7th August 2011
TWO LETTERS
1. LETTER FROM YASODANANDAN PRABHU
Hare Krsna Yasodanandan Maharaj Ji,
Namaste aur Pranam. All Glories to His Divine Grace.
Thank You for your mail and the information it contains. The BIF team, and Prabhupada disciples as a whole, have been in your debt over the years re. history and analyses from your recollections. For the first time we have the pleasure of posting one of your letters on our site, with permission to comment. Thank You, again.
The now defunct VNN site was used by the alleged poisoners to discomfit incontrovertible evidence of what was said, accepted, discussed, and then hidden by them for two decades. When VNN held a poll- "Was Prabhupada poisoned?" you may recall that voters who believed he was, far outnumbered those who did not. It was then that Tamal Krishna (TK) decided to apply institutional de jure to obfuscate fait accompli, which led to establishing CHAKRA. Caru Babu (CB), who had personally witnessed TK open up the gates to gurudom, wagged a nervous tail in gratitude and keyed- "Let the Truth Prevail."
>>Re. Caru babu's statement-"Let the Truth Prevail," and the BIF analysis:
Based upon a few statements of Caru Babu, it can be safely said that accuracy and attention to detail does not seem to exist in his dictionary. <<
His repeated "oversights" placed CB behind the curb as to where the finger of suspicion pointed. He was the first one on the scene in '77 to understand and accept Srila Prabhupada's complaint and to announce publicly a conspiracy in progress to poison him. In spite of what the institution, or those with an agenda may claim, the ones who were there at Prabhupada's bedside made it clear on audio and in print that His Divine Grace said he was poisoned. In lieu of removed audio tapes by TK (as confirmed by eye-witness account) that could have further compounded existing evidence, we must accept testimonies of perceptive witnesses, which, when we acknowledge come from the suspects themselves, ipse dixit, are damning enough. Back to CB. He was the most vocal, and from all accounts, most distressed at the time of revelation in '77. By the time the truth was out (twenty years later) he had accepted payment... "guru." There was no turning back, so he changed his 1977 statement from-
"Someone has poisoned him!!" (T-45/B), to this 1999 version- "When I first heard about this allegation I considered it to be so absurd that I did not think it deserved any response." (VNN 'Let the Truth Prevail.' 4/10/99.)>>In his statement on VNN, Caru Babu informs us that Hari Sauri Prabhu asked him "to address this issue" and then proceeds to enlighten us regarding his pedigree, so that we may not have any misunderstanding regarding his credentials. <<
Truly, Caru Babu's pedigree should have left him as just another one of the 8,000 engineers working as coolies (porters) in railway stations across Bengal in the 70's. This man, who now claims (certainly acts on) a parity with His Divine Grace, was rescued from the fate of a dhobi wallah's gaddha. Srila Prabhupada took pity on him.
From recollection (his family name is hidden for some reason) his legal name was Nirmal Ghosh (?) born to a middle class family in Kolkata; studied engineering at Bangabasi College in Scott's Street, Baitakhana (near Sealdah Station) where he struggled and left behind no impression in any department. He was then packed off to Germany so his worthless resume could be gilded. Yes we have read the guru-dump on Caru Babu's website-
"After thoroughly studying the Vedic scriptures, His Holiness became aware of the need to find a spiritual master who could lead him on a sound spiritual course." CB's 'guru bio' says he was studying for five years in Germany where he came across Vedic literature. So we are given to understand that somewhere in those five years, while in a serious effort to keep away from becoming just another station porter, this great yogi, after thirty years of rigmarole discovered the Vedas in Germany and- thoroughly studied the Vedic scriptures and became aware of the need to find...."a living Guru?" BOLLOCKS!The truth is CB was on a coolie course when Sarvabhavana Prabhu, who lives in Park Circus, Kolkata, said to CB- "Ami mondir'r jache, cholo, amar shonge asoon." Caru Babu was made a devotee by the mercy of a devotee...just like us all...that's it....everything else is CB's BS.
In summary: Barely one year after Caru Babu joined Iskcon, and after only brief contact with Srila Prabhupada (spent under TK's instructions,) Prabhupada was fatally poisoned, leaving CB and his mentor TK as 'living gurus' who then proceeded to snatch Srila Prabhupada's book-made-disciples for themselves, and siphon millions of membership-donated-dollars into their own private accounts.
>>Bhakti caru is being introduced and introduces himself as a credible witness to important events surrounding the questionable events surrounding the departure of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in November of 1977.<<
According to his memoirs, TK claimed he summoned CB to Vrindavan because he understood Bengali-
"Because we could not understand Bengali...[....]...We decided to call Bhakti-caru Maharaja immediately to Vrindavan." (TKG's Diary 214p.) We never could understand the logic behind that explanation. His Divine Grace spoke four languages- Bengali, Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. To even suggest that an interpreter was needed for a linguist in India who exercised command over these four languages in particular.....is baloney. Not long after CB's arrival in Vrindavan TK appointed him nurse/carer to Srila Prabhupada. As if 'interpreter' was not enough, slotting CB, a medical mooncalf with no accreditation, as 'nurse' to a patient in need of serious qualified professional care, cannot be perceived as anything other than- mens rea, a guilty mind leading to actus reus.>>BCS: "There were personalities like Gurukrpa, who used to attend Srila Prabhupada everyday from 12 midnight to 2 in the morning. If Srila Prabhupada suspected that someone had poisoned him, then all he had to do is just tell Gurukrpa. Anyone who know Gurukrpa knows what would have happened then."
Our Caru baba is blissfully oblivious to the fact that Srila Prabhupada raised the issue of poison and poisoning on or about November 10, 1977. But Gurukrpa and Yasoda nandana, at the the request of Srila Prabhupda, went to Tokyo, Japan, to collect funds for settling the litigation with the contractor of the Gurukula building in Vrindavana from the middle of November and were not in Vrindavana at that time of the "poison" conversations. So how was Srila Prabhupada to tell Gurukrpa who was in Tokyo at that time?<<
Surely there were others who recognized this slide ball from CB? Yet it has taken eleven years to expose it, and only because YOU took time to read the analysis. Thank You. What else can be deduced other than Iskcon is a business with a financially dependant membership, destitute enough to turn and look the other way. The suspects knew it all along and used a Vaisnava aparadha chaddar to cover the malum in se, and then, with the magical words- "Officers for Life!" morphed it sacrosanct.
What you have revealed denotes the skullduggery; subtle and not-so-subtle deflections which, for us, became quickly apparent when dissecting the 'testimonies' of these so called sadhus. What was really creepy was that after posting our findings on cyber circulars and then in JFY, the reaction was-
"Prabhupada may have been poisoned, but the preaching must go on." We had difficulty computing this misprision of a felony: an acceptance of corpus delicti suffixed with a cult ratiocinate for injustice. We knew then that we were messing with the bhoga.
>>Not only that, but our Caru Baba seems to also be afflicted with a case of occasional convenient amnesia. The very same individuals he promotes as having so much love for Srila Prabhupada, were the very same ones who purposely disobeyed Srila Prabhupada and denied His last two requests (i) to be allowed to go on parikrama of Govardhana and Vrindavana; <<
We are grateful to you for raising these points.
(i) Laws in India are no different to other countries. If death takes place within the home under natural causes or medically diagnosed cause/s, there is no call for an autopsy being undertaken. By keeping Srila Prabhupada's complaint away from authorities, his passing was treated as biologically expected, ergo interment was permitted without autopsy and within fourteen hours, as per religious requirement. Conversely, when death occurs in the public domain, municipal laws demand that an autopsy be performed (just like with TK) and a medical certificate be produced prior to disposal rites. With this understanding in place, it should not take too much stretch to realize why it was necessary for the TK team to hold Srila Prabhupada in that room, no matter what.
NB. It should also be known that heavy metal acetates are radiopaque. It should give readers a clue as to why Dr. Khurana's offer to bring staff from Delhi to Prabhupada's room and do X-rays was denied by TK. Then later Dr. Gopal's direction to proceed with X-rays was also knocked back.
>>(ii) to bring all of His disciples to Vrindavana so they could have a last darsana of their Guru Maharaja. Srila Prabhupada requests were denied, not once but twice, by the very individuals our Caru Babu claims had "so much love" for Srila Prabhupada. Did our Caru Babu remember those incidents? Or was it conveniently brushed aside in his calculated selectivity?<<
This point is of extreme importance in understanding locus in quo; scene and setting. It goes far beyond the realms of disobedience or superficial concern for continuity of temple programs, or even TK's belief in Srila Prabhupada's senility. Actually, it rips into the anatomy of TK's guilt, laying bare his overbearing domination of the situation at the time, and reveals Srila Prabhupada's complete awareness of TK's devilment.
Here are the three quaeiturs that must be dealt with:
a) Why did HDG want his disciples to attend Vrindavan, even at a huge cost to temple coffers, and loss to preaching activity?
b) Did he want devotees to come sit by his bedside just to watch an old man leave his body?
c) Or did His Divine Grace have something to say that he felt would not reach his disciples unless he said it directly to them?
Firstly
, there was no one on the planet more frugal with Krsna's money, or aware of the need to maintain temple preaching at an optimum. His Divine Grace established the temples; his pleasure was derived from preaching/distribution of books, membership programs, prasadam distribution. So when he knowingly wanted these important functions put on the back-burner, his request cannot be mistaken for some sentimental hand-holding, kissy-kissy goodbye. His reasons were of paramount importance.Secondly, his little room was already full of disciples. There was certainly no shortage of well-wishers (?) at his Disappearance. So what was the need to summon thousands of disciples to a little room which was already packed to the rafters? Was he lonely? Did he want to impress the neighbors? So why did he want disciples to flow out KB Mandir onto the road and all the way to Loi Bazaar? His reasons were of paramount importance.
Thirdly, if His Divine Grace had something to say to his disciples, instead of disrupting the preaching and costing temples hard cash, why didn't he just give his final instructions to his secretary for general distribution?...... Yes Prabhu, now we are getting to the epicenter.
The suggestion that Srila Prabhupada wanted thousands of devotees in Vrindavan, in determent to preaching, finances, and only to have them spray out onto Raman Reti Road so they could, maybe, get a visual or blessing.... is ludicrous. His Divine Grace had something very important to say to Iskcon as a body of devotees. Something he knew could not be said or done via medium of his secretary. He had heard his secretary et al, whispering about poisoning him- "ye saab friends." What needed to be said was in direct contention with his secretary's desire, and was closely connected to motive, otherwise Srila Prabhupada would never have made such a demanding and disruptive request.
He wanted to broadcast to all his disciples (over the PA?) how Iskcon was to proceed, which was contrary to what TK wanted and why "ye saab friends" were whispering about poison. He may even have openly addressed the poison issue, who knows. But when we mark the incontrovertible evidence of hidden documents,*** obfuscated dictates, claims and disclaims for which audio is missing, and when we add to that Mr. TK's summersaults- "Yes he said...no he didn't say," what we get is why His Divine Grace wanted his disciples in Vrindavan. His reasons were of paramount importance. That is why TK simply could not let it happen.
***http://gurupoison.tripod.com/support/pratyatos.htm
>>Our Caru Babu with his considerable knowledge of the Bengali language should dwell on a frequent Bengali proverb cited by Srila Prabhupada; ati bhakti corera lakshana. Did our Caru Babu take any steps to alert police or investigative authorities in Vrindavana or Mathura of what he had just heard from Srila Prabhupada about being poisoned? Or did he also conveniently forget that as well?<<
In BIF's letter to Caru Babu- Attn: BHAKTI CARU SWAMI- 1, we requested him to answer twenty question in our bid to free him from suspicion in the alleged poisoning of Srila Prabhupada. In an indirect response to our post CB said he did not know us so he felt no obligation in replying. Readers who care to understand why Mr. CB refused to accept our offer to exonerate him, should read the relevant postings on our site. They will find that CB had no way out other than admitting guilt in aiding and abetting a crime. That is why he did not reply and has not contacted us to date.
Herein in lies the weight of onus. On 15th Nov.1977, on the morning of Srila Prabhupada's interment, Caru Babu was standing in the passageway between the temple and Srila Prabhupada's room. He was sobbing and crying. When Abhinandan Das approached him and asked why he was crying, he confessed "Srila Prabhupada was poisoned." And then when BIF interviewed Sarvabhavana Prabhu (who introduced CB to KC,) he dropped a clanger- "Bhakti Caru Swami told me on several occasions that Prabhupada was poisoned." Yet in public, Caru Babu claims that the allegations are "absurd." Both witnesses bear no ill will towards CB. They don't even give any credence to his being an active participant in the alleged crime. However his total denial of everything including incontrovertible audio evidence implies complicity to a degree yet undetermined.
It is our belief that Caru Babu made his decision a long time ago. For him there is no turning back. He first suppressed his memory with ambition, and then repressed it with fantasy. Now, if by chance he encounters posts like this, he is confident in the fact that the case is cold; lost in the mists of time. Both he and his mentor TK have won....Or did TK win? We saw his face as they carried his body away. He didn't look like a winner. Take a look at Jayapataka's face. Who's winning? And it aint over yet. Bhavananda and Charu Babu are being saved for last. Someone once wrote..."The soldiers who killed Christ remain unknown, but Pilate, for his indifference, is typecast eternally."
Frankly, we are not holding our breath in hope that he may grow a spine. Caru Babu made his decision and accepted the payment; a deal done and dusted. He has been basking in a world of ghee and foot-baths for too long. There is practically no chance he will take even one step out his comfort zone in this life...Death is another matter. Do not expect a Holy Cow moment from this man. He fully intends to fake it all the way to the sound of chains and whips. If he is going to talk, we will need to make it happen.....and quick.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada, and his sincere disciples.
>>With sincere regards<<
Shanti, shanti
>>Yasoda nandana dasa<
BIF
2. " LETTER FROM ALEX"
Dear BIF,
I have to admit that the TKG's Diary quote (p. 340) had a big impact on me, when I finally allowed it to sink in. In many ways it's a very heavy statement. Especially when combined with the ways in which Tamal portrays Srila Prabhupada in his diary. Tamal seems to portray Srila Prabhupada in ways that subtly, and sometimes perhaps even not-so-subtly, call into question Srila Prabhupada's soundness of mind. The implication being, that if Srila Prabhupada said something about poison, then this is to be taken with a grain of salt, since Srila Prabhupada was (supposedly, and as described by Tamal) saying and doing all kinds of things that were out of character for Srila Prabhupada. In a sense, Tamal seems to paint a picture of Srila Prabhupada as someone who was not able to maintain clear consciousness in the days leading up to leaving his body. That in itself is a huge assertion.
Below is something I wrote in 2008. The ISKCON leader is Ravindra, though I don't mention him by name in the article:
A while back, in an article entitled "
"Someone recently related a story to me via email. They told me about a friend of theirs who had approached a leader within the ISKCON organization eight years ago, to ask about allegations of Srila Prabhupada having been poisoned. In response to the inquiry, the ISKCON leader apparently stated the following about Srila Prabhupada: 'He didn't know what he was saying.'
"The person who related the story told me that he didn't believe that Srila Prabhupada was confused. He also told me that he never went to another class by that particular ISKCON leader, deciding that he wasn't worth hearing from."
This morning I read an excerpt in Nityananada Prabhu's book "
Someone Has Poisoned Me", and I wanted to share it here:"Today many who hear these statements are shocked, and also by the apparent lack of alarm by those who were around Prabhupada at the time. Some have suggested the idea that Srila Prabhupada's references to being poisoned was a result of senility, dying hallucinations, or incoherent ramblings due to the delirium of pain which may have caused him to say anything. Dying hallucinations? The kaviraja clearly didn't think so. His opinion was that if Srila Prabhupada said it, it must be true. Further, witness the clarity of thought expressed by Srila Prabhupada throughout this time period. Pradyumna das assisted Srila Prabhupada with translating the Srimad Bhagavatam and he tells how Srila Prabhupada translated until just days before his leaving. Anyone who reads those final purports can understand that Srila Prabhupada was lucid and focused. He could understand Sanskrit verses just by listening, and he spoke the purports into a microphone held by Pradyumna. Yet Tamal and Bhavananda tried to explain away Srila Prabhupada's statements due to 'mental distress', pooh-poohing the seriousness and importance of them."
As I read this paragraph I remembered watching the ITV video "
The Final Lesson" years ago, and seeing a scene similar to what is described above: an emaciated Srila Prabhupada lying down, dictating what appeared to be a Srimad Bhagavatam purport into a microphone being held by another person. If we read, trust, and revere Srila Prabhupada's purports, including purports from this period, then wouldn't it make sense to also respect, take into account, and carefully consider Srila Prabhupada's other statements from that same time period, including statements where Srila Prabhupada mentions poison?"It was as though I had gradually closed my heart to Srila Prabhupada to some degree, when I chose to not take seriously his words where he mentions possibly having been poisoned by someone."
Online I found a Vyasa-Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada from 2000, written by Bhakti-tirtha Swami. In the offering Bhakti-tirtha Swami writes:
"Even during your last days on the planet, as you lay confined to your bed, you still vigorously gave out the mercy by providing material for your books."
In this same Vyasa-Puja book, Nrsimhananda Prabhu writes:
"Their memories of those final days with you were more than just touching; they illuminated to me the consistency of your teachings. They recalled how even as your body deteriorated you maintained your unwavering composure in continuing to share your Krsna consciousness with all who were present."
Jagadambika-devi dasi writes the following, in the offering that she composed on behalf of the BBT in Korsnas Gard, Sweden:
"We have in our mind your final pastimes on this planet, when with a weakening voice you dictated the last sentences to your life's work -- the translation and commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam."
In Kavicandra Swami's offering to Srila Prabhupada, he writes:
"You showed us a perfect life, right up until the last moment."
He also quotes from two of Srila Prabhupada's lectures:
"In India there is a common saying. They say, bhajan koro pujan koro murte janle haya. The meaning is that however you may meditate upon . . . You may be very great meditator, or you may be a great religionist or yogi or a very learned scholar or whatever you may be, but everything will be tested at the time of your death." (Srila Prabhupada's lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.27-34, December 17th, 1970, Surat)
"Bhajan koro sadhan koro murte janle haya: 'Whatever you do, spiritual activities, they will be tested at the time of death.' All your chants that you are practicing, this will be tested at the time of death. If you can remember Krsna, Hare Krsna, hari-kirtana, at the time of death, then you are successful." (Srila Prabhupada, lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.9-11, July 25th 1966, New York City)
If I say that Srila Prabhupada was confused when he mentions poison, aren't I basically saying that Srila Prabhupada was not successful in maintaining a clear consciousness in the days before leaving his body?
Here's how I ended my
Sampradaya Sun article:"Without meaning in any way to minimize the spiritual and emotional impact of closing my heart to Srila Prabhupada, I also want to express that when I did again become willing to take Srila Prabhupada's words seriously, including his statements about perhaps having been poisoned, and being willing to carefully consider those words, it began to feel like a gradual re-opening of my heart towards Srila Prabhupada."
There's the "cyber-war" that Tamal supposedly engaged in, with the creation of the Chakra.org website. I remember when I read and later re-read JFY, the description of Tamal's efforts at damage control and propaganda, about this poisoning issue via the then new website, these things were also impactful for me. Based on what I read, Tamal was very much behaving like someone with something to hide. We could say that he just wanted to protect the organization, and really there was nothing to hide, but still whether there was something to hide or not, his behavior to me felt like someone in self-defense mode.
Not sure exactly why the statement from page 340 of TKG's Diary hits home for me so strongly, perhaps more than many others. There may be many reasons for it, not least of which being my own ISKCON org indoctrination. Partly, there's this tendency in the ISKCON org to brush off certain statements, depending on who it comes from, like: "Oh these people are just bitter and envious, that's why they say stuff like that." But this statement is coming from one of their own "big" guys.
From what I understand, the book was supposed to be Tamal's defense. And yet here Tamal himself states that Srila Prabhupada was of the opinion that someone had poisoned him. The more I let that sink in, the heavier it feels.
All the best,
Alex