Inquiry ordered into Beatle George Harrison donated ISKCON temple in England

Nevada (US), Feb 11: A three-day public inquiry has reportedly been ordered against former Beatle George Harrison donated Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple over a temporary wedding marquee by Hertsmere Borough Council in England.

Since 1973, when George Harrison donated the Manor building and estate, village residents have been reportedly complaining against the Manor; and its congregational community, largely Hindus, have been protesting. In 1994, temple was reportedly ordered to close for public. It is claimed that one hundred members of British Parliament joined the list of supporters of the Temple at one time.

George Harrison is said to have once chanted "Hare Krishna" mantra for 17 hours non-stop on a car journey from France to Portugal. In 1970, George produced the Radha Krishna Temple album with the devotees, a track from which featured in the top ten record sales in that year. Just before Srila Prabhupada, founder of Hare Krishnas, died in 1977, he is said to have removed the ring on his right hand and said to the disciples around him, "This is for George, give it to him."

Notable Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged Manor area residents and councilors to show more tolerance and acceptance of "others" who appeared different.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that a broader and more inclusive understanding of religion was needed as we all knew that religion included much more than one's own experience or particular tradition. Existence of different religions was a positive sign of God's generosity.

Rajan Zed also urged Dr. Rowan Douglas Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, to come out in the support of this Hindu Temple, as being head of the majority Church of England, it was his moral duty to take care of the minority, and despite our seriously different traditions, we should learn to live together in mutual trust and loyalty.

This public inquiry will start on February 15 at Hertsmere Borough Council's Civic Offices. Manor is reportedly appealing against the refusal of summer wedding marquee. A Manor release says: "For well over ten years we have facilitated wedding services in the marquee, taking pressure of our small temple room and the conflict that occurs between public worship and private services...it is the only marquee in Hertsmere Green Belt to be refused".

Residents previously reportedly complained about noise levels coming from the marquee, put up every summer since 2002 at the Manor estate, presence of which was said to be first recorded in 1261.

This Hindu temple, one of ISKCON's (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) most prestigious, is located in Aldenham near Watford in borough of Hertsmere and county of Hertfordshire in East of England (United Kingdom). Besides a temple, it also runs a College of Vedic Studies, primary school, and pre-school. It has organized a farm based on "traditional principles" and has a Goshala with 46 cows and oxen basing on "symbiotic relationship between men and cows". It provides comprehensive wedding services with vegetarian meals and Sanskrit shlokas, and calls it a "transcendental religious experience". Its daily activities start with Mangal Arati (singing of prayers) at 4-30 am, and include circumambulations around Tulsi (holy basil) plant, with temple closing at 9-30 pm after Shayan Arati. Manor claims itself "a God-centred community which gives refuge to people from all walks of life" and a rural retreat which "serves as a window to Vrindavan, Lord Krishna´s eternal home".

Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

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Mantri takes over Iskcon’s project, hikes home prices

Poonam Bharti quite literally broke the bank to book a flat at the Gokulam India Heritage Township project, two years ago.

Overlooking ISKCON’s Sri Krishna Lila Park at Kanakapura, the project was touted as the most ‘divine’ in the neighborhood and was to be executed by ISKCON-Charities. For Poonam, the flat was just within her budget and it sounded like a dream come true. She sold personal possessions to raise money to book a flat, and after checking out the site, registered for a flat in her name.

However, sometime last year, the project quietly changed hands and Mantri Developers, which is now executing the project, have hiked the price by 10 per cent (15 per cent including other charges like parking and club house facility). The original buyers have been asked to cough up an extra Rs 20 lakh if they want to retain their home.

The decision has left Poonam, who had long wished to move to the Garden City, furious. “The price of almost Rs 62 lakh was within my budget,” she said. “The name ISKCON trust. The balconies of my flat were to command a view of the Heritage Tower and the Krishna Lila Park. The brochure, through which ISKCON announced the project, suggested that this was a way for patrons to contribute to the development of the park. What could have been better?”

In September 2009, ISKCON-Charities, Bangalore had announced through its newsletter that it was offering flats to its members in the Phase II of the Gokulam India Heritage Township. Poonam was among 76 patrons who bought flats. She hastily arranged the Rs 3 lakh to pay for the registration, and came to Bangalore on December 9, 2009 to check out the project. She was briefed by Akilesh Baldota of Oysters Marketing, the sole selling agents of ISKCON. After finding all to her liking, she registered for a flat.

“I had to raise registration money by selling a few personal items, because I did not have that kind of liquidity. I even paid an extra Rs 250 per sq feet as high rise charges, because I wanted a flat on the 21st floor. I was to have a magnificent view of the theme park and the Heritage Tower as well,” she said.

For nearly a year thereafter, she heard from neither ISKCON-Charities nor Oyster Marketing. Every time she called, she was told all was well. In October last year, she was shocked to receive a letter from Mantri Developers.

“The letter just stated that the project will now be called Mantri Serenity and that the price would go up by 10 per cent. If I wished to withdraw my booking, ISKCON would refund my money. I had no information from ISKCON, nor did they return my calls or emails. Finally, I managed to speak to Akilesh and he confirmed that Mantri would be developing the project.
”
She was also told that her flat would now be on the 17th floor, never mind the high rise charges she had already paid, and she learnt that the new design would not give her the view for which she had agreed to buy the property in the first place.

“I called everybody from Mantri Developers to ISKCON to Akilesh, but I only got the take-it-or-leave-it attitude. They can always sell my flat for a much higher price. When I spoke to Madhu Pandit Dasa, president of ISKCON, Bangalore, he offered me a 2-bhk apartment in the first phase for Rs 46 lakh as a compromise. This is nothing but fraud,” said Poonam.

Dasa denied the charge and revealed that they had parted with the project on the advice of their lawyers. “The state government will soon introduce the Karnataka Public Trust Act, which is based on the same lines as Bombay Public Trust Act. It would become a law in about a year. This would make selling immovable properties of a charity without a public auction very difficult.

The completion of the project would have clashed with the law coming into force. It would have been impossible for us to sell the apartments. Therefore, we decided to hand over the project to Mantri Developers,” he explained. Dasa also emphasised that of the 76 people who had originally booked with ISKCON, 46 had agreed to Mantri’s new offer and the rest had their money refunded. He said ISKCON had also worked out a revenue-sharing deal with Mantri.

The argument, however, is of little consolation to Poonam. “I wanted to buy myself a home. If I had booked a flat with anybody else in December 2009, the rates would have be much cheaper then. We trusted the name of ISKCON and we are now left in the lurch. I only want what was promised to me and what I paid for. Is that too much to ask?” she said.

After several calls over the last four days, Mantri Developers on Tuesday returned with: “We have nothing to comment.”

The lay of the land

» The total land owned by Iskcon-Charities and the India Heritage Foundation, that will house the Sri Krishna Lila Park and their township project, is about 70 acres.

» Of this, about 28 acres will have the Sri Krishna Lila Theme Park.

» The Gokulam, or Phase I of India Heritage Foundation Township, is a 600-unit township developed by Iskcon-Charities and is spread on 7.5 acres of the land.

» Phase II of the project, which is now taken over by Mantri, is expected to have about 1,800 units and will be spread over 35 acres.

» Nine acres of this 35 acre plot have already been sold by Iskcon to Mantri for their proposed mall which is now be part of Mantri Serenity.

» Iskcon-Charities will retain about 6.5 acres of the land for parking and other facilities for the theme park.

» The ownership of the 17 acres of land where Mantri Serenity will actually come up, is unclear as both Mantri Developers and Iskcon refused to disclose details.

What was the idea behind the India Heritage Township?

The township was conceived to help finance Iskcon’s ambitious Sri Krishna Lila Park which is a Rs 360-crore project. The main attraction was the spectacular view. When Phase I of the project was put on the market, the 600-unit township sold out within a few months. But Iskcon members were miffed with the management for not being offered the first slice of the pie. In a bid to pacify them, the management came up with Phase II of the project and offered first choice of the flats to its members. The offer price was approximately Rs 2,500 per square foot.

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IRM: An ISKCON guru confesses all!

BackTo Prabhupada, Issue 29: When an artificial guru system is concocted, based not on spiritual principles, but rather on the pursuit and expansion of power, infighting and chaos will automatically result.
When one disobeys the orders of the bona fide spiritual master by usurping his position, disciples, assets and worship, only failure, chaos and deviation will result as Srila Prabhupada has repeatedly warned us:
“Our mission is to serve (…) Not that you take the place of the guru. That is nonsense, very dangerous. Then everything will be spoiled. As soon as you become ambitious to take the place of guru – gurusu nara matih. That is the material disease.”
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, April 20th,1977)

“And as soon as he learns the Guru Maharaja is dead, “Now I am so advanced that I can kill my guru and I become guru.” Then he’s finished.”
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, August 16th,1976)
As proof that Srila Prabhupada’s warnings above are applicable to ISKCON’s current unauthorised GBC elected guru hoaxer system, below we present ample evidence from one of ISKCON’s own current GBC voted in gurus, HH Mahavishnu Swami (“MVS”). In letters MVS wrote to the GBC and others, he offers an insight into the guru hoax meltdown, and also reveals his own personal meltdown in trying to pose as a successor guru to Srila Prabhupada.
The extracts in the tinted panels below, unless otherwise specified, are from letters written by MVS.


ISKCON compared to the great anti-Krishna demon Kamsa
Part 1

“I know there are the “guru fall down and boiling down the milk” counter arguments to the above and maybe this dialectic will just go on forever even as ISKCON dries up as it becomes more and more a heavy-handed Kamsa-ised organised religion smothering spontaneous devotional creepers right and left.”

ISKCON compared to the great anti-Krishna demon Kamsa
Part 2
“So did he (Srila Prabhupada) really later on want us to put a brake on expanding to “at least maintain” what he gave us? Excuse me please but I feel that with this mental laxitude step by step ISKCON will just get more “Kamsa-ised” into yet another defunct organised religion bogged down in its own politics trying (very sincerely, of course), to just “at least maintain”.


Fallen, frustrated and castrated ISKCON gurus

“…in UK (for instance) the ISKCON Managing Council or its sub-committee (presumably understandably acting in a controlling reactive protective mood after so many of its own past UK local initiating guru falldowns) has set up initiation standards and procedures without even inviting input from all the ISKCON Diksa Gurus who initiate disciples in the UK thus making unrealistic standards and procedures which foster bad feelings both from aspiring candidates and from frustrated (castrated?) visiting and resident gurus.”

Unaccountable GBC gurus and GBC spies

“..the GBC authority credibility is being undermined because ISKCON’s published Law Book Initiation standards are being openly flouted as they are being either made locally more restrictive and discouraging (as in the case of UK standards), or being adjusted according to time and circumstances by unaccountable GBC Gurus or ISKCON gurus “out of GBC range” of GBC spies.”

Unwilling guru apologists

“In the early days in expanding ISKCON Srila Prabhupada was very personal and lenient but in UK for instance I have heard complaints from my fellow-ISKCON gurus that the institutional standards set by ISKCON UK are off-putting straight jackets for aspirants seeking personal shelter. The gurus themselves find themselves having to unwillingly become apologists for ISKCON’s rigid impersonal policies.”

Disunity and fragmentation

“If ISKCON instituted kamsa-blanket centralised initiation standards are imposed on a zone by its big established temples then budding devotional communities will prefer to develop legally outside of ISKCON’s legal jurisdiction creating the disunity and fragmentation of ISKCON, (as in Brighton, UK).”

ISKCON has no trust of its voted in gurus

“It even seems that the ISKCON “establishment” has no trust of gurus and that is also not so surprising because of ISKCON gurus track records in the past.”

In all the preceding entries, MVS details the power struggle going on between the elected gurus and ISKCON’s management authorities, and the resultant chaos and breakdown. His criticisms are more harsh than whatever has been on the pages of BTP, as he compared ISKCON to the demon Kamsa.
Below, MVS turns his attention to his own personal failings as a GBC elected guru:
Misguiding devotees

“I want to apologise for my seriously having misguided the devotees on this year’s East African Festival Tour (23rd January – 22nd February 2008) [...] So I am feeling very ashamed and regretful that I caused this to happen. l was not fit as the spiritual mentor of the Festival team. It is now obvious that my hippiesh upbringing’s attitudes are still not cleansed from my heart. So I need to rectify my standard of devotional service at all costs.”

Losing the faith of “disciples”

“I feel the need to apologise to you both for dealing inconsiderately and pushing your tolerance so much that you lost faith in me as your spiritual master and ISKCON. I was not concerned enough about your welfare to act appropriately.”

Unable to look after “disciples”

“I can also hardly look after my about 100 disciples properly [...] So I do not want to be an embarrassment may consider visiting Russia again provided I am invited and I am allowed to collect donations. But I doubt if that will ever happen. Even if it did I will be frightened of getting committed to having more Russian disciples.”

A bona fide and authorised spiritual master, by definition, can never mislead or give wrong advice and thus hinder a soul’s journey back to Godhead:
“According to sastra, the duty of the guru is to take the disciple back home, back to Godhead. If he is unable to do so and instead hinders the disciple in going back to Godhead, he should not be a guru.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.20.1, purport)
Yet, in the entries above, MVS apologises for doing just that!
Chastised by juniors
Below, MVS also reveals that he was chastised for his misbehaviour by two devotees.

“He rightfully complained to our ISKCON authorities in UK that an ISKCON sannyasi had done such a thing. Kripamoya and Praghosa Prabhus in the UK brought me to task and I began to realise the negligence and foolishness of my actions.

Then after further realisation and regret and on their advice, I sent a marriage annulment letter to the parties concerned. I stated in that letter that as the couple were not unmarried the marriage I had conducted was not authorised morally or legally and therefore it was being annulled by me.”
At the time of going to press, neither of the two devotees mentioned are, unlike MVS, “gurus” or sannyasis (renunciants), and are therefore, according to ISKCON, MVS’s spiritual juniors.
So not only is MVS acting, on his own admission, without moral or legal authority, but he had to be chastised by two juniors before he realised his bogus actions! Clearly, he cannot be an empowered bona fide Vaishnava guru since a bona fide guru can never be disciplined, counselled or corrected:
“It is an offense to consider an empowered Vaisnava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him advice or to correct him.”
(Nectar of Instruction, Text 7, purport)
We have copiously documented, in several issues of BTP, the philosophical U-turns and climbdowns by ISKCON’s GBC and gurus and their lip service to the IRM’s program of promoting Srila Prabhupada as the real guru of ISKCON. Now, in addition to all the above, MVS also decides to join the “agree with the IRM” program:
Srila Prabhupada is the real guru, not me

“I may have given you diksa but our pre-eminent siksa guru is of course Srila Prabhupada not me. He is still fully living in his instructions. You must take advantage of them and become his emissary.”

Here MVS admits that Srila Prabhupada and not he, is giving siksha (spiritual instruction). MVS claims that he himself is giving diksha (spiritual initiation), but even this claim is bogus as the GBC itself agrees with the IRM that siksha is the “principal active ingredient of diksa”:
“Such uplifting knowledge is called divya jnana, and its transmission is called siksa.This divya jnana is the principal active ingredient of diksa.”
(GBC Resolution No.404, 1999)
And MVS admits he is not supplying this “principal active ingredient of diksa”.
Thus, Srila Prabhupada is the only diksha or initiating guru in ISKCON, not MVS or anyone else – something he and the GBC should have realised by now after singing every day for the past 30 years or more to Srila Prabhupada during the Guru-puja prayers that he is the one delivering this “divya-jnana”!
Further confirming the IRM’s “ritvik” position that the guru (Srila Prabhupada) does not need to physically meet disciples to initiate them, MVS admits in another letter:

“Srila Prabhupada had disciples who he had never seen physically.”

But still wants to play guru
Of course, the desire to be worshipped as good as God in imitation of the fully authorised and bona fide guru Srila Prabhupada, is just too strong to resist:

“My Vyasa Puja 2010 went off quite well. Late last night 11/2/10 in Hotel Amical, Bunia, DR Congo. Had short talks, my foot washing & guru puja and arati & pioneering feast prepared of imported Egyptian full cream milk & imported Italian spaghetti.”

(MVS SMS text, February 12th, 2010)

“I personally have a niyamag-raha trait and try and go strictly by the ISKCON Lawbook and the prevailing local initiation standards for fear of getting censored and defrocked so I really want a more flexible straightjacket to live in as a dreaded naughty-boy ISKCON Initiating guru.”

Conclusion
Thus, in addition to ISKCON’s “guru wars” documented in previous Back To Prabhupada issues, we now see that “Guru GBC” wars can be added to the power struggles going an in ISKCON.
Previously, in BTP 14, we published the equally stunning revelations of ISKCON GBC guru and Sannyasa Minister HH Prahladananda Swami in our article, “ISKCON guru exposes his own guru system”. And in BTP 20, we quoted yet another GBC member, Badrinarayan Das, stating:
“Having gurus crash and burn every few years is the main cause of ISKCON’s diminished reputation and strength and I don’t see what we have put in place to break this pattern.”
It seems as if ISKCON’s GBC and voted-in gurus can’t help but condemn the bogus system they themselves have invented; and yet the desire to replace Srila Prabhupada is so irresistible that even though they now agree in theory with the IRM’s invincible philosophical position, they will still keep the practice of their unauthorised guru system and attendant worship intact! Srila Prabhupada speaks of this tendency as follows:
“That is the difficulty. Everyone sees that, “Some way or other, I become guru. Then so many persons will offer me respect. Somehow or other, create some situation. Then I become guru. [...] This is going on. Not bona fide guru. [...] Somehow or other become popular and become guru. This is going on.”
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, May 2nd, 1976)
It is clear that the GBC’s guru hoax system is facing serious meltdown, and we hope it is now only a question of when, not if, they adopt the IRM’s position and at last reinstate Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s only diksha guru.

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Iskcon plans complex in Hubli-Dharwad

Yeddyurappa to perform bhoomi puja on February 13

 HUBLI: The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) will build a main temple and grand cultural complex at the existing temple premises at Raypur located between Hubli and Dharwad, which will be a unique blend of Hoysala architecture and modern architecture.
According to Iskcon Hubli-Dharwad unit president Rajiv Lochan Dasa, the grand cultural complex will showcase the country's glorious tradition of art, architecture and heritage.
The temple and the cultural complex, which will be beautiful synthesis of traditional South Indian temple architecture and modern facilities and its base, has been designed after the famous “Chennakeshava Temple” at Belur in Hassan district.
The main ‘Shikara' is designed after the famous Galganatha Temple at Pattadakallu. The well-preserved northern superstructure (rekha-nagara shikhara), topped by amalaka and kalasha, is the striking feature of the Galaganatha temple. It will have intricately carved pillars, ornately sculpted figures exhibiting various themes from puranas, ornamental arches, and traditional gold “kalashas” crowning the temple.
The temple will have one swagata-gopura (welcome tower, representing the Lord's feet), one raja-gopura (grand tower, representing the Lord's navel) and one vimana-gopura (tower above the deities' chamber, representing the Lord's head).
The complex will have a prayer and meditation hall and a traditional kalyani for float festivals.
The master project will be called “Glory of India and Pride of Karnataka” and has been designed by a team of architects led by Madhupandita Dasa, President, Iskcon Bangalore, who has designed the famous Iskcon Bangalore temple.
The project will have 2.5 lakh sq. ft. of built up area.
As per the project, the cultural complex will be surrounded by a lush green landscape and will have a state of the art multimedia theatre and will showcase the values of Vedic culture through films, sound and light shows, video and audio animatronics.
The complex will house a heritage auditorium and open air theatre which will be used for nurturing talents through heritage and cultural festivals. In addition to it, the cultural complex will have cultural and spiritual theme park for showcasing the glorious heritage through entertainment.
Bhoomi puja
According to Mr. Dasa, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyuappa has consented to perform the ‘bhoomi puja' for the “Sri Radha Krishna Temple and Cultural Complex” on February 13.

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Sri Shankara: Hare Krishna Song

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