, inaccurate assault? How dare you compare such stalwart, surrendered SKP ladies such as mothers Maharha, Harinam, Nirmala, Ragatmika, Gopalasyapriya, Premamanjari, Lajavati, Kunti, etc, to "common prostitutes"! Contrary to your report, most of the ladies from our SKP party are STILL staunch devotees. There is Maharha, raising a KC family in Sandy Ridge. Sukalina,in CA, raising a nice family there. Gopalasyapriya, doing service in NV with her husband. Nirmala, living in Alachua with her devotee husband and daughter. Ragatmika, and husband living in Mayapur, training up her son in KC. And so many others. The only fatality I know of from our group is Kunti, who died from cancer, not suicide. Again, I cannot speak of what went on in either Jiva's or your women's party, but I can strongly defend the honor of these ladies whom you offend so irresponsibly. Also, I resent you calling my husband a "pimp" and demand some kind of apology from you for such nonsense words. Whatever he may or may not have done while he tried to do his duty, he, more than anyone, paid his dues for them, going to prison for a year for printing stickers, without whining or blaming anyone for his karma. He's come to terms with the mistakes he's made and whenever able apologized to those he's offended. I'm sure that everyone, including you, Guru's, the GBC, and temple authorities all over the world, have done things in their devotional life that they aren't proud of, so the phrase "judge not, lest ye be judged" certainly applies in this case.

>>...the severe karmic reactions that resulted from all the offenses committed by the women's parties,...

I refuse to believe the service done by any SKP devotee, whether they fell down or not, done with a mood of sincerity and devotion in most cases, is not recognized by Krsna. Because maya is so strong, many good devotees have become casualties in this war, but their devotional service is never lost to them. I can't think that Lord Chaitanya would be as judgmental as you are. As Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita:

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."

I have to say that my husband and I were suprised to see this type of article on your website as we both were appreciating it for it's artistic, informative and unbiased content.

Yours in Srila Prabhupada's service,

Dvijapriya dasi

matadmonge@aol.com

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