Clearing Some Things Up
BY: HH B. RADHA-GOVINDA SWAMI
Sep 04, USA (SUN) — Dear Jaya Keshava prabhu, Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my fallen obeisances. I hope all is well.
I agree with what you've written - "Once the corruption has been in place for many years it becomes institutionalized...By educating the general devotees the villains lose some of their power and influence." - although at this point, I feel that more can be done regarding the situation besides only writing to "educate the general devotees." I could be wrong, but I've found that the "in-charges" have become so powerful by dint of circumstance, that so many of the devotees will not accept the truth that has been put in writing or speaking "to educate the devotees," although, somehow, Krsna by His arrangements, is certainly providing for so many different "avenues" for trying to get out such truths, and some people are hearing, accepting and waking up.
One possible suggestion since you can address people like Braja Bihari and Gauri in terms on the level of their violation against the youth, is to go to Manu prabhu and work with/through him, since Manu prabhu was made the ISKCON Youth Ministry Minister. (See below - GBC 2008 Resolution.)
ISKCON GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION SOCIETY
Registration Number S/74662 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
P.O. Shree Mayapur Dham, Dist. Nadia, West Bengal 741313
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 4, 2008
103. Assignments to Ministries and Standing Committees
[Action Order]
RESOLVED:
That the following shall be the Ministry and Standing Committees and their membership assignments for 2008-09:
ISKCON Youth Ministry Minister - Manu Das
If you (Jaya Keshava prabhu) would want to contact me privately - getting my email address through Sampradaya Sun's editor - I have other ideas which I feel would be very effective in addressing the situation.
Your statement, "Once the corruption has been in place for many years it becomes institutionalized," is a most important point, and a tremendous difficulty: People come after so many years of certain things within ISKCON having been changed, and they simply believe that how things are now, is "how they've been done all along" or that "This is the way Srila Prabhupada did it," or "wanted it done," because many times, that is what they're being told.
Just on the side, I went for Srila Prabhupada's 2008 Vyasapuja at one of the ISKCON temples. Srila Prabhupada Himself had set up a very exact format and schedule for observing His Vyasapuja. (I'm sure some devotees remember the incident concerning Srila Prabhupada, His Vyasapuja and Sudama prabhu; Srila Prabhupada's telling that He would show the devotees how to observe, and after doing so, Srila Prabhupada's having the devotees do so on the day after - correctly.) But after 31 years of Srila Prabhupada's departure, we did NOT do it as has been done for so many years (according to how Srila Prabhupada told us to do it). So of course people coming now, and seeing how we "do it now," (or did it that day), will be thinking that THIS is THE way TO DO it. And similarly with so many other things... The GBC has changed this and that, and it will be these changes that people will accept as "Prabhupada did," "Prabhupada said."
So I also agree with you that writing can (and does) help. Some devotees have become awakened to things here and there by this, but as we both know, in so many cases, although we write, it doesn't seem that things get quickly moved/changed. Of course there is the saying, "Little drops of water wear away the big rock," but it seems that greater action is needed. At times, we may not even be able to get the desired results, either by writing, speaking up, or actions we may try to take. At that point, when we have "exhausted" all of the various possibilities, then we may have to wait on Krsna's hand...; the sparrow and Garuda...
So there will not be any confusion (for anyone) concerning my name and identity, I'll give it to you publicly, what's what with my name, etc.
Making it short: In 1986, Bhaktitirtha Swami insisted I take sannyas from him. (This was done over the telephone, when, after having served for some years in the Middle East and Africa, BT sent me (insisted I go) to serve in New Vrndavan "for some time" - which by the way, was THE LAST! place within ISKCON, that I would have wanted to serve. (I almost made the choice of leaving altogether because I did NOT want to go to New Vrndavan. ONLY due to my believing that Srila Prabhupada would not want me to make the decision to leave, I followed BT's instruction to me to go to serve in New Vrndavan.) When he gave the sannyas, he instructed me to "keep this secret," so I did. (At that time he did NOT change my name.)
BT sent me back to Africa, where he came and said he wanted "to do the ceremony and change my name." He showed me a (printed) book with (BT said, all of) Srila Prabhupada's letters. We went to my initiation letter, and I was SHOCKED to find that the name I had been given at my (ritvikly done) initiation, was NOT the name in that letter. (I was then thinking, "What was the name Srila Prabhupada gave to me?" and obviously Srila Prabhupada was not physically here for me to ask.) It eventually became a moot point as BT gave me the name Bhakti Sundar Radha-Govinda S'alagram-S'ila Swami. He reiterated that I "keep it secret," adding on, "until I (BT) die," so I agreed to do so, and did. (Since I thought I was going to leave my body before him due to my horrific (purposely spelled) hellth, I told him, "But I'm going to die before you," so he replied, "That's alright, just keep it secret until I (BT) die. Then afterwards, you can do with it as you want."
Due to various factors, I did NOT want to keep my sannyas connection with Bhaktitirtha Maharaj although I was keeping the vows and wanted to keep the name, especially since there was a confusion over which name Srila Prabhupada had "really" given. There were also some very SOLID reasons, I felt it right (and wanted) to keep the name Radha-Govinda, but NOT through BT. So I went to one of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Guru/sannyasis who I knew/he knew me, and I "re"took the sannyas through him. (Just to make it clear for devotees, I did NOT take it from Narayan Maharaj nor any babajis in Radha-Kunda, since this has been (falsely) rumored by various devotees.)
The sannyas title was changed from "Bhakti Sundar" to "Bhaktivedanta," and the "middle part," S'alagram-S'ila was taken off. Some devotees have been disturbed that I would "DARE" to accept the title "Bhaktivedanta" but my mood in doing so that as Srila Prabhupada's daughter under whose (ONLY) shelter I am, I have my Father's name (as a daughter does) under which I am sheltered.
Certainly I am NOT "Bhaktivedanta" as I have NO scholarship OR Bhakti whatsoever. I simply see my name, including "Bhaktivedanta" as my being placed UNDER THE SHELTER of my Spiritual Father, His Divine Grace, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Srila Prabhupada, and the shelter of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, (of NYC, besides for other reasons my seeing myself under Their shelter), Srimati Radharani from New York, PERSONALLY coming (in terms of allowing me to see Her Deity Form), when I was completely helpless during an attack on me by five men in Kenya. Srimati Radharani "appeared" (in Her Deity Form) at a MOST CRUCIAL time, and protected me.
Generally (especially to devotees), I sign my name, Dasi, B. Radha-Govinda as I am servant, although sometimes in having to write a letter to someone who is not a (conscious) devotee (since by constitution everyone is a devotee), I will sign, B. Radha-Govinda Swami or Radha-Govinda Swami.
Hopefully this should make it clear for the devotees, as well as clear up any questions and (rediculous) rumors, etc.
May Srila Prabhupada and our Guru Parampara, Srimati Radharani, and Her Beloved Lord, Sri Krsna give us all Their mercy and blessings.
Your servant,
Dasi, B. Radha-Govinda
Hare Krsna
