Srila Prabhupada, His Movement & You

Downfall of New Vrindaban

From Hansadutta das, Singapore
20 October 1993

Dear Hrishikesha Prabhu:

Please accept my humble obeisances. Brahmananda faxed your letter to him and your letter to Kirtanananda to me today. He also said he would send you my letter to Kirtanananda.

Having gone through the ordeal Kirtanananda is now enveloped in and being surrounded by friends, god-brothers and initiates like yourself at that time of my fall, I can understand exactly what is happening and what is going to happen to Kirtanananda and the New Vrindaban community. Bearing this in mind, please patiently try to see and understand the calamity that is unfolding before your eyes now at New Vrindaban.

I know that you are very intelligent. Whatever I have written in the enclosed Prabhupada, His Movement and You is the result of realization born of the pain and humiliation that I suffered on account of my disobedience to the order of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. The conclusions are the realizations coming out of the fire of ordeal. What you are going through and still have to go through is not unique to New Vrindaban and Kirtanananda. Every so-called guru and his disciples have already gone through this painful awakening. Those who still obstinately cling to their false prestige of guru-acharya and their followers in and around ISKCON cannot but meet the same unhappy end as we have seen in the past and you see before you now.

Therefore I make only one suggestion, a warning. Do not try to correct this mistake of accepting Kirtanananda as guru-acharya by making another mistake—accepting the official ISKCON Guru-GBC authority as good as or better than the Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada. The leader is Srila Prabhupada. (Almost all ISKCON gurus have the same disease Kirtanananda has. Therefore they could not help him, cannot help him now and cannot help one another. They are blind men leading the blind.) Srila Prabhupada is the Sampradaya Acharya for everyone within ISKCON, without ISKCON. The authorities he created are meant to obey and support the orders he gave. When they fail in that function, no excuses, benefits of the doubt (as we did in the case of so many gurus before) or word jugglery should be accepted to justify their deviation. They must be immediately brought to account for the discrepancies in their harmony with the teachings of the Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada.

I’m sure you understand me. Enclosed are some letters written to my old friend Chakravarty, whom I met in Kuala Lumpur. Please try to save the devotees from unnecessary pains and sufferings by understanding the enclosed conclusions. Any questions, you can call or fax (65-382-8753) or write to me in Singapore. Leaving for India on the 29th, evening. Returning to Singapore on December 1st.

Your humble servant,
Hansadutta das

P.S. Please show this letter and enclosures to Paramahamsa Krishna Swami, Sudhama, Advaita and others in need of understanding. I hope all goes well.

From Hansadutta das, Singapore
1 November 1993

Dear Adwaita Prabhu:

Please accept my most humble obeisances. The enclosed material may be illuminating for you.

I already sent the same material to Kirtanananda Maharaja and Hrishikesha Prabhu. I have received no response from Kirtanananda Maharaja. Here Chakravarty and I met several times, and I was happy to associate with him after so many years.

So much energy has gone into the creating of New Vrindaban; it should not be lost. Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, “It is a foolish critic who cries, ‘Abandon everything and start anew.’ Better to adjust and use the old road to carry us back to the true path.” I think you are intelligent enough to understand the situation. Now it is up to you and other senior devotees there to take the correct path.

Prabhupada often said, “Krishna glorifies the mistake of the devotees.” So my negative experience can be a plus, and Kirtanananda’s negative situation could be turned around to become a GIANT PLUS, not only for New Vrindaban, but for all of ISKCON. Everyone is infected with the same deadly FEVER, the fever of pratistha, AMBITION—”I am the guru.” This has to be treated to “I AM THE GURU’S SERVANT FOREVER.” That would be glorious for Kirtanananda and all the devotees around the world. If Kirtanananda could not prevail, how will others who have got the same disease?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Your humble servant,
Hansadutta das