gain and again we have seen that following the lead BTP has taken on issues such as secularisation, Hinduisation, commercialisation, the payment of salaries to devotees, demigod worship etc. occurring in ISKCON, as well as the main issue of needing to accept Srila Prabhupada as the spiritual master, others have followed, including the ISKCON leadership. We have highlighted many examples of this in previous issues, such as the GBC being forced to withdraw Satsvarupa’s sex novel (BTP 15 and 17), the San Diego temple taking action over demigod worship (BTP 20 and 21), an ISKCON leader opposing demigod worship (BTP 16-20), ISKCON leaders agreeing with the IRM on the guru issue (BTP Special issue 2) etc. Another example is ISKCON setting up secular schools where the government syllabus is taught. In BTP 15, over one-and-ahalf years ago, we ran an article in which we stated that -
“ISKCON is currently involved in operating a number of schools which are not standard gurukulas (Hare Krishna schools), but are ordinary schools teaching the state sanctioned curriculum so that the students can get recognised examination qualifications (with some “Krishna consciousness” thrown in)”.
- and we then documented Srila Prabhupada’s opposition to the same. One prominent government school which ISKCON supports as a “faith partner” is the Krishna Avanti school:
“The School is working in affiliation with ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) as the official faith advisor […] The school will deliver the national curriculum.*”
(Krishna Avanti Primary School website)
* government syllabus
Now ISKCON GBC voted-in guru His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami has agreed with BTP that ISKCON should not support such government schools, even claiming that teaching the government syllabus will only produce demons!:
“For the glory of Srila Prabhupada we have to make […] real gurukulas (schools). Gurukula doesn’t mean that you bring some children, you teach them the government syllabus and in between you teach them one or two Bhagavad-gita slokas. That’s not Prabhupada’s vision of gurukula. Government syllabus means rakshasa (demoniac) syllabus, how to become a good rakshas (demon).”
(HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami, Lecture, Tirupati, January 5th, 2008)
BTP is thus setting the standard in how not to deviate from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, which everyone else, including even those in the ISKCON leadership, are following.
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