Closing Edinburgh ISKCON, Hijacking its Deities
BY: JAYA MADHAVA DAS (ACBSP)
What would His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada say?
The recent creepy, late nighttime hijacking of the Belfast, Northern Ireland Deities was a shock to many devotees around the world. Disgraceful and inauspicious, despite the GBC Praghosh das giving so many lame lies and excuses for doing it. Praghosh (so-called GBC) also wants to close down the Edinburgh ISKCON Temple.
This act is contradicting HDG Srila Prabhupada's exact instructions to NEVER close Sri Krsna's Temples. It's in black and white. I guess Praghosh das can't read Prabhupada's letters. As for the reason for doing this hijacking of Deities, it was money. This was the final straw at last for many, and a huge offence to Srila Prabhupada and the Irish devotees. That's breaking the camel's back in ISKCON. No financial accountability and no GBC accountability.
Case in Point:
Even at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, it's in name only, as there are still huge salaries given to all the 'big' devotees. There is no accountability for the salaries that leaders, cooks, pujaris, preachers, teachers, Temple President and Vice President etc. take from the temple's coffers. The Bhaktivedanta Manor is no longer Srila Prabhupada's intended project. It has lost its mood of devotional service. Now's it's a job, employment not bhakti-yoga at the Manor. Praghosh das was responsible for doing this monster run-away salary trip that now can't be checked.
[PADA: One of the Bengali poojaris here in USA just got his green card, and he immediately left the temple and got a job at a karmi restaurant. He was only here to get his foot into the USA economy.]
ISKCON has become contaminated by money. It's now a mere shadow of what it was meant to be: unmotivated and uninterrupted pure devotion to Krsna. Instead, it's become a Hindu Business venue… Karma-yoga. New Age compromised, not following Srila Prabhupada properly. All under the mismanagement and corruption of money going into the hands of the Temple President, devotees and GBC.
HDG Srila Prabhupada was well know by all his disciples in the late 1960s and 70s for his careful, exact strictness to details, and for all his standards and practices for Krsna consciousness in ISKCON. He carefully explained Deity worship to us. It's a no brainer, but apparently the GBC have no brain anymore. Money is more important than obeying Srila Prabhupada and respecting his instructions and his followers. No one listens anymore to the things we need to do, and things we never should do, such as Never Ever Move Deities.
The Belfast ISKCON Temple's Deities were there for 30 years (a long time). The Deities are KRSNA (GOD), and "They should never be taken out of their home." It's unthinkable, what happened. The excuse of no manpower and no money falls to the gutter. It's the GBC's duty to make sure devotees preach, go out on sankirtana, and come home to their temple asramas. The asramas are supposed to flourish, which in turn solves the manpower/money problem. But Hindu Money is more important than devotees to many GBCs. It's a hellish mentality.
Apparently, Praghosh das and his GBC associates think they are the Ultimate Authority, to the point of even ignoring Srila Prabhupada's instructions, and the community of devotees in Belfast. We have seen this maya in the name of Krsna Consciousness also in Brooklyn, New York recently. It's an aparadha, disobeying His Divine Grace's strict instruction to "NEVER move installed Deities". The temple is Their permanent home and moving them is a rare option. The pure devotee invites them to stay.
Please read this letter from Srila Prabhupada, sent to Hamsaduta das at the Bhaktivedanta Manor in 1974 on the topic, "Deity Worship, Closing Temples":
Letter to: Hamsaduta das:
Vrindaban India
12 September, 1974
74-09-12
Los Angeles USA
My Dear Hamsaduta das:
Please accept my blessings. I have just now received some letters from London from Madhavananda and others brought by Paramahamsa Swami who was there. Regarding Madhavananda being the president, if he received the vote, why you have opposed? You must be impartial. My recommendation is that he must be the president. He has been chosen by the vote, and I am giving the casting vote for him. He is doing things very nicely there, so he must be the president. Prabha Visnu should go on Sankirtana, and Madhavananda should be president. Everything must go on. The women are doing nicely, so why are they being changed from the pujarito the Sankirtana? These things should be done by the President. These are internal things, and you should not interfere. I do not approve of your changing the women. It should be the choice of Madhavananda who should be the pujari.
Why did you close Edinburgh without asking me? Paramahamsa reports that you have closed the Edinburgh temple. Edinburgh was doing nicely. You can't close a temple without asking me? Is this too much to do this? Our propaganda is opening temples, and you are closing them. We are not for closing but for increasing. I do not approve of this. If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened again.
If you close the temple, what is the management? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pushed the Sankirtana movement, but He never said to close the Jagannatha temple or the Govindaji temple. In Edinburgh we had a nice house, why you have closed it? Why you have whimsically done this? If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened. Don't do anything whimsically without consulting me.
I made the GBC to give me relief, but if you do like this, then where is the relief. It is anxiety for me. This is the difficulty, that as soon as one gets power, he becomes whimsical and spoils everything. What can I do? If anything has to be changed, that can be decided at the annual GBC meeting, but not whimsically.
I am not in favor of closing even a small temple. It is not a plaything to close a temple or to start a temple. When we open a temple we are inviting Krsna. So you can't say to Krsna, go away. You have no feeling what are the ideals of a temple. You should always consider that we have invited Lord Caitanya, Lord Jagannatha, and Radha Krsna, and if we close it, it is an insult. How can we call Them, and then say get out. We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed. It must be maintained.
arcye visnau siladhir gurusu
nara matir Vaisnave jati buddhih
"One who considers the arca murti or worshipable Deity of Lord Visnu to be stone, the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, and a Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed, is possessed of hellish intelligence."
If the Edinburgh house is still available, it must be re-opened.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs
cc: Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
A maha-apardha is being committed by Praghosh das and the GBC, who turn a blind eye to this nonsense in ISKCON. God help them. What would Srila Prabhupada say about such whimsical, unauthorised action for the sake of money in his ISKCON?
BY: JAYA MADHAVA DAS (ACBSP)
What would His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada say?
The recent creepy, late nighttime hijacking of the Belfast, Northern Ireland Deities was a shock to many devotees around the world. Disgraceful and inauspicious, despite the GBC Praghosh das giving so many lame lies and excuses for doing it. Praghosh (so-called GBC) also wants to close down the Edinburgh ISKCON Temple.
This act is contradicting HDG Srila Prabhupada's exact instructions to NEVER close Sri Krsna's Temples. It's in black and white. I guess Praghosh das can't read Prabhupada's letters. As for the reason for doing this hijacking of Deities, it was money. This was the final straw at last for many, and a huge offence to Srila Prabhupada and the Irish devotees. That's breaking the camel's back in ISKCON. No financial accountability and no GBC accountability.
Case in Point:
Even at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, it's in name only, as there are still huge salaries given to all the 'big' devotees. There is no accountability for the salaries that leaders, cooks, pujaris, preachers, teachers, Temple President and Vice President etc. take from the temple's coffers. The Bhaktivedanta Manor is no longer Srila Prabhupada's intended project. It has lost its mood of devotional service. Now's it's a job, employment not bhakti-yoga at the Manor. Praghosh das was responsible for doing this monster run-away salary trip that now can't be checked.
[PADA: One of the Bengali poojaris here in USA just got his green card, and he immediately left the temple and got a job at a karmi restaurant. He was only here to get his foot into the USA economy.]
ISKCON has become contaminated by money. It's now a mere shadow of what it was meant to be: unmotivated and uninterrupted pure devotion to Krsna. Instead, it's become a Hindu Business venue… Karma-yoga. New Age compromised, not following Srila Prabhupada properly. All under the mismanagement and corruption of money going into the hands of the Temple President, devotees and GBC.
HDG Srila Prabhupada was well know by all his disciples in the late 1960s and 70s for his careful, exact strictness to details, and for all his standards and practices for Krsna consciousness in ISKCON. He carefully explained Deity worship to us. It's a no brainer, but apparently the GBC have no brain anymore. Money is more important than obeying Srila Prabhupada and respecting his instructions and his followers. No one listens anymore to the things we need to do, and things we never should do, such as Never Ever Move Deities.
The Belfast ISKCON Temple's Deities were there for 30 years (a long time). The Deities are KRSNA (GOD), and "They should never be taken out of their home." It's unthinkable, what happened. The excuse of no manpower and no money falls to the gutter. It's the GBC's duty to make sure devotees preach, go out on sankirtana, and come home to their temple asramas. The asramas are supposed to flourish, which in turn solves the manpower/money problem. But Hindu Money is more important than devotees to many GBCs. It's a hellish mentality.
Apparently, Praghosh das and his GBC associates think they are the Ultimate Authority, to the point of even ignoring Srila Prabhupada's instructions, and the community of devotees in Belfast. We have seen this maya in the name of Krsna Consciousness also in Brooklyn, New York recently. It's an aparadha, disobeying His Divine Grace's strict instruction to "NEVER move installed Deities". The temple is Their permanent home and moving them is a rare option. The pure devotee invites them to stay.
Please read this letter from Srila Prabhupada, sent to Hamsaduta das at the Bhaktivedanta Manor in 1974 on the topic, "Deity Worship, Closing Temples":
Letter to: Hamsaduta das:
Vrindaban India
12 September, 1974
74-09-12
Los Angeles USA
My Dear Hamsaduta das:
Please accept my blessings. I have just now received some letters from London from Madhavananda and others brought by Paramahamsa Swami who was there. Regarding Madhavananda being the president, if he received the vote, why you have opposed? You must be impartial. My recommendation is that he must be the president. He has been chosen by the vote, and I am giving the casting vote for him. He is doing things very nicely there, so he must be the president. Prabha Visnu should go on Sankirtana, and Madhavananda should be president. Everything must go on. The women are doing nicely, so why are they being changed from the pujarito the Sankirtana? These things should be done by the President. These are internal things, and you should not interfere. I do not approve of your changing the women. It should be the choice of Madhavananda who should be the pujari.
Why did you close Edinburgh without asking me? Paramahamsa reports that you have closed the Edinburgh temple. Edinburgh was doing nicely. You can't close a temple without asking me? Is this too much to do this? Our propaganda is opening temples, and you are closing them. We are not for closing but for increasing. I do not approve of this. If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened again.
If you close the temple, what is the management? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pushed the Sankirtana movement, but He never said to close the Jagannatha temple or the Govindaji temple. In Edinburgh we had a nice house, why you have closed it? Why you have whimsically done this? If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened. Don't do anything whimsically without consulting me.
I made the GBC to give me relief, but if you do like this, then where is the relief. It is anxiety for me. This is the difficulty, that as soon as one gets power, he becomes whimsical and spoils everything. What can I do? If anything has to be changed, that can be decided at the annual GBC meeting, but not whimsically.
I am not in favor of closing even a small temple. It is not a plaything to close a temple or to start a temple. When we open a temple we are inviting Krsna. So you can't say to Krsna, go away. You have no feeling what are the ideals of a temple. You should always consider that we have invited Lord Caitanya, Lord Jagannatha, and Radha Krsna, and if we close it, it is an insult. How can we call Them, and then say get out. We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed. It must be maintained.
arcye visnau siladhir gurusu
nara matir Vaisnave jati buddhih
"One who considers the arca murti or worshipable Deity of Lord Visnu to be stone, the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, and a Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed, is possessed of hellish intelligence."
If the Edinburgh house is still available, it must be re-opened.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs
cc: Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
A maha-apardha is being committed by Praghosh das and the GBC, who turn a blind eye to this nonsense in ISKCON. God help them. What would Srila Prabhupada say about such whimsical, unauthorised action for the sake of money in his ISKCON?
[PADA: This is all good news and bad news ultimately, good news -- it means more and more people are waking up to their scam. Bad news, many people have to suffer badly before they wake up. ys pd]
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