Back To Prabhupada, Issue 42, Winter 2013/14
n BTP 40's QNN column, we exposed how an ISKCON Ratha-yatra festival, which is supposed to feature devotional activities for the pleasure of Lord Jagannatha, had instead featured "Bollywood"-style dancing and singing. Due to our exposi, the story was later repeated and commented on by others. One such comment was from ISKCON guru HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami ("BVKS"). In regards to the "Bollywood" event, he wrote:
"I found it vulgar, shameful, and a disgrace to Srila Prabhupada's good name.
We can only wonder what the next notch down is in ISKCON's degradation, and pray that at some point the GBC awakes to its responsibility to stop the rot, lest ISKCON become just an empty shell entirely bereft of Srila Prabhupada's mercy, and not worthy of consideration by anyone seriously interested in spiritual life."
(BVKS, 16/11/13)
We are happy to note that BVKS is again following BTP's lead and agreeing with our exposis. However, his comment above raises a problem which is even more serious than the "vulgar disgrace" which we exposed. BVKS states that ISKCON continues to undergo "degradation", and that this will lead to ISKCON becoming "just an empty shell entirely bereft of Srila Prabhupada's mercy". He states that it is the GBC who are responsible for this sorry state of affairs, since he desires that the GBC "awakes to its responsibility to stop the rot". Therefore, BVKS believes the GBC are so fallen that they can not even be bothered to stop the serious degradation which ISKCON is undergoing. Clearly, if BVKS accepts that the GBC are this fallen, they cannot simultaneously be qualified to occupy the highest spiritual position of being worshipped as "good as God/sum total of the demigods" diksa gurus. Rather, if they are not concerned to ensure that ISKCON adheres strictly to Srila Prabhupada's teachings, then they are not even qualified as disciples, never mind gurus. But the majority of the GBC do occupy such a guru position, and BVKS does accept that they are indeed all bona fide diksa gurus. BVKS adopts this contradictory position because he is also such a diksa guru, and, indeed, owes his guru position to authorisation from the same GBC body. And, therefore, challenging them on their right to hold their guru positions would also lead to his own guru position being threatened. Thus, he fully supports such fallen GBC members occupying such lofty positions, which by his own analysis, they are clearly not qualified to hold, because he is attached to holding on to his own guru position.
Therefore, BVKS's contradictory and compromised position can be summarised as follows:
BVKS: The GBC are nonsense.
BVKS: However, most GBC members are also bona fide "good as God" gurus.
BVKS: I agree with such nonsense because I want to keep my position as a "good as God" guru!
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