BY: JAKOB SMAHL, Apr 16, HUNGARY (SUN) — Some time back there was a publication on ISKCON forums written by Sivarama Swami, giving his divine idea of who may be considered a member of ISKCON, and therefore who is not. I found the Swami’s proposal amusing. This is especially so since the ‘Kingdom’ that he is so pompously proud of in Hungary is not legally registered in the name of ISKCON, and is a privately incorporated project. ISKCON gurus and GBC’s are beginning more frequently to privately incorporate their projects, however, they continue to use Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON’s name, fame and systems in order to staff, fund and promote their activities.
Sivarama Swami’s privately owned corporation has its own charter, that has nothing to do with ISKCON. In fact, all of his pet projects (New Brajadham Farm) and others in Hungary are independent projects which have been incorporated in their own right, and have nothing legally to do with ISKCON.
This begs the question – who are the devotees who serve in these projects, anyway? Are they members of ISKCON, or are they Sivarama Swami’s private volunteers? If a person is recruited, trained up and serves in independent projects can they be deemed members of ISKCON, or are they members of these independent projects?
If ISKCON applied their new laws and profiles of what is an ISKCON devotee to them, how would they fare? Of course this they would never do.
What is more, if you come to Krishna consciousness via these private projects and the ‘preaching’ of corporatized gurus such as Sivarama Swami and Radhanath Swami, are you really a member of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON? All that they have to do is ‘say’ that their volunteers are ISKCON devotees to the GBC and they are accepted as such, even though legally they are not?
Why do these people fear incorporating their projects under the banner of the ISKCON they have recreated and now own? What drives them to establish these separatist, individually owned private projects if they themselves own and control ISKCON itself?
It makes me wonder about other private entities as outlined in the Sampradaya Sun’s ‘Corporate ISKCON’ series. I would love to see the bank accounts that are linked to these entities to know where all the money is, and then we will know who is controlling the money.
ISKCON GBC and Guru, Sivarama Swami stated that his private project in Hungary is the ‘real Vrindavana’. That apparently Vrindavana (India) that we know and which has been pointed out by our Vaisnava Acaryas is no more. It simply moved to Hungary.
Furthermore, by the use of a mirror, a map and a GPS system he can ‘see’ or ‘divine’ the precise spots where the Holy places that were once in Sri Vrindavana Dham are now situated in ‘his’ private Vrindavan – New Brajadham. Places like Radha Kund, Govardhana Hill, Nandagram and Varsana, etc…
Sivarama Swami even wrote a book about this. This allegedly divinely inspired claptrap can be purchased for a staggering $350 USD.
Perhaps those unfortunate souls who presently reside in the Holy Dham of Vrindavana (India) should now relocate, as did the Holy sites, to Hungary and Sivarama Swami’s private fabulous spiritual fairyland?
Sivarama Swami has also written many books on the intimate pastimes of the Divine Couple. As with so many other people who write on these very high subject matters, they make additions to the past Acaryas’ work in an attempt to make readers believe that they have direct access to these pastimes. Sivarama Swami goes to the length of claiming that he uses ‘artistic license’ to help embellish these works.
One would have to wonder why he would believe that artistic license is appropriate when writing about these intimate pastimes, when it is only his own speculative concoctions. If someone is actually realized in Krishna Consciousness, then surely they would have direct access to these pastimes and not have to resort to artistic license? Why write at all when the works of the Acaryas are already published, except for fame and glory?
Perhaps he should write books on his own realizations, and be truthful and honest.
One really has to wonder at what drives this man and makes him believe that his speculative ideas and concoctions are required and are on par with the Vaisnava Acaryas?
What is more, one must really wonder at the intellectual capacity of his disciples and others who have been taken in by speculations of this individual.
We also have to address his double standards when it comes to taking siksa outside of ISKCON. Sivarama Swami has a penchant for taking siksa outside of ISKCON himself, yet he wrote a book wherein he states that it is forbidden for rank and file devotees to go outside of ISKCON. In the past he was a senior member of the infamous Gopi Bhava Club, who were taking siksa from Narayana Maharaja, and at present he is known for taking siksa from a baba in Jagannatha Puri.
Don’t do as I do – Do as I say!! – appears to be his modus operandi, as it is with many other Corporate ISKCON duplicitous leaders and gurus.
Sivarama Swami is also not shy about his luxurious lifestyle. He quite possibly is the topmost member of the ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ ISKCON sannyasi/guru club. He is well renowned for his regular secret getaway retreats and holidays in top-shelf luxurious hotels and resorts, whose three and four figures per night price rate (US) is no bar to his budget.
Sivarama Swami has a very opulent expense account that receives funding from many sources. One is the farming community that he boasts of is self-sufficient, in proclamation only, for it is maintained by five donation collection teams based throughout Europe who have huge mandatory quotas. These teams are sanctioned by Pragosh, the GBC of these regions.
If we observe the (industrialist) opulent lifestyle that Sivarama Swami is living, we can understand that he has no idea what self-sufficiency is. So any claims of the success of this project are false, if it requires volunteers to hit the streets to raise money for it by begging. This is truly a false economy and any claim to self-sufficiency is an outright lie.
He has a group of his volunteers go to various prestigious universities in Europe to promote his so-called self-sufficient farming community, with remarkable success. These volunteers claim that their project is the only self-sufficient farming community in Europe. The problem with this is that they are not self-sufficient at all. Self-sufficiency means precisely that — self-sufficiency. You cannot make a claim of self-sufficiency when you need funding in order to maintain the project and you need to buy outside agriculture.
Self-sufficiency refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy. The term ‘self-sufficiency’ is usually applied to varieties of sustainable living in which nothing is consumed outside of what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals.
These claims of self-sufficiency are nothing but propaganda and lies. Either you are self-sufficient or you are not. They are not.
It is unknown just how many secret homes Sivarama Swami owns. We know that he has a private home in the now redundant (by his self-proclamation) Vrindavan, India. Much of this affluent sannyasi guru’s life is private and secretive. I am sure that this is not the life of a Vaisnava sannyasi or an ISKCON guru following the instruction that Srila Prabhupada has given us for the sannyasa asrama.
He appears to come in the line of the affluent ISKCON guru/sannyasis like Radhanatha Swami, who is infamous for his fat wad of hundred dollar bills that he always carries with him wherever he goes.
Sivarama Swami’s proposal for defining who is and who is not a member of ISKCON needs to be seen for what it is. It is either the empty words of an aging man who has lost his way and knows no better, or it can be taken seriously as an attempt to systematically profile who is a volunteer of ISKCON and who is not, according to his desired standards and not the standards of Srila Prabhupada.
In this way the institution can legally define who they want as a devotee of the Corporate ISKCON, and it is looking like anyone who is not an adherent of the neo-corporatized gurus or an apologist of the new ISKCON will be pushed out.
Sivarama Swami knows which side of his bread is buttered. He has the bucks, position, lifestyle and image of a Hollywood guru and his followers have to unquestionably do what they are told, or leave. It is either his way or the highway.
This is the same with Radhanatha Swami’s independently incorporated Chowpatty temple, as well. Either you meekly follow his rules and regulations (regardless how contrary to Srila Prabhupada’s they may be), or leave. They do not follow Srila Prabhupada, but it is mandatory for their volunteers to incontestably follow their immediate authority.
No one can question or challenge these affluent ISKCON gurus without being severely reprimanded or kicked out of their private projects.
It is abundantly clear to us what Sivarama Swami is setting up, with his new protocols of who is and is not an ISKCON devotee. Yet he leads a very affluent and luxurious lifestyle. He is also part of the latest sannyasi trend of keeping female servants and female secretaries, like many of his sannyasi peers.
Jealous? Envious? Me!? Well in some ways I am. Sure, I would love the fame, the fawning followers, the money they shower upon me, the flowered garlands they layer me with, the sumptuous food they feed me, the dedication, the gifts they adorn me with and the many houses and apartments/cars and computers and all the modern cons that they have in possession (perhaps even a ‘gravity free chair’). Sure, I would love being an affluent ISKCON guru sannyasi. Sure I would love it… but I prefer remaining a simple follower of Srila Prabhupada much more.
Then again, maybe ISKCON spokesman Basu Ghosh prabhu, who is one of the institution’s pandits, can answer\comment if the present gurus/sannyasis (Sivarama Swami and others alike) with their affluent high-flying luxurious lifestyles and their speculative activities meet the sastric requirements of a Vedic/Vaisnava Sannyasi in our line? (I don’t know Basu Ghosh personally, but I was told that he is a Vaisnava scholar-pandit and would appreciate his comments.)
If living this lifestyle is simple living and high thinking, then where do I sign up?
The idea that Bhakti Caru Swami has, that so long as a guru is rubber-stamped by this corporation then they are godly nitya-siddhas, is nothing but an apologist’s highly speculative viewpoint, and is based on the fact that he himself is a multi-millionaire businessman/sannyasi.
It must be said that Bhakti Caru Swami personally owns businesses with an estimated value well in excess of $40 million dollars. How is it possible that an ISKCON Vaisnava sannyasi can own private (undisclosed) businesses and still be considered a sannyasi?
But I think he has it around the wrong way. The reversal of God in Godly is dog. So perhaps they are Dogly and not Godly, as their activities are the polar opposite of Godly.
You can fool some people sometimes, but not all of the people at all times. If the GBC and these corporate gurus, with their ISKCON franchised businesses in the name of religiosity, commence profiling devotees in the manner in which they are presently attempting, devotees who are not volunteers in these businesses will rebel.
No true followers of Srila Prabhupada will bend their knees to these Fascists with their protocols and persecution programs. If they push on, then we will see an even greater rift between the true followers of Srila Prabhupada and these usurpers than is already in existence.
This may eventually prove to be their undoing. For the intelligent person coming to Krishna consciousness will clearly see the difference between the two and choose for themselves. Now they have no choice. You have a choice either to support the hypocritical sham that is now institutional Corporate ISKCON, or perish.
Even a blind man can see that every single thing they do only serves their purpose to completely and utterly undermine and/or destroy Srila Prabhupada’s mission and convert it into one of their own making. It is a far cry from the once warm, beautiful, spiritual family that Srila Prabhupada established, to the cold impersonal and ruthless corporate entity that it is now.
You can tell that ISKCON is well on the way to becoming an impersonal corporate entity when they allow people like Greg Stein (aka Gopal Bhatta) to pay $500,000 USD towards the corporatization/privatization process.
They know full well that he is a ruthless businessman whose spiritual standard is way below that which would be considered acceptable for an ISKCON member in Sivarama Swami’s new protocols. They know full well that he dreams of being appointed or anointed as the CEO of this Corporate ISKCON.
Sivarama Swami himself can hardly be termed a sadhu by any stretch of the imagination. He too appears to be a shrewd businessman whose goal is to gain and enjoy as much wealth and power as he can.
When you listen to these people, see how many times they refer to their ‘devotional’ activities as a devotional career (the general progression of your working or professional life). To them this is a career, not seva. So who are these people, anyway? How do they demonstrate to us that they are actually devotees and not career orientated businessmen?
It is about time that devotees woke up to their tactics and their betrayal of Srila Prabhupada. The present Corporate ISKCON that is claiming to represent Srila Prabhupada no longer even pretends to do so. They boldly change everything they can in a very systematic and thorough manner, and rarely if ever explain themselves. This demonstrates intention, their intention. So far as we can see, their intention is to usurp Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON and dismantle his mission, replacing it with their own concoction.
If you don’t believe me about Sivarama Swami, then find it out for yourself. If you don’t know what people like him are doing to change, warp and twist Srila Prabhupada’s movement and our very philosophy, then do the research yourself!
DOGLY AND CREAM
After reading about this infamous mayasthan Guru tribe,
it remindes me on the famous jolly film THE LOVE GURU ,
a story about this kind of new age showbootle gurus who trick
the world and cheat the young people who think they are coming
and serving the great goal and be in linie with Srila Prabhupada.
For me it shows that MAYA has entert iskcon, and she makes
a goon show out of the heritage of Srila Prabhupada.
Here in germanisthan we have a perfect representative of maya
in power as a kind of GBC, who rules over men and cattle.
Who ever has eyes to see, sees the blasphemy and feels like me.
Thats the end of the line, no more divine,
but gender mainstrem all over, to the end of time.
Is that what Srila Prabhupada wanted for his heritage,
woman ruling men, maya devis ruling and rocking the boat?
Srila Prabhupada ordered that all of his temples be separately incorporated. He didn’t want any centralized control. This policy also provides some immunity from lawsuits.
For example, when I was the temple treasurer of ISKCON Boston in 1975-76, the temple was incorporated as ISKCON of New England.
Your servant, Pratyatosa Dasa
Greetings ISKCONphobites,
I left ISKCON in 1983, spent a few months at Gita Nagari in 1998 and, since then, have not been to an ISKCON temple and, rarely think about it. I would like to encourage all ISKCONphobites to do the same, for these reasons.
[1] ISKCON is no longer in line with the instructions of its founder Acharya and, as such, is existing outside the purview of his divine grace. In other words, it has become a mundane institution.
[2] Considering its mundane status, why do so many devotees who have left ISKCON spend so much time thinking about it, feeling about it, writing about it and talking about it? According to our tradition, that is considered “prajalpa”.
[3] Shrila Prabhupad himself set the example for his disciples to follow by his departure from the Gaudiya Math. He made some minor commentary on why he left, instructed his disciples to not associate, then spend the next 12 years focusing on writing books and developing his vision for ISKCON. He also made it clear that “politics”, or getting entangled in contentious debate between opposing sides was a waste of time and rendered both sides “asara” or useless.
[4] As most disciples and followers of Shrila Prabhupad know, his Mission has two essential parts. The first part is to establish a network or Urban Monasteries from which Brahmanas engage in deity worship along with profuse distribution of books and prasadam. Each of these Urban Monasteries has a Varnashram College to teach the people in general how to live in devotional service. The second part is to establish a network of Rural Villages where all the varnas and ashram can be engaged in pure devotional service.
[5] ISKCON, due to its various deviations is seen to be “useless” in accomplishing these two goals. Instead, the leaders are more concerned with inducing most of the devotees to remain as wage slaves addicted to fruitive work in the mundane society, just to provide funding for the private projects of the sycophants living in the Temples. ISKCON is proud of its huge Temples, but, upon analysis, has totally failed to do what is important.
[6] The many ISKCONphobites, who spend inordinate amounts of time thinking, feeling, talking and writing about ISKCON seem to also have totally failed to establish the required networks of Urban Monasteries and Rural Villages. It seems that most ex-ISKCONites who have become ISKCONphobites, are also found to be addicted to wage slavery in frutive work, fully dedicated to participating in and supporting the surrounding mundane society. There may be a Temple here and there, but, as of yet, there seems to be little if any thinking, feeling, talking, writing and action toward the required goal of Urban Monastery with Varnashram College and Rural Village Development.
[7] This reply is not to incite a “war” of opposing positions but to point out the absolute and great need of Urban Monasteries with Varnashram College and Rural Villages. These are the primary Vision and Mission components of the instructions of Shrila Prabhupad. They are why he came here and, they are the reason his disciples and followers continue to live. So, to be an authentic “Prabhupadanuga” one MUST be thinking, feeling, talking, writing and taking action on the development of Urban Monasteries with Varnashram College and Rural Villages, with a very strong aversion to the “prajalpa” of ISKCONphobia. Such authentic Prabhupadanugas will also have a vehement aversion to accepting the degrading position of a wage slave addicted to fruitive work under the control of a non-devotee, and, as such, will be desperately making plans to move into an Urban Monastary or Rural Village as soon as possible.
[8] Individuals who claim to be Prabhupadanugas, or “disciples” and “followers” of Shrila Prabhupada but who oppose his Daivi Varnashram Village Development mandate and insist on remaining as wage slave addicted to fruitive work, while constantly thinking, feeling, talking and writing about ISKCON as ISKCONphobites, fall into the same category as those they criticize, “asara”.
[9] So, considering all this, lets get cracking and increase the amount of time devoted to building this much needed network of Urban Monasteries with Varnashram College and Rural Villages. And, all this ISKCONphobic chatter….kick it out!
Since Prabhupada wrote in his books, “Our Krishna consciousness movement is genuine, historically authorized, natural and transcendental due to its being based on Bhagavad-Gita As It Is” it should be clear that he wanted his assurance to be kept faultles and in order. To hand Prabhupada’s movement over to a bunch of pirates would render Prabhupada’s preface null and void: “Our Krishna consciousness movement is genuine…”
This is why some stubborn folks are trying to revive ISKCON. Agreed, there are lots of devotees who say, ISKCON is being hijacked by some aparadhis – no worry, leave Prabhupada’s movement stranded.
Millions of books are distributed, and in each book it says, come to the temple, genuine Vaishnavas take care of your life. And your answer is, to look the other way when so many people are getting cheated?
Krishnakant once wrote a few words addressing this point:
The meaning of preaching
A common criticism levelled by ISKCON gurus and their followers against the IRM is:
“The IRM does no preaching and only criticises, what good is this?â€
Though on the surface it may sound like there is merit to the charge, please consider the following:
1) By criticising us for criticising, the charge is guilty of the very thing we are accused of, and therefore is self-contradictory. It is defeated as soon as it is made.
2) However, let us assume for sake of argument that the charge is correct. Then we should ask if all the IRM does is “criticiseâ€, is the criticism CORRECT and TRUTHFUL? To this the answer must be “yesâ€, because if our criticism was wrong, then we would not be criticised simply for criticising, but for actually telling LIES. Thus, whenever we are criticised for “only criticisingâ€, this is another way of saying: “I cannot criticise WHAT you say, therefore I will criticise you FOR saying it!†Therefore the charge now has to be amended to: “IRM does no preaching and only criticises truthfully, what good is this?â€
3) Next we must ask if truthful criticism has any value. Well on further examination, we find that preaching is nothing but constructive criticism: e.g. Maya bad – but Krishna good. And we are similarly criticising constructively: e.g. Cheating gurus bad – Srila Prabhupada good. So then the charge again must be amended to: “IRM only preaches ‘controversy’. Better they preach by distributing books only.â€
4) To see the accuracy of this latest amended charge, let us consider a world free of this “criticism†of the deviation of ISKCON. There exists no IRM. Instead, everybody is engaged blissfully in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books and doing nothing else. Let’s see what would happen in this non-IRM preaching world: Someone gets a Bhagavad-gita, which is our main book, and the first thing they read, right in the second paragraph of the Preface is:
“Our Krishna consciousness movement is genuine, historically authorized, natural and transcendental due to its being based on Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. It is gradually becoming the most popular movement in the entire world, especially amongst the younger generation. It is becoming more and more interesting to the older generation also. Older gentlemen are becoming interested, so much so that the fathers and grandfathers of my disciples are encouraging us by becoming life members of our great society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.â€
(Preface, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada).
So before they even begin to read the book, they read that ISKCON is “genuineâ€, “authorisedâ€, “transcendentalâ€, and a “great societyâ€. The first thing I would want to do after reading this, is to seek out this “great society†ISKCON, promoted as it is by Srila Prabhupada himself, which is easy to do even if there are no contact details for ISKCON in the book. Having then come into contact with ISKCON, which has been completely endorsed by Srila Prabhupada, I will surrender my life fully. Only in doing so I will get cheated by bogus gurus, have my life ruined, and tragically BLAME SRILA PRABHUPADA for this, because HE is the one who directed us to ISKCON by telling us that it is completely bona fide, and consequently we will give up Krishna consciousness altogether – which sadly has been the fate of many. And this is just the second paragraph of the Preface. The more they read, and the more books we distribute, the more the above scenario will be repeated. Now it will be argued that some people will not contact ISKCON. Yes, but this will be despite the books, not because of them. Srila Prabhupada promotes ISKCON throughout his books – that was part of the purpose of the books, and indeed it says “Founder-Acarya of ISKCON†just on every cover. Therefore, after reading a book, to seek out ISKCON will be the default position.
And remember, there is no BTP, no TFO, no IRM, because this is a ‘criticism-free’ world. So immediately we come to the crux of our dilemma. If ISKCON is deviating, you cannot promote it, nor can you ignore it, you have to FIX it.
And right now there is no one else on the planet dedicated full-time to this task of preaching the truth about Srila Prabhupada and the great society he founded, ISKCON. And this preaching has to go hand-in-hand with book distribution, otherwise people may unwittingly be taken away from Srila Prabhupada, rather than be brought to his lotus feet.
Please feel free to write to me at the following address if you have any questions, criticisms or comments: irm@iskconirm.com. We welcome all correspondence. Thank you and Hare Krishna.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada,
Krishnakant, Editor