A Response to Halayudha Dasa's Open Letter to CHAKRA

By Madhusudani Radha devi dasi

Dear Halayudha Prabhu,

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you for writing to Chakra and for your willingness to engage in dialogue. There has been too little communication between the different subgroups of Srila Prabhupada's spiritual children and grandchildren. I'm very encouraged to see that this is finally beginning to change.

You say you have doubts and concerns about many aspects of Chakra, including our name, our definition of "ISKCON-friendly", and the content of the articles we print. In terms of the first point, I'd simply encourage you not to read too much into the name. It implies no conspiracy, no threats, and no intent to "chakra-ize" anyone, to use your term. It is stated in the prayers by Ambarisa Maharaja that the Sudarsana Chakra is the protector of Krishna's devotees and it also represents light, knowledge and religiosity. So the mission of the Chakra Web page is simply to enlighten and to save us from the darkness of ignorance. As stated by the Chakra makers in the introduction to the page, the champions of Krishna's army is a friendly one, who simply fights unhappy thoughts and disinformation.

You also questioned our use of the term "ISKCON friendly." This just means that we do not want to tear down ISKCON. We want to follow Srila Prabhupada's instruction to cooperate with each other. If you read all of the texts on the site, you will discover that their authors often have different opinions of ISKCON-related events. It is true that we try to respond to disinformation spread about ISKCON on other Web sites and newsgroups. However, we also try to present a balanced view of controversial events. To get a better grasp of this, please read our coverage of child abuse in ISKCON, Bhavananda's current situation, and the recent events in Denver. Each will be discussed briefly below:

Regarding the very serious issue of child abuse and child protection in ISKCON, we published both sides of the exchange between Bahudak and Burijan Prabhus, as well as comments by our readers. I also wrote a text outlining both what ISKCON has done to date with regards to this issue, and what remains to be done. Not everyone in ISKCON agrees on these points, and my views can hardly be seen as anyone's "party line."

Similarly, with regard to whether or not Bhavananda should be allowed to live in an ISKCON temple, several different opinions were published on Chakra. This included the views of some of the leaders in Australia, a letter from a former disciple, and two texts by individuals who were very critical of the way this situation has been handled to date. This is how you define "cuddling"? My guess would be that both Bhavananda and his supporters would strongly disagree. To many devotees, this is not an easy issue. If you have an opinion about how ISKCON should respond to Bhavananda's desire to return to devotional service, please let us know. Chances are your text too would be posted.

The very first Chakra text on the Denver situation described the conflict as perceived by Gandhari and Uddhava. This was hardly the ISKCON "party line." We subsequently also published the perceptions of the Denver temple management in order to provide the readers with enough materials to make up their own minds. Since then, we have also published texts by the local GBC, by Gandhari's mother, and by Krsna Avatar who tried to mediate the conflict during a visit to Denver last August.

Chakra's handling of these three controversial issues speaks for itself. Although the different Chakra staff members definitely have their own views, we have not taken sides on any of these issues as a group. Rather, we are trying to achieve balanced coverage and we respect our readers' ability to use this information to make up their own minds.

You are absolutely right when you point out that mistakes have been made in ISKCON, and that some housecleaning is sorely needed. Where I disagree with you is regarding the methods by which we accomplish this task. I'm convinced that we need to work together in a constructive way, while remaining focused on how to improve our society. Resorting to name calling, over-generalizations, and a constant rehashing of old issues is not going to result in anything besides hurt feelings, frustration and anger.

A final example of Chakra's interest in promoting positive change in ISKCON is Vishaka's wonderful article on the real meaning of the terms "humility, chastity and surrender." If you read this text, you must know that we are very concerned about the treatment of women in ISKCON during the past couple of decades. It is my hope that by raising awareness regarding these important issues, women's spiritual and material facility will be improved, and devotees will learn how to clearly distinguish between the concepts of "protection" and "control/exploitation."

As stated in the editorial policy, Chakra "will only publish material which, in the opinion of the editors, does not deviate from the Vaishnava siddhanta taught by Srila Prabhupada." Besides that, there is no pressure to conform to any "party line" on the site. We want to hear from anyone who has views on current controversies, or constructive suggestions for change. Please just try to avoid abusive language. You do not even have to be "mainstream" to join our efforts. If ISKCON and Chakra can tolerate someone like me, who in the past has publicly advocated for gay marriages in ISKCON, who refuses to believe that "feminism" is a dirty word, who keeps pushing to get all former child abusers removed from their positions, and who constantly protests censorship, I'm convinced there is room for everyone in this big house that Srila Prabhupada built for us all.