The Hare Krishna Movement

ISKCON Bangalore files a complaint to Commissioner of Police

05 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore Tags: Bharatarshabha das, Chanchalpathi Das, High Court Judge, ISKCON Bangalore, Justice Sri Jafannath Shetty, Puplic Relations Iskcon Bangalore

ISKCON Bangalore files a complaint to Commissioner of Police

June 4th 2011, Bangalore.
To: The Commissioner of Police,
Infantry Road, Bangalore city.

Dear Sir,

Sub: ISKCON Mumbai representatives planning to visit ISKCON Bangalore Temple once again on Sunday, June 5th, 2011

As you are aware, on Friday, June 3rd the representatives of ISKCON Mumbai visited the ISKCON temple in Rajajinagar and tried to forcibly enter the temple. We have informed the representatives of ISKCON Mumbai that they should act within the framework of law and initiate the legal process for any change and not just walk in. Despite this they made an attempt on Friday afternoon and it has resulted in media carrying news in bad taste.

Again the devotees of ISKCON Mumbai are attempting to come to the temple on Sunday, June 5th between 7 am and 11 am. We have received SMS messages that describe their plans for Sunday.

We have also obtained the legal opinion of a retired High Court judge, Justice Sri Jagannath Shetty, on the matter of Supervisory Committee constituted by ISKCON Mumbai and the same is enclosed for your perusal. The Honourable Judge has stated that the action of ISKCON Mumbai in setting up the Supervisory Committee is in utter violation of the High Court order. He says it is not only illegal, but also unjust.

Under these circumstances, we request you to provide us police protection to the temple on Hare Krishna Hill especially on Sunday, June 5th, 2011.

We also request you to provide protection to prevent ISKCON Mumbai representatives from storming in to the temple illegally and unjustly.

Thanking you,
Yours in the service of humanity,
Chanchalapathi Das,
Vice President,
ISKCON Bangalore.

Pasted from http://iskcontimes.com/iskcon-bangalore-files-complain-to-commissioner

Bangalore: Mumbai Team Makes Vain Bid to Enter ISKCON Temple in City

04 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore Tags: battle over Iskcon Bangalore, daijiworld.com, India Supreme Court, ISKCON Bangalore, ISKCON Mumbi, Madhu Pandit dasa, timesofindia.com

The battle of ISKCONs took an ugly turn on Friday as devotees of the Bangalore unit prevented the Mumbai bureau representatives from entering its premises.

Foiled in their attempt to enter the temple, the Mumbai team left, declaring its intent to take legal recourse to gain control of the property. Apparently, the Mumbai team wanted to surprise the Bangalore ISKCON authorities as it landed without prior information in four cars.

Madhupandit Das objected to the Mumbai ISKCON attempts to gain control of the city unit as the matter was still pending before the Supreme Court.

Bangalore: Mumbai Team Makes Vain Bid to Enter ISKCON Temple in City
Bangalore, Jun 3 (PTI):

An attempt by a team from Mumbai ISKCON to enter the Bangalore unit temple was prevented by those managing it.

Several activists owing allegiance ISKCON temple in the city blocked the entry of the Mumbai team headed by Varada Krishnadas, which came here in the aftermath of the state high court order which ruled that the city property was part of the Mumbai ISKCON.

Madhupandit Das, President of the Bangalore ISKCON, maintained he had approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order and till the apex court delivered its orders, Mumbai ISKCON cannot interfere in its working.

Passing orders on the property dispute between Mumbai ISKCON and the Bangalore branch, the court had last week given six week time for appealing against the verdict.

A tense situation prevailed at the entrance of ISKCON temple complex at Mahalakshmi Layout where hundreds of activists of the Bangalore unit resisted Mumbai team attempts to enter it.

The arguments between the two groups led to traffic blockade on the road, which has become a narrow in the wake of the on-going works for Metro Rail.
Police intervened and brought the situation under control. The Mumbai team returned following protests.

Madhupandit Das objected to the Mumbai ISKCON attempts to gain control of the city unit as the matter was still pending before the Supreme Court.

Pasted from http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=104283&n_tit=Bangalore%3A+Mumbai+Team+Makes+Vain+Bid+to+Enter+ISKCON+Temple+in+City

Fisticuffs and abuse near Iskcon temple
TNN | Jun 3, 2011, 11.56pm IST

BANGALORE: It was an unprecedented and shameful street fight, and lasted a good half-hour, as temple members scuffled in front of the Iskcon temple, shattering its peace with loud shouts and foul language.

To the two groups — members of Bangalore Iskcon and the supervisory committee from Iskcon Mumbai– it did not matter that it is a sacred space for lakhs of Bangaloreans.

Problems began after the supervisory committee appointed by Iskcon Mumbai decided to enter the temple premises for an inspection, in the background of the property dispute between Iskcon Bangalore and Mumbai. Hearing the news, the Bangalore members gathered at the gate and locked it. Loudspeakers fixed along the walls aired bhajans. Vehicles and visitors were checked before anyone was allowed inside the temple, which was turned into a fortress.

When the convoy of the supervisory committee arrived, a truck used for the Akshaya Patra programme, parked by the gate, was moved to cover the gate and prevent the car from entering. The Bangalore members surrounded the car and jammed the doors to prevent them from disembarking. A scuffle began after they managed to get out of the car. Dayaram Das, committee president, tried to walk into the temple and was stopped near the barricades.

The committee members moved away to interact with the media, and Iskcon Bangalore members followed them. A restaurant nearby had to shut down as people came rushing.

NO POLICE DEPLOYED

When all hell was breaking loose outside the temple, there were only three traffic policemen to handle more than 100 people and clear the road for traffic. A few meters away, in a small alley, a Karnataka Reserve Police Force unit and local police were stationed, but they did not intervene.

An hour after the supervisory committee members were forced out of the temple, police teams arrived, including ACP CT Ajjappa. By this time, things had settled down.

Pasted from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Fisticuffs-and-abuse-near-ISKCON-temple/articleshow/8717507.cms

Re-establishing the Lost Link

04 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Agrani Krishna das, Devotee's, Guru & Disciple, Remembering Srila Prabhupada Tags: Agrani Krishna dasa, archa-vigraha form, bhagavad-gita, bona fied spiritual master, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Deity, Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, Prabhupada teachings, Re-establishing the Lost Link

Re-establishing the Lost Link
By; Agrani Krishna Dasa
Jun 03, 2011 — INDIA (SUN) —

A spiritual master, who is as good as Hari, has the same potency like that of the Lord. Just like how Krishna can be perceived through His photos and archa-vigraha form, a bona fide spiritual master can also be approached through his Deity and the photos. In fact, there is no difference between Prabhupada and his teachings as well. There are thousands of devotees all over the world who can stand as a testimony to this fact.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that yare dekho tare kaho krishna-upadesa. Whomever you meet, you simply talk about Krishna, what He has taught in the Bhagavad-gita. This is the sum and substance of our preaching to the world. All the glorious Acaryas of our Sampradaya have been waiting for a day when this whole world will chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. When will Gaura Nitai be worshipped in each and every house? This is the dream they have been waiting to be enlivened.

Srila Prabhupada descended into this material universe just to fulfill this dream of the acaryas. He was very much clear and focused only onto this. That is why Krishna unfolded the fortune which was needed for Srila Prabhupada to establish this preaching of Krishna Consciousness. It was as though Krishna Himself was personally helping Srila Prabhupada to preach His glories all over this planet, by removing all the hurdles to push on this movement. It is because Srila Prabhupada had only one thing to meditate in his mind – “I need to execute the order of my spiritual master.”

After a decade of massive preaching, Srila Prabhupada left this planet leaving behind us a treasure of Vedic knowledge, his lectures, his letters, and conversations to guide us in his “absence”. It is often Srila Prabhupada mentioned that he will live through his teachings and we would utilize the same.

The Expansions of Advaita Ācārya

03 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Advaita Acarya, Advaita Acharya, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Siksa, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Tags: A.C. B, Adi lila, Advaita Acarya, disciples, Gaudiya Matha, guru, haktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, litigation, missionary activities, spiritual master, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless. (Adi 12.10)

…the followers of Advaita Ācārya divided into two parties. Such disagreement among the disciples of one ācārya is also found among the members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. In the beginning, during the presence of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, all the disciples worked in agreement; but just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly followed the instructions of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, but another group created their own concoction about executing his desires. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next ācārya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of ācārya, and they split into two factions over who the next ācārya would be. Consequently, both factions were asāra, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master. Despite the spiritual master’s order to form a governing body and execute the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is still going on after forty years with no decision. (Adi 12.8 purport)

Winning a Battle Only to Lose a War

03 Jun 2011 2 Comments

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore Tags: appointed successor, battle over Iskcon Bangalore, GBC, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON Mumbi, Madhu Pandit, Rohith Kaushik, Sun

Winning a Battle Only to Lose a War
By; Rohith Kaushik
Jun 02, 2011 — UK (SUN) —

It’s time to realize that we as ‘ISKCON’ — The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, meaning every single one of us wherever in the world we may be — as a whole, are now being looked down upon as a bunch of people that ultimately get as low as anyone else when it comes to money and land. The so-called ‘spiritualists’ who once advised people to be materially detached are themselves fighting over a mere 7 acres of mortal land! What do you think the reaction of the next person we preach to in Bangalore is going to be?

There is a new episode in the Bangalore drama unfolding every day, ever since the High Court has pronounced its verdict. Local news channels are relishing every bit of the sensationalism ISKCON has managed to create. Everyone from beggars to politicians are talking about ISKCON and its “scandals”. People are obviously making a mockery of everything we’ve stood for.

Before anyone starts to feel happy or sad about the Bangalore situation, we must all take a step backwards and see for ourselves if this whole endeavor was worth anything all. Did ‘we’ – meaning Srila Prabhupada’s followers – ultimately in the process of professing the highest knowledge available – win over our enemies, namely Kali, the Mayavadis and the likes? I think not! It’s quite the contrary.

We have taken our disagreements from a spiritual platform right down to the street in front of the common man, where the point of our disagreement is well beyond their capability to even comprehend. The general public in this age of Kaliyuga are not intelligent enough to figure out how passionate the two parties are about their beliefs and devotion to Krishna and their respective Gurus. The public is probably happy deep down somewhere to know that even such exalted spiritualists are ultimately no different from themselves – they’re also after what everyone else is – Money! How comforting… And of course, who doesn’t like to talk about some new sensational gossip.

Krishna Smiles

03 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotional Service, Krishna Tags: gopis The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, Krishna's Mercy, krishnasmercy.org, Lord Kapila, pride of your devotee, Shyamasundara, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam

Krishna Smiles
By Krishna’s Mercy

“When a devotee with all his heart and soul serves Krishna, dresses Him in nice garments and gives Him a flower, Krishna smiles. If you can get Krishna to smile upon you just once, your life’s goal is fulfilled.” (Srila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Ch 7)

Shyamasundara, the original and ever existing form of the Personality of Godhead, has an inexhaustible reservoir of sweetness just ready to flow onto whoever is sincere enough to look at His wonderful face and body. The jivas, the conditioned living entities that are technically part of the marginal energy emanating from the Supreme Spirit, have exercised their freedom by turning their faces away from God. As nothing can be separated from the origin of everything, the material nature and all its miserable components are certainly non-different from the Supreme Lord, but since they are not part of His personal, internal energy, their association cannot bring anywhere near the level of satisfaction to the heart so desperately looking for eternal pleasure that one simple and sincere glance at the smiling face of the Personality of Godhead can. From the wonderful prescriptions provided by the sweetheart of a devotee and saint, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we find an easy way to bring to our vision that enchanting smile, an image which subsequently paints a mental picture that won’t go away anytime soon. Indeed, Krishna’s smile is so beautiful that it will kill the pride of even the staunchest of atheists.

“Dear Krishna, You are the killer of all the fears of the inhabitants of Vrindavana. You are the supremely powerful hero, and we know that You can kill the unnecessary pride of Your devotee as well as the pride of women like us simply by Your beautiful smile.” (Songs of the gopis, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 31)

Srila Prabhupada, His Movement and You

01 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Diksha, Guru & Disciple, July 9th Letter, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Siksa, Srila Prabhupada His Movement & You Tags: BBT document, Brahma Sampradaya Acharya, Founder Acarya, GBC, hansadutta das, July 9th Letter, last will & testament, Prabhupada's behalf, ritvik, ritvik gurus, ritvik initiations, Temple Presidents

The endless controversy over whether Prabhupada appointed gurus, acharyas or rittvik deputies can be satisfactorily concluded by pointing out that Prabhupada left written instructions. Srila Prabhupada left a last will and testament. He left a BBT document regarding the continued publication of his books. He left a GBC document outlining how the movement is to be managed. And he wrote a letter on July 9, l977, appointing ll senior devotees as rittvik gurus, officiating deputies, to continue the process of initiating new members on behalf of ” the Founder- acarya ” Srila Prabhupada . All the men named in that letter already had been doing these rittvik initiations on Prabhupada’s bellalf for a number of years. Therefore, there was no need for Prabhupada to write an official letter in this regard, save and except to make it clear that these senior disciples should perpetuate the rittvik responsibilities they were already performing in the future, as in the absence of Srila Prabhupada, which at that time was apparently very near at hand.

Letter to all GBC and Temple Presidents
from Srila Prabhupada, dated July 9th, 1977 (see photocopy above):

To All G.B.C. and Temple Presidents
July 9th, 1977

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus:

Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently, when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrindavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as “rittvik”-representative of the acharya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. HisDivine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:

His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami
His Holiness Satsvarupa das Goswami
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami
His Holiness Hrdayananda Goswami
His Holiness Bhavananda Goswami
His Holiness Hamsadutta Swami
His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
His Holiness Harikesa Swami
His Grace Bhagavan das Adhikari
His Grace Jayatirtha das Adhikari

In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee’s initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book.

Hoping this finds you all well.

Your servant,

Tamal Krishna Goswami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

[ Srila Prabhupada’s signature appears on the original.]

Seven Temples on Seven Hills (Chapter 15)

01 Jun 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Hayagriva das, The Hare Krishna Explosion Tags: devotees, Hayagriva, Hrskesh, Kirtanananda Swami, New Vrindavan, New Vrindavan 1968-1968, Pradyumna, Seven Temples on Seven Hills, spiritual community, Srila Prabhupada, the hare krishna explosion, Vamandev

The Hare Krishna Explosion
by Hayagriva Prabhu

Part III: New Vrindaban, 1968-1969
Chapter 15

Seven Temples on Seven Hills

The Montreal temple is located in a large, grey Gothic building near McGill University. The ground floor is occupied by a commercial printing company. The upstairs bowling alley has been converted into a kirtan hall and living area for new devotees—Shivananda, Jayapataka, Hansadutta, Vaikunthanath. Now it is crowded. There has been a flurry of activity since Prabhupada’s arrival.

Kirtanananda and I visit Prabhupada in his nearby apartment. As always, it seems, Prabhupada is seated behind his footlocker, the familiar aromas of gardenias, incense and sandalwood about him. Goursundar and Govinda dasi scurry about, fretting that too many people are disturbing him. We pay our obeisances, and I offer Prabhupada yellow roses, which Govinda dasi arranges in vases.

“So how have you come?” Prabhupada asks.

“By plane from New York,” I say.

“Ah, very good. And in New York they are doing nicely?”

“Yes, Srila Prabhupada. Very nicely.”

“And what about New Vrindaban? That is doing nicely?”

“The owner has finally agreed on a long term lease,” I say, “but he wants the timber.”

“Oh, that cannot be. We must have all rights.”

“The coal rights were sold sixty-five years ago,” Kirtanananda says. “This is the case with all the properties in that area.”

“This means that if the government develops the coal industry, we may be asked to vacate,” Prabhupada says, concerned. “And no law can stop it.”

We admit that this is a point to consider.

“Yes,” he continues, “even if the government does not interfere, if some big industry moves into our vicinity, our New Vrindaban will fade away.”

I suddenly envision the little farmhouse and willow tree enveloped in a haze of smoke, the pastures invaded by steel drills abusing Mother Earth, giant smokestacks….

“New Vrindaban must be free from industrial contamination,” he says. “Industries like mining will ruin everything. Consider well the land’s future.”

“Most of the coal has already been mined through underground tunnels,” Kirtanananda says.

“Another important point,” Prabhupada goes on. “What happens to the property after ninety-nine years?”

I don’t know,” I say, not having really thought of this. “We won’t be around then.”

“But the Society will,” he says. “There must be an agreement that at the end of the lease, the property will go to us.”

This had been our oversight. Of course it must go to the Society! Great temples will be rising from the blackberries and pokeweed!

“We’ll try to get Foster to agree,” I say.

We then describe the property. As soon as Prabhupada understands where the main road is, he asks, “How do you get up to the farmhouse?”

“Well, that’s the big problem,” I admit. “It’s not really what you’d call easily accessible. But you could drive a jeep or horse and wagon up it. Otherwise, it’s a two mile walk.”

Prabhupada reflects on this a moment.

“Hm. Horse and buggy would be better,” he says at length. “You should avoid machines and become as self-sufficient as possible. And horses are pleasing to look at. They are the most beautiful of animals.”

Kirtanananda presents a quart of blackberry chutney and one of raspberry jam.

Kali Yuga; The Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy

01 Jun 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Kali Yuga Tags: animal-killing, demoniac persons, hypocrisy, Kali-yuga, Kalki Avatar, Killer of kali-yuga demons, Krsna consciousness movement, laws of God, laws of nature, prabhupadanugas, quarrel, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam

Kali Yuga; The Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy
By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The age of Kali is the most condemned age due to its quarrelsome features. Kali-yuga is so saturated with vicious habits that there is a great fight at the slightest misunderstanding. Those who are engaged in the pure devotional service of the Lord, who are without any desire for self-aggrandizement and who are freed from the effects of fruitive actions and dry philosophical speculations are capable of getting out of the ocean of birth and death.

The leaders of the people are very much anxious to live in peace and friendship, but they have no information of the simple method of hearing the glories of the Lord. On the contrary, such leaders are opposed to the propagation of the glories of the Lord. In other words, the foolish leaders want to completely deny the existence of the Lord. In the name of secular state, such leaders are enacting various plans every year. But by the insurmountable intricacies of the material nature of the Lord, all these plans for progress are being constantly frustrated. They have no eyes to see that their attempts at peace and friendship are failing. But here is the hint to get over the hurdle. If we want actual peace, we must open the road to understanding of the Supreme Lord Krsna and glorify Him for His virtuous activities as they are depicted in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. ( SB 1.1.16 P Questions by the Sages )

The Perfect Gentleman

31 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Padmapani das, Srila Prabhupada Tags: gentleman, judge a thing by its result, Padmapani dasa, spiritual advancement, Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada The Perfect Gentleman
By Sriman Padmapani Prabhu

“…we know that as soon as one understands how to deal with God, he will automatically deal very nicely with others.”

“Although there may be some difficulties within our society, these things are not very important. What is important is that we should simply fix our mind on Krishna’s Lotus Feet. This is His instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. So we associate with one another so that we can assist each other in hearing and chanting about Krishna. That is the purpose of our Society.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, November 22, 1974)

On July 29, 1971, Srila Prabhupada was interviewed on television at the University of Gainesville in Florida (which His Divine Grace described as “a remote corner of the world, thousands of miles from the birthplace of Lord Caitanya”).

At one point, Srila Prabhupada was asked the following question:

Interviewer: How would I recognize a true follower of the Krsna consciousness movement by his behavior? What would his traits be? What would his outward expressions be?

Srila Prabhupada: He’d be a very perfect gentleman, that’s all. You could not find any fault in him.

What’s particularly striking about his reply is that Srila Prabhupada never mentioned any external symptoms such as dress, title, social position, or even what religious or spiritual practices one followed. His evidence was the result — or fruit — of spiritual advancement. As he often said, “You can judge a thing by its result.”

Earlier in the conversation, Srila Prabhupada informed the interviewer that, “We are not concerned with how one man deals with another man.” Rather surprised, the interviewer asked, “Isn’t that part of your Krsna consciousness movement?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “No, this is not important because we know that as soon as one understands how to deal with God, he will automatically deal very nicely with others.”

This Movement is Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy Upon the Conditioned Souls of this World

30 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Locanananda das, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: battle over Iskcon Bangalore, Chakra, Founder Acarya, initiations in Iskcon, Iskcon Bangalore battle, Locanananda dasa, ritvik debte, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement, VNN, words spoken or written by spiritual master

This Movement is Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy Upon the Conditioned Souls of this World
Originally published as; Reply To Chakra Ritvik Debate, but timely today as the Battle over Bangalore continues…
By; Locanananda dasa
Editorial, Jun 30 (VNN)

Perhaps the most significant point is, that for members of ISKCON, the most important source of authoritative statements concerning the process of initiation are the words, spoken or written, of our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

After offering his association to his disciples over the years, by the time he was ready to announce his plan for future initiations after his disappearance, he could judge exactly to what extent his leading disciples would be able to follow in his footsteps by acting as gurus. Therefore, in his final instructions, he announced that he would recommend some of his disciples to serve as officiating acharyas, acting as his representatives. He did not declare anyone to be a full-fledged, fully realized, fully independent diksa guru to be worshiped by all as he himself had been worshiped. Instead, he named certain members of the GBC to occupy this post and to perform the service of accepting disciples on his behalf in addition to all of their other duties as zonal secretaries.

It was (and still is) obvious that no single individual could have been called upon to succeed him as head of the institution. This was never what Srila Prabhupada had in mind for ISKCON, even for future generations. … As a result of their misunderstanding of Srila Prabhupada’s final instructions, the GBC members who began to initiate thought that they were personally capable of delivering their disciples from birth and death because they were diksa gurus. The long-lasting effect of the illusion they created was to push Srila Prabhupada into the background by denying his second generation of followers direct access to him.

…We all need to be reminded that this movement is Srila Prabhupada’s mercy upon the conditioned souls of this world. It is Srila Prabhupada who is meant to receive the credit and glorification for whatever is achieved by his followers throughout the course of this movement. As an eternal associate of Lord Sri Krishna, Srila Prabhupada is capable of entering the heart of any sincere follower and inspiring and guiding him or her from within.…And we should never think that he has abandoned us and is no longer available to us despite our most sincere prayers. His Divine Grace can be reached by whoever opens any of his books to page one and hears from him by submissive oral reception. And the role of anyone who performs initiations in ISKCON now or in the future is to simply encourage everyone to adhere themselves strictly to what has been set forth by our spiritual preceptor as the message of the disciplic succession he represents.

Full article followes;

The Struggle For Truth

29 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore, The Struggle for Truth Tags: Bangalore court case, Bangalore legal case, devotees of Iskcon Bangalore, ISKCON Bangalore, Madhu Pandit dasa, the struggle for truth

The Struggle For Truth
By The Devotees of ISKCON Bangalore

This is a link to their websitehttp://www.struggle-for truth.org

The pains of this struggle for truth have been borne silently by the devotees of ISKCON-Bangalore for the last nine years. So far we have been trying our best to contain this within the institution.

However, it has become necessary today, unfortunately, to disseminate the sensitive information of purely internal nature in this paper. Our adversaries are exploiting our silence by perpetrating false and maligning propaganda against the devotees of ISKCON-Bangalore, even more vigorously than ever before, in order to demean our cause, and sidestep the real issue.

As supporters and donors of this organization, we believe it is your right to be informed by us of the real issues that have transpired in this matter.

http://www.struggle-for-truth.org

Srila Prabhupada – A Transcendental Manager

29 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Madhudvisa das, Srila Prabhupada, What Happened to the Hare Krishna's? Tags: dependent on Krishna, determination, devotion, GBC, Governing Body Commision, intelligence, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Iskcon, Madhuvisa dasa, purity, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada

What Happened to the Hare Krishna’s?
Chapter Four
By Sriman Madhuvisa Prabhu

Srila Prabhupada – A Transcendental Manager

The success of ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) was a direct result of Srila Prabhupada’s devotion, determination, purity and intelligence, however, he was a soul completely surrendered to Krishna. He depended completely on Krishna. So ISKCON succeeded because Srila Prabhupada was totally dedicated to the order of his spiritual master and Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada was the force behind ISKCON but the thousands of young boys and girls who surrendered to him and accepted him as their spiritual master were the Krishna conscious soldiers fighting maya (illusion) on her own territory. Srila Prabhupada was always unlimitedly grateful to his disciples for helping him fulfill his spiritual master’s orders. He even sometimes said, “My spiritual master has sent you all to teach me how to be Krishna conscious.”

Srila Prabhupada didn’t want to control everything himself. He wanted to encourage his disciples to take responsibility and use their intelligence in devising ways to spread Krishna consciousness. He wanted his disciples to become competent in all areas of practical work and management as well as being learned in the philosophy and expert preachers. He didn’t like centralization or bureaucracy. His management program was always for independent and self-supporting centres not in any way dependant on any other centre. The only exceptions to this independent and self-supporting model were his Indian projects where he made Bombay the head office and he personally managed everything from there. He also centralized the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust as it would have been unworkable to have every temple printing books. There had to be some central body to coordinate book publication.

…I have heard from Jayatirtha you want to make big plans for centralization of management, taxes, monies, corporate status, book-keeping, credit, like that. I do not approve of such a plan. Do not centralize anything. Each temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise? Once before you wanted to do something centralizing with your GBC meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed. Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization – these are all nonsense proposals. Only thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should be centralized, therefore I appointed you and Bali Mardana to do it. Otherwise, management, everything, should be done locally by local men. Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but this should be each temple’s concern, not yours. (to Karandhara 22 Dec, 1972)

Srila Prabhupada wanted a confederation of independent ISKCON centres each managed by a Temple President, Secretary and Treasurer. His mood was that each Temple President should develop the preaching in his area at his own creative rate.

The formula for ISKCON organization is very simple and can be understood by everyone. The world is divided into 12 zones. For each zone there is one zonal secretary. His duty is to see that the spiritual principles are being upheld very nicely in all the temples of his zone. Otherwise each temple shall be independent and self-supporting. Let every temple president work according to his own capacity to improve the Krishna consciousness of his centre. So far the practical management is concerned, that is required, but not that we shall become too much absorbed in fancy organization. Our business is spiritual life, so whatever organization needs to be done, the presidents may handle and take advice and assistance from the GBC representative. In this way let the Society’s work go on and everyone increase their service at their own creative rate.

…We request that everyone take these formulas to heart and execute them very conscientiously. In this way we shall certainly be successful in pushing on this movement. (Signed by Srila Prabhupada & Karandhara dasa 22 Apr, 1972)

Sri Krsna Sankirtan!

28 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Book Distribution, Chanting Hare Krishna Tags: Book Distribution, Brahmananda, devotees, Govinda dasa, Hare Krishna's, Krishna consciousness, Mahavidya dasa, prabhupada, Sampradaya sun, sankirtan, sankirtan party, Survanamanjari dasi

Sri Krsna Sankirtan!

By: SurvarnamanjariI Dasi
May 27, 2011 — NEW ZEALAND (SUN) —

In the response to “Invisible Hare Krishnas” and “Publicly Representing ISKCON”, I’d like to comment. It is true, that Harinam has taken a back seat, we see it all around different ISKCON communities, but the wonderful thing is that we have the ability to go out there and do harinam. There is nothing stopping us but our minds.

(Note: both above mentioned articles follow this one.)

There may be politics, controllers, sentimentalist, fanatics, “fringies”, innocent, enthusiastic or confused members among us in this Sankirtan Movement…and that includes all of us to some degree, but the amazing thing is…we can pick up the mrdangas and karatalas and sing the names of God in the streets, just like Lord Caitanya wants us to. We just have to want to do it.

My husband and I and a dear devotee friend of ours, we go out on harinam in a small town in New Zealand. The response is lovely. People smile, do a little dance, we do a few books, have a laugh and feel joyful afterwards. We are going to start a small chanting group soon… if we can do it, anyone can!

Yes, it is sad about how things are not like the old days, but we don’t live in the old days anymore… we live in 2011 and we need to get proactive to save ourselves and to spread the love to others.

Yes, there is politics in some temples…so what! Take Prabhupada’s books, take your instruments and chant! Why must politics stop our ability to chant and spread the Holy names around? The Holy Names are not owned by anyone…just chant! :)
A lot of people around here, they don’t even know what a Hare Krsna is and the other day a man came up to us and said, “Hey! where have you guys been? I saw you guys in the 80’s last! Glad you are still around!”

A man came running towards us one day and said, “Do you guys have that…that…um….as it…um as it is book?”

Yep, he wanted a Bhagavad Gita As it is!

Yet another man came towards us one day and he was a big guy with tattoos and had a kind of angry expression on his face. By the time he got to us, he smiled and said, “Hey! I met our head honcho guy…you know…your main man.” Since my husband got initiated in the 80’s he assumed this guy met one of the then ISKCON Zonal gurus, but the man said “No, the Indian man, very humble man. He was very humble.”

We showed him a picture of Srila Prabhupada and he exclaimed, “Yes! That’s Him!”

So, there are special people out there, people Lord Caitanya and Prabhupada need to touch through the Holy Names, through the books.

There may be so many things about our society that we can’t understand. Why who did what and why things are the way they are. We may never learn the answers. But the International Society of Krsna Consciousness is Lord Caitanya’s MOVEMENT… we have got to MOVE along with it. It will move with or without us.

If a certain group of people think they own it…well, guess what, they don’t! If you can’t fit into the mainstream devotee circles, start a circle you can fit into and chant chant chant. :)
None but ourselves can free our mind.

All glories to the Sri Krsna Sankirtan, which cleanses the heart!

Just pick up your Mrdangas and Karatalas and chant, oh descendants of Prabhupada!

All glories to all the devotees of the Lord!

Sustainable Cow Protection

28 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Cow Protection Tags: Care For Cows, consumerism, cow protection, Kurma Rupa das, milk, Simple Living, sustainable cow protection, urbanization, vegetarian diet

SUSTAINABLE COW PROTECTION
By Kurma Rupa Prabhu

If a family keeps a cow and calf and has a few acres of land, a vegetarian diet is easily sustainable. I know a family in Colorado whose cow gives nine gallons of milk a day and she lactates for four to five years. They have enough land for the cow and her offspring to graze on and even with several months of winter they can easily maintain their cow. (see CFC News July 2010).

If you mean to ask will protecting a family cow produce enough income to maintain herself and provide for a family of five people with urban habits, then no, it won’t.
In an agrarian setting cows actually give more than they take.

However, when one tries to produce milk for commercial purposes and requires expensive farming equipment (tractors, bailers, combines, silos etc.) has to pay outrageous prices for veterinary aid, purchase homogenization and pasteurization equipment, conveyances to transport the milk to urban areas and so on, sustainability becomes a problem. In short, what makes cow protection unsustainable today is urbanization and consumerism.

Remove these two from the picture and you have the formula for a peaceful existence.
A large herd is sustainable in an agrarian community with common pasturing grounds and bordering forests, not otherwise.

I have visited village communities in India which still resemble the ancient Vedic model where every household hosts a few cows and a few cowherd men or women take the collective herd out to pasture daily leaving the calves behind. At the end of each day there is a celebration when the cows return with their stomachs full and many with udders full as well. The only investment is the time it takes for a few people to accompany the cows in their daily wanderings.

The cows are milked; the calves are fed; the milk boiled on a cow dung fire; hot milk is served; the remainder left overnight to become yoghurt; which is later churned to make butter; and the nourishing buttermilk is offered to unexpected guests and whoever else. I have never witnessed a more joyous existence. But the villagers I have examined pay their bills by farming, not selling dairy products.

“Excess males and unproductive females” are terms used by commercial dairy farmers that have nothing to do with cow protection but everything to do with cow exploitation. Urbanization and mechanization have rendered bulls unemployed whereas in the Vedic model the bull calves are valued more than the females as there is always ploughing and draught work to be done.

Since their dung and urine have numerous practical uses in agrarian life, and since Vedantists consider tending cows and pleasing them to be an activity which pleases God, real cow protectors always consider cows and bulls productive even when dry, retired or diseased.

We do not encourage commercial dairy farming or any type of attempt to make living from selling cow products. A profit orientation invariably leads to decisions which sell the cow short.

The term “humane culling” is an oxymoron at best or a euphemism at worst. If you are humane, how can you take the life of a creature who has not agreed to give it up?
Why not call it what it is?- – killing to increase profit. People who coin such terms do so to minimize the guilt resulting from acting against their conscience.

Other examples are “terminating the pregnancy” instead of saying “killing the child in the womb”; or “pacifying the enemy” instead of bombing the hell out of them; and so on. When the sinister want to manipulate others to perform horrible and unbeneficial acts which may disturb their conscience, they employ such devices to facilitate the phenomenon of self-deception.

Creation and employment of such devices indicates malignant narcissism.
In an agrarian society cows have a wonderful effect on the ecology. Their dung is known to be the best fertilizer and their hooves and horns have a nourishing effect on the earth.
You may find Rudolf Steiner’s (the founder of biodynamics) work interesting. A Google search will yield much on his work. Since in the Vedic formula, ahimsa is the first principle, I think a vegan diet is better than one including commercial dairy products obtained by violence. But the best and most wholesome diet is one which includes milk obtained from a loving cow who is treated like one’s own mother.

Offering to Srila Prabhupada

26 May 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Gangamayee devi, Remembering Srila Prabhupada Tags: Annada devi dasi, Gangamayee devi dasi, offering to Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada Connection, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Sanatana Goswami's disappearance day, Vyasa Purnima

Offering to Srila Prabhupada
By; Gangamayee devi dasi
1973

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave-namah

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my Spiritual Master who has opened my eyes, blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.”

No moment I’ve lived in nor emotion I’ve shared ever found any real meaning before I learnt of the existence of your most blessed and treasured Movement. No laughter I’d ever uttered, nor tears I’d ever shed could have so completely captured my very soul than those I’d experienced by just dancing, singing, and chanting before the Deities in the temple.

From a heart so bound up with materialistic yearnings, I’ve now learnt how to free myself from all my embittered entanglements and immerse myself instead within the eternal beauty which I’ve found pervades my very being.

But for you Srila Prabhupada, I would have fallen into the deepest well of my false ego and would have remained blinded forever from all the most wonderful ecstatic feelings that I have now learnt to experience. There are no words that would befit my lips, nor deeds fine that I could impart that would ever express my eternal gratitude for your having saved me from this ocean of material existence.

By your mercy Lord Krishna may I never again fall, but continue to rise ever upward pursuing the pathways to the Spiritual Planets.

Gangamayee devi dasi

Note: Gangamayee prabhu left our world six years ago on Srila Sanatana Goswami’s disappearance day, Vyasa Purnima. She chanted loudly for seven and a half hours, and left this world with the Lord’s Holy Name on her tongue. The Supreme decoration for a valiant soul! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and to his loving daughters and sons. — Submitted by Annada devi dasi

Pasted from http://www.prabhupadaconnect.com/offerings84.html

Sriman Madhu Pandit Prabhu

25 May 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Iskcon Bangalore, Madhu Pandit das Tags: Akshaya Patra, Hare Krishna Movement, IIT-Mumbai, ISKCON Bangalore, Madhu Pandit dasa, mid day meals, Trivandrum temple

Sriman Madhu Pandit Prabhu

Madhu Pandit Dasa (former name Madhusudan S) was born in 1956 in Trivandrum, India. As a pre-degree student, he was selected by the National Science Talent search program of the country. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT-Mumbai in the year 1980. During his days in IIT, he became interested in the books of Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON. While he was doing his M.Tech course in IIT-Mumbai in 1981, he dedicated himself to the service of humanity by becoming a full-time member of ISKCON.

He began to travel all over South India organizing programs to increase the awareness of ISKCON and its mission. Seeing his potential as a leader, he was soon made the President of ISKCON, Trivandrum. In 1983, he became involved in overseeing the activities of ISKCON, Bangalore along with his responsibilities in Trivandrum temple. At that time a small fledgling centre in a rented apartment in an inconspicuous neighborhood of the city. Under his leadership, soon the popularity and activities of ISKCON-Bangalore began to blossom. In 1988, the Government of Karnataka allotted 6.5 acres of a rocky abandoned hillock in the city to set up a cultural complex. Being dissatisfied with what the commissioned architects were proposing for the cultural complex, he took upon himself to design the complex according to what he had envisioned. Soon he also started organizing efforts to raise funds for the construction of the complex. The next ten years unfolded an unprecedented scale of development on the hillock, now called the Hare Krishna Hill: the design and construction of a colossal cultural complex, mobilization of support and fund raising to a tune of Rs. 38 crores (Rs.380 million or $ 9.5 million) and recruiting and training nearly 100 full-time dedicated members of ISKCON. The monumental Cultural Complex was inaugurated in 1997 by the then President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma.

In 1994, he initiated an integrated social development project for the benefit of the rural people of Mysore and Mandya districts. A model, prototype organic farm based on natural and earth-friendly farming methods along with an internationally accredited farmer-training center has been setup in the 110-acre land on the banks of river Kaveri in Srirangapatam.

The primary purpose of this is to establish self-sufficient farming communities. The farming techniques employed are traditional and organic to promote pro-environmental agriculture. Hundreds of farmers are deriving inspiration to adopt environmental and soil friendly agricultural methods researched and disseminated scientifically from this model farm. Rural women are trained in this farm in the practices and methods of organic farming. This farm is also supporting hundreds of farmers during the transition from chemical to organic farms. Many neighboring farms have successfully converted into organic farms.

He initiated the Akshaya Patra program to provide mid-day meals to underprivileged children in the Government schools of Bangalore Rural District during July 2000.

Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra

25 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Bhagavad-gita Tags: Arjuna, as it is, Battlefield of Kuruksetra, bhagavad-gita, Bhismadeva, Draupadi, Dronacarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna, Kurus, Pandavas

Bhagavad-gita As It Is
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra

Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus depended on the presence of Bhīṣmadeva. He was confident of the full support of Bhīṣmadeva and Droṇācārya in the battle because he well knew that they did not even speak a word when Arjuna’s wife Draupadī, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to strip naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly.

…it is already concluded that all of them would die in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for joining the party of the sinful Duryodhana. Duryodhana was, of course, confident of his victory on account of the above-mentioned combined strength of his friends.

TEXT 1

TRANSLATION

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu do, being desirous to fight?

PURPORT

Bhagavad-gītā is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gītā-māhātmya (Glorification of the Gītā). There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. The example of clear understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gītā itself, in the way the teaching is understood by Arjuna, who heard the Gītā directly from the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough to understand Bhagavad-gītā in that line of disciplic succession, without motivated interpretation, then he surpasses all studies of Vedic wisdom, and all scriptures of the world. One will find in the Bhagavad-gītā all that is contained in other scriptures, but the reader will also find things which are not to be found elsewhere. That is the specific standard of the Gītā. It is the perfect theistic science because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

The topics discussed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Sañjaya, as described in the Mahābhārata, form the basic principle for this great philosophy. It is understood that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, which is a sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of the Vedic age. It was spoken by the Lord when He was present personally on this planet for the guidance of mankind.

The word dharma-kṣetra (a place where religious rituals are performed) is significant because, on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was present on the side of Arjuna. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the father of the Kurus, was highly doubtful about the possibility of his sons’ ultimate victory. In his doubt, he inquired from his secretary Sañjaya, “What did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu do?” He was confident that both his sons and the sons of his younger brother Pāṇḍu were assembled in that Field of Kurukṣetra for a determined engagement of the war. Still, his inquiry is significant. He did not want a compromise between the cousins and brothers, and he wanted to be sure of the fate of his sons on the battlefield. Because the battle was arranged to be fought at Kurukṣetra, which is mentioned elsewhere in the Vedas as a place of worship—even for the denizens of heaven—Dhṛtarāṣṭra became very fearful about the influence of the holy place on the outcome of the battle. He knew very well that this would influence Arjuna and the sons of Pāṇḍu favorably, because by nature they were all virtuous. Sañjaya was a student of Vyāsa, and therefore, by the mercy of Vyāsa, Sañjaya was able to envision the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra even while he was in the room of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. And so, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asked him about the situation on the battlefield.

Both the Pāṇḍavas and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra belong to the same family, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s mind is disclosed herein. He deliberately claimed only his sons as Kurus, and he separated the sons of Pāṇḍu from the family heritage. One can thus understand the specific position of Dhṛtarāṣṭra in his relationship with his nephews, the sons of Pāṇḍu. As in the paddy field the unnecessary plants are taken out, so it is expected from the very beginning of these topics that in the religious field of Kurukṣetra where the father of religion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was present, the unwanted plants like Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Duryodhana and others would be wiped out and the thoroughly religious persons, headed by Yudhiṣṭhira, would be established by the Lord. This is the significance of the words dharma-kṣetre and kuru-kṣetre, apart from their historical and Vedic importance.

TEXT 14

TRANSLATION

On the other side, both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.

PURPORT

In contrast with the conchshell blown by Bhīṣmadeva, the conchshells in the hands of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are described as transcendental. The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side because Kṛṣṇa was on the side of the Pāṇḍavas. Jayas tu pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ pakṣe janārdanaḥ. Victory is always with persons like the sons of Pāṇḍu because Lord Kṛṣṇa is associated with them. And whenever and wherever the Lord is present, the goddess of fortune is also there because the goddess of fortune never lives alone without her husband. Therefore, victory and fortune were awaiting Arjuna, as indicated by the transcendental sound produced by the conchshell of Viṣṇu, or Lord Kṛṣṇa. Besides that, the chariot on which both the friends were seated was donated by Agni (the fire-god) to Arjuna, and this indicated that this chariot was capable of conquering all sides, wherever it was drawn over the three worlds.

Legal History of ISKCON-Bangalore Society

25 May 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore Tags: Governing Body Commission, Hansadutta Swami, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON Bangalore, Karnataka Societies Registration Act, legally independent society, Shankabrit dasa, Srila Prabhupada

Legal History of ISKCON-Bangalore Society

ISKCON-Bangalore was registered under Karnataka Societies Registration Act at Bangalore in May 1978 as a legally independent society with objectives similar to the objectives of the first society, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. that Srila Prabhupada founded personally in 1966 at New York. Since then, ISKCON-Bangalore society is functioning in Bangalore as a member of the worldwide confederation of ISKCON temples.

ISKCON-Bangalore was registered by Shankabrit Dasa under the direction of Hamsadutta Swami, the then member of the original Governing Body Commission appointed by Srila Prabhupada, who was in charge of Bangalore.

In the year 2001, several hundreds of fanatic disciples of the self-proclaimed ‘gurus’ made a vain attempt to physically storm Bangalore temple and throw out the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore and take illegal possession of the temple property. In defense of this ISKCON-Bangalore was obliged to file a suit being OS No.7934/01 seeking an order of injunction restraining ISKCON Bombay Society and others from interfering with our possession of the temple property. The Trial Court did not grant the injunction, but an appeal filed before the Hon’ble High Court granted the injunction sought for. The said order was confirmed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The matter is pending adjudication.

When the matter stands thus, absurd propaganda is being made by the agents of the self-proclaimed ‘gurus’ that Madhu Pandit Dasa ‘created’ the ISKCON-Bangalore society to grab the property of the temple on Hare Krishna Hill. This misinformation is indeed entirely false, baseless and ridiculous since Madhu Pandit Dasa joined ISKCON movement only in 1981, whereas the ISKCON-Bangalore society was registered as early as 1978.

It was the direction of Srila Prabhupada to register legally independent societies in the name and style of nternational Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) all over the world. In Dec. 1972, Srila Prabhupada wrote to one of his senior disciples, “Never mind there may be botheration to register each centre, take tax certificate each, become separate corporations in each state.” (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Karandhara Das, Bombay, 22nd Dec 1972). Accordingly, today, there are hundreds of ISKCON societies incorporated all over the world. It was on the basis of this worldwide practice, that the then GBC member in charge of Karnataka, Hamsaduta Swami, directed Shankabrit Dasa to register the ISKCON-Bangalore society in Bangalore.

http://struggle-for-truth.org

High Court restrains ISKCON Mumbai / ISKCON Bangalore

24 May 2011 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Iskcon Bangalore Tags: Akshaya Patra, employees of ISKCON, ISKCON Bangalore, ISKCON Mumbai, Madhu Pandit Das, missionary devotees, Srila Prabhupada

High Court restrains ISKCON Mumbai / ISKCON Bangalore
May 24th 2011 Bangalore.

The divisional bench of the High court of Karnataka today restrained ISKCON Mumbai from dislodging or removing Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa as President, other office bearers and employees of ISKCON Bangalore for 6 weeks. The High Court further observed that there are various yeoman services being rendered from the institution to the society and abrupt changes in the management, missionaries, employees and other members would disrupt the same leading to far reaching consequences.

The High Court also observed that other activities, organizations or trusts which are functioning from the Hare Krishna Hill premises are not part of this suit and hence their activities should go on unhindered.

The divisional bench of the High Court was giving their decision on the stay petition filed by ISKCON Bangalore. It may be recalled that the High court had set aside the verdict given by the Trail Court of Bangalore which had given absolute ownership of Sri Radha Krishna-chandra temple on Hare Krishna Hill to ISKCON Bangalore Society registered in 1978.
The counsel for ISKCON Bangalore said that the stay petition is not about the verdict and hence should be considered on the following grounds:

1. ISKCON Bangalore has been in de-facto possession of the Hare Krishna Hill premises for the last several decades and various court orders were in its support.

2. The practicality of any transfer of management will not be possible on an immediate basis.

3. ISKCON Bangalore has already given an undertaking in the Supreme Court that it will not alienate or part with the assets, and are willing to submit to any process of reporting to the court.

After hearing the objections of ISKCON Mumbai to this stay petition, the High Court bench consisting of Justice Nagmohan Das and Justice Arali Nagaraj gave their restraining order that ISKCON Mumbai shall not invoke their constitutional powers to dislodge Madhu Pandit Das, other current functionaries, missionary devotees and employees of ISKCON Bangalore serving in the temple from their services. The court also stated that Akshaya Patra and other trusts which are functioning from Hare Krishna Hill where ISKCON temple has been built are not party to the case and should function on their own. This order shall facilitate the smooth functioning of the various activities of ISKCON Bangalore and at the same time enable ISKCON Bangalore to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

“ISKCON Bangalore will file an appeal in the Supreme Court shortly after obtaining and studying the order copy. We have full faith in the judiciary of our country and are confident that we will be able to present the case in our favor,” said Madhu Pandit Das, President of ISKCON Bangalore.

For further details please visit http://www.iskconbangalore.org/High-court-restrains-ISKCON-Mumbai orhttp://iskcontimes.com/high_court_restrains_isk_mumbai