Sit Properly

If you’ve not caught on, I’m really into strange New Vrndavana history. And while this item doesn’t take the cake, it’s up there.

In March of 1987, ISKCON officially gave New Vrndavana and Bhaktipada the boot. The reasons were detailed in a “GBC [Governing Body Commission] resolution.” Bhaktipada received the resolution and decided to respond.

I believe it was Nityo Dita [could be wrong about that] who read the GBC’s accusation and reasons for booting and Bhaktipada responded.

It seems like this was done in front of a small room full of devotees. The only microphone was the one used to record the conversation. I’m not sure how widely the recording of this was spread. I found my copy in a box of more professional looking Bhaktipada Tape Ministry tapes.

The copy I have of it looks like this:

Oddly, this was side two of the cassette. Side one was a semi-professionalish recording of Bhaktipada reading his book, Christ and Krishna. This particular tape was at one time owned by “K. Bhava dasi.” Probably Krishna Bhava Dasi. The date “11/23/87″ is written on side one.

I’m not going to say much about the contents of what he actually said (would rather let that speak for itself). This was recorded in 1987, hot on the heels of the FBI raid and finding Chakradhara’s remains. Sometime not too long after the recording, in November, New Vrndavana holds a “Religious Freedom Gathering.”

This was also the year that Bhaktipada closed the Nandagram school, sending the kids “as examples” to public school. It was probably not a coincidence that this was the year that Sri Galim, one of their teachers, was arrested for child abuse.

In light of all this, his answers aren’t really shocking. You can tell that he holds a bit back (or at least makes a show of holding things back) perhaps hoping that members of the GBC would hear this. Maybe.

At any rate, 1987 was a big year for New Vrndavana. And this is Bhaktipada’s own take on it.

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(7.23MB 42mins)

Last summer, around Radhastami, I was hanging out at New Vrndavana with a few devotees who were into personal prayer. Really into it. It’s not like I didn’t agree, of course, I was fine with it, I just didn’t do it.

We’d be talking about one of my many problems and they’d ask, “Eric have you prayed about this?” I paused for a bit, thought and said, “Hopes are prayers.” Which is true, but by the scowling look on their faces I knew they saw through that one.

“Eric, promise me that you’ll pray about this.”

I gave some half-hearted nod thing to shut them up. It’s not that I didn’t believe in prayer… I just didn’t realize it was important or did anything. I pretty much just didn’t care about it.

As many devotees have noticed when we don’t care about something in Krishna consciousness, Krishna throws us right into the middle of whatever it is we don’t care about.

For Radhastami, someone came up with the idea that the devotees and guests should write a prayer to Radharani on a piece of paper, tie it to a helium-filled balloon and float it up into the altar. When I heard about this, I rolled my eyes – probably making a ton of offenses in the rolling.

I was really grumpy about it. Even more than I usually am. I thought, “why not just chant Hare Krishna?” Or, if you really have to, just say a silent prayer to Radharani. I get cranky and obstinate sometimes.

So guess who was magically put in charge of the task of giving the paper and pens to devotees and then tying the message to the balloon? That’s right, me. Thanks Krishna!

I went from being grumpy to just not wanting to be there. But as the devotees, hundreds of them, filtered by me, I was purified by their association. I could see what they were writing and it moved me. Yes, bhakta Grinches’s heart grew three times that day! Some were praising Her (which is always good to hear), some were just saying “hi,” and some were crying out to her for help. As more and more came through my line, the more this idea grew on me, the more this idea of personal prayer grew on me.

As my friends passed by, they would ask, “Did you put yours in yet? Did you write one yet?” Each one wearing me down, chiseling away at my stupid stone heart.

By the end of it, I had run out of balloons, the line was gone, replaced by a kirtana of devotees, and as they were closing the altar, I quickly wrote a short prayer to Srimati Radharani on a pink little piece of paper and slipped it under the deity doors just before it was too late.

I had slipped a note under God’s door… That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? I love Krishna consciousness!