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Summer 2007

In BTP issues 10 and 11, we wrote about the introduction of demigod worship within ISKCON, and its defence of the same by the GBC (please see "The commercialisation of ISKCON" in BTP 10, and "GBC defends demigod worship" in BTP 11).

Now we have another bizarre incident to report. Earlier this year, ISKCON Abentheuer in Germany, whose GBC representative is voted-in guru HG Ravindra Svarupa Das, decided to dress Lord Krishna as the demigod Lord Shiva (see pic), as admitted by ISKCON Abentheuer.

"In this case however, it was not Shiva on the altar but Sri Sri Radha Madana-mohan who dressed up as Shambu and Parvati in honour of Shiva. […]
All glories to Shiva. All glories to Srila Prabhupada."
(Translation of letter from ISKCON Abentheuer, June2007)

But Srila Prabhupada has never instructed us that in ISKCON temples we should dress the Deities of Radha and Krishna as Shambu and Parvati to honour Lord Shiva.
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Rather, Srila Prabhupada states that manufacturing our own way for worshipping the Deity leads to the greatest danger:

"The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 4/1/73)

"But if everyone says that "I can manufacture my own way of worshiping the Deity," then what will be the condition? It will be simply pandemonium. "
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 22/6/72)

"The Deity worship should be done just in the way it was carried out in my presence."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 13/11/70)