Back To Prabhupada, Issue 36, Summer 2012
n the previous article, it was seen that what matters is the end result of one’s endeavours, regardless of what one may claim to preach, or even what one may initially appear to do. Below we present some striking examples of the end results that are being generated in the name of Krishna consciousness. All emphases below have been added.
As we have reported previously, ISKCON guru HH Sivarama Swami (“SRS”) has taken to writing books of fiction in which he says that Krishna met certain persons, and he has dreamt up these persons and the entire pastimes:
“The first poetic license, therefore, was to introduce the fictional characters Syamalata and Navasakhi. As a consequence of this decision, these literary characters interact with real historical persons such us Radha and Krsna.”
(SRS, Na paraye ‘ham)
Due partly to the fact that Krishna’s authorised pastimes already exist in Srila Prabhupada’s books, SRS himself considers such a practice dangerous, and thus strongly condemns these same activities:
“For instance to say, “On this day, Krishna killed such a demon,” and we just dream up some particular demon and an entire pastime. That we should not do. […] Really, Krishna is ananta, He is endless. So it is just our own lack of knowledge that limits the number of pastimes that we can tell about Krishna. Therefore, what is the necessity of making them up? […] if you make up stories to your children, then you make up stories to your wife, you make up stories to others, make up philosophy, it’s not an advisable practice. It’s a dangerous practice. As Srila Prabhupada said, “To lie to some and not to lie to others”, that’s not a good practice. Rather, we should cultivate the science of Krishna Consciousness, the science of Krishna-katha, hearing about Krishna. And if we immerse our minds in Srila Prabhupada’s books then we’ll be able to endlessly describe Krishna’s pastimes and they’ll be ever fresh, they’ll never be staid.”
(SRS, Podcast, 9/6/2012)
Notice the direct correspondence between what he has done, and what he claims must not be done. Srila Prabhupada condemned introducing one’s own imagined conceptions as characteristic of the deviant prakrta-sahajiya sect:
“The prakrta-sahajiyas […] To try to become writers of Vaisnava literature, they introduce their material conceptions of life into pure devotional service.”
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 20:28)
Even though these books of SRS are so deviant that he himself is forced to condemn their fictional content, he has, at the same time, managed to contaminate his disciples to such an extent that they consider these same books to be so glorious as to be on par with the writings of the Goswamis:
“Similarly, in the future, your books will be appreciated and revered as authorised publications of the disciplic succession as much as we revere the writings of Gosvamis and acaryas today. […] Just like the ripened fruit of the Bhagavata has become more relishable by being touched by the lips of Sukadeva Gosvami, Chapter 21 of Krsna book has become a thousand times more relishable by being expanded in your Venu-gita.”
“Srila Prabhupada once described that we should have the courage of a British soldier and the heart of a Bengali mother. I can see both these qualities in you. […] Your courage in writing pastimes in books which may not always be understood by all but appreciated by genuine vaisnava”
The above are samples of “Vyasa-Puja” offerings made by SRS’s disciples and published in his 2012 “Vyasa-Puja” book. Thus, this is the “fruit” of SRS’s guru hoax program. He has created a new sahajiya cult devoted to made-up pastimes of Krishna, which are considered as exalted as the real thing. And we are not speaking just of rank and file devotees, but also of a most important leader for ISKCON UK, who is the Temple President of the largest ISKCON temple in Europe.
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SRS’s “Vyasa-Puja” book also gives a glimpse into the types of “pastimes” SRS considered Krishna conscious activities:
“Guru Maharaja (SRS - Ed.) looks Prabhupada Vani* squarely in the eyes and says, “Now you have to do the same to Balabhadra prabhu - As your G.B.C., my instructions count as much as his. So when you get back, you have to take off his socks and get his dust […] Then you have to first of all put socks on his feet and then take them off… and then take the dust. […] Okay, all you have to do is one way or another get the dust of Balabhadra prabhu’s lotus feet, and when you’ve succeeded, I want you all to get on the roof and call out as loud as you can, GOURANGA!!” [...] Such memories remind me that wherever there is Krsna and Krsna’s pure devotee there is always opulence, victory, power and morality.”
*a Scottish devotee
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The “Balabhadra prabhu” mentioned above is the same person whom the GBC had to remove as a guru and sannyasi due to sexual deviancy, and about whom they also said:
“Balabhadra dasa was always eccentric and even in the early ‘80’s showed a penchant for cars, cameras and handling money […] Balabhadra dasa has admitted that he thought of himself as a personal associate of Lord Caitanya and/or Krsna. In addition, his conception of guru was one in which he was the proprietor of his disciples, of ISKCON’s assets and especially of ISKCON Scotland’s monies.”
(GBC Statement, 17/9/2007)
Yet, SRS considered the same personality so exalted that he linked pastimes involving socks and the dust from his feet with the chanting of the holy name of Lord Caitanya, “Gouranga”. And worse, such activities are considered by his disciples to specifically be evidence of the presence of “Krsna’s pure devotee”. Taking such cheap activities to be Krishna consciousness is again considered to be a sahajiya characteristic:
“That is sahajiya, which means a class of men that take everything very cheap.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 15/6/1972)
Instead of fostering devotion to Krishna’s genuine pastimes and Srila Prabhupada, these deviants push for love of fiction and fallen personalities. Srila Prabhupada teaches that such an end result is characteristic not of Krishna consciousness, but of sahajiyaism.
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