Join Me in the Real Spirit of Prabhupāda’s Mission (03/16/02)
Daṇḍavats G__ Swami,
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
My trip went very well. Now I am back in Vermont.
About one hour after my arrival in Vermont we received the news via a phone call that Śrīpāda Tamāla-Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja has met with an untimely death while going to Calcutta. This was indeed shocking and very sad news. Certainly this is a sad time for many devotees.
I think that after all things considered, that Tamāla-Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja was possibly the senior most personality in Iskcon. His untimely death will certainly be sadly felt by those who were his near and dear. I pray that Śrīla Prabhupāda and Kṛṣṇa will remember his many valuable services and swiftly deliver him from this ocean of birth and death.
I just spoke with the secretary in the GBC office. The vote for the resolution on Śrīla Śrīdhara M was 27 in favor, and only 1 abstained, so that is passed. It underwent a few modifications, but the message was still very clear.
When and where will the resolution concerning Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja be published for the devotees to read? Can you send me a copy of that?
Can you tell me who that person was who ‘abstained’ the vote???
Unfortunately, the committee resolution did not pass. The main reason is that most members, and other devotees involved in the discussions, thought that it was not necessary to have an official committee just to deal with one person or group. So I think that I will propose, in the course of the year, a committee to deal with all Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava groups other than ISKCON, and I am sure that it will pass, and it can become the official vehicle for our dealings.
That’s a good idea. Please let me know when that is accomplished?
I thank you very much for your friendship and association. I really hope to see you soon.
God willing. But it looks like the progress in Iskcon will continue to be very slow. What can be done?
I just found out that X_Maharaja is planning to come to Mexico with 150 devotees. I would like to call you about that once I reach the USA. I hope your trip is nice.
When the Iskcon GBC thinks that I am too small to even be recognised as a person who has helped Iskcon fight against aggressors, or that my institution of devotees is too insignificant to deserve even the recognition of a “committee”, then I hardly feel anymore the inclination to be Iskcon’s ‘watch dog’ or their ‘sounding board’ on the X_Mahārāja issue. Let Iskcon fight their own battles and we will see who the ‘last man standing’ is when the dust clears. My feeling is that X_Mahārāja will continue to pound on Iskcon with success all over the world. Unfortunate, but Iskcon always learns the hard way or not at all.
J_ Prabhu and all the devotees here in Vermont feel that my continuing to stand by Iskcon in a friendly way will not be appreciated by their leaders. My opinion is that for every misconception in the X_Mahārāja camp, there are at least two misconceptions in Iskcon. My duty on the other hand is simply to preach the truth and that may no longer be very palatable to you and other Iskcon leaders. I am growing very tired of Iskcon’s ‘bull headed’ society-consciousness as opposed to real Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
What little good has been done by our committee as regards helping devotees to have a better appreciation of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja, I appreciate that. But as for the other issues, I do not think that our ‘committee’ is really committed to the fight for truth. At least I must say that I have much more ‘passion’ for the issues at hand than Iskcon seems willing to accommodate.
As usual the ‘diehards’ and ‘bull-heads’ in Iskcon shout the loudest, and for literally decades the wrong decisions continue to prevail and the ‘Prabhus’ continue to suffer under their leadership. My biggest fear is that before the leadership in Iskcon ever becomes ‘enlightened’ that most of us, if not all of us, will have already gone to the grave. But I cannot stand by passively and watch that happen. A more rigorous campaign is necessary and I enlist myself wholeheartedly in that campaign.
You mentioned to me once that you would continue to fight within to save Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission. So at least you admit that Iskcon is in danger of something. But I do not think that you are fighting hard enough. If you fight hard enough then one of two things will happen; either you will succeed and purify the misconceptions or they will throw you out. The latter is what happened to me.
So I say ‘good luck’ to you in your endeavors, but if you ever get tired of straightening the ‘dogs tail’ then I welcome you to join with me and others in the ‘stand for truth’, the real spirit of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission.
Gour Haribol!!!
I hope this meets you well. God bless.
Praṇāmas,
Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha
