Is Ekalavya a Brahmachari?
BY: GIRIDHARI DAS
Nov 07, 2011 — TEXAS, USA (SUN) — Not many things upset me in ISKCON anymore – I guess I have become 'bullet proof' upon hearing about the numerous falldowns of gurus, sannyasis, etc. However, upon reading Krishna dasa's article, "ISKCON'S Sultan of Swing - Spiritual Biographers Wanted", I must admit that I was appalled. It is bad enough that sannyasis in ISKCON are so demanding and fussy about their diets and living conditions, but reading about a brahmachari's specific dietary restrictions when visiting other Vaishnavas defies belief!
Ekalavya dasa is supposed to be a brahmachari – in the photos on his website he is wearing saffron and has a tail on his dhoti, so I presume he is. "Clothes make not the brahmachari!" – what makes this man think that he is so important or entitled to a special diet? Is it the fact that he thinks he is famous? Is it because he is an older brahmachari (born in 1965)? Is it because he is a deputy GBC and therefore he should be treated as good as God?
From Krishna Dasa's article it would seem that this is a man who, since his youth, has desired name and fame. The material world is a very competitive place and he was unable to receive the prestige that he so desired, therefore he opted for second best and joined the tiny world of ISKCON, where he received some status and celebrity.
A brahmacari does not demand anything – he accepts whatever he receives as bhiksha. If Ekalavya thinks he is so important and must receive special care, I suggest he put on white, finds a suitable bride and asks her to pander to his special requirements! His blatant self-aggrandizement is an embarrassment to Srila Prabhupada and the brahmachari ashram.
Many thanks to Krishna dasa for exposing yet another shameful display of pratistha within the fiefdom of isk-CON.
