BDASA

Here is an e-mail I received from someone who read the article in this thread when it was posted on Sampradaya Sun. I thought I would share her comments with you all without giving her name since she sent ti to me personally. The e-mai from her is as follows: "I very much appreciate your most recent article on hare krsna sun. Yes, that's right, that was EXACTLY how Prabhupada dealt with these things: to ban someone from the temple except for the Sunday feast and taking prasadam. No lectures, no position, no service inside Iskcon. It was very simple. Yet such devotees were still encouraged to go outside Iskcon and preach, following Prabhupada's instructions. They weren't told to stay in Iskcon and be humiliated day-after-day. They could always preach outside. Why not? Thanks for reminding us. When we finally hear the real "Prabhupada uvaca", we are reminded of how straight forward and simple his decisions were." end of e-mail I posted this because I feel she got the essence of what I was trying to say. Your servant Bhagavat Das

Can a Child Abuser Live in ISKCON? BY: BHAGAVAT DAS (ACBSP) Aug 3, USA (SUN) — My name is Bhagavat Das. I am twice initiated by Srila Prabhupada and I have been around since 1970. My wife Radha and I were licensed foster parents for 9 years. We took care of close to 70 children in our home during that time, many of them physically and sexually abused. My experience with these children as protector, counselor, and guide has put me in a position of understanding to some extent the plight of the Gurukulis. I deeply sympathize with their dissatisfaction with the way ISKCON has handled their situation. If the leaders of ISKCON would follow the first example Srila Prabhupada set for them in dealing with child molesters they would, at the very least, make an important statement to the children that they did not tolerate child abuse. I was in Allahabad in January 1977 when Srila Prabhupada was at the Kumbha Mela. During that time one of the first known child molesters was caught in Vrndavana and brought to Allahabad to be judged by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada curled his lips in disgust and shook his head in great disbelief as he was told how this disciple of his sexually molested practically every child in the Gurukula. Srila Prabhupada was so disgusted that he told the GBC and others who were in the room that this boy, on his order should never for any reason be allowed in any of our temples ever again. When questioned about the severity of the sentence Srila Prabhupada said on occasion the boy could come to a temple for the Sunday feast and eat prasadam. Unfortunately, after Srila Prabhupada left this child molester found his way back into ISKCON’S temples. I would always complain whenever I saw him somewhere but usually to no avail. "He is doing service prabhu" is what I was told as the authorities disregarded the words of Srila Prabhupada. I finally told some grown up Gurukulis the story in Alachua and the next time he came around he was warned to leave ISKCON and never return or else. I heard recently he is in ISKCON temples in India, some things never change. You will notice that Srila Prabhupada acting as head of the institution of ISKCON gave an order to protect the members of the institution. Acting in his capacity as the guru for the disciple in question he made a slight revision in order to demonstrate the principle of Lord Nityananda’s mercy that no one is beyond redemption, even this child molester. However that mercy is between the guru and the disciple and is in one sense separate from the relationship that Srila Prabhupada has with ISKCON as the head of the institution where he must enforce restrictions for the benefit and protection of the members of the institution. Based on Srila Prabhupada's personal handling of the situation I feel that if the leaders of ISKCON are serious about protecting its members in the same manner that Srila Prabhupada did, than the leaders of ISKCON have no other recourse than to institute the following policy: If a person is caught as a child molester in or out of an ISKCON temple; 1) that person should be reported to the proper authorities; 2) that person should never for any reason be allowed in any ISKCON temple ever again except on occasion for a Sunday feast. At that time he may take darshan and prasadam only, no lecture no kirtan or any leadership activity whatsoever. That was Srila Prabhupada's instruction and it should be followed without change or hesitation. If the person happens to be a pot washer or an ex-guru the punishment should be the same. Since the child who has been molested will feel the same scars no matter what the position of the perpetrator is or was. Now if the perpetrator in question wants to be a sannyasi or guru independent of ISKCON he can certainly do so and pursue following the instructions of his guru and try to obtain his guru’s mercy by opening his own temples or preaching centers and writing and distributing books. The guru disciple relationship is not terminated by the faults of the disciple. The guru is always ready to give his mercy to someone who is trying to rectify his behavior because no one is beyond redemption. However, he cannot do so within ISKCON the institution because Srila Prabhupada forbade it in order to protect ISKCON’S members. I hope this teaching of Srila Prabhupada has shed some light on the proper way to handle some of the apparent controversial situations that have arisen lately.

I was present right next to Srila Prabhupada when he left this world. Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental body never showed any signs of deterioration. There was no foul odor, only a fresh flowery fragrance. No rigor mortise ever set in. His body remained soft and flexible the entire night and into the next day when we placed Him in the Samadhi. There were no signs of ganged green, mould or deterioration. There was no mottling or settling of blood in the limbs. Srila Prabhupada actually appeared almost unchanged and His eyes remained peacefully closed as though He were in deep meditation. All of these symptoms are indicative of a greatly exalted pure devotee of the Lord whose body is sat-cid-ananda vigraha.<o:p></o:p> Srila Prabhupada states this in a purport in the 10th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: "The spiritual master, or acarya, is always situated in the spiritual status of life. Birth, death, old age and disease do not affect him. According to the Hari-bhakti-viläsa, therefore, after the disappearance of an acarya, his body is never burnt to ashes, for it is a spiritual body. The spiritual body is always unaffected by material conditions." SB 10.4.20 If a person does not display these transcendental symptoms but instead gives off a fowl odor, or achieves rigor motise, or any of the other symptoms of an ordinary death than the body should be burned because it is clear that they have not achieved samadhi a state of divine union with Sri Sri Radha-Krsna

I was trying to find a quote of Srila Prabhupada that would actually comes as close to what Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja told me in confidence. I leave the rest to your imagination but I learned this nearly 30 years ago from Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja it was only reinforced by my more recent association with Srila Narayana Maharaja. Although I must admit that Srila Narayana Maharaja was the one who told me that Srila Prabhupada's pose in bed, shortly before he left, with his hands in certain mudra positions indicated that he was dancing with Radha and Krsna. A couple of hours later When Srila Prabhupada came out of his internal consciousness he said that he had been with Krsna not necessarily dancing but been with Krsna. So I guess Srila Naryana Maharaja actually indicated it to me first in October 1977 Then Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja in 1978 and then Srila Narayana Maharaja again confirmed Srila Prabhupada's position in Madhurya Rasa when I first started taking siksha from him in January 2003.

I was reading the other thread and wanted to make a comment about this also. However the thread was closed. I tried as a new member to start a new thread with the post I am going to make here but it was removed. It appears I am not yet qualified to start a new thread as I am a new member. I am glad someone opened up a new thread about this topic so I can make my post. Here in the following quote from the purport to CC Antya 1, 24 you will read how Srila Prabhupada describes himself and his eternal rasa to everyone in his books. "Our only desire should be to take birth under the care of a Vaisnava. Fortunately we had the opportunity to be born of a Vaisnava father who took care of us very nicely. He prayed to Srimati Radharani that in the future we would become a servant of the eternal consort of Sri Krsna. Thus somehow or other we are now engaged in that service." This direct unambigous statement by Srila Prabhupada here cannot be misconstrued to mean anything other than that he is in Madhurya Rasa as a servant of Srimati Radharani.