A Former ISKCON Gurukula Headmaster Speaks Out

[Pratyatosa]

Jagadananda Das

The child abuse in ISKCON is once again a subject, with the release of Sanaka Rsi's film. I have been told by Bhakta Demian Martins to my face that I should go to prison for my involvement in the Gurukula when abuses were going on, especially those of the leaders of Mayapur Chandroday Mandir when I was headmaster there, as well as of the teachers who worked under me.

I have publicly admitted that I was abusive. I used corporal punishment, as did nearly every other Gurukula teacher in Dallas or in Mayapur. When I was severely thrashed by the Miapore villagers in 1977, I took it as a direct sign from Mahaprabhu that I had done wrong and stopped.

I claim innocence and ignorance about the sexual abuse. It was beyond my comprehension that anyone could do such a thing. When the veil was uncovered, I saw how widespread the abuse was. I did not feel capable of changing things and felt it more important to pursue authentic bhakti, which I felt was no longer available in the ISKCON institution after Prabhupada left.

I have had the good fortune of meeting some of my students in the 37 years since I left and all of them them have been friendly and forgiving and even appreciative of my efforts as a teacher and headmaster despite the things that I did.

Just now I said, let's blame Prabhupada shall we? Of course, no one wants to blame Prabhupada and neither do I, but the king is responsible for his kingdom. Prabhupada thought it more important to build the movement quickly and to spread it at any cost. He was the one who recognized that in the war against Maya there would be casualties, but he pushed forward anyway, putting incompetent individuals in positions of authority and pushing them to perform at any cost. If they fell away it was sad, but that was the cost of doing things the way he did them.

We were incompetent. Ignorant. Foolish children. What did I know of child sexual abuse? It was outside my realm of experience entirely. Physical abuse in the sense of corporal punishment I had known in my home and in school in Canada. And in India, corporal punishment was socially accepted and approved. Even Prabhupada himself allowed for it on occasion. It took me some time to come to that realization, even with Prabhupada personally admonishing me.

So if I am responsible for Bhavananda, for Tapomoy, for Nitai Chand, for Shatadhanya, for Venkat, for Ananta Rupa, for Srigalim, for Anirdeshya Vapu or any of the other Gurukula people with whom I worked who eventually became known for sometimes unspeakable and horrific acts of abuse, I accept.

I was in touch with them all. I knew them, and I knew nothing of the abuses for which they were accused in later days. When I found out, I washed my hands of the problem rather than fighting to protect the children. That is a dereliction of duty.

I left ISKCON in December 1979. I have never regretted that decision. Prabhupada inspired me to seek out authentic Vaishnavism and authentic spirituality. I am sorry for the students who suffered and I sincerely hope that good outweighs the bad. If they feel that blaming me is helpful to their personal progress, I cannot object. Jai Radhe Shyam.

[Pratyatosa]

Jagadananda Das says that Srila Prabhupada is partly to blame for the child abuse, but I don't agree. Srila Prabhupada, in 1970 (the DOM) and again in 1977 (the July 9th letter), set up an almost foolproof system of checks and balances within ISKCON. It's not his fault if his former "drug addicted hippie" leaders, with their LSD addled brains, refuse to follow his orders because of their obvious madness.

Even a karmi child can understand that an organization who's leaders are former drug crazed hippies who now think that they are "like Jesus" does not bode well for the sanity of that organization.

This is why women and children are still being abused within ISKCON, and why the ISKCON leaders are powerless to do anything about it. Srila Prabhupada ordered, in the form of a signed, legal document (the DOM), that the GBC men must be voted on/off the GBC by the temple presidents every 3 years. The trouble is, this was never followed. In effect, the ISKCON leaders have cut their own throats by this gross insubordination and resultant lack of accountability!

Your servant, Pratyatosa Dasa

[Mario Pineda]

I totally agree. Those that blame Srila Prabhupada for anything bad, show their inability to recognize a truly saintly person.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Prabhupadanuga" group.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/istagosthi.

[Nori Muster]

ISKCON child abuse in the India gurukulas, old Dallas, New Vrindaban, and a few other US schools, during the 1970s and 1980s, was the most sadistic and harsh of any I found in my ten years of research leading to my book Child of the Cult.

A couple of other groups were physically abusive, especially polygamous Mormon groups; and 3HO and TM had some of that in the Indian gurukulas.

Other groups were sexually abusive, especially the notorious Children of God.

But ISKCON was the worst.

That’s the thing apologist ISKCON people are having trouble accepting. 

Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

Nori

[tim lee]

Yes I agree with Nori, the levels of abuse, starving, beating and so on was way over the top of other groups. I know some terrible horror stories on this that are simply disgusting. And now a kuli tells me Bhagavan was trying to send him to Bhavananda, but he was saved at the last minute from going there by Tejiyas. Anyway, we still have a few fools who send me death threats and tell me they are going to get the GBC goondas to kill me, they still think they are right after all this time! Amazing! So I sent them a sort of reply here. Anyway, its all coming out, hopefully the truth will set us free -- eventually! ys pd

krishna1008: HKC Jaipur Totally Baffled by Karmi Cop's Question

krishna1008: HKC Jaipur Totally Baffled by Karmi Cop's Question

[BhaktaRobin]

Hari Bol,

please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Have you been in Jaipur, have you seen any problems personally?

Unlike you, I have been there and the whole fight started, because the Akshaya Patra Temple want's all the money for themselves.

The Akshaya Patra Temple authorities there are so impolite they even refused an invitation to a Prabhupadanuga festival, how to cooperate amongst Prabhupadanugas on the spot. So how can you be so hard hearted, to not even consider meeting to talk about how to solve a disagreement.

I told the Akshaya Patra Jaipur Representative: ISKCON Gurus are cooperating, why not cooperate amongst Prabhupadanugas? It is a win win situation if Prabhupadanugas cooperate.

Akshaya Patra don't give a thing about foreign Prabhupadanugas, who have no association in the west.

HKC Jaipur on the other hand, has started a farm community, Goshala and also gives western Prabhupadanugas a chance to serve in Srila Prabhupadas mission.

So I really urge people not to listen to the hate speech of Puranjana Dasa, who is making a great mistake by makeing FALSE ACCUSATIONS against HKC Jaipur.

What are you doing Puranjana Dasa, to make new devotees?(you just indiscriminately accuse everybody of child abuse)

The devotees of HKC Jaipur are doing a lot more than you, to make new devotees and give devotees shelter.

Ys

Bhakta Robin