Message from Adridharana Dasa, Temple President ISKCON Calcutta:

Welcome to our 4th newsletter. In this issue, we will again cover many topics, but in particular we will expose the absurdity of a Guru system that functions not via 'physical contact with the Guru', but rather via instructions delivered in the main, from Srila Prabhupada. Thus on the one hand we are told that Srila Prabhupada cannot be our diksa guru because we need a 'physically present' Guru. Yet the 'physically present' Guru now tells us that he does not need to be 'physically present' to instruct his disciples, since Srila Prabhupada can instruct them via his books!!

1. Poison Theorists Accuse Adri of Complicity  
2. Indradyumna Swami Dismisses Need for Physical Presence
3. Readers' Letters
4. Showdown in Brooklyn

It seems that the poison theorists have now even accused myself of being involved, as the following posting from VNN shows:

1. After this conversation I spoke at length with the Kaviraja and asked him what Srila Prabhupada was referring to when he mentioned poison. He told me that Srila Prabhupada was referring to the fact that the medicines he had been given were poisonous.
2. Thus after having satisfied myself, I saw no reason to pursue the subject further. The Kaviraja in question was trusted by Srila Prabhupada, and was very close to me, since I had found him, and lived with him and assisted him whilst he treated Srila Prabhupada. Living with him practically 24 hours a day, and being the only devotee who he really spoke with, he would tell me everything.
3. Indeed so candid was he with me, that straight after Srila Prabhupada's departure, he confided in me that Tamala Krishna was not even a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, since he had told the kaviraja that Srila Prabhupada's body must be moved 'before rigor mortis sets in'. The Kaviraja was flabbergasted and came and told me that this was ridiculous since Srila Prabhupada was a mahabhagavata, and that his body is spiritual like Ramanujacarya, and thus there was no question of rigor mortis ever setting in. And true enough, if you study the 'Final Lesson' video, you will see Srila Prabhupada's body remaining soft and supple, many hours after rigor mortis normally sets in, just as the Kaviraja had predicted. Thus I had no reason to not trust the Kaviraja, and suspect that he would lie to me.
4. I told all this to Dhanesvara Das, over 1 year ago, when he interviewed me on behalf of the poison investigation. Thus the idea that I did 'nothing', or that I am 'protecting' Tamala Krishna, is incorrect. Since the subject has been brought up, this would be a good time to state the IRG's position on the 'poison theory':

"Following publication of the book 'Someone Has Poisoned Me', some GBC apologists have attempted to link the poison issue with the ritvik issue. No doubt they are banking on the 'poisoning' being debunked so that ritvik is also discredited. If this is their hope then they will be sorely disappointed. The truth is that they are two entirely separate issues. Anyone looking at our web-site will quickly realise that there is not one single official IRG position paper on the poison issue. Not one. As far as the IRG are concerned ISKCON leaders must re-instate Srila Prabhupada's preferred initiation system regardless of whether some of them poisoned Srila Prabhupada in 1977. Certainly such a serious allegation needs investigation, and the GBC have commissioned Balavanta Das for this purpose. Hopefully his investigation will provide a complete view of all the facts and evidence. In particular, the test results for the key piece of evidence, the arsenic in the hair, will be presented in Balavanta's report. Once we have all the facts and evidence it might be easier to make an informed statement on the likelihood that Srila Prabhupada was murdered. If it is decided by the investigation that Srila Prabhupada was indeed most likely deliberately poisoned then we may have a motive to offer the investigation; but whatever the case, our position will not be weakened by the outcome of the investigation, and our action against the GBC over initiations will continue unabated. Please note the key movers in bringing the poison issue to light, and pushing it:

Balavanta Das
Naveen Krishna Das
Madhusevita Das (who as GBC chairman authorised Balavanta's investigation in 1997)
Mahabhuddi Das
Isa Das
Rocana Das
Puru Das etc. etc.  

are all characterised by the fact that to our knowledge NONE of them agree with the ritvik position, or are in anyway involved with the IRG. Nityananda Das, a ritvik supporter, did get involved later, and has put considerable effort into pushing this issue, but as the above names prove, to state that the 'ritviks' were behind the poison theory' is ludicrous. "

The following is taken from an Indradyumna Swami 'darshan' - (Text COM:1974636). My comments are in brackets:

Here Maharaja very nicely sums up the IRG position - that the absence of 'personal direction' does not hinder one's spiritual life.

Maharaja again destroy's the GBC's current 'living Guru' idea.

Maharaja here perfectly exposes the falsity of the need for the Guru to have a vapu form to be able to take 'proper care of his disciples'.

So the disciples need to take instruction primarily from Srila Prabhupada - since which Guru can compare with Srila Prabhupada's tapes and books?

So the program is to read Srila Prabhupada's books, and take siksa from other senior devotees - the same formula given in 'The Final Order'.

This of course also applies to Srila Prabhupada's tapes!  

Maharaja has given here a perfect treatise on why the current Guru system is unnecessary. He has admitted himself, that he is not giving any value, and instead leaving it mainly up to Srila Prabhupada. So why not stop pretending and leave EVERYTHING to Srila Prabhupada - including the disciples which belong to him only. We do not need anymore of the "Let Srila Prabhupada do all the work - but let us take the credit" mentality! Maharaja has offered ample justification for cutting out the middle man since he wants us to take shelter directly of Srila Prabhupada anyway

2 weeks ago, Jayananda Das and Brahma Bhuta Das, the leaders from the Manhattan Project, accompanied by life members and other devotees went to the Sunday Feast at the New York temple in Brooklyn. Overhearing them discussing a particular ritvik devotee, one of the temple devotees immediately threatened them that they must leave the temple at once, or they would call the Police.  

Jayananda simply asked them to go ahead, since they weren't going anywhere! They were then threatened with a ban on coming to the temple. To this the IRG devotees simply asked them to put the ban in writing on ISKCON letterhead. Again the temple devotee backed down, adding that they would not be so stupid to put such a ban 'on ISKCON letterhead'. Finally another devotee came and threatened violence towards Jayananda and the other devotees, adding that he was from the 'streets' and ex-military. However another devotee quickly took him aside and told him that threatening Jayananda would not be a good idea 'since Jayananda knows everyone in the city'. Again they had to back down. Finally a raging argument broke out with the temple devotees trying to preach against Srila Prabhupada as the Diksa Guru of ISKCON. A big crowd formed around Jayananda and the others, while the Indian congregation who had come to the Sunday feast looked on in amazement. Whilst they were watching the argument, the life member who had came with Jayananda and the other devotees went and distributed 'Final Orders' to all the guests who were listening. The IRG devotees kept on preaching to all the temple devotees, defeating all their arguments, well after all the guests had left. In fact the preaching went on till 1 a.m. in the morning!

In summary, the days of threatening and bullying dissenters, are numbered, and the ISKCON authorities will have to face up to the fact that 'all the armies in the world, cannot stop an idea whose time has come'. The spirit of 1966 is alive once again, as Srila Prabhupada reconquers New York.

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 IRG papers can be accessed through the EDITORIAL SECTION of the IRG website at http://farsight.members.beeb.net/editorial

Your comments, questions and feedback is appreciated. Please write to me at adri@cwcom.net
Your Servant,
Adridharan Dasa