Lokanatha Maharaja disciple shocked and angry at 'fall' report.
(The comments in " " are from the official GBC report into Lokanatha Maharaja's falldown)
| "In 1990 while staying at the house of a family for a few days Lokanath Swami (Swami x) touched a young pre-adolesent girl in an inappropriate way by putting his hand on her lap. He was sitting next to her on a couch in a families living room, both were holding the Krishna Book in their hands, the hand holding the book (the back of the hand) rested on her lap as he read the Krishna Book. The hand did not move." |
Here is a clear violation of the most basic principle of spiritual life, what to speak of sannyasa! Any person conversant with Srila Prabhupada's books will be well aware that one is not supposed to be too close even with one's own mother, sister or daughter because the mind is so fickle that it can provide all kinds of seemingly legitimate reasons for a fall down.
- What was Lokanatha Swami doing with a pre-adolescent girl beside him?
It is most obvious that a sannyasi should not have entertained such a thought in the first place.
- What is the need for reading Krishna Book in this way?
Certainly two palms or even one is sufficient to hold the book!
- What is the need for a female lap as a support?
It is most apparent that the GBC is trying to cover up important facts here. In the event of letting the devotees and particularly the disciples decide on Lokanath Swami's integrity as a sannyasi and guru, boths sides of the story should have been presented. The views of the girl and her family have not been given.
From our enquiry with the girl's family, it has become known that there was more to the matter than the hand merely resting on the lap. This fact is known to many devotees with access to the matter at hand. Apparently, some fiddling has occured and this is a clear case of molestation. Under any legal system, this act is punishable. In order to maintain their concocted guru system, the GBC has deliberately concealed the complainant's account of the incident.
| "In 1993 when the GBC chairman became aware of the incident and appointed a committee to deal with the issue, Swami x was also told to stop all initiations. The committee conducted a thorough investigation, which included bringing a team of professional experts in New York and involving Mother Yasoda. The cost of the experts exceeded $2,500 for a four day intensive assessment. The experts made an indepth examination Swami x after which they concluded that this unfortunate incident had occurred because of the Swami x's complete lack of prior experience on the matter of dealing with women. Having learned his lesson (the need to follow the proper social conduct for a sannyasi) they were confident that this incident would not reoccur. They also stated that he had the proper nature of a spiritual leader and should be allowed to continue in this role within our society." |
- If the incident was so "unfortunate" as the GBC has the stated, why was Lokanatha Swami not allowed to initiate for a period of 18 months?
- Would an unfortunate lack of knowledge of the proper etiquette standards warrant such severe measures?
- More importantly, why wasn't this information passed down to the aspiring disciples who eventually got initiated?
The GBC is famous for blocking out contradicting evidence that does not endorse their false sense of security. Even in the issue of debating the credibility of the ritvik system, they challenge the FINAL ORDER without actually giving the devotees access to the FINAL ORDER! And therefore all their arguments are tantamount to a frog measuring the world relative to his three-foot well!
The fact that the GBC took 7 years before relaying the report on this matter is extremely hard to swallow for any sincere devotee and disciple. This is a clear violation of the transparency most crucial in selecting a guru! This is a clear betrayal of the devottees' trust in the GBC! This is a deviation from the standards of brahminical truthfulness expected of all Vaishnavas!
Hard-earned Lakshmi meant for Krishna's service being spent in this way clearly shows the extent to which the concocted guru system is disrupting and in many cases destroying the spiritual integrity of ISKCON.
- How could devotees in all honesty desire to dedicate their lives to such an ailing institution?
The whole problem is essentially a creation of the guru concoction. When someone assumes the role of guru prematurely and most importantly without the direct order of the acarya (Srila Prabhupada), the result is chaos within the devotee circle and human society at large. Srila Prabhupada's instruction to all devotees to provide siksha according to their individual capacity while keeping him as the ultimate siksha and diksha link to the parampara is clear and straight forward as has been revealed in all of the final documents pertaining to initiation. In the light of these documents, the ritvik conclusion is totally consistent and full-proof. The acarya gives spiritual surety to the present and future generations by the system he establishes. That is the basic principle of devotional service - unflinching faith in the words and actions of a flawless Mahabhagavata.
Concoction is to be defined not in terms of breaching external formalities. Its actualisation takes place when one blatantly rejects the direct orders of the present acarya (Srila Prabhupada) in preference for mere rituals. The GBC is accusing all sincere devotees who are accepting the ritvik system of jumping over. In reality, the GBC is guilty of this crime to the greatest degree. They have jumped over Srila Prabhupada and gone to some external succession practices of other Vaishnava sampradayas. In so doing, they have practically spread the epidemic throughout our movement.
- Can the GBC honesty say that they knew Krishna's true position prior to associating with Srila Prabhupada?
- Did they know the true glory of Ramanuja, Madhva, etc. before meeting Srila Prabhupada?
No! Our everything has come from Srila Prabhupada. And yet after learning everything from him, we want to put him under the scrutiny of the unimportant and largely outmoded externalities of Vedic ritualistic tradtion and conjecture as to his real desires as opposed to following those desires explicitly declared in all the documents pertaining to initiation! For the past twenty one years, a direct violation of Srila Prabhupada's instructions has occurred in the name of external formalities such as Vedic tradition, etc. The GBC's argument in favour of the status quo in terms of initiation, clearly has the flaws of ardha-kukkuti nyaya, or thee logic of the half-chicken!
- They insist on the formalities, but where in the Vedic system do you find gurus in such a system committing homosexuality, molestation, illicit sex, etc.?
Taking the husk into consideration and omitting the kernal certainly will not provide for sweet spiritual success.
| "An apology was made by letter and in person to the girl and the family. They were satisfied." |
- Are they really satisfied?
- Or has the truth been tampered with?
| "The GBC committee concluded that this deviation from the acceptable conduct had been accidental. So in 1996 after Gour Purnima, he was allowed to begin accepting disciples again." |
This is the biggest joke! After a clear falldown, everything goes on as if nothing really happened! And the many disciples have to just naively accept it and go on! Worse still, many more are aspiring! And the "truth" of the matter relayed to them is at best half-truth!
| "It was concluded this year in Mayapura that all prospective disciples of Swami x would be given the history of the above." |
After six years! How many more things have been covered up we really wonder!
Transparency is essential for the survival of any spiritual institution. The Governing Body Commission ought to be a facilitator of healthy devotional service as per Srila Prabhupada's instructions, not a military junta blocking out access to pertinent information that affects our spiritual lives. Time and time again, the Board of acaryas disease reminiscent of the Gaudiya Matha is being noticed in the GBC - No one authorised as guru, yet all of them assuming the title, messing things up and then covering each other's back!
- Why the need?!
- Why should the GBC and the "gurus" not just give up their pride and wealth and just follow Srila Prabhupada's order as it is by giving siksha and linking up everyone to Srila Prabhupada?
Everyone's spiritual life will be permanently insured. And even if someone deviates, no mass scale mess will take place because the ultimate faith is with Prabhupada and that can never waiver!
Such surety Srila Prabhupada has set in place! But no! mess it up and spoil lives all in the name of a stubborness to accept Srila Prabhupada's use of "henceforward" on its own merit.
yr ex-disciple
Raghupati Das.
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