Yuga Avatar - Supporter of the Zonal Acarya System
BY: KRSNA DASA
Nov 11, CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND (SUN) — Oh the irony of it! Reading Yuga Avatar’s submissions of late, one would be convinced that he is an active ISKCON member in good standing. However, I know for a fact that in the past Yuga Avatar has been banned from temples in New Zealand and Australia, banned by the same persons he now glorifies in his articles.
I had a fair bit of association with Yuga many years ago and can confirm that he has philosophical deviations in the form of a strong appreciation for the Zonal Acarya system. He would always talk about how awesome Bhavananda was (even after he fell down) and how impotent the current batch of gurus are. In fact, he still identifies Bhavananda as his diksa guru.
Actually he was a very controversial personality in the late 90’s in New Zealand. He actively teamed up with the Temple President of Christchurch at the time to do a deal on “paraphernalia sankirtana”. Yuga Avatar supplied us with illegally reproduced T-shirts, for example Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Led Zeppelin. As young devotees we were sent out to sell these illicit and degraded goods to the public - and it was called “sankirtana”.
Yuga later ended up in trouble with the law over copyright breach, so much so, that a formal statement to the effect of “Yuga is not a bona fide member of ISKCON” was issued in the press.
Yuga will no doubt challenge these points I have raised, but if anyone wants clarification or is doubtful of the authenticity of this article, then I urge them to consult the ISKCON management in Australasia.
I feel compelled to write this article as I consider that all advice we have been receiving from Yuga lately should be taken with a grain of salt. Freedom of speech is a good thing, but an awareness of the history of the individual speaking is also important when analyzing their statements.
