Paramadvaiti Maharaj's falldown and some of the fallout (2)
I here post the post I made on Facebook on April 10, 2021 about my meeting with Paramadvaiti Swami nearly three years after the scandals that pretty much destroyed his society of disciples called VRINDA. This was picked up and posted elsewhere on the internet, where it was a source of some glee to the Schadenfreude crew.
I likely would not have posted but was motivated by an encounter with a neighbor who was one of the leading advocates for the victims on line and elsewhere. This led me to post what was an objective leaning to sympathetic assessment of my encounter with Paramadvaiti. I have a bit of a suppressed journalistic instinct that occasionally gets me into trouble.
In the beginning there were favorable comments to this post but the tide turned and those who advocated for the victims and for a hard line against all abuse took me to task for being too soft. This then resulted in a campaign of complaints against me that had unpleasant consequences for me.
I likely would not have posted but was motivated by an encounter with a neighbor who was one of the leading advocates for the victims on line and elsewhere. This led me to post what was an objective leaning to sympathetic assessment of my encounter with Paramadvaiti. I have a bit of a suppressed journalistic instinct that occasionally gets me into trouble.
In the beginning there were favorable comments to this post but the tide turned and those who advocated for the victims and for a hard line against all abuse took me to task for being too soft. This then resulted in a campaign of complaints against me that had unpleasant consequences for me.
I don't think I have anything to add to this, though since this is a recurring theme that I have dealt with in this blog it may be worthwhile to say where I am on these issues today.
A couple of months ago, a group of Paramadvaiti Maharaj's brahmachari disciples approached me to ask for Sanskrit lessons. Naturally I discussed with them the current situation at Vrinda Kunj and Yamuna Kunj where they stay and understood that they are Paramadvaiti loyalists. Not that this had anything to do with my accepting their request. I am hungry enough for eager students that I would happily accept one from any quarter. Here were four men, all still young and vigorous, with adequate intelligence and discipline to stick to it, with an esprit de corps, all to be applied to to learning Sanskrit. I would not have said no.
Now I live here in Jiva near one of Maharaj's fiercest opponents who has feelings towards him that could only be described as hatred. So I have been exposed to his worst misdeeds and to the pain and suffering of his victims. Nevertheless, since I judge everyone by the extent to which they love Sanskrit, I worried rather that Paramdvaiti's tendency to discourage education in favor of institution building might interfere with my new students' ability to remain steady in their study.
At around Dol Purnima time I found out that Paramdvaiti Maharaj was here, and when I heard that he was only staying for a few days, would be leaving on Monday for Haridwar and the Kumbh and then would be going back to Germany shortly after that, I decided to go and visit him. He has been a friend. His disciples came to me because they knew me through my environmental activist days and Vrindavan Today and all that, when I had frequent meetings with Maharaj.
Maharaj is, as expected, something of a shadow of himself. Much chastened by events, which it seems have not yet left him, though much of the dust has settled. Naturally, the deflation of ego that results from such a "shitstorm" as he himself called it, takes time to adjust. But he has come to the point of seeing where the path forward lies.
If you take the path of hate, you will never be satisfied, even with the death and destruction of your abuser. Many abused people commit suicide even after justice has been brought to their abuser because it is never enough when you have allowed your heart to become obsessed with anger. It is not a cure.
Nor will even the apologies of the abuser be enough. It will never be enough. Forgiveness is not just something that you say. It is a culture, just as contrition is. It should transform one's life.
Those who have suffered can either make others suffer or learn how not to make others suffer. It is well-known that there is a vicious cycle of abuse, the abused become abusers: it is never ending unless you make it end, with the help of Krishna's grace and the grace of the devotees.
I see the situation is more serious than I knew and I feel that it is my duty to communicate that to BAP. I am sharing this thread with him. I have also been receiving private messages and I want you all to know that I have told him again the following, as I did the first time around.
(1) The problem is not following the rules of sannyasa as given by Rupa Goswami. The making of many disciples, big projects and so on are all forbidden in the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam forbids a man from being alone with his own sister or daughter, what to speak of a sannyasi. Massages and so on are not a part of the austere regime of a sannyasi. The first thing is to follow sannyas vows strictly, probably for the first time. Not sannyas for prestige as is often the case.
(2) Stop traveling around the world. Stay in Vrindavan and commit yourself to bhajan. You are in the last part of your life. Take shelter of the Dham in all seriousness and apply yourself to the practice of Krishna bhakti as taught by Rupa Goswami in Upadeśāmr̥ta.
(3) Apologize individually to every woman you have improperly touched throughout your career and make amends as far as is possible with each individually.
(4) Make a public statement confessing your transgressions and make some proper public atonement. Give up your position as acharya of VRINDA and let Atulananda Swami (or some other well-situated leader, grihastha or sannyasi) be the acharya.
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| First time I met BAP in 2014 in Ste Agathe Quebec. |
[It was in fact an incorrect assumption that these men were loyalists even though some of them were still residing in VRINDA related properties. All four of them had been intensely affected by the scandals and disappointed to the point of disgust with BAP. This became clearer to me after writing this comment and getting their reactions. It was their general humility and sweetness of disposition that misled me. At least two of them had been born to disciples of BAP and thus had really known nothing else their entire lives. ]
Now I live here in Jiva near one of Maharaj's fiercest opponents who has feelings towards him that could only be described as hatred. So I have been exposed to his worst misdeeds and to the pain and suffering of his victims. Nevertheless, since I judge everyone by the extent to which they love Sanskrit, I worried rather that Paramdvaiti's tendency to discourage education in favor of institution building might interfere with my new students' ability to remain steady in their study.
At around Dol Purnima time I found out that Paramdvaiti Maharaj was here, and when I heard that he was only staying for a few days, would be leaving on Monday for Haridwar and the Kumbh and then would be going back to Germany shortly after that, I decided to go and visit him. He has been a friend. His disciples came to me because they knew me through my environmental activist days and Vrindavan Today and all that, when I had frequent meetings with Maharaj.
Maharaj is, as expected, something of a shadow of himself. Much chastened by events, which it seems have not yet left him, though much of the dust has settled. Naturally, the deflation of ego that results from such a "shitstorm" as he himself called it, takes time to adjust. But he has come to the point of seeing where the path forward lies.
["A shadow of his former self." What I did not mention here, in order perhaps not to overplay the sympathy card was that he was noticeably trembling, his hands shaking constantly. He told me that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that was somehow lying in wait to do him in, but that he kept walking to keep it at bay. Nevertheless it was clear that he did not expect to live for very long.]
He was quite open about the events, though it wasn't the kind of blood and guts confession that people seem to want these days as a catharsis. From what I could gather, circumstances were making it impossible for him to stay in Vrindavan. Nevertheless, he is not relinquishing his connection to Vrinda, even though much of Vrinda has relinquished its connection to him.
At the same time, he still has young men of quality as disciples there at Yamuna Kunj, several more than the quartet who came to me.
I have always held a certain precarious pride in the fact that I have been given shelter in the Dham. I thought that this is the center of our universe and so, sooner or later, the world will come to me. This is the place of final attainment, and what I have to give should be for those who have given themselves to coming there.
But who is sowing the seeds that brings such people here from afar? Maharaj said to me that when his 40-year partner Atulananda, whom he had given sannyasa only a short while before, cut himself off entirely from Vrinda, even though Paramadvaiti had offered him sole acharyaship over the entire organization. So nobody seemed able to take a leadership position, which made many of them turn to him again. But the situation made him assess how to reorganize things with himself out of the picture. As though dead, but alive somewhere. This is, as I recall, something like what I asked him to do in my letter when the shit first hit the fan.
As many of you know, Paramadvaiti Maharaj had become a friend of the indigenous peoples of South America, especially those from the shamanistic ayahuasca-using nations. He was especially impressed by how many of their beliefs corresponded to those of Sanatan Dharma. One thing is that he has, through his own disciples, established congregations in remote, heavily indigenous places like Bolivia. He was saying, these people are poor, they will likely never have enough money to come to Vrindavan. How do we take care of them? So he has given many of the preachers in these areas the responsibility of initiating, thereby taking himself out of the picture.
Well, I expect that people will think I am being a bit soft on him. He says he had become lax in following the rules of sannyas and associating with women. I have my views on the problems of sannyas, and this was by the way another thing I wrote to him in one of my letters that was made public. Anyway, if there is one fall-down that I "get" as it were is that of a sannyasi with women disciples. He said how much he loved them. I can just imagine.
He was quite open about the events, though it wasn't the kind of blood and guts confession that people seem to want these days as a catharsis. From what I could gather, circumstances were making it impossible for him to stay in Vrindavan. Nevertheless, he is not relinquishing his connection to Vrinda, even though much of Vrinda has relinquished its connection to him.
At the same time, he still has young men of quality as disciples there at Yamuna Kunj, several more than the quartet who came to me.
I have always held a certain precarious pride in the fact that I have been given shelter in the Dham. I thought that this is the center of our universe and so, sooner or later, the world will come to me. This is the place of final attainment, and what I have to give should be for those who have given themselves to coming there.
But who is sowing the seeds that brings such people here from afar? Maharaj said to me that when his 40-year partner Atulananda, whom he had given sannyasa only a short while before, cut himself off entirely from Vrinda, even though Paramadvaiti had offered him sole acharyaship over the entire organization. So nobody seemed able to take a leadership position, which made many of them turn to him again. But the situation made him assess how to reorganize things with himself out of the picture. As though dead, but alive somewhere. This is, as I recall, something like what I asked him to do in my letter when the shit first hit the fan.
As many of you know, Paramadvaiti Maharaj had become a friend of the indigenous peoples of South America, especially those from the shamanistic ayahuasca-using nations. He was especially impressed by how many of their beliefs corresponded to those of Sanatan Dharma. One thing is that he has, through his own disciples, established congregations in remote, heavily indigenous places like Bolivia. He was saying, these people are poor, they will likely never have enough money to come to Vrindavan. How do we take care of them? So he has given many of the preachers in these areas the responsibility of initiating, thereby taking himself out of the picture.
Well, I expect that people will think I am being a bit soft on him. He says he had become lax in following the rules of sannyas and associating with women. I have my views on the problems of sannyas, and this was by the way another thing I wrote to him in one of my letters that was made public. Anyway, if there is one fall-down that I "get" as it were is that of a sannyasi with women disciples. He said how much he loved them. I can just imagine.
[This confusion of sexual desire with love is what I "get." Anyway, this is the crux of the matter.]
With his disciples, my students, I sense that they feel a bit of freedom and independence also, even in his presence. They have some reverence for him because he truly has been their guru. He is the one who brought them to Vrindavan, so they have decided to stick it out with him. But they are determined to pursue the path of bhakti and get the most out of their Brajavas. I believe that is why they came to me.
With his disciples, my students, I sense that they feel a bit of freedom and independence also, even in his presence. They have some reverence for him because he truly has been their guru. He is the one who brought them to Vrindavan, so they have decided to stick it out with him. But they are determined to pursue the path of bhakti and get the most out of their Brajavas. I believe that is why they came to me.
[In other words, BAP's situation liberated them from many of the constraints that he would have placed on them when it came to associating with me.]
But I want to assure not only Maharaj and his disciples and devotees everywhere, that my interest and area of primary expertise for which I have some qualification is in Sanskrit. There is a very strong correlation between Sanskrit and Indian culture, in which Gaudiya Vaishnavism, by the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Six Goswamis and others, take part.
Without Sanskrit, the Holy Name will create colonies and offshoots everywhere, cultural versions that take on wider and wider differences as the years go by. Reading the same books, but taking on and creating new cultural forms. Perhaps in the modern interconnected world it will be more homogenous than it would be if we all lived in isolated villages in the Bolivian Andes. But Sanskrit, like Vrindavan, will always be the sun at the center of the solar system.
After lunch he invited me to a dip in Yamuna Kund, a little square pool in the back of Yamuna Kunj. Maybe two meters across, with two or three steps going down, made of white Rajasthani marble. He talked me into it. The water was cold and even though the heat has come, it still hasn't touched me and I felt little pleasure in the fresh water. Maharaj usually goes for morning bath in the Yamuna, which is just in front of the door, across the Parikrama Marg and fifty meters of sand. He takes a group of five or six brahmacharis to mangal arati at one of the Gaudiya Maths in Seva Kunj, or to one of the main temples, but I think that Covid restrictions have been kept in place there. Don't quote me on that.
So to put a conclusion to all this, let me say that I do not think Paramadwaiti Maharaj is a crocodile.
Jai Sri Radhe.
But I want to assure not only Maharaj and his disciples and devotees everywhere, that my interest and area of primary expertise for which I have some qualification is in Sanskrit. There is a very strong correlation between Sanskrit and Indian culture, in which Gaudiya Vaishnavism, by the grace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Six Goswamis and others, take part.
Without Sanskrit, the Holy Name will create colonies and offshoots everywhere, cultural versions that take on wider and wider differences as the years go by. Reading the same books, but taking on and creating new cultural forms. Perhaps in the modern interconnected world it will be more homogenous than it would be if we all lived in isolated villages in the Bolivian Andes. But Sanskrit, like Vrindavan, will always be the sun at the center of the solar system.
After lunch he invited me to a dip in Yamuna Kund, a little square pool in the back of Yamuna Kunj. Maybe two meters across, with two or three steps going down, made of white Rajasthani marble. He talked me into it. The water was cold and even though the heat has come, it still hasn't touched me and I felt little pleasure in the fresh water. Maharaj usually goes for morning bath in the Yamuna, which is just in front of the door, across the Parikrama Marg and fifty meters of sand. He takes a group of five or six brahmacharis to mangal arati at one of the Gaudiya Maths in Seva Kunj, or to one of the main temples, but I think that Covid restrictions have been kept in place there. Don't quote me on that.
So to put a conclusion to all this, let me say that I do not think Paramadwaiti Maharaj is a crocodile.
Jai Sri Radhe.
[Well, reading that again it seems pretty harmless. What led to the subsequent trouble was the use of the words "hatred" and "crocodile," both of which came out of my conversation with my neighbor. As is often the case in these kinds of posts, I don't always quote other people's comments, which can usually be deduced from my own statements. I do so to mostly save space, even though I know that it does skew the conversation somewhat. ]
X is closer to the victims, she feels their pain in ways I do not. Yet I am not against the victims and in favor of the abuser. What does she take me for?
I have explained at some length why I try to treat BAP empathically, even though it is hardly the politically correct thing in today's climate, and in particular while the whole debacle is still going on throughout South America. I hope you will take the trouble to read my other posts from today in particular.
But I don't expect it would be possible for anyone who is not in my position or completely separate from the situation to feel the same way that I do. Nevertheless, precisely because of our common background as Prabhupada disciples and because of other things I appreciated about BAP, on a completely non-sectarian basis, I have the right to offer him whatever support I can. But of course I will do so in a way that will help him to cure his disease. To the best of my ability.
I am not his guru or even a close friend. But I don't see why someone who gave his life to preaching Krishna bhakti, who for a time was an embodiment of Prabhupada's mercy, who brought so many beautiful people to Krishna bhakti, who created an image of the devotional life that resonated with so many, should be completely abandoned by his godbrothers.
In such circumstances, the api cet sudurācāro verse is one of the least favorite verses in the Bhagavad Gita, so I won't quote it even if I consider it applicable. But the next verse says,
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
I have explained at some length why I try to treat BAP empathically, even though it is hardly the politically correct thing in today's climate, and in particular while the whole debacle is still going on throughout South America. I hope you will take the trouble to read my other posts from today in particular.
But I don't expect it would be possible for anyone who is not in my position or completely separate from the situation to feel the same way that I do. Nevertheless, precisely because of our common background as Prabhupada disciples and because of other things I appreciated about BAP, on a completely non-sectarian basis, I have the right to offer him whatever support I can. But of course I will do so in a way that will help him to cure his disease. To the best of my ability.
I am not his guru or even a close friend. But I don't see why someone who gave his life to preaching Krishna bhakti, who for a time was an embodiment of Prabhupada's mercy, who brought so many beautiful people to Krishna bhakti, who created an image of the devotional life that resonated with so many, should be completely abandoned by his godbrothers.
In such circumstances, the api cet sudurācāro verse is one of the least favorite verses in the Bhagavad Gita, so I won't quote it even if I consider it applicable. But the next verse says,
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
He quickly corrects himself and becomes righteous and then attains to supreme peace. So, Arjuna, announce it to the world that my devotee will never perish.
People will say, no he is not a devotee!!! Devotees don't sin. Give me a break. Hey devotees! May the first of you without sin throw the first stone. As if throwing the stone itself is not a sin.
Paramadwaiti is a devotee first and foremost. The upādhis and bad saṁskāras that arose are not the ultimate reality. I see that, as his godbrother.
Upādhis and saṁskāras are not the reality. Krishna is. One who has a relation with Guru and Krishna has connected with a higher reality, and Truth means true in past, present and future. na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.
That is why Krishna also says that what you see going on in others is guṇā guṇeṣu vartante. The guṇas are playing with the guṇas. That is not the reality of the soul. So, Krishna continues, he does not become attached. na sajjate. Sajjate means āsakti. Asakti means to see whatever as a source of happiness or distress. It has an emotional charge, rāga and dveṣa.
This is why I used the word "hatred." I suppose that hatred can be dovetailed into bhakti, but I don't think it is recommended. Even if you hate a devotee (devotees are Krishna substitutes) it does not lead to the best of outcomes.
So I am against the hatred because it eats the heart of the hater. Indifference is better. Indifference is, in a sense, the cure. I doubt that you can pass to indifference though without forgiveness, on some level. Even if it just theoretical.
Everybody is sick. I am not anyone's doctor. Only Krishna can cure the disease, whether it is the suffering of the victim or that of the abuser. In the end, they are both just different places on the same wheel. And one should seek out that which cannot be found on that wheel.
I have been around long enough to see a hundred scandals. Nothing surprises me. I expect people to be imperfect..
There is nothing better for humility than a good falldown. So the best thing to do is to embrace your imperfection, your shadow as the Jungians say, and be humble. It helps one's chanting. But one must also make reparations with those one has wronged.
Actually, in my own case I have tried to follow this advice and it has not been good for my pratiṣṭhā. Most gurus are endowed with a big ego. It seems like a necessity.
People will say, no he is not a devotee!!! Devotees don't sin. Give me a break. Hey devotees! May the first of you without sin throw the first stone. As if throwing the stone itself is not a sin.
Paramadwaiti is a devotee first and foremost. The upādhis and bad saṁskāras that arose are not the ultimate reality. I see that, as his godbrother.
Upādhis and saṁskāras are not the reality. Krishna is. One who has a relation with Guru and Krishna has connected with a higher reality, and Truth means true in past, present and future. na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.
That is why Krishna also says that what you see going on in others is guṇā guṇeṣu vartante. The guṇas are playing with the guṇas. That is not the reality of the soul. So, Krishna continues, he does not become attached. na sajjate. Sajjate means āsakti. Asakti means to see whatever as a source of happiness or distress. It has an emotional charge, rāga and dveṣa.
This is why I used the word "hatred." I suppose that hatred can be dovetailed into bhakti, but I don't think it is recommended. Even if you hate a devotee (devotees are Krishna substitutes) it does not lead to the best of outcomes.
So I am against the hatred because it eats the heart of the hater. Indifference is better. Indifference is, in a sense, the cure. I doubt that you can pass to indifference though without forgiveness, on some level. Even if it just theoretical.
Everybody is sick. I am not anyone's doctor. Only Krishna can cure the disease, whether it is the suffering of the victim or that of the abuser. In the end, they are both just different places on the same wheel. And one should seek out that which cannot be found on that wheel.
[It is in fact an impossibility to make reparations. For those who have been hurt, they are affected in ways that are governed by their own personality. Some are able to forgive and forget easily, others are intractable.]
parīhāse'py anyāpriya-kathana-mūko'tivadhiraḥ
pareṣāṁ doṣānuśrutim anu viloke'ndha-nayanaḥ |
śilāvan niśceṣṭaḥ para-vapuṣi bādhā-lava-vidhau
kadā vatsyāmy asmin hari-dayita-vṛndāvana-vane ||
When will I become dumb,
incapable of speaking words that are hurtful to others,
even if only spoken in jest?
When will I become deaf,
incapable of hearing others' faults,
and blind to seeing them?
When will I become as inactive as a clod of earth,
incapable of any movement that brings others
even the slightest pain?
When will I thus reside in this Vrindavan forest,
which is so dear to Lord Hari?
(VMA 2.16)
There is nothing in this world that is not mixed. A guru like Paramadwaiti Maharaj, who has crossed the lines of propriety and disappointed those who loved and respected him through his misdeeds, has at the same time done hundreds of positive things and is a confirmed and active devotee and resident of the Dham. As much as I dislike the allegations against him, I see that he is taking corrective measures. And I will not forget the positive.
Having said that, I have never been a great activist or social reformer. I am more inclined to avoiding conflict. An active life often means coming into contact with people who are less than perfect and making the most of it. This is usually not very positive for bhajan and is not recommended for a person who seeks to immerse himself in pure bhakti.
All in all, even if a disciple of BAP leaves him over these matters and goes to another guru, they will still be indebted to him and obliged by spiritual duty to think of him positively.
I am not in general an unconditional supporter of the Gaudiya Math or ISKCON. As you know I am a disciple of Lalita Prasad Thakur and have been initiated in Bhaktivinoda Thakur's dīkṣā paramparā. This puts me in a position where I am automatically at odds in some ways with the Gaudiya Math and ISKCON [even though I share much in common with them and view individuals objectively and not as members of a group].
parīhāse'py anyāpriya-kathana-mūko'tivadhiraḥ
pareṣāṁ doṣānuśrutim anu viloke'ndha-nayanaḥ |
śilāvan niśceṣṭaḥ para-vapuṣi bādhā-lava-vidhau
kadā vatsyāmy asmin hari-dayita-vṛndāvana-vane ||
When will I become dumb,
incapable of speaking words that are hurtful to others,
even if only spoken in jest?
When will I become deaf,
incapable of hearing others' faults,
and blind to seeing them?
When will I become as inactive as a clod of earth,
incapable of any movement that brings others
even the slightest pain?
When will I thus reside in this Vrindavan forest,
which is so dear to Lord Hari?
(VMA 2.16)
There is nothing in this world that is not mixed. A guru like Paramadwaiti Maharaj, who has crossed the lines of propriety and disappointed those who loved and respected him through his misdeeds, has at the same time done hundreds of positive things and is a confirmed and active devotee and resident of the Dham. As much as I dislike the allegations against him, I see that he is taking corrective measures. And I will not forget the positive.
Having said that, I have never been a great activist or social reformer. I am more inclined to avoiding conflict. An active life often means coming into contact with people who are less than perfect and making the most of it. This is usually not very positive for bhajan and is not recommended for a person who seeks to immerse himself in pure bhakti.
All in all, even if a disciple of BAP leaves him over these matters and goes to another guru, they will still be indebted to him and obliged by spiritual duty to think of him positively.
[The following was written on some other occasion when I was in Montreal in 2019. I haven't found the context but it was not related to the above posting.]
I am not in general an unconditional supporter of the Gaudiya Math or ISKCON. As you know I am a disciple of Lalita Prasad Thakur and have been initiated in Bhaktivinoda Thakur's dīkṣā paramparā. This puts me in a position where I am automatically at odds in some ways with the Gaudiya Math and ISKCON [even though I share much in common with them and view individuals objectively and not as members of a group].
I am not allowed to speak in any ISKCON temple or [I imagine] any Gaudiya Math.
Due to confusion on the part of the IGM, I am considered one who has rejected his guru, whereas my position is that BSS rejected BVT's guru, something he had no right to do, and I am merely correcting an error that was made further up the line.
What my belief is that there is an offense at the root of the IGM, which is guror avajñā towards Bipin Bihari Goswami and to the very concept of the dīkṣā paramparā.
Nevertheless, GM and ISKCON are the offsprings of Bhaktvinoda Thakur, so from my point of view I am not an enemy of the work of the IGM. The preaching of the Holy Name and Mahaprabhu's dharma is a net positive and I myself have been a beneficiary of it. But it is my feeling that ultimately the tradition of disciplic succession that Bhaktivinoda Thakur himself accepted is significant and not negotiable.
Sooner or later, the limitations on an individual's spiritual progress will reveal themselves in anyone who has accepted initiation in the IGM offshoot because of this root problem. No one in IGM likes to hear this and of course they can point to their successes and use those as a proof of their authenticity.
For me, anyone who chants the Holy Name and worships Gauranga and the Divine Couple is my brother and sister and I will never declare myself their enemy, but treat them just as the first offense to the Holy Name tells me to. Every one who chants Krishna, offender or not, innocent or not, is the recipient of my heartfelt respect, manasādriyeta.
Paramadwaiti Maharaj and I have on occasion been allied in actions of service to Vrindavan. At the present time, because of this scandal, he has lost his credibility to most of the influential people in that scene. Many of my friends in Vrindavan have not been overly appreciative of Maharaj's activities or attitude in the field of service to Vrindavan even before all this happened. I do not believe that where Vrindavan is concerned (or for that matter the preaching of bhakti-dharma) internal differences should be paramount. The common goal we share is more important than technical details or differences in any of these matters.
Moreover, many of other initiatives that BAP participates such as BVAN, WVA/VVRS and the United Nations of the Spirit are all commendable and I would rather encourage than discourage his followers to support them if they believe that these projects are positive for the entire Gaura Bhakti movement.
I will personally encourage BAP to make the amends that his critics demand of him so that he can progress in spiritual life according to the teachings of the parampara, and indeed, this is what I wrote to him and the way that I encouraged him privately.
Here in Montreal where I am at present, disciples of VRINDA have allowed me to speak in their small temple. Thus I am a beneficiary of Paramadvaiti Maharaj's preaching work. I will not go there to preach against him or the Gaudiya Math, but to encourage them in their devotion to Radha and Krishna and service to Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
Nevertheless, GM and ISKCON are the offsprings of Bhaktvinoda Thakur, so from my point of view I am not an enemy of the work of the IGM. The preaching of the Holy Name and Mahaprabhu's dharma is a net positive and I myself have been a beneficiary of it. But it is my feeling that ultimately the tradition of disciplic succession that Bhaktivinoda Thakur himself accepted is significant and not negotiable.
Sooner or later, the limitations on an individual's spiritual progress will reveal themselves in anyone who has accepted initiation in the IGM offshoot because of this root problem. No one in IGM likes to hear this and of course they can point to their successes and use those as a proof of their authenticity.
For me, anyone who chants the Holy Name and worships Gauranga and the Divine Couple is my brother and sister and I will never declare myself their enemy, but treat them just as the first offense to the Holy Name tells me to. Every one who chants Krishna, offender or not, innocent or not, is the recipient of my heartfelt respect, manasādriyeta.
Paramadwaiti Maharaj and I have on occasion been allied in actions of service to Vrindavan. At the present time, because of this scandal, he has lost his credibility to most of the influential people in that scene. Many of my friends in Vrindavan have not been overly appreciative of Maharaj's activities or attitude in the field of service to Vrindavan even before all this happened. I do not believe that where Vrindavan is concerned (or for that matter the preaching of bhakti-dharma) internal differences should be paramount. The common goal we share is more important than technical details or differences in any of these matters.
Moreover, many of other initiatives that BAP participates such as BVAN, WVA/VVRS and the United Nations of the Spirit are all commendable and I would rather encourage than discourage his followers to support them if they believe that these projects are positive for the entire Gaura Bhakti movement.
I will personally encourage BAP to make the amends that his critics demand of him so that he can progress in spiritual life according to the teachings of the parampara, and indeed, this is what I wrote to him and the way that I encouraged him privately.
Here in Montreal where I am at present, disciples of VRINDA have allowed me to speak in their small temple. Thus I am a beneficiary of Paramadvaiti Maharaj's preaching work. I will not go there to preach against him or the Gaudiya Math, but to encourage them in their devotion to Radha and Krishna and service to Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
I hope that the nuance here will not escape anyone reading this.
[The principle is accept the positive. In the case of those who believe in the truth of bhakti, to the extent that bhakti has been served, there is something positive. The weakness and flaws are not the reality, and for that reason we reject them, but we do not reify them.]
It was ever thus, believe me. Read the Puranas. I am not saying to stop criticizing or demanding the highest standards. So everything being said about his lack of qualification to be guru and so on is correct. But, like it or not, Paramadwaiti has brought the Holy Name to thousands more people than you or I. Perhaps he just brought the beginners, and we can be there to bring them further.
It is not "all or nothing" -- ever.
I am not in a position to judge, to condemn or exonerate anyone. As Lord Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Judge not that ye be not judged." Also the Bhagavatam says neither praise nor criticize. The devotee looks at devotion and has the faith that devotion will take care of sin.
Obviously I am not saying that one can sin freely on the basis of one's past good deeds. That is an offense to the Holy Name and I do not condone it. nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ.
Justice should always be tempered with mercy. Yet, I agree with everyone that unless one privately makes amends and does a public act of contrition, it is immoral to be pretend otherwise.
And take the fallout. The fallout is already there. How else to defuse it? How else to escape guilt honestly?
When I wrote about my experiences at the Gurukulas, I tried to make it such a sincere public act of contrition. That letter was put on line by those to whom I wrote it and I am happy they did so. Since then the letter has surfaced numerous times, sometimes in damaging ways. Satyanarayana Dasa has had the same experience. But it is normal that there should be repercussions. If you are not ready to take the heat, you will never know the meaning of the third verse of Shikshashtakam.
At any rate, I hope that all those who are so righteous today will remember their own words when and if their own turn comes. As I said earlier, I have come to believe that falldowns are good for everyone in the sense that they reveal to everyone directly involved where they really stand. What one does after that is up to them.
It is not just "judge not that ye be not judged" it is also "forgive that ye may be forgiven."
I do not know the abused and so I cannot speak for or about them. They can distribute the details of their suffering and make us all hate Paramadwaiti more. That is of course their prerogative and yours also.
On the other hand, since the problem lies in Paramadwaiti Maharaj I have confined myself to saying what I think is the proper course of action for him.
Some of you try to make it sound as though I support the abuser and not the abused. This is just demagoguery and not worthy of a devotee speaking to another devotee who is rightly concerned that a valuable member of the international Vaishnava community is bringing disrepute on all Vaishnavas everywhere.
And here I will say what I have said a thousand times to the abused. You are in a difficult position and I know no one will like it when I say this, but it is your karma and is God's arrangement to make you grow and become a better and stronger person. It is a test you have to pass through for whatever reason, to understand yourself and your purpose in life.
If you like you can descend into the pits of tamo-guna. You can keep hate and anger, guilt and self-doubt in your heart forever, or you can raise yourself up through finding good association and by doing sadhana. You cannot make yourself whole by bringing down another person, no matter how successful you are. That is a spiritual dead end.
You can do good. You can learn from your experience. But don't think that justice is ever or necessarily served in a way that is visible to our eyes in this world. You can try, and certainly there is some nobility in the pursuit of justice, but in the end it will not bring satisfaction to the soul. Because though it is something, giving fleeting satisfaction, it is never enough to cure the diseased nature of one's conditioned state.
It was ever thus, believe me. Read the Puranas. I am not saying to stop criticizing or demanding the highest standards. So everything being said about his lack of qualification to be guru and so on is correct. But, like it or not, Paramadwaiti has brought the Holy Name to thousands more people than you or I. Perhaps he just brought the beginners, and we can be there to bring them further.
It is not "all or nothing" -- ever.
I am not in a position to judge, to condemn or exonerate anyone. As Lord Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Judge not that ye be not judged." Also the Bhagavatam says neither praise nor criticize. The devotee looks at devotion and has the faith that devotion will take care of sin.
Obviously I am not saying that one can sin freely on the basis of one's past good deeds. That is an offense to the Holy Name and I do not condone it. nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ.
Justice should always be tempered with mercy. Yet, I agree with everyone that unless one privately makes amends and does a public act of contrition, it is immoral to be pretend otherwise.
And take the fallout. The fallout is already there. How else to defuse it? How else to escape guilt honestly?
When I wrote about my experiences at the Gurukulas, I tried to make it such a sincere public act of contrition. That letter was put on line by those to whom I wrote it and I am happy they did so. Since then the letter has surfaced numerous times, sometimes in damaging ways. Satyanarayana Dasa has had the same experience. But it is normal that there should be repercussions. If you are not ready to take the heat, you will never know the meaning of the third verse of Shikshashtakam.
At any rate, I hope that all those who are so righteous today will remember their own words when and if their own turn comes. As I said earlier, I have come to believe that falldowns are good for everyone in the sense that they reveal to everyone directly involved where they really stand. What one does after that is up to them.
It is not just "judge not that ye be not judged" it is also "forgive that ye may be forgiven."
On the other hand, since the problem lies in Paramadwaiti Maharaj I have confined myself to saying what I think is the proper course of action for him.
Some of you try to make it sound as though I support the abuser and not the abused. This is just demagoguery and not worthy of a devotee speaking to another devotee who is rightly concerned that a valuable member of the international Vaishnava community is bringing disrepute on all Vaishnavas everywhere.
And here I will say what I have said a thousand times to the abused. You are in a difficult position and I know no one will like it when I say this, but it is your karma and is God's arrangement to make you grow and become a better and stronger person. It is a test you have to pass through for whatever reason, to understand yourself and your purpose in life.
If you like you can descend into the pits of tamo-guna. You can keep hate and anger, guilt and self-doubt in your heart forever, or you can raise yourself up through finding good association and by doing sadhana. You cannot make yourself whole by bringing down another person, no matter how successful you are. That is a spiritual dead end.
You can do good. You can learn from your experience. But don't think that justice is ever or necessarily served in a way that is visible to our eyes in this world. You can try, and certainly there is some nobility in the pursuit of justice, but in the end it will not bring satisfaction to the soul. Because though it is something, giving fleeting satisfaction, it is never enough to cure the diseased nature of one's conditioned state.
If you take the path of hate, you will never be satisfied, even with the death and destruction of your abuser. Many abused people commit suicide even after justice has been brought to their abuser because it is never enough when you have allowed your heart to become obsessed with anger. It is not a cure.
Nor will even the apologies of the abuser be enough. It will never be enough. Forgiveness is not just something that you say. It is a culture, just as contrition is. It should transform one's life.
Those who have suffered can either make others suffer or learn how not to make others suffer. It is well-known that there is a vicious cycle of abuse, the abused become abusers: it is never ending unless you make it end, with the help of Krishna's grace and the grace of the devotees.
I see the situation is more serious than I knew and I feel that it is my duty to communicate that to BAP. I am sharing this thread with him. I have also been receiving private messages and I want you all to know that I have told him again the following, as I did the first time around.
(1) The problem is not following the rules of sannyasa as given by Rupa Goswami. The making of many disciples, big projects and so on are all forbidden in the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam forbids a man from being alone with his own sister or daughter, what to speak of a sannyasi. Massages and so on are not a part of the austere regime of a sannyasi. The first thing is to follow sannyas vows strictly, probably for the first time. Not sannyas for prestige as is often the case.
(2) Stop traveling around the world. Stay in Vrindavan and commit yourself to bhajan. You are in the last part of your life. Take shelter of the Dham in all seriousness and apply yourself to the practice of Krishna bhakti as taught by Rupa Goswami in Upadeśāmr̥ta.
(3) Apologize individually to every woman you have improperly touched throughout your career and make amends as far as is possible with each individually.
(4) Make a public statement confessing your transgressions and make some proper public atonement. Give up your position as acharya of VRINDA and let Atulananda Swami (or some other well-situated leader, grihastha or sannyasi) be the acharya.
To some extent, BAP has followed (1) and (2), but has not adequately given attention to (3) and (4).
I would also ask for senior godbrothers of his, whether Bhakti Sudhir Goswami, Nrisingha Maharaj, Tripurari Maharaj and other members of the WVA also to intervene and ask him to do what has been suggested here. Otherwise, all the good work that he has done will be for nought and he will have brought all his own gurus and the entire Vaishnava religion into disrepute, his name will be sullied forever.
If I am any friend of his, indeed if I am a friend of BAP and a lover of this beautiful Vaishnava dharma, then I say what I think here and hope that for the sake of Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Bhaktivinoda Thakur, that he make an attempt to correct the blemish he has brought upon their names. Jai Sri Radhe Shyam.
If I am any friend of his, indeed if I am a friend of BAP and a lover of this beautiful Vaishnava dharma, then I say what I think here and hope that for the sake of Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and Bhaktivinoda Thakur, that he make an attempt to correct the blemish he has brought upon their names. Jai Sri Radhe Shyam.
Comments
Paramadvaiti is possibly possesed, this is total sahajiya...
Parody of bhakti ! Lusty womanizer in sanyasa robes ( Twe worst thing becaus ein the name of religion ), he could be mentally ill,
means split personality, ghosts, whatever !
I saw his pictures few times already. Glad that his spanish "yatra" of naive hipnotised idiots is falling apart.
And vishvananda is possibly black magician, demonic "avatar".
Sometimes criticizing is very needful, sentimental "acceptance" is foolishness !
Wake the heaven up, will you...?
Thank you for posting, anyway.
Hare Krishna from Polska.