13^TH MAY 2000

1.     Convicted Child Abuser Officially 'Returns' To Parampara

2.     Bhakti Caru Swami Caught Cheating 

3.     Narayana Maharaja Claims He Is Srila Prabhupada's Successor 

4.     Kumbha Mela Update
 

In our story last week on Dhanudara Swami, we had naturally assumed that the investigation regarding his allegations of child abuse must have still been ongoing. We could not possibly have conceived that the investigation had been completed and that he had actually been found guilty of child abuse, AND that he was still initiating. However that is exactly what has happened. Last October, the Office of Child Protection (O.C.P.) found Maharaja guilty of 'Child Neglect' within the categories of 'Food, Clothing, Shelter, Hygiene, Medical, Supervision and Emotional'. Further he was also found guilty of 'Child Physical Abuse' and 'Child Psychological Abuse'. Under the last 2 charges the panel found that:

"With reference to the definitions of child physical abuse in the Task Force Report, Dhanurdhara Maharaja did physically abuse children on some occasions. Dhanurdhara Swami admits that he sometimes punished with hostility and sometimes with excess, and he accepts personal culpability for these mistakes.There is convincing evidence that Dhanurdhara Maharaja engaged in psychological abuse as defined in section 1.I.B.5 of the ISKCON Child Protection Task Force Report."

(We are only able to provide you these details since following our story last week, an anonymous source leaked the full report to us. Though the Office of Child Protection also co-operated by supplying us a copy of the report, they marked it 'confidential'. Also the full report was only sent to ISKCON leaders by e-mail, and not publicised to the devotee community at large. The Office of Child Protection informed us that this restricted circulation was based on 'legal advice'.)

Having found Maharaja guilty of these offences, the O.C.P. instituted a series of sanctions against Maharaja, the chief being that:

"That is, as of Oct. 28, 2001, Dhanurdhara Maharaja may initiate disciples who are not on the list of currently aspiring disciples,although Dhanurdhara Maharaja may not perform initiation ceremonies outside his specified geographical area until Oct. 28, 2004."

In simple language this means he cannot initiate anyone in the USA (which is NOT one of his specified geographical areas) until 2004.

However it would appear that the new GBC administration headed by Ravindra Svarupa has decided to overturn this ruling, and decided that Maharaja is fit to initiate anyone, anywhere, anytime. This is further evidence if any was needed that, as we have said all along, this sudden 'concern' for the victims of child abuse, where it has actually been shown, was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to try and appease possible lawsuits. 

In overturning the ruling of the very body that the GBC set up to deal with Child Abuse in ISKCON, it has made a mockery of the claims that the GBC is trying to change the past culture of being sympathetic to child abusers.

And please note that we are not talking here about the wild rantings of 'Guru-bashers' here. The GBC has overturned the verdict of the Child Protection panel which returned the above verdict, and which consisted of persons such as : Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, Sesa dasa, Laxmimoni dasi, and Kalakantha dasa - all well-known GBC-Guru cronies. Yet even THEY could see that Dhanudara Maharaja needed to be dealt with - though it could be argued by many that even the punishment they handed out was far too lenient. 
But for the GBC even THAT was too much. It seems that the GBC are happy for the O.C.P. to mete out punishment only to the 'rank and file' devotees who have been found guilty of wrong-doing. However when one of their own Guru pals ends up being caught, the 'old-boys Guru network' steps into to bale him out, and override the authority of any Child Protection Organisation. This means that if you are a Guru, the GBC have sent out a clear message that 'Child Abuse Will Be Tolerated'. It seems ironic that having assumed office, this is basically the first use that Ravindra Svarup, the new GBC Chairman, has made of his powers. Its almost like Dhanudara was simply waiting for his old pal Ravindra to take up office so he could release him from his shackles, and be allowed to continue with his Guru Business. Ravindra has ushered in a new regime that has decided that rather than practice 'zero tolerance' towards child abuse, they prefer to practice 'Maximum Tolerance' instead. And this from a man whose claim to fame was that he was supposed to be against the excesses of the zonal acarya years. It seems however that what he was against was not WHAT they did, but only that they shouldn't be stopped from giving OTHERS a chance to do it as well, since the only result of his 'reforms' was to allow himself and his other Guru pals to join the gravy train.

However future Guru child abusers should watch out. They will not always have Ravindra as the GBC Chairman to look out for them and protect them.
 

One of the key points that we quote in the Final Order to show that any diksa Gurus in ISKCON would have had to been specifically authorised by Srila Prabhupada, is the following verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam:

"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master. This is called diksa-vidhana." (S.B. 4.8.54, purport)

The key part of this quotation is the 'authorised by his predecessor spiritual master' , since this smashes their current bogus Guru program as it requires them to show specific authorisation from Srila Prabhupada.
They cannot palm us off with some vague notion that it is 'automatic', or that it is a 'timeless order' or that it is 'tradition' or any other such nonsense. They need to show authorisation from Srila Prabhupada directly.

And as we have shown repeatedly they cannot do so. So hard-pressed are they do this, that after 23 years they still can only trot out the same 'appointment tape' with its 5 different transcripts and 4 different official GBC interpretations - which have been used to justify different guru systems by the GBC. So what to do? Simple. Get rid of this troublesome quote. 
And that is exactly what Bhakti Caru Swami has done in his Bengali translation of the Srimad Bhagavatam. As the official BBT Bengali translator for the Bhagavatam, he has translated the above as:

"Manuser Kartabbo hoche guruparampara dharay sadguru kach theke diksa Grahan kara. Eka bale diksa-bidhan".
"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession. This is called diksa-vidhana." 
(S.B. 4.8.54, purport)

Yes, he has simply removed the troublesome phrase - the literary equivalent of 'splicing'. This proves two things:

a.       That the above quote does deliver a death-blow to the current ISKCON Guru system just as 'The Final Order' claims. Otherwise why take it out?

b.       That Bhakti-Caru Maharaja, who of course is one the current illegitimate diksa Gurus in ISKCON, has shamefacedly engaged in this blatant cheating to try and save his Guruship. He has desecrated the teachings of Srila Prabhupada simply to keep his Guru ambitions afloat.

Never mind being a sannyasi and a Guru. Such an example of blatant dishonesty does not even qualify him to be a Brahmin. Do these people have no shame? Having realised that the game is up they can only resort to the last refuge - cheating - to try and prop up their bogus temporary occupation of Srila Prabhupada's seat.
 

In a recent interview, Narayana Maharaja, one of the members of the Gaudiya Matha who has been visiting ISKCON communities to capitalise on the current joker-Guru program that ISKCON offers, openly stated the following:

"I am not his uttama adhikari (successor). Actually I am. Those who are falling down are his successors outwardly, but spiritually and transcendentally I am his successor." 
(Narayana Maharaja, Interview quoted on the Gaudiya Matha website, VNN)

For those of you who thought that Narayana Maharaja was only visiting ISKCON to 'help', we have clear proof here that he intends to do a lot more than just 'help' - rather he wishes to help himself. He is revealing here his ambition to try and take the fruits of Srila Prabhupada's work, and be another competitor to the current pack of jokers who are also claiming that they are Srila Prabhupada's successors, and who as Maharaja has correctly pointed out, are usually 'falling down'. However we have news for him and the other 'pretenders to the throne' currently acting as 'successors' within ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada is not going anywhere soon - infact at least not for the next 10,000 years. He never left. So before announcing to us that you are a 'successor', please note the 'NO VACANCY' sign in the window.

Narayana Maharaja also states the following:

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura had so many very qualified disciples. Among them our Guru Maharaja was very prominent; and others were also, like Pujapada Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivilasa Tirtha, Srila Sauti Maharaja, Srila Giri Maharaja, Srila Bon Maharaja, Srila Vikaras Bharti Maharaja, Srila Madhava Maharaja, Srila Siddhanti Maharaja." 
(Narayana Maharaja)

Yet Srila Prabhupada had to the following to say about 'Srila Bon Maharaja':

"Still he is so envious, black snake." 
(Room Conversation, 16/10/75)

For many more difference between the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and Narayana Maharaja, please see our newsletter no 3. Thus these differences alone prove that whatever elevated qualities Maharaja may possess, one thing he definitely is NOT, is the 'successor' to Srila Prabhupada, for what sort of a 'successor' is it that teaches the complete OPPOSITE to Srila Prabhupada?
 

Following last week's story about the IRM representation on the official Kumbha Mela committee, we have been inundated with requests from many devotees who wish to come and also assist in preaching. Of course with the event many months away, plans are still being firmed up, but we can give the following information:

Kumbha Mela begins January 9th 2001, and continues through to the 8th February, 2001 which is the last day. 
The main dates are 9/10 January, 13/14 January, 24 January and the 8th February. 
The place is Allahabad/Prayag. 
Mahaman Das, Vrindavan Temple President, is the right person to contact for service opportunities of which there will be plenty - Harinam, book distributors, helpers, cooks etc. 
We will be putting up a web-site to provide Kumbha Mela information, accommodation, tariff, food arrangement, maps etc.

Please stay tuned for more details.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter, and please keep your letters, and e-mail addresses of other devotees who should be added to our list, flowing in. A hard copy of our main position paper 'The Final Order' is available on request. 
If you would like to receive any of the back issues of the Newsletter please let me know.

No 1. Invitation to Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja
No 2. GBC Lose First Round of Court Case 
No 3. The Story VNN Refused to Publish 
No 4. Poison Theorists Accuse Adri of Complicity 
No 5. Iskcon Continues to Promote Child Abusers 
No 6. Invitation to Malaysia 
No 7. United World Body Formed 
No 8. Does Srila Prabhupada Support Poisoning Theory?
No 9. PADA Attacks IRM Position 
No 10. PADA Continues to Present False Evidence 
No 11. GBC Funded Video says Ritvik Spiritual 
No 12. Child Rapist Selected by Gurus to Defend their Legitimacy 
No 13. GBC Facing Perjury Charge in Calcutta High Court 
No 14. Sahajiyaism Makes a Comeback in Iskcon.
No 15. Govt. Minister Inaugurates Bangalore Rathayatra 
No 16. Iskcon Calcutta Triumphs Following Arson Attack 
No 17. Fighting Lies with Truth Not More Lies
No 18. GBC Resolutions Continue to Provide Laughter
No 19. Indian Leaders Endorse IRM Position That GBC Confused