Back To Prabhupada, Issue 62, Vol 2, 2019
n the BTP 53 article "GBC Admits IRM Guidance Required", we related how ISKCON guru HH Bhakti Charu Swami was exposed by a BTP reader for allowing himself to be glorified as if he were Srila Prabhupada himself, with the honorific title "His Divine Grace". The GBC was forced to take action, since such misuse of this title is against the GBC's own resolutions.
In the previous issue, we exposed ISKCON guru, HG Sankarshan Dasa ("SAD"), for his ambitions to become "jagad-guru" ("the spiritual master of the entire world") and a pop star — please see article "Srila Prabhupada's Words Expose Ambition". In addition, SAD, like BCS, has also been caught trying to misappropriate Srila Prabhupada's "His Divine Grace" title for himself, with the very cover of his 2018 "Vyasa-puja" book stating:
"*SRI SRIMAD HIS DIVINE GRACE*
*SRIMAN SANKARSHAN DAS ADHIKARI*"
When this usurpation of Srila Prabhupada's status and honorific title was brought to SAD's attention by the GBC (following the GBC having been alerted by one of our readers), SAD replied:
"I was not aware that my disciples made this mistake."
(SAD quoted in GBC email, 2/4/19)
However, the facts are that:
1) In his newsletters, SAD provides a link to "2018 Vyas Puja Homages from Sankarshan Das Adhikari Disciples". And, in addition to his 2018 Vyasa-puja book, previous years' books — including 2009-2014 — also have "His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Sankarshan Das Adhikari" emblazoned either on the cover or the title page.
2) SAD publicly circulated a letter from a disciple to all subscribers of his newsletter, without any correction to its contents, in which his disciple addressed SAD with the title "Your Divine Grace" in the very first sentence, and repeatedly thereafter (email to SAD, 7/10/15).
3) In an earlier "Vyasa-puja" video recording, the very first words spoken right in front of SAD are of a disciple addressing him as "Your Divine Grace", with SAD unflinchingly accepting this honorific title without correction.
Hence, SAD has seen, read and heard his disciples using this honorific title continuously for many years, culminating in it being emblazoned in large uppercase type on the cover of the Vyasa-puja book he provided a link to. Thus, the only way SAD would have been "not aware" of these facts is if many years ago he had permanently been struck with both blindness and deafness. Therefore, barring the submission of such a medical report from his doctor, we can only conclude that, as well as not being "Jagad-guru", SAD is a liar!
However, following his being exposed, at the time of BTP going to press, SAD has had to remove his original offending "Vyasa-puja" book from his site. And thus give up his unauthorised "Divine Grace" title, and accept his subordinate position to Srila Prabhupada.
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