The Strangest Paradox

July 5, 2003

The recent developments in the ongoing legal wrangling between the BBTI and Srila Prabhupada's Original BBT have apparently taken a major step in the direction of positive resolution. I for one am very happy to hear that the judge has ruled in the manner announced today in the interview with Gupta Das. I would hope now that the management in ISKCON will, with a cool head, ask themselves some very simple questions and arrive at the proper conclusions. There are some 15 or more members of the GBC that demonstrate at least a cursory interest in the development of Srila Prabhupada's movement in the United States.

Each of you must answer to all the devotees as to how or why you felt authorized to initiate a legal challenge to His Divine Grace's decision to establish his Bhaktivedanta Book Trust as a trust as opposed to a Non-profit corporation. The way I see it you are all guilty of paying lip service to the principle of devotion to our Guru while at the same time hiring a very high priced team of lawyers/liars to challenge Srila Prabhupada's actions in a court of law!

In the end after this case is finished most of you will claim that you were not even aware of the facts of the case and play ignorant. As if you were too busy "preaching" to be concerned with the "minuscule" matter of handing well over $500,000 (that's a half million dollars!) to some rascal who at present calls himself an attorney but will be summarily "let go" by his firm when this debacle finally comes full circle.

So in the interest of everyone involved let me inform you that while the Samkirtan devotees are out on the streets of the cities working 8 hours a day with virtually no thought for their financial future, Mr. Bernstein is working for at least $150 per hour! Yes, you heard me - $150 dollars per hour! Let that sink in for a moment. Did you get that straight? For the last so many years, You 15 or so GBC men have supported the strangest paradox that I have ever witnessed. On the one hand you try to "fire up the men" to go out and preach, preach, preach. Distribute books! Distribute books! Distribute books! All for no pay. Then you turn around and take the lions share of the hard-earned profits that come as a result of their super sincere efforts, which historically were to be earmarked for book publication and opening centers, and you hand it over -no questions asked- to one of the most incompetent team of knuckleheads that ever sauntered into a courtroom.

If it wasn't so pathetic it would be hysterical! For all you GBC "men" who are preparing your "I wish someone would have told me" argument for the rank and file, all I can say is "Good luck!" When is the last time any of you actually went out and tried to sell 50 hard back books in a single day to the General Public. Well gentlemen try to understand something very clearly. You would have to go out 5 days a week for nearly 10 years! Yes I said 10 years to accumulate $500,000. dollars profit. Most of you have no idea how much effort goes into distributing these books.

While claiming to have nothing but the "highest respect" for book distribution and for book distributors specifically you have all revealed most clearly your disregard for their efforts by authorizing this legal challenge to His Divine Grace's formation of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust -That's TRUST- as in "I trust you!" and then asking the most sincere devotees in the movement to "hit the streets" and finance your offence! Shame on each of you! You cannot hide from this one.

Each of you will have to explain where you were when Hari Kesa and Jayadwaita Swami and the others pushed for this travesty. I will personally hold each of you accountable, as should every devotee who gave or is giving "gallons of blood" in their efforts to assist Srila Prabhupada in his quest to inundate the world with the words of Lord Krsna and Srila Prabhupada's perfect explanations of those words!

Now as I understand it the devotees are huddled together in Los Angeles and trying to decide what to do. You GBC men are responsible for what they do. Do you understand that? Do you even care? If you value your reputation get on a plane today, Thursday October 29th, and immediately go to LA and fulfill your obligations to His Divine Grace.

Participate in the discussions and help the devotees arrive at the correct and proper conclusion to all this nonsense! Help to put an end to the hemorrhaging that has continued unabated for so long. On behalf of His Divine Grace I am calling upon all of you to immediately dismiss Mr. Bernstein. He is either a clever thief or an incompetent fool. Either way he has no business squandering so much of Srila Prabhupada's money!

Each of you will be held accountable for this gross misappropriation of funds and should be fired-across the board! However you have a window of opportunity -albeit a small one- to take the bull by the horns and put an end to the bull#?*%! If you have an ounce of dignity and self respect you will collectively do the needful. If not then let the chips fall where they may and suffer the consequences!

Sincerely

Praghosa Das