Back To Prabhupada, Issue 75, Vol. 4, 2022, Quotes, Notes & News
We have previously noted the promotion of Lord Krsna in a fictional context by ISKCON:
1) GBC voted-in guru HH Sivarama Swami authored "gopi fiction" novels where he admits to having fabricated pastimes involving Lord Krsna (please see BTP 29, "Fiction Fever Grips ISKCON").
2) ISKCON Bangalore continued to sell a cartoon video about Lord Krsna which described the contents as being a "fable" or fictional, stating that only in future editions would the description be corrected – thus prioritising money over blaspheming Lord Krsna (please see BTP 30, "BTP Forces Cartoon Apology").
3) Now, ISKCON has promoted a fictional Indian film supposedly about Lord Krsna titled "Karthikeya 2". This movie has been endorsed by ISKCON spokesperson and temple president Radha Raman Dasa and ISKCON Vrndavana's management allowed the premiere of the teaser to be shown in the temple room. Whilst a member of the GBC's Sastric Advisory Council, Chaitanya Charan Dasa, in a broadcast published on 26/8/22, endorses the movie as acceptable to watch because he says:
"from imagination or mythology to history [...] this movie has definitely created a lot of curiosity about Krsna, about knowing more of the historicity of Krsna, and in that sense it is a positive development [...] The virtual is at least bringing Krsna into the consciousness of people"
However, he also admits that the movie fictionalises Lord Krsna's pastimes, for he states that it is "a [sic] adventure thriller which centres on the premise that thousands of years ago, 5,000 years ago precisely as mentioned in the movie, Krsna concealed a secret in an amulet" which "is going to solve future problems of humanity".
Such a pastime is not described anywhere in sastra. Thus, rather than bringing people from "imagination to history", it is keeping people in the realm of imagination. Indeed, to cap it all off, the film itself publishes a huge notice at the beginning, stating to the audience that:
"THE STORY, SCREENPLAY, CHARACTERS, INCIDENTS IN THIS FILM ARE NOT INTENDED FOR ANYONE. JUST FICTION."
Srila Prabhupada condemned such imagination in relation to Lord Krsna's pastimes:
"One who follows his imaginations about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is condemned."
(SB, 10.3.32, purport)
It is therefore shocking that such a movie would be promoted by one of the GBC's supposed head brahminical advisors. Srila Prabhupada started ISKCON to preach only the truth about Lord Krsna, not promote fiction about Him.
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