Big Gurus, Big Missions, and Big Troubles (07/22/05)

Big Gurus, Big Missions, and Big Troubles (07/22/05)

Dear V____ Mahārāja,

Thank you for your email. Yes, I am in Udupi and I will be here until Janmāṣṭamī.

I have been meaning to write to you, but decided to wait until we could talk in person. But since that may not happen for sometime I will have to say a few words here.

Your email on the issue of Śrī Nityānanda’s sannyāsa was not satisfying to me. It is troublesome for me to accept that X______ Mahārāja has a different opinion from that of Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. But that pales in comparison to the recent flurry of emails that I have received from various devotees around the world concerning B___ Mahārāja and A___ Mahārāja who have left the sanga of X______ Mahārāja. Below are some quotes from emails that I have received.

“The group is morally corrupt, with so-called sannyāsīs being womanizers (the leading Indian Swamis), the vast majority of the congregation smoking pot, and very little actual spiritual practice is going on, while the talk is of rāgānuga-bhakti.”

“The group is spiritually corrupt, with many women thinking that certain sannyāsīs are to meditated upon when having sex with their husbands, and that unmarried girls are to have sex mentally with these sannyāsīs. Such women also have been led to believe that it would be ideal if they could have orgasms during līlā-kathā. All of this goes on in the name of rāgānuga-bhakti. Although there is no direct evidence that this is being taught by X______ Mahārāja himself, his leading sannyāsīs who he promotes are directly responsible for this confusion. However, many innocent devotees are not aware of this.”

“X______ Mahārāja has no respect for Śrīdhara Mahārāja and little genuine respect for Śrīla Prabhupāda, while his leading Indian sannyāsīs ridicule Śrīla Prabhupāda behind closed doors.”

“_____Maṭha has completely rejected X______ Mahārāja, calling him a guru-drohi and a sahajiyā in print, which they have circulated all over Bengal.”

“A____ Mahārāja has left and is staying with a Russian women in LA trying to deal with the fact that X______ Mahārāja is not what A___ Mahārāja thought he was and the fact that their saṅga is largely non spiritual. B___ Mahārāja is trying to figure out where to go. He is not a member of the X______ Mahārāja sanga anymore, although that is not official yet. This news is hot off the press and only a few people in X______ Mahārāja’s group know about it. It’s a real mess.”

“As for A___ Mahārāja, his position is a bit of a mystery. He left his sannyāsa dress and disappeared for two weeks, but it was clear that he spent this time with a Russian lady. Then they locked up his stuff and were instructed not to give it back to him unless he came and called X______ Mahārāja. However, someone broke with the chain of command, broke the lock, and made contact with him, returning his things, which must have included his cloth. He received the items in secular dress. Then he contacted B___Mahārāja by email from the airport and said he was on his way to Europe, expressing interest in meeting up with B___Mahārāja. Meanwhile B___Mahārāja has sent him a copy of his resignation email to X______ Mahārāja. So A___ Mahārāja’s position is not clear at this point, and B___Mahārāja is waiting for him to contact him.”

“A___ Mahārāja’s faith crisis, among other things, stems largely from X______ Mahārāja’s personal dealings, manipulation of people, and the fact that he is being controlled by his managing and secretarial disciples. Seeing this causes doubts, especially when the guru claims to be omniscient, etc. For A___ Mahārāja this is about his guru not understanding his disciple’s heart, his sincerity, and selflessness, labeling him as an offender who lacks faith in Śrī Guru, while embracing and praising other disciples who are manipulating devotees, the mission, and the guru for their own personal gain. This is about the guru praising sannyāsīs who are known womanizers and condemning women who want to get married. It is about huge contradictions that one has to psychologically deny in order to keep up with the group – to keep the faith.”

My dear V_____ Mahārāja, all these quotes above have come to me in the last few weeks and it seems that this may just be the “tip of the iceburg” or the “dam that is about to break”. The emails that I have received come from reliable sources who have no personal issue at stake and are above just being down on X_____ Mahārāja out of envy. Therefore, I cannot but take them seriously (with a grain of salt, but still seriously). But I know there are always two sides to every story so I hope we can talk in the future and I will be interested to hear what you have to say about the over all picture of X_____ Mahārāja and his mission. Big gurus, big missions, and big troubles are nothing new to me, but in the meantime I will have to keep my safe distance from X_____ Mahārāja.

I think of you as a dear friend and godbrother and that Śrīla Prabhupāda has brought us in connection after a very long time for some special purpose. So in the end if things don’t turn out for you as you see them today or if you ever need help or a place to stay while you clear your thoughts please don’t hesitate to call upon me.

I hope this meets you well.

Śrī Hari-jana-kiṅkara –
Swami B.G. Narasingha