Rolex, Cars, Laptops, Silk-Dhoti and Golden Pissoirs for Sinyasis, ISK’CON Gurus

Rolex, Cars, Laptops, Silk-Dhoti and Golden Pissoirs for Sinyasis, ISK’CON Gurus

Jan 28, 2014 — CANADA (SUN) — Our Sun readers have responded to recent articles with a number of examples of the over-the-top opulence enjoyed by ISKCON leaders, past and present. Notable among them are the pictures below, taken in 2003, of Bhagavan’s batroom in Villa Vrndavana, Italy. Yes that is a chandelier in the shower. When Sridhara Swami first saw the bathroom he paid obeisances, thinking he was in the temple room.

Also below is a photo of Bhakti Chaitanya Swami’s car in 2007. The red Lexus is a top-end Toyota, on par with Mercedes Benz in regards to quality and price. The Swami has no doubt since upgraded to a better car.

Another reader wrote:

“These articles are bringing back old memories. I confess that I also was temporarily affected to a small degree. In the late 70s early 80s the craze was for gold Cross pens, Halliburton briefcases and Rolex watches. I had the first two, but I kept my Halliburton so pristine that I was able to sell it years later at a profit to a high flying sannyasi from Bhagavan’s zone, who fell so fast that his name escapes me. Some American with a chivalrous, ornate and flowery way of talking…

After meeting the super austere Madhva sannyasis I saw real renunciation. Pejvara Swami, who ran the major Madhva gurukula worth millions of dollars, lived in a completely bare room with only a grass mat for the books. He had only 2 changes of cloth.

When I went back to Mayapura the contrast could not be more extreme. Bhagavan and Bhavananda were wearing Rolex watches with lapis lazuli faces and diamonds to mark the hours. I remember once in 1981-2, while attempting to talk to Bhagavan, that his servant came to him carrying a small caddy that held 6 different types of cologne. He also had a gold handled tooth brush and razor.”

The Tip of the Iceberg
Adapted from Sampradaya Sun – By: Yadu Dasa

ISKCON becoming fascinated and fixated on having the latest and greatest technology and gear. Leaders often attend international gatherings, and like to show each other what they’re acquired, whether it be new computing equipment, watches or other extravagant items. They’re almost competing with one another to see who is best outfitted.

This phenomenon is not a recent one — it’s been going on for a long time. ISK’CONS so called leaders have always used a philosophical justification for spending money, based on the principle that everything belongs to Krsna and should be used in His service – nirbande krsna sambande. This justification goes back to the time of Srila Prabhupada’s manifest lila. I have this historical perspective, having at one time been one of the middle echelon authorities in ISKCON. I got to witness this phenomenon, and must admit that to a certain degree I fell victim to it.

Srila Prabhupada wasn’t seemingly intolerant of his disciples’ exhibiting a certain amount of opulence, and he didn’t seem to make a big point of the fact that sannyasis were wearing expensive watches, silk clothes, rings, etc. And they sort of played it that way, needing to justify their desires by gifting Srila Prabhupada with opulent and expensive things, like watches and jewelry. But although Srila Prabhupada would accept such gifts graciously, he often gave the items away to one of the disciples serving him directly. He didn’t personally exhibit such opulence.

Basu Ghosh das has recently been the subject of conversation, after having made a public plea for expensive new camera gear. We can only assume that he represents perhaps hundreds of other leaders who also justify what they’re doing, and it’s not limited to simply cameras. In fact, Basu Ghosh’s camera is a pittance of the cost of the opulent camera that Bhakti Chaitanya Swami bought for himself. We previously revealed the fact that he spent $80,000 on a Hasselblad, one of the most expensive cameras on the market. Recently one of my Canadian godbrothers questioned the Swami about this extravagance when he attended the Toronto Rathayatra. He justified it by saying that he was doing a pictorial coffee table book on Vrindavan, therefore he needed such a camera. Of course, he could have paid a professional photographer to do this work for a fraction of the price he paid for the camera. Even within ISKCON, there are many such professional photographers who are already well equipped. But instead, the Swami from South Africa outfitted himself and travelled repeatedly to Vrindavan to produce a very high-end book. Why he felt it was his duty to provide such a book, is another question.

So Basu Ghosh das, being a Temple President and non-GBC/non-guru, is not on the same echelon as those having many disciples and big zones, thus able to accumulate funds well beyond their needs. There’s no use pointing them all out — there are so many examples in today’s ISK’CON.

We have made a point of directing people’s attention to the fact that these gurus are going way beyond the sastric definition of a Vaisnava guru. These “ordinary” gurus are not Sampradaya Acaryas, or rarified topmost members of the guru-parampara… they are simply regular gurus and sannyasis, “perhaps” members of our sampradaya. In other words, Srila Prabhupada’s examples with respect to accepting opulence is not pertinent here — for them, it’s not a comparable. They don’t have the spiritual status of Srila Prabhupada, who compared to most of them lived a very humble existence. Yes, of course on some occasions, like when he arrived at certain temples, the foolish leaders went overboard in renting luxury vehicles and limousines for picking him up at the airport, going to events, etc. For whatever reason Srila Prabhupada didn’t complain about it — but it’s not that he didn’t notice it.

Of course, Srila Prabhupada understood his exceptionally advanced position, although he did not broadcast it — just as Lord Caitanya didn’t broadcast His position; neither did Srila Bhaktisiddhanta or Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakurs. For whatever philosophical reasons they had, they didn’t make a big issue out of this. But we have to understand what’s commonly known as the trickle-down effect: what great men do, common men follow. And of course, what ISKCON leaders do trickles-down to common men in ISKCON — regional leaders, temple leaders and senior devotees in the congregation.

In the early days of ISKCON, we were limited in what we could spend on extravagances. We might acquire a really nice pen, or maybe a better watch than everyone else… not a Rolex, but a Seiko. Or we might drive a slightly better used car than we should have. But once Srila Prabhupada departed, we saw a huge spike in this phenomenon. At that time I was a Temple President, and I saw how I was negatively impacted, spiritually, by the influence of the Zonal Acaryas. It was somewhat short-lived in my case, because they kicked me out of my position shortly after they took over. That’s a part of my history I’ve written about in the past.

Witnessing my own contemporaries at the time, the Canadian Temple Presidents, they were all contaminated, to the point where I think it was a contributing factor to their falling away from Krsna consciousness. The influence of the Zonal Acaryas was that they were directly encouraged to buy expensive cars, and watches, and get better apartments if they were householders. There was going to India every year, which Temple Presidents were requested and required to do, but under the Zonal Acaryas, they began dovetailing that with a holiday junket, often attended by the Zonals themselves. Instead of just going to Mayapur or Vrindavan dhams, they also went to beaches in South India, and to health spas and so on. It really started to escalate. It was bad association. And it’s continuing to this very day. In fact, now it’s institutionalized.

If you are an ambitious and somewhat gifted personality within ISKCON today, you know that if you want to live a carefree and extravagant lifestyle, then you have to map out a future which includes taking sannyasa and getting on the guru list. Once you’ve achieved those goals, you’ll be eligible for opulence. You can travel wherever you want, when you want. You can live on a very comfortable level wherever you go. You can acquire the best in electronics gear and computers, and whatever the market provides… cameras, watches, etc. There’s no simple way, no other real path that you can take in ISKCON that will allow you this kind of opulence. You can become a highly placed householder within the organization, or you can be a householder who does ISKCON part-time while also being an entrepreneur. That way you can earn some money and sort of keep up with the leaders, although really keeping up is almost impossible.

Once you’ve taken that path, you eventually and almost inevitably give up ISKCON leadership and just become an entrepreneur or a retired person. There is a limited amount of opportunity and position that someone other than a sannyasi or guru can take, although in future there will undoubtedly be more and more well paying jobs in the institution. But is this good for your spiritual life? Of course not.

In sastra there are so many examples, starting with the Goswamis. They were millionaires and they became humble mendicants, giving it all up so they could not only show by example, but also demonstrate how simple humble living is paramount and essential for you to make spiritual progress in Krsna consciousness. The whole western influence is not some great justification. Coming from a western country does not somehow give you carte blanche to live according to western standards while still accepting positions such as sannyasi and guru.

It’s just inconceivable and incomprehensible for the common devotee when they see and hear how these ISKCON leaders justify what they’re doing. It all comes down to their own inflated perception of themselves. In reality, they are part of a tradition that goes back hundreds and thousands of years. There are so many examples in Vaisnava sastra, that there’s just no way they can justify what they’re doing, except to try and do so in a concocted, really asiddhantic manner. Which means they are not only setting an example, but they’re preaching their justification, which is contagious. They are laying a foundation for the future.

It’s the nature of the materially embodied spirit soul to be envious of Krsna. Envy of Krsna manifests in so many different ways, and one of them is that you want to be as opulent as Krsna. You want to be as beautiful, as powerful, as opulent as Krsna. So in a sense, this display of extravagance among the leaders is a sign of enviousness of Krsna, no question about it.

I have witnessed in my lifetime the devolution, the downward spiraling of so many personalities who were at one time very humble and very simple in their lifestyle. I’ve lived personally with them. I’ve seen that at the point in their spiritual life when they didn’t have these opulences, even if they had relative power in ISKCON at the time, they were still living a humble lifestyle — far more humble and Vaisnava-like than they are today. Of course, the leaders have perfected the art of acting, under certain ideal circumstances, as if they are exhibiting symptoms of advancement such as humility. But it’s a thin veneer. They’re easily exposed if their circumstances change even slightly. They become angry and frustrated if they’re not treated in the style and up to the level they expect. It’s all symptomatic, of course — undeniable and unavoidable symptoms of someone who’s falling down… someone who is deteriorating in their potency and power on a spiritual level.

In a sense, I feel that Basu Ghosh das is not only the tip of the iceberg, he’s just a tiny chunk of the iceberg. As a regional leader, he just foolishly went out and solicited money in public for an expensive camera he almost surely doesn’t need. Of course, he can’t acquire money from his disciples since he’s not a diksa guru. He’s got to go to the congregation or friends if he becomes infatuated with some kind of opulence that his position doesn’t justify him having. So the real culprit or enemy is Maya — the material world. It is every person’s tendency to want to have the material world provide them beyond what comes naturally or easily. Due to their karma or circumstance, if it comes very easily, then it is not so serious an offense. But those who have to make a big effort to acquire these things, or assume a position they’re not qualified to assume, such as sannyasi or guru, in order to get such things — then the offense escalates to a relative degree.

We recently received an email which demonstrates the contagious nature of this “begging online” for frivolous things. This time it’s a fundraising plea from Pritu dasa (the masturbation acarya), who is supposed to be in a state of spiritual recovery after a very serious falldown he experienced, due in part to becoming enamored by the opulence he acquired from the disciples (who have now rejected him). He was obvious not qualified to accept this type of service. His email indicates that he has not yet learned his lesson:

From Prithu das’s Facebook page:

“after going back and forth about it for years I decided to get an iPad Mini. However a look at my bank balance says, I clearly can’t afford it. Is there somebody out there who might be able to sponsor the thing, even partially ? Sorry to be so brazen to ask the whole world, but I suppose, no harm trying (-:
If u do like to help, send me email to
pre2@pamho.net Thank you,
ys Prithu das –

With the supportive comment from Basu Ghosh das:

“Appeal from Prithu Das Prabhu. He’s elderly now, and can use the help.”

So this phenomenon in ISKCON is setting a very bad example.

Birds of the same feather…..
Read all about Prithu here:
http://www.harekrsna.org/gbc/black/german.htm

Camera of Basu Ghosh

A Cautionary Lesson from the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita
BY: YAJNAVALKYA DASA (ACBSP)

Jan 28, 2014 — MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA, USA (SUN) — Recent topics in the Sampradaya Sun reminded me of a section of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, concerning a valuable blanket owned by Sanatana Gosvami. This is from the Madhya-lila, Chapter 20, verses 82 through 92:

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt unlimited happiness to observe Sanatana Gosvami’s strict following of the principles of sannyasa. However, He repeatedly glanced at the woolen blanket Sanatana Gosvami was wearing.

“Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was repeatedly glancing at this valuable woolen blanket, Sanatana Gosvami could understand that the Lord did not approve of it. He then began to consider a way to give it up.

“Thinking in this way, Sanatana went to the bank of the Ganges to bathe. While there, he saw that a mendicant from Bengal had washed his quilt and spread it out to dry.

“Sanatana Gosvami then told the Bengali mendicant, ‘My dear brother, please do me a favor. Trade me your quilt for this woolen blanket.’

“The mendicant replied, ‘Sir, you are a respectable gentleman. Why are you joking with me? Why would you trade your valuable blanket for my torn quilt?’

“Sanatana said, ‘I am not joking; I am speaking the truth. Kindly take this blanket in exchange for your torn quilt.’

“Saying this, Sanatana Gosvami exchanged the blanket for the quilt. He then returned to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with the quilt on his shoulder.

“When Sanatana Gosvami returned, the Lord asked, ‘Where is your woolen blanket?’ Sanatana Gosvami then narrated the whole story to the Lord.

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then said, ‘I have already deliberately considered this matter. Since Lord Krishna is very merciful, He has nullified your attachment for material things. Why should Krishna allow you to maintain a last bit of material attachment? After vanquishing a disease, a good physician does not allow any of the disease to remain.

“‘It is contradictory to practice madhukari and at the same time wear a valuable blanket. One loses his spiritual strength by doing this, and one will also become an object of jokes.'”