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Spring  - GBC Meetings 2005

We have showed how the ISKCON Guru Suhotra Das (he has now dropped the "Swami" title for reasons that shall be revealed) had accused the GBC of making a huge offense to Srila Prabhupada by, amongst other things, comparing him to a teacher that he had called a "black snake", in their widely promoted book Hidden Glory of India. Suhotra also compared the GBC, which is comprised almost entirely of other Gurus, with a "rotting fish".

In our article we pointed out that Suhotra should look at his own activities since, for many years, he had shared in an even bigger offense by effectively kicking Srila Prabhupada out of his own mission and stealing his disciples.

As we repeatedly point out, not only is this usurping of Srila Prabhupada's rightful position highly offensive, it means that anyone who joins ISKCON will waste their lives serving people who are acting in direct defiance of the will of the Supreme Lord's representative. This has proved catastrophic for ISKCON, the so-called "Gurus" and their hapless followers.

In a recent statement issued from this year's GBC meetings, Suhotra reveals the trouble he has had in posing as though he were saksad-hari ("as good as God"):

"Several years ago I published a letter to all ISKCON devotees about the trouble I was having from depression. I tried to rectify myself by resigning from the GBC, ceasing to give more initiations, and concentrating on my sannyasa duties."
(GBC Resolutions, 2005)

This relates to a period in 2000 when Suhotra revealed he had been straying from his vows and experiencing, in his own words, "deep rooted attachment" and an "unstable mind" that required "psychological counselling" and a "program of rehabilitation". He also admitted to getting "carried away" by being absorbed in mundane "videos and novels" so that his "sadhana* deteriorated", and which thus became "a waste of time" (Excerpts from a letter from Suhotra Swami to Disciples, 19 June 2000).

Nevertheless, he was quickly reinstated and in 2003 the GBC passed the following resolution:

"(…) the GBC hereby nominates H. H. Suhotra Swami to membership on the Sastric Advisory Council."
(GBC Resolution 503)

So, despite serious spiritual problems, Suhotra was not only allowed to continue as a Guru but also promoted onto the Sastric Advisory Council which guides the entire movement on all philosophical matters, including the Guru issue.
Suhotra Prabhu further adds:

"But the depression persisted and conspired with unhealthy, restless travel, lack of regulation, and lust, to knock me out of the race again."
(GBC Resolutions, 2005)

Is it not incredible that the very people who should be most absorbed in pure consciousness of Krishna, and thus most submerged in the deepest reservoir of all spiritual bliss and happiness, are also falling prey to the most severely debilitating depression? We have quoted Satsvarupa, Prithu and now Suhotra all complaining of suffering from severe depression, fear and anxiety. Yet Srila Prabhupada says:

"Because a pure devotee has no thought other than Krishna, he is naturally always joyful."
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 18.54, purport)

"The bhaktas, the devotees, are fearless and always joyful because they are constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.52, purport)

Clearly something has gone very wrong here. Certainly these people cannot be practising Krishna Consciousness since they are exhibiting the very opposite symptoms to those described above. Such mental aberrations are in fact symptoms of the lower modes of passion and ignorance:

"In the conditioned stage, one's conceptions of life are sometimes polluted by passion and ignorance, which are exhibited by attachment, hostility, greed, lamentation, illusion, fear, madness…"
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.15.43)

Suhotra further writes:

"Though for many years I have held high position in ISKCON, I confess to you that I am not qualified to be counted among such leaders. (…) I relinquish the position of diksa and siksa guru."
(Suhotra Das, 2005)

Thus he has finally, after decades of false posturing, relinquished a position (diksa Guru) he should never have taken in the first place. According to Srila Prabhupada, the fact that a Guru falls into difficulty means he was never a bona fide, properly authorised spiritual master to begin with:

"The spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large numbers of disciples."
(Srila Prabhupada, Nectar of Devotion, chapter 14)

As we have mentioned in previous issues: since all the diksa Gurus in ISKCON claim authorisation via the identical miasma of lunatic alibis that constitute their position papers, and since they are constantly being "carried away" by Maya (illusion) and her agents, this alone proves that NONE of them are properly authorised.

This will come as no surprise to anyone who has read Srila Prabhupada's order of July 9th 1977, wherein he only authorised his disciples to act as representative priests (ritviks) initiating on his behalf, not as initiating Gurus in their own right.

Yes, you guessed it, more of the same:

"I urge the devotees initiated by me to take shelter of a fixed-up ISKCON Guru. If you so desire, do not hesitate to take re-initiation."
(Suhotra Das, March 15th 2005)

Unfortunately, the only thing ISKCON Gurus are "fixed up" in is disobeying Srila Prabhupada's direct, signed orders. In this sense they are not fit to instruct, let alone initiate, or in this case "re-initiate". And judging by the mental state of many of these pretenders, anyone who follows them also runs the risk of being "carried away".

*(Sadhana means spiritual practice such as chanting 16 rounds of the maha-mantra daily)