 |
 |
|
|
Go to the “Poison Issue Page”
|
|
“Now I accuse Nityananda dasa of a monstrous, heinous crime in making his lying accusations. And I challenge him to take a pledge corresponding to the one by Bhakti Charu Swami.” — RAVINDRA SVARUPA DASA ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner |
Nityananda das (Niko Kyut), a Prabhupada initiate
expelled a decade ago from ISKCON, is lately the author of a self-published
408-page book- - designated, weirdly, on cover and title page as “a
letter”--with the title “Someone Has Poisoned Me: The Facts About Srila
Prabhupada’s Poisoning By Arsenic.”
In this bloated missive, then, the author purports to
demonstrate conclusively that Srila Prabhupada was assassinated by gradual and
deliberate arsenic poisoning. He says: “We have sufficient evidence to
assuredly and unequivocally state: Srila Prabhupada was poisoned. The mass of
corroborating evidence herein establishes this fact as a certainty” (p. 286).
Not only that, the author names and relentlessly
indicts the purported chief assassins: Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu
Swami, and Jayapataka Swami. Accusing them of the greatest possible crime, he
remorselessly assaults their devotion, their honor, and their reputation.
The author pulls all the emotional stops to incite
the readers into the frenzy of a lynch mob:
“It does not take a rocket scientist to guess as to
what motive someone may have had in poisoning Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada
stood between them and something they very much wanted, namely the absolute
position, absolute power, tremendous assets, and prestige of taking Srila
Prabhupada’s place as leader and virtual owner of ISKCON.” (p. 276)
“Our Divine Guide and Master was poisoned in front
of our eyes, and He decided to leave our association. The pure devotee of the
Supreme Lord, the ambassador from the spiritual world, was cruelly and horribly
tormented with arsenic, a most painful and despicable poison. Srila Prabhupada
was frustrated in His mission and we were frustrated in His consequent
departure. “Is there any greater crime?” (p. 277)
He instructs us: “The assassins are almost
certainly still inside ISKCON in positions of power and leadership. . . .We must
of necessity completely purge the saboteurs from ISKCON . . . .” (p. 287).
To be sure, the author lays down some pro forma
disclaimers. While asserting that Srila Prabhupada was murdered beyond a doubt,
while accusing certain leading devotees of this crime of crimes, while advising
the world that these very assassins still run ISKCON--while doing all this, he
states, with sublimest duplicity, “this publication makes no accusations as to
who poisoned Srila Prabhupada” (281). Then, in a move the reader has come to
recognize as typical, he immediately proceeds to make the accusations again.
It is clear enough what Nityananda dasa is up to.
He is accusing some devotees of a monstrous crime.
But I believe that in writing and publishing this book Nityananda dasa has
himself committed the monstrous crime. He deludes us--and perhaps himself--when
he says that his assertions and accusations are based on credible evidence. In
fact, the “evidence” has been carefully selected, artfully tweaked,
tendentiously interpreted to yield the preordained desired result.
And he wants those preordained results widely
broadcast. He has printed 5,000 copies of his book. In India, certain people,
with a political agenda, have profusely distributed this work among ISKCON
congregations and have seen to it that Nityananda’s conspiracy theory has been
widely echoed in the newspapers.
If Nityananda dasa is wrong, then he has much to
answer for.
Recently Bhakti Charu Swami, has responded to
Nityananda’s monstrous accusations. Bhakti Charu Swami’s response includes
this statement:
“Let the omniscient, omnipotent Supreme Personality
of Godhead judge me. If I committed such a heinous crime towards the most dear
devotee of the Lord, to whom I owe everything, including my very existence, then
let me suffer eternally in the darkest region of the hell.”
Now I accuse Nityananda dasa of a monstrous, heinous
crime in making his lying accusations. And I challenge him to take a pledge
corresponding to the one by Bhakti Charu Swami.
Let Nityananda dasa match Bhakti Charu Swami’s
pledge with his own:
“Let the omniscient, omnipotent Supreme Personality
of Godhead judge me. If I committed such a heinous crime of making it falsely
appear that Srila Prabhupada had been murdered by his own devotes, and further,
of falsely accusing innocent devotees, who actually loved and cared dearly for
Srila Prabhupada, of that crime, then let me suffer eternally in the darkest
region of hell.”
Let Nityananda dasa support his own convictions in
the same way the Bhakti Charu has supported his.
Nityananda dasa may remember that at one time, he
sent out a “challenge horse” to the GBC.
Now, here is my challenge to him.
Ravindra Svarupa dasa Member,
Governing Body Commission.
© CHAKRA 26-Oct-1999
Go to the “Poison Issue Page”
© Copyright December, 2003 by oldchakra.com. All rights reserved.
For information
about this website or to report an
error, write to webmaster@oldchakra.com
You are
here
Older
Poison Articles
