30 DECEMBER 2001

1. Chief Minister Honours ISKCON Bangalore President

2. Narayana Maharaja Confused About Ritvik

3. GBC Admits Guru System May Not Be Correct

4. Plaque Ceremony Reported In The Press

1. Chief Minister Honours ISKCON Bangalore Temple President

In our previous newsletter no. 40 ("Biggest Prasadam Distribution Program Ever Begins"), we highlighted the launch of the ISKCON Bangalore temple's ambitious program to feed tens of thousands of children in Government run schools in the Indian state of Karanataka. A massive undertaking, it was to be one of the biggest private initiatives in India to provide free food to those in need. It also of course gave the IRM an opportunity to distribute tons of prasadam just as Srila Prabhupada had ordered. The program involved providing a free mid-day meal to children in Government-run schools. Currently children in Government schools are expected to either study on an empty stomach the whole day, or bring their own food, which due to poverty many do not. So impressed were the Government with the success of ISKCON Bangalore's prasadam distribution program (known as 'Akshaya Patra'), they have themselves decided to adopt the same model of providing a free mid-day meal to schools not yet covered by the ISKCON Bangalore initiative. They decided to start the program in 7 districts in Northern Karnatak. To launch the program the Chief Minister of the State Government along with 8 cabinet ministers gathered at a special ceremony attended by 25,000 people. The highlight of the ceremony was the honoring of special guest, ISKCON Bangalore Temple President, and IRM secretary, Madhu Pandit Das, by the Chief Minister of Karnataka for rendering service in the field of education and founding the ‘Akshaya Patra’ program for feeding 30,000 children everyday. The Chief Minister felicitated him by presenting a shawl, citation and a memento. With the presence of so many senior Government ministers the event was covered extensively by the media and we present below some articles which appeared in India's major newspapers.

TIMES OF INDIA

Mid-day Meal Started in N. Karnataka

Times News Network

Raichur: Chief Minister S.M. Krishna sat down to lunch with students of the Government Primary School on Friday, kicking off the mid-day meal scheme for the seven districts of North Karnataka. The launch took place at Arakera village in Deodurga taluk of Raichur district, where Krishna arrived by helicopter along with some ministers at 11.40 a.m.

Minster for Education H. Viswanath, district in charge and Public Works Minster Dharam Singh, Health Minister Maalaka Raddy and Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge joined the CM in the meal. After the lamp had been lit and vocalist Sangita Kakhandiki had sung the invocation, MP Venkatesh Nayak delivered the welcome speech.

"Children are not a burden to society. To encourage them to study, and decrease illiteracy in the state, particularly in a backward  area like Deodurga taluk, we have proposed to introduce the mid-day meal programme," Krishna said in his speech.

Krishna had a special word for the social services of ISKCON and Wipro chief educationist Azim Premji (the richest Indian in the world). At present, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Bangalore, has taken on the responsibility of providing mid-day meals to 19,000 people in Bangalore.

Later, Krishna's cabinet ministers and His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das, president and project director of ISKCON, Bangalore, also spoke, Deodurga MLA Yellappa Akkarki proposed the vote of thanks.

ISKCON Seer Felicitated

Chief Minister Krishna felicitated His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das of ISKCON with a shawl and presented him a memento. In his speech, Swamiji Madhu Pandit Das said that "annadanna is supreme. No other gift or donation is equal to it. ISKCON has already started providing mid-day meals to 19,000 people in Bangalore, and plans to feed 2.5 lakh (250,000) people a day in and around Bangalore", he said. "It will cost roughly Rs 30 lakh ($60,000) a month, but Lord Krishna's grace, we have no scarcity of finance."

The Swamiji invoked the tale of the 'Akshya Patre Yojana' (miraculous pitcher) which never got empty, to relate to the mid-day meal programme. He blessed Krishna to lead Karnataka and make the state hunger-free within three years.

DECCAN HERALD

Iskcon chief calls for Child hunger free State

BANGALORE, Nov 10

The president of Iskcon, Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit, has urged Chief Minister S M Krishna to adopt the mission of making Karnataka a "child-hunger free" State during the remaining three years of his tenure.

Replying to the felicitation for the success of Iskcon, Bangalore's "Akshayapatra" programme of feeding poor children of schools in and around Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit attributed it to the dedication of their 70 full-time volunteers, who go with a begging bowl each morning, albeit in a sophisticated manner with brief cases and by appointment, to affluent Bangaloreans and awaken their social responsibility to support one hungry child.

The scheme has managed a phenomenal reach of 19,000 children in little over a year and it is aimed to feed 30,000 children by end of this academic year, said Mr Madhu Pandit, thanking the donors whose donation of Rs 1,200 each helped feed a child for a whole year. Mr Madhu Pandit was felicitated by Chief Minister S M Krishna at the launch of the State government's mid-day meal scheme for seven north Karnataka districts at Arakere, Raichur District, on Saturday. He said the Centre at present supplied free rice for feeding primary school children. If a similar request is made to feed high school children through an NGO, the Union Food and Civil Supplies ministry was willing to oblige. The State Government should immediately approach the Center, he suggested.

THE HINDU

‘ISKCON`s Programme has shown results’

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 10. The Akshayapatra Annadana programme implemented by the ISKCON in several schools in the State under which children are given free mid-day meals has resulted in their improved attendance, "increased attention" and academic development, according to Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, chief of the ISKCON, Bangalore center.

Replying to a felicitation by the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, at Raichur on Friday, he said a study report of the Education Department said the free mid-day meal had a great impact on school children, and 99.6 per cent of the beneficiaries felt that they paid better attention towards their studies. He added that 93.8 per cent of the teachers felt that there was an overall academic improvement in the students.

Sri Madhupandit Dasa said that 91.8 per cent of the teachers felt that the attendance of the students had improved. In the current academic year. 16 Schools had reported a 15 per cent increase in enrolment. The mid-day meal programme had addressed two of the most debilitating problems-hunger and education.

The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjuna Kharge, the Minister for Public Works, Mr. Dharam Singh, and the Education Minister, Mr. H.Viswanath, were present. The ISKCON, Bangalore Centre, which provided mid-day meals to over 19,000 children planned to help 30,000 children daily, Sri Dasa said and added that it required Rs.30 lakh a month to sustain the present programme. Specially thanking philanthropists and organizations in the State, he said each donor paid Rs.1,200 to feed one child for a whole year. He said ISKCON`s aim was to make Bangalore Rural District a hunger-free district, "Which had 2,50,000 children, who were hungry."

Requesting the Chief Minister to introduce a programme to provide mid-day meal to all poor children in the State. Sri Dasa said that this should be done even at the expense of an infrastructure project or by levying taxes.

This whole event establishes just how successful a temple ISKCON Bangalore has become under the leadership of Madhu Pandit Prabhu. It signals the amazing impact it is having on society by setting standards and giving a lead for Governments to follow, which is exactly the brahminical role that Srila Prabhupada desired for ISKCON. Such success demonstrates what can be achieved when personal desire to acquire disciples can be set aside, and instead all focus is put on following Srila Prabhupada's instructions rather than disobeying them.

2. Narayana Maharaja Confused About Ritvik

Narayana Maharaja (NM) has given a lecture which is supposed to be "A Response To The Ritvik System". Unfortunately rather than being a RESPONSE to the Ritvik System, it is actually nothing but a FABRICATION about the Ritvik system, wherein Narayana Maharaja has only presented his imagination regarding the IRM's presentation of Srila Prabhupada's instructions on the Ritvik system.

We will quote portions of his lecture below enclosed in speech marks thus " ", with our comments following underneath enclosed in parentheses,  thus [  ]. The lecture was delivered by Narayana Maharaja on July 19th, 2001, in Polansk, Russia. The transcript of the lecture was typed and edited by Sripad Krishna Bhajana dasa Brahmacari, and proofread by Srimati Premavati devi dasi.
 

"Those who think, "There is no need to accept a guru as a mediator because we can chant the holy name, we can read books, and we can do arcana and sadhana simply by the rtvik system," are not within the guru-parampara. They deceive others. They are actually cheaters; not bhaktas."

"Nowhere in the sastra is it written that a rtvik can ever give bhakti. This can never be the case. "

"They say that in this world there are no pure devotees, and therefore there are no pure devotees to initiate anyone. This idea is very, very wrong and it is against the principles of bhakti."

"Beware of this rtvik system. Without a self-realized guru you cannot achieve bhakti in thousands of births. This is an established truth. This is siddhanta. You should therefore accept a sad-guru, serve him, and try to follow his instructions. Then you can develop your Krishna consciousness and all of your anarthas will disappear. Otherwise, it will never be possible for pure bhakti to come and touch your heart and senses."

"I would like to clarify one thing. I am not saying that all rtviks mislead others. Only those who say that there is no need of a guru do so. Real rtviks know all sastras, and all of them have gurus. A rtvik cannot be a rtvik without accepting a real guru."

"Nowadays, therefore, those who call themselves rtviks are all cheaters, and we should beware of them."

"There are so many gurus: caitya-guru, diksa-guru, siksa-guru, bhajana-guru, and others. Why go to a bogus-rtvik guru? If our siksa-gurus are Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda prabhu, and Radhika, why do we need to go to these rtviks?"

"This word 'rt' has come from the word 'Rg-Veda.' Those who know all Vedas, including the Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Veda, all the Upanishads, and all the Puranas, are actually rtvik. [...] (There are nineteen places in Prabhupada's books where the word 'rtvik' is used, and in all cases the word only refers to a priest officiating or performing a fire sacrifice). [...] After deliberation upon the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas, it becomes obvious that rtviks have nothing to do with the supreme transcendental goal...'Rtau yajtiti rtviki.' One who conducts sacrifices according to Vedic mantras is called a rtvik. There is an arrangement of 16 types of rtviks to perform the sacrifices."

"I think, however, that these modern rtviks don't even know the ABC's of the Vedas. [...] There are nineteen places in Prabhupada's books where the word 'rtvik' is used, and in all cases the word only refers to a priest officiating or performing a fire sacrifice. Even when the word used is 'rtvik acarya,' it is still defined as a priest performing a fire sacrifice for a secular gain."

"Those who advocate the rtvik system are misleaders, and their followers are misled. Do not go towards the rtvik system. In none of the sastras has it been said that this rtvik system will give bhakti. Be careful regarding the bogus rtvik system. [...] You should give up the idea that the rtviks can help. They can never help you. They have never even helped themselves, so how can they help others?"

Conclusion

NM has demonstrated that he is very happy to wax lyrical on a subject which he does not have the faintest idea what he is talking about. He will very happily state the opposite to what are the actual facts of the situation, and engage in repeated self-contradiction. Like his counterparts in the GBC, NM will make many false statements to try and prevent persons from understanding Srila Prabhupada's real intentions regarding his Ritvik system. Though NM and the GBC Gurus may be rivals when it comes to jostling to take over Srila Prabhupada's assets and disciples, they are partners in crime when it comes to promoting the bogus idea that Srila Prabhupada's assets and disciples SHOULD be taken over by themselves. Such a person cannot therefore assist us in understanding what Srila Prabhupada's instructions for ISKCON were. Rather such an understanding can best be got directly from Srila Prabhupada himself, as presented in his many books, lectures, letters and directives, and as repeated in "The Final Order".

3. GBC Admits Its Guru Program May be Wrong

The GBC have just issued the following bizarre announcement:

"The GBC Executive Committee (EC) acknowledges ongoing concerns among ISKCON members about the role and position of diksa and siksa gurus in ISKCON. If you are one of these concerned members, the EC, [chaired by Ramai Swami, who has not accepted diksa disciples] asks you to contribute to the GBC's review of guru issues at the 2002 Mayapur meetings.

Please distil your main concerns about the role of the guru in ISKCON and
send them, with suggested remedies, to the GBC Secretary at

Radha.Krishna.RNS@pamho.net, no later than February 1, 2002, with a copy to
Divyambara.KKD@pamho.net. Please use the subject line, "Guru Issue".

So that we can efficiently process all input for the GBC meeting, kindly
keep your submission to about 300 to 400 words. Thank you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada."

1) The GBC fully admit that the serious concerns regarding the 'role and position' of the Diksa Guru need to be addressed and have asked the devotees for solutions! Please note how instead of the GBC giving firm guidance to the devotees regarding what should be the 'role and position' of Diksa Gurus, which is what is supposed to happen, the devotees are being asked to guide the GBC on this most fundamental of matters! Now we can see why Srila Prabhupada has stated that in Kali-yuga everything is 'topsy-turvy'. However the GBC which is supposed to guide us out of the darkness of this age, has itself become a victim of Kali's influence.

2) The 'role and position of the Guru' is completely fundamental to the process of Krishna Consciousness. In one sense Guru tattva is more crucial than even Krishna tattva for there is no question of understanding Krishna without going through the Guru. And that's what makes this announcement even more bizarre. For the above announcement is therefore just as if the GBC had announced:

"The GBC is aware of the ongoing concerns regarding the role and position of Krishna. Please send us these concerns along with suggested remedies"

The above announcement would be completely ridiculous for the governing body of ISKCON to issue over 35 years after ISKCON has already been up and running, and supposedly 'saving souls'. Yet the current announcement is no less ridiculous. After 24 years of having unleashed some 80 Gurus on us as replacements for Srila Prabhupada, and after being told that accepting these replacements was the only way one could get salvation, the GBC is asking those who were supposedly 'saved' via this system, if they did the right thing! So disciples are being asked if their Gurus are doing the right thing! This is yet another example of the 'topsy-turvy' influence of Kali which has infected the GBC.

3) Please also notice how the position of the GBC Chairman who will review these 'remedies' which we will all no doubt be sending in, is highlighted as being of one who is not a Diksa Guru. If initiating disciples was such a fundamental and obvious natural function for all of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, then why is NOT doing so relevant or of some sort of a virtue all of a sudden? Its not just to highlight the independence of the reviewer, since the review also covers the position and role of Siksa Gurus, a position which, as GBC chairman, Ramai Swami has automatically assumed. Thus not being a Diksa Guru could only be relevant if the GBC wanted independence in reviewing  'remedies' that did away with replacement Diksa Gurus altogether!

4) Which of course brings us to the most bizarre point about this announcement.Though we are of course pleased that the GBC has finally shown humility to at least pretend to consider the opinion of others, there has already been a group that has continually been providing 'remedies' for the concerns regarding the 'role and position' of Diksa and Siksa Gurus. In many cases within the 3-400 word limit requested, and always substantiated with copious quotations from Srila Prabhupada's teachings. That of course is the IRM. And for engaging in the exact exercise which the GBC is now requesting of everyone, we have been rewarded with repeated expulsions, mob violence and bomb factories!

Are we the only ones who detect the hypocrisy in this - yet again another Kali-yuga quality with which the GBC have been infected with! The simple fact is that this announcement proves what everyone else has known all along, that the GBC do not have a clue about what they are doing, as they fumble in the dark trying out and borrowing ideas and 'reform' programs from everywhere and anywhere as long as they do not involve Srila Prabhupada's directives.

We wish the GBC the best of luck with their review, and sincerely hope that after 24 years this is a genuine attempt to address the concerns of the devotees, and that they will actually listen to the 'remedy' given by Srila Prabhupada himself - the ritvik system. And that this is not just yet another PR exercise.

No doubt we will soon find out!

4. Plaque Ceremony Reported In the Press

In our last newsletter we reported on the momentous unveiling of a plaque by the City of New York commemorating the tree in Tompkins Square Park where Srila Prabhupada launched the Hare Krishna Movement. The following is a report of the event which appeared in 'India in New York', which is put out by 'India Abroad', the best-selling newspaper for the Indian community in the USA.

INDIA ABROAD

'India In New York', December 21^st 2001

"Plaque honouring ISKCON founder installed at Tompkins Park"
SUMAN GUHA MOZUMDER

More than 35 years ago, A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, commonly
known as Srila Prabhupada, sat with poet Allen Ginsberg and some of his
followers under an elm tree in Tompkins Park in Manhattan, to hold the first
outdoor chanting session outside India.

That day, on October 9, 1966, participants chanted 'Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna, Hare Rama, Hare Rama' for two hours as they danced and played
cymbals and tambourines to mark the founding of the movement in the US.

More than 35 years later, the New York City recognized this event when City
officials along with members of the public officially honoured Srila
Prabhupada by installing a permanent historical plaque commemorating him at
his tree in the park late last month.

During the ceremony last month, guests came from as far as Bangalore. Rock
stars who graced the event included Arthur (Bliss) Googy, former drummer for
the hard rock group The Misfits, and Jayananda Dasa (John Joseph) lead

singer of hardcore rock band the Cro-Mags.

American elm trees, known for their towering canopies that provide abundant
shade through spring, summer and fall, are rare today, but Tompkins Square
Park still has a large number of them.

Under the same tree beneath which Srila Prabhupada held his chanting
session, New York Park Commissioner Henry J Stern stood as representative of the City for the joint City and International Society for Krishna Consciousness Revival Movement as he installed the plaque.

The plaque noted that one elm in particular, located next to the
semi-circular arrangement of benches in the park's center, is
important to the adherents of the Hare Krishna religion.

Stern brought along an archivist reporter and photographer to officially
record the November 18 event in the New York City municipal archives,
International Revival Movement officials said. Prabhupada, who founded
ISKCON, worked from a storefront on nearby Second Avenue that he used as the Society's American headquarters.

He died in 1977 after spreading the ISKCON message across the US.

After the installation ceremony, over a hundred devotees and guest gathered
a half a block away at the IRM's Sri Radha Govinda Temple on Saint Mark's Place for a celebration of the event, that included a vegetarian feast
consisting of 108 preparations.

Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

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 
No 20. Convicted Child Abuser Officially 'Returns' To Parampara
No 21. GBC Chairman Admits ISKCON 'Disintegrating' 
No 22. Krishna Confirms ISKCON Re-Birth
No 23. Hare Krishna Explosion Begins In New York as IRM Temple Opens 
No 24. IRM Launches Media Campaign to Defend Srila Prabhupada
No 25. GBC Teaches That 'Living Gurus' NOT Required 
No 26. BBT Admits Books Changed To Fit GBC Philosophy 
No 27. Big Breakthrough For Krishna In Singapore 
No 28. Bangalore Tops World Book Distribution
No 29. City of New York to Honour Srila Prabhupada
No 30. Gurukula Lawsuit Special - The Facts
No 31. BBC Glorifies Srila Prabhupada to the World 
No 32. Harinama Revived in World Famous Times Square
No 33. ISKCON Guru on Run From Police - Suicide Case Special

No 34. GBC Declare All Out War
No 35. GBC Fail Again in Second Expulsion Attempt
No 36. Indian Press Glorifies New York IRM
No 37. ISKCON Temple In Bangladesh Joins IRM
No 38. All Ports Alert For Jayapataka To Be Issued
No 39. The GBC's Best Trick Yet
No 40. Biggest Prasadam Distribution Program Ever Begins
No 41. Double Edition - IRM Granted Prime Kumbha Mela Site
No 42. Danavir Invents A New  Philosophy
No 43. IRM Makes World Headlines

No 44. GBC Meetings End in Fiasco

No 45. GBC Paralysis Documented In Resolutions

No 46. Mayapur Attempt to Storm Calcutta Temple Ends in Fiasco

No 47. Mayapur Attack Cover-Up Exposed

No 48. Massive GBC Fraud Uncovered

No 49. BBC Broadcasts Worldwide IRM Special

No 50. Mayapur Bomb Blast Reveals GBC Terrorism

No 51. Mayor of New York Dedicates Srila Prabhupada Memorial