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NEWSLETTER No.29 |
Message from Adridharana Dasa, Temple President ISKCON Calcutta
- City of New York To Honour Srila Prabhupada
- Time-Out Article on Srila Prabhupada's Tree
- BBT Admits Books Need to Change To Accommodate Non-BBT Books
- Classic Quotes
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1. City of New York To Honour Srila Prabhupada |
34 years ago the worldwide Hare Krishna
movement was inaugurated by Srila Prabhupada under a certain tree in
Tompkins Square Park, New York City.
There he led a public Kirtan that was to engulf the neighbourhood at the
time, and then grow into a movement that was to make 'Hare Krishna' a
household word. It was an event that was to also to be captured in the now
famous story and picture of Srila Prabhupada in the 'East Village Other'
newspaper in 1966. Yet in all this time, though this story has become a
legend in ISKCON, there has never been any landmark to commemorate this
spot in Tompkins Square Park where the Hare Krishna movement took birth.
Though for many years, various devotees have made some attempts to
commemorate this spot in some way or another, they have never succeeded.
That is until now!! What follows is a story of intense devotion to Srila
Prabhupada, and another example of the amazing success and empowerment
which can result when we place Srila Prabhupada in the center of our lives
as the sole Diksa Guru for ISKCON, just as he wanted.
One year ago the IRM (ISKCON Revival Movement) held its famous meeting in
New York City to begin the push to revitalise the movement in the
West.
One of the devotees who was the organiser and founder of the IRM center in
New York, was Mother Vani Dasi, who is dedicated to distributing Srila
Prabhupada's books in New York. For over 3 years she had been performing a
personal service to Srila Prabhupda by sweeping the cobblestone bricks
around the elm tree in the center of Tompkins Square Park where Srila
Prabhupada first started the sankirtan movement in the western world.
So many times while sweeping, people would ask her why she was doing this,
and it would give her an opportunity to preach Krishna Consciousness and
glorify everyone's spiritual master Srila Prabhupada.
About a year ago, after getting inspired by the IRM meeting in New York
that she hosted, she approached Harry Greenberg, the keeper of Tompkins
Square Park. She had already developed a nice rapport with him, since in
his eyes she was doing "community service" by sweeping around
the tree daily. One day she inquired how to go about getting a plaque for
the tree glorifying Srila Prabhupada and the Hare Krishna Movement. He
told her that she would need to talk to his boss, Margaret Asarro, and he
introduced them to each other.
Margaret was very friendly and responsive
and gave Mother Vani the address of the commissioner of the Park's
Department for the whole of New York City - Commissioner Henry Stern.
She advised Mother Vani to write him a proposal and present the idea of
getting some type of permanent commemorative marker for the elm tree. She
put together an extensive package including an old photo of Srila
Prabhupada from the East Village Other article in 1966, and a recent photo
of the tree garlanded and decorated with a Hare Krishna maha mantra
banner. In all, she wrote a 4 page proposal, giving Srila Prabhupada's
history and how he fulfilled the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by
coming to the west and starting and spreading this sankirtan
movement.
It took a long time to get a response. Everytime she called the
commissioner to inquire about the proposal, she would get his secretaries
and they would just pass the buck. She spent a whole year of constantly
calling every day at least once and persevering.
During that time in early February of this year, while she was helping
renovate the whole floor of a building for the opening of the new IRM
temple in NYC, (as highlighted in newsletter No. 22
& newsletter 23) she received a mysterious
call from a reporter who said he wanted to write an article on her trying
to acquire a plaque for the tree. She was bewildered as to how he knew
this and yet it all seemed like another one of Krishna's perfect
arrangements. He then also interviewed a devotee from the ISKCON temple in
Brooklyn, but ended up wanting to do the story on Mother Vani, since she
was making the attempt to get the plaque. The reporter wanted to take a
photo of Mother Vani and her husband Brahma Bhuta Das under the
tree.
Arrangements were made and within a couple weeks the article appeared in
Time Out New York magazine, which is famous throughout New York City. (Please
see next item for full article) As soon as the story came out Mother
Vani photocopied it and sent another letter to Commissioner Stern asking -
"Now can we get it!". In reply, she was requested to write to
him again with a briefer 1 page version of the proposal on why we wanted
the plaque for the tree.
The response this time was "Yes"!
However, still no immediate action took place. Within the next three
months she again called regularly, inquiring when she would receive a more
definite answer as to when we would be getting the plaque. Finally at the
beginning of July she called commissioner Stern's office again determined
to make an appointment with him and again the secretary put her on hold.
After a long time the secretary came back to the phone saying that our
letter had just been reviewed and signed by him and that we would receive
it in the mail in a few days. Sure enough the letter came with the final
say. We reproduce it below:
| Mrs.
Vani Devi Dasi Oshuns 224 E. 10th Street, # 4 New York, NY 10003 Dear Mrs. Oshuns: Thank you for your letter regarding a historical plaque for A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The articles you enclosed were a pleasure to read. The elm tree at the southern end of Tompkins Square Park has indeed played witness to an event of great importance. Its historical significance for the Hindu-based Hare Krishna religion is recognized around the globe. With this in mind, a new historical sign telling the story of the park's trees and horticulture for Tompkins Square Park is currently being written; it will include an account of the Prabhupada connection with the park. Should you have any questions please call Margaret Assaro, our Park Manager. It was good of you to take the time to write. All the best, Henry J. Stern Commissioner City of New York, Parks & Recreation |
What is even more special is that originally we had offered to pay for any wording or sign that would go up. Now not only has the city agreed to honour Srila Prabhupada, but they are going to pay for it too! The text for the historical plaque is being worked on right now and the current draft reads:
"Among this grove of elms is a very special elm. Under this very elm tree a spiritual revolution started, and spread throughout 6 continents. Here, in 1966 His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Founder and current Guru (spiritual master) of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) introduced the western world to the sublime chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare"
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
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2. Time-Out Article on Srila Prabhupada's Tree |
This is the article referred to earlier
that appeared in 'Time-Out', one of New York's most famous magazines:
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Tree Believers The Hare Krishnas are looking for a sign on an elm in Tompkins Square Park It may look like any other old tree, but a towering elm standing in an open space at the southern end of Tompkins Square Park is a world-historical site. Under its branches in 1966, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, an Indian religious leader, first introduced his teachings to the Western world. That event marks the founding, right here in New York City,of the Hindu-based Hare Krishna religion. Now the saffron-robed, dance-happy, bookhawking Krishnas want a monument erected near the elm explaining its place in history.
Vani has contacted the East Village Parks Conservancy about the idea, and the Conservancy says it's now considering the proposal before it makes a recommendation to the City Parks and Recreation Department. If Parks gives the Krishnas the thumbs-up, the big question then becomes whether the mayor will attend the monument's unveiling in a bid to court the crucial ethnic Krishna vote for his upcoming Senate race. Stay tuned....-Stephen Kosloff |
A photo with the following caption also appeared with the article:
| (Picture caption) Tree people Vani devi dasi and her husband, Brahmabhuta dasa, hold a photo of Swami Prabhupada in front of the elm tree where he founded the Hare Krishnas. |
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3. BBT Admits Books Need to Change To Accommodate Non-BBT Books |
We had reported earlier in newsletter
no.26, how Dravida of the BBT had admitted changing Srila Prabhupada's
Caitanya Caritamrta to fit the current Guru Tattva touted by the GBC. (In
summary, Dravida has changed a passage from the CC wherein it states that
Jaganntha Das Babaji *initiated*
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, to omit the word *initiated*, even though he
*admits* Srila Prabhupada wrote it that way.)
The whole issue had been sparked by a
letter to Dravida from Dhira Govinda prabhu, the chairman of the CPO (Child
Protection Office). We had explained in our earlier newsletter the
inherent danger in such changes, justified as they are by ISKCON's
subjective understandings at any one point in time. Now in a reply to the
article by Dhira Govunda prabhu, Dravida prabhu has elaborated on the
justification that he gave for making these changes to Srila Prabhupada's
books.
Dravida prabhu states:
| "Having read that Jagannatha dasa Babaji initiated Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the reader would naturally assume that Jagannatha dasa Babaji is Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's initiating spiritual master. But we know that Bhaktivinoda already had one--Vipina Vihari Goswami--and so that impression would be false because "acceptance of more than one [initiating spiritual master] is always forbidden." |
Dravida quite confidently asserts that 'we
know' that Bhaktivinoda already had an initiating spiritual master by the
name of Vipina Vihari Goswami.
However *how* do we know this? We definitely do *not* know this from Srila
Prabhupada, since this individual is not even *mentioned* in the entire
canon of Srila Prabhuada's teachings. We can only assume that Dravida has
picked up this information either from the books of the Gaudiya Matha, or
through some other source not translated by Srila Prabhupada. It is
interesting to note that specifically in regard to Bhaktivinoda Thakura,
which is what we are dealing with here, Srila Prabhupada does quite
emphatically state:
"Whatever is to be learned of the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura can be learned from our books. There is no need whatsoever for any outside instruction."
(Letter to Guru-Kripa, Yasodanandana, 25/12/73)
Now it is one thing to argue that it is
fine to read books other than those directly written and translated by
Srila Prabhupada, however it is a completely different matter to try and
use these outside teachings to
*supersede* that which has been given by Srila Prabhupada. How can it be
bona fide to *change* Srila Prabhupada's books based on what is contained
in *other* books? Even if it *was* permissible to read other books, this
should only be done to *supplement* our knowledge of Srila Prabhupada's
teachings, not to *supplant* it. How can the *supplementary* teaching be
used to *replace* the *primary* teaching?
We have the ludicrous situation whereby the BBT, the supposed guardians of Srila Prabhupada's legacy, are proposing that they be allowed to *change* Srila Prabhupada's books based on information contained in *other books*. Books which themselves may or may not be bona fide, rendered into English via translations which may or may not be bona-fide.
As well as being shocking, this state of affairs is also hypocritical since even Dravida and others are *against* trying to use information contained in these same outside books to supersede Srila Prabhupada's books when it suits them. When devotees began presenting evidence from *outside* Srila Prabhupada's books which differed from Srila Prabhupada's teaching on the 'origin of the soul', they were forced hastily to pass the following GBC resolution:
| "In resolving
philosophical controversies, the teachings, instructions, and
personal example of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada shall be the first and primary resource for ISKCON
devotees. We should understand Vedic literature, the writings of
previous acaryas, and the teachings of current bona fide acaryas
outside ISKCON through the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Where we
perceive apparent differences, we may attribute them to our own lack
of understanding or (more rarely) to "differences among
acaryas." When acaryas apparently differ, we shall defer to
what is taught by His Divine Grace, our Founder-Acarya." (Resolution No. 79, GBC Meetings, 1995) |
The GBC also emphatically stated that:
| "...we must see
the previous acaryas through Prabhupada. We cannot jump over
Prabhupada and then look back at him through the eyes of previous
acaryas." (Our Original Position, p. 163, GBC Press) |
However they seem more than happy to toss their own guidelines aside when they want to justify changing Srila Prabhupada's words in regards to the thorny issue of *initiation*. Then we are told that we *must* jump over Srila Prabhupada and see his words through the words of others. And worse that we must then change Srila Prabhupada's words to fit in with these outside teachings. And the reason for this outrageous double standard is so that there is not the slightest chance that Srila Prabhupada could emerge as the Diksa Guru in ISKCON. Dravida has admitted that this is his motivation in rejecting the sastrically supported explanations of Dhira Govinda prabhu:
| "Aside from the
passage itself, I can easily see the following syllogism flowing
from your notes on diksa: Diksa is really the imparting of transcendental knowledge. Srila Prabhupada is the pre-eminent imparter of transcendental knowledge for all generations of Iskcon devotees, now and in the future. So Srila Prabhupada is giving diksa to all who take knowledge from his books, tapes, and other media. He who gives diksa is the diksa-guru. One is enjoined to have only one diksa-guru because the acceptance of more than one is strictly forbidden in the sastra. Therefore Srila Prabhupada is the only diksa-guru for all Iskcon devotees for the next ten thousand years. I don't think I want to go down that road." (Dravida's reply to Dhira Govinda) |
Thus in summary we have the following state of affairs:
- The BBT has changed Srila Prabhupada's books.
- It has admitted that the change has been made to words that Srila Prabhupada actually wrote.
- The change is justified to fit in with what happens to be the GBC's current understanding of 'initiation'.
- The change is justified to fit in with
what is written in sources
*outside* of Srila Prabhupada's books. - These are the same outside sources which
the GBC say we *cannot* use to supplant what Srila Prabhupada has
given.
Regardless of what one's view is on the Guru issue, surely the above state of affairs must be something the whole movement is concerned about. We have a clear choice before us:
Do we want Srila Prabhupada to be allowed to speak for himself; OR Do we want Srila Prabhupada's books to be doctored to fit in with what Dravida has 'learned' by consulting the books of the Gaudiya Matha and others?
Please act to protect the words of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada's books are his legacy to us. Lose this and we lose everything.
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4. Classic Quotes |
In this regular column we shall be
highlighting the bizarre and contradictory world of our GBC and 'Gurus',
who have occupied Srila Prabhupada's position on the pretext of being able
to guide us out of darkness and back to Godhead. However as this column
will show over the coming weeks, these personalities would be better
advised coming into the light themselves, and to move out of the way from
blocking the clear and transcendental light which is emanating directly
from Srila Prabhupada.
Physician heal thyself!
| ***Classic Quote No. 2*** |
*Jayapataka States GBC Guru Tattva Not In Line With Guru & Sastra*
| "Actually the scriptures mention that the guru can be called by such names as Visnupada, Prabhupada, Acharyadeva. Nonetheless the GBC felt that being attached to this particular scriptural instruction has been counter-productive as many devotees felt that it was artificial to accept such names. [...] At first I was quite upset because this was not according to Srila Prabhupada's instructions given in his books. [...] Actually, as soon as we accepted the position of a spiritual master it became the practice to have a name like that since it was mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's books. Although in sastra using such names for a guru are authorized, but in a society like ISKCON there should be some approved procedure or etiquette for doing so." |
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***Classic Quote No. 3*** |
*Jayapataka States That Guru & Sastra Can Be Overruled By 'Time, Place & Circumstance*
| "Considering the time, place and circumstances we are in there is some merit in this decision although it apparently contravenes a direct instruction of Srila Prabhupada given in his books." |
(The above extracts were taken from a letter sent
by H.H. Jayapataka Maharaja to all his disciples, dated 24th March, 1999)
Here Maharaja DIRECTLY states that the GBC are not acting in line with
Guru OR Sastra. We are always reminded that everything must be in line
with Guru and Sastra and Sadhu. Well Maharaja is admitting that the GBC on
this point are NOT in line with Guru and Sastra. Maharaja is also
supporting this decision in saying that 'Guru and Sastra' can be overruled
by 'time, place and circumstance', since in doing this there is 'merit' in
the decision of the GBC. Thus as well as pointing out the deviation of the
GBC body, Maharaja is also endorsing this deviation, and proposes that
this deviation can be supported on the basis of whatever the GBC consider
to be 'time, place and circumstance'. By this logic one could overrule any
order of the Guru and any sastric injunction. Thus this idea that the GBC
and JPS are faithful adherents of 'Guru, Sadhu and Sastra' has now been
smashed. As we have seen, it is actually the IRM with their unstinting
resolve to always follow Srila Prabhupada's direct instructions without
any change, who are actually trying to uphold 'Guru, Sadhu & Sastra'.
Thank you for taking the time to read this
newsletter, and please keep your letters, and e-mail addresses of other
devotees who should be added to our list, flowing in.
A hard copy of our main position paper 'The Final
Order' is available on request.
All other IRM papers can be accessed through the EDITORIAL SECTION of the
IRM website at http://come.to/irm
If you would
like to receive any of the back issues of the Newsletter please let me
know.
No 1. Invitation to Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa
Puja
No 2. GBC Lose First Round of Court Case
No 3. The Story VNN Refused to Publish
No 4. Poison Theorists Accuse Adri of
Complicity
No 5. Iskcon Continues to Promote Child
Abusers
No 6. Invitation to Malaysia
No 7. United World Body Formed
No 8. Does Srila Prabhupada Support Poisoning
Theory?
No 9. PADA Attacks IRM Position
No 10. PADA Continues to Present False
Evidence
No 11. GBC Funded Video says Ritvik
Spiritual
No 12. Child Rapist Selected by Gurus to Defend
their Legitimacy
No 13. GBC Facing Perjury Charge in Calcutta
High Court
No 14. Sahajiyism Makes a Comeback in Iskcon.
No 15. Govt. Minister Inaugurates Bangalore
Rathayatra
No 16. Iskcon Calcutta Triumphs Following Arson
Attack
No 17. Fighting Lies with Truth Not More Lies
No 18. GBC Resolutions Continue to Provide
Laughter
No 19. Indian Leaders Endorse IRM Position
That GBC Confused
No 20. Convicted Child Abuser Officially
'Returns' To Parampara
No 21. GBC Chairman Admits ISKCON
'Disintegrating'
No 22. Krishna
Confirms ISKCON Re-Birth
No 23. Hare
Krishna Explosion Begins In New York as IRM Temple Opens
No 24. IRM
Launches Media Campaign to Defend Srila Prabhupada
No 25. GBC Teaches That 'Living Gurus' NOT
Required
No 26. BBT Admits Books Changed To Fit GBC
Philosophy
No 27. Big Breakthrough For Krishna In
Singapore
No 28. Bangalore Tops World Book
Distribution
Your comments, questions and feedback are appreciated. Please write to me at adri@cwcom.net
Your
Servant,
Adridharan das