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“My personal feeling is that the women were treated in an awful way, and something should be done about it.” — BRAJA BIHARI DAS Commenting for CHAKRA |
CHAKRA
(Freeport, Long Island, NY) - November 13, 1999: An incident in Vrindavan where women were allegedly
manhandled away from the temple altar by men representing the temple
administration has sparked a wave of controversy, with tempers continuing to
flare up and threats of resignation from ISKCON abound. CHAKRA has investigated
the issue and this is our report.
“Tension
between men and women escalated at the Krishna-Balarama ISKCON temple here until
one morning at mangala-arati women were manhandled away from the front of the
Deities’ altar, according to numerous reports from senior devotees,”
reported Pranada devi dasi in a CHAKRA article posted yesterday.
Of this incident, the GBC Chairman, Bir Krishna
Maharaja, said, “The GBC will not tolerate… preferential treatment given to
male devotees in any form.” He says that this is an official directive from
the GBC Executive Committee.
But Mahamana, the temple president of the ISKCON
Krishna Balarama temple in Vrindavan objects to Bir Krishna Maharaja’s and the
GBC’s interference. “We at Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir are concerned
about the directive that you have issued. We feel it sets a bad precedent in
that it is against the system of management set up for ISKCON by Srila
Prabhupada. Management issues/policies are to be discussed and implemented by
the Temple President with his team, not that the GBC interferes.”
Mahamana says that Gopal Krishna Maharaj, GBC for
Vrindavan, does not support the directive issued by Bir Krishna Maharaja, and
that “he and all of the managers are sincerely striving for an amicable
solution.”
“We assure you that we have highest regards for our
venerable matajis and shall take all steps for their protection,” Mahaman
claims.
Reports about what actually happened sometimes
conflict with one another. Some reports say women were physically restrained and
“beaten,” from getting close to the altar during Mangal Arati, others deny
any physical beating. Most people agree there was manhandling of some form or
another. “For your kind information, I talked with an Indian mataji who was
personally present and she assured me that nobody was ‘beaten’ nor was there
any abuse. The matajis were restrained by a human chain, that’s all,”
reports Kanai Thakur das.
But not everyone agrees with that report. Reliable
sources have told CHAKRA that manhandling of women did indeed take place.
“Some senior men in the temple [including the temple commander, Aindra Prabhu,
and some others] joined their hands and formed a human chain to prevent the
mothers from standing where the sannyasis were offering their obeisances,” one
Mataji reported. She asked that her name be withheld.
“The mothers became upset and started pushing,
trying to break the chain. Parvati Mataji almost succeeded in breaking through
the chain and the temple commander (a brahmacari) grabbed her hand to prevent
her from moving forward.”
“I am shocked to hear of the recent aparadha to the
Vaishnavis in Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Balarama Mandir. Such offensive
action is a direct insult to Srila Prabhupada and will only serve to give him a
bad name for centuries to come! We cannot allow this to happen to His Divine
Grace,” reports Vaiyasaki dasa.
Vaiyasaki says that if anyone believes that Srila
Prabhupada would have acted the same way as “these Vrindavan temple
authorities then please explain your understanding to me.” Otherwise, he says,
on behalf of Prabhupada’s ISKCON, he demands an apology to the women who were
insulted.
Vaiyasaki says that he is “sick and tired” of
hearing how ISKCON males, including sannyasis, preach against females, including
to young gurukula boys. “On the other hand, ISKCON ladies teach how to see all
other living entities as spirit soul beyond the external bodily dress! How has
this impurity come upon the men?”
Pranada dasi says that for over a year women have
taken darsana by standing in front of half of Radha-Syamasundara’s altar for
mangala-arati. “Two weeks ago, as the influx of women started for Kartika,
Kusa dasi and others requested Mahaman dasa, the temple president, to increase
the allotted facility to the full altar to accommodate the increased number of
lady pilgrims to the dhama. Instead, the temple management decided it was
necessary to restrict the women coming forward to the front of the altar at all
until after the ghee lamp was offered to allow men to pay dandavats at each
altar without women present. As part of a tradition Srila Prabhupada started,
sannyasis and others pay obeisances at the front of each altar when the doors
open.”
We asked Braja Bihari dasa of the Vrindavan Institute
for Higher Education (VIHE) what his view of the subject was. “My personal
feeling is that the women were treated in an awful way, and something should be
done about it,” he told CHAKRA. But Braja Bihari doesn’t think the
discussions are going in the right direction, either. “I could see that the
current direction the whole issue is taking is towards polarization, a la
ritviks, Narayana Maharaja, etc. I don’t see how forced apologies, GBC
directives, and the like will work.”
Braja Bihari says he’s much more in favor of
getting people to sit down and discuss differences. “If this is done by
someone who has some mediation skills amazing things can often take place. If we
don’t take that route, it’s just more godbrothers/sisters fighting, even
though I feel in this case one group is right, the other basically wrong.”
In saying that he thought the women were treated
“in an awful way, and something should be done about it,” Braja Bihari is
reflecting the mood of many devotees world-wide.
The temple president, Mahamana dasa, defends the
actions of the temple administration. “In recent times a small section of our
venerable matajis, both resident and visiting have shown belligerent and
unwarranted behavior causing a disturbance to the peaceful situation here. The
temple authorities have taken due care and extended facilities which are
reasonable in order that the matajis stay comfortably and at the same time
benefit spiritually in the Dham. However, instead of co-operating with the
authorities in allowing the authorities to provide better facilities, these
matajis blatantly defied the temple authorities and tried to impose upon the
temple traditions and standards which are not acceptable according to the Vedic
culture or approved of by Srila Prabhupada, as per his several instructions on
this matter. The purpose of the Krsna Balaram Mandir is not only to fulfill the
needs of the matajis, but all members of the community and ashrams, and
especially, as per the explicit instruction of Srila Prabhupada, those of a
renounced mentality. We do not advocate depriving the matajis of proper
opportunities, but there should be a balance, so that sannyasis, brahmacaris
etc. are not inconvenienced.”
Mahamana cites what he says are several examples of
unruly behavior against all Vaisnava etiquette that recently took place there
extending back to the time of the Gaura Purnima festival.
“There has been a tradition for the past 25 years
in Krishna Balaram temple that during the mangal arati, the men stand in the
front and the ladies in the back. The matajis take exclusive darshan during
Sringar and Sandhya Arati. Several devotees have confirmed that this was the
standard during Srila Prabhupada’s presence. However, per the repeated
requests of the matajis we gave a concession that they could have the full altar
of Sri Sri Radhe Shyamasundar after the ghee wick lamp was passed. However, they
did not adhere to their undertaking and encroached upon the Radha Shyamsundar
altar even from the beginning of mangal arati, not allowing the sannyasis to pay
obeisances there. Moreover, this concession was agreed upon for only the month
of Kartik last year, but they extended it much longer than that. As their
obstinacy was causing inconvenience to sannyasis and other men devotees, it was
resolved in our management meetings to allow the matajis exclusive darshan of
the deities after the ghee wick lamp was passed. This resolution was duly
communicated to all members of the community. However, the matajis blatantly
defied this amicable arrangement, blocking the sannyasis from offering their
obeisances thus forcing the management to take strict disciplinary action which
precipitated the present situation.”
Mahamana says that the incidents reported have been
exaggerated and distorted. He claims was a few unscrupulous women who “behaved
indecently towards the men by pushing and shoving them.” He says that they
“even brought video cameras and pushed men, trying to provoke them to react so
that they could film alleged mistreatment of the women, but the men all acted
with great restraint in the face of their provocation.”
Mahamana says that they have been very reasonable and
sensitive to the needs of the matajis and they expect that well-wishers of the
ISKCON Vrindavan Project to please also be sensitive to the needs of the temple
project. “There are many members of the resident community as well as visiting
devotees including former President Deena Bandhu Prabhu, Daivisakti mataji,
Giriraj Maharaj, Radha Govinda Maharaj and others who support our view and
action.”
Mahamana threatens that unless they apologize and
rectify their misconduct, “severe disciplinary action will be taken against
the unruly elements who are outraging the senior men and women of the
community.”
Braja Bihari says that Mahamana and his team are weak
in their dealings with these kind of problems. “Though the management has done
some wonderful service in recent years--especially in terms of financial
liquidity and huge increases in the preaching in the zone--this is one of their
weaker points: dealing with the complexities of the International devotee’s
needs. Mahaman Prabhu served for so many years in the isolated farm in Hyderabad,
and then he was thrust into the position of TP of the hotbed of the movement
with little assistance and the recent memory of the last TP being almost
murdered. Furthermore, Panca Gauda Prabhu, the kinda VP, has been in Mayapura
during this whole time.”
Braja Bihari has given his opinion on the matter in
the form of several points. “1. Yes, the ladies (generally) unknowingly and
unintentionally entered the men’s space. That caused a problem. 2. The problem
could have better been dealt with though mediation/problem solving rather than
confrontation. 3. The management does have their take on what happened, and that
should be checked out. 4. Naturally, if Parvati Mataji’s statements are
accurate they should be broadcast and Bir Krishna Maharaja’s directive
enforced. 5. Things aren’t so simple. This is a natural problem that has
arisen, and it could be used in a positive way to bring about greater
cooperation and understanding in the future. The ladies want the equal
opportunity to practice Krishna Consciousness and feel part of ISKCON. Men often
see Vrindavan as a haven for practicing Krishna Conscious vairagya
(renunciation), and they are especially concerned that ISKCON Vrindavan has
turned into the partner-finding capital of ISKCON rather than the Krishna
Conscious capital. Besides that we have the sometimes conflicting needs of
visiting devotees and resident ones. Also the Gurukula needs are quite different
than the temples’. The list goes on, and the complexities are
mind-boggling.”
But many women are angry. One of them, Parvati dasi,
who had been involved in the Vrindavan incident and named by Mahaman as one of
the “instigators,” had this to say: “Srila Prabhupada always was first a
gentlemen. These men have joined the movement and have forgotten their manners
-unless they never had any, and then the onus is on us for not training them
properly.” Parvati dasi went on to say, “Will no one relieve the Dhama
(Vrindavan) of this burden? Devotees, both men and women, have spent thousands
of dollars to attend this Kartik Festival in Vrndavana. Mangal arati is one of
the big highlights of anyone’s day. It is very crowded and adjustments in
comfort zones are normal. Are these devotees to go away appalled and offended
instead of re-enthused? Are the rest of us to remain captivated by this
degenerated atmosphere? Is there no one to help correct this offence to Srila
Prabhupada’s place of residence? Because of the international nature of this
center, it goes without saying that extra care be administered to ensure proper
hospitality of all the Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis, not manhandling. Can we
not prove to the world that our society can turn out civilized human beings with
civilized behavior? This affects all of you and all of those you are responsible
for. Kindly offer your support and valuable input to help this temple help you
and help us correct a gravely unjust situation.”
© CHAKRA 13-Nov-1999
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