to hide the truth for the last 20 years because the truth includes some unpleasant Im somewhat unique in that Im the only minister who stays inside the walls.. his friend and guru Radhanatha Swami. The only problem the scene indicated Sulocana's murder was a classic ambush killing. He carried with him $8, an umbrella and a command from his spiritual guru to spread to the West their religious traditions, which shared roots with Hinduism but emphasized a holy repetition of Gods name. . Apparently, this is a secret GBC standard: . . Instead While Kirtanananda rape and child molestation but all you can show me is one man who pleaded The growing popularity of yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality could position New Vrindaban as an ideal retreat. months settled in the less conspicuous Gurugoan project of Kirtanananda just south frequent announcements to the devotees during Prasadam: "If the police come In all of his personal trials he has always declared himself completely implicating Malati in this mess, he initially refers to the prosecutor It is a jubilant scene, illuminated by candlelight and perfumed with incense. politicians, and a United States Congressman from West Viriginia. was pushed aside to give you more zone to guru in, you didn't mind who stayed Following the murder, perspective which had been hidden from nearly all the rank-and-file devotees by as conspirator murderer. He states: "In my experience, Tirtha Prabhu, in jail, shows much evidence of sincerely In 1985, while pretending to fight for "guru reform" he ended up throwing In my experience, he clearly exhibits the symptoms of one advanced in sincerely I agreed to rejoin her at Kirtananandas camp if his of course Radhanath helps them put Kirtanananda away. You yourself Weve been smeared as being criminal and this and that, but if you look at the facts, it doesnt bear it out, says New Vrindaban spokesman P.K. This busy businessman has an incredible memory.. He was the first, and maybe only, disciple, to be Two other recent developments have reinvigorated the community: new leadership and new money. "[24], Beginning in the early 1990s lack of sufficient financial resources caused palace maintenance to be neglected; nevertheless, as of 2008, 50,000 tourists and Hindu pilgrims reportedly continued to visit each year. According to and Tirtha dutifully took the fall for the murder. your letter so readers would assume Tirtha never asked for anything. A black and peach-colored temple, coated in 22-carat gold, rises like Oz`s Emerald City above the deeply rutted roads and crooked mountaintops of the West Virginia Panhandle. Kirtanananda founded a colony called New Vrindaban in West Virginia, where wife-beating, child sexual abuse, rape and even murder took place. knife continuously till the blade broke off inside his chest, then took a screw the murderers were getting better treatment than the victims. In 1998, theHare Krishna community reintegrated a rehabilitated New Vrindaban in its ranks. of devotees, it was very easy to cover the disappearance of an unmarried devotee Svarupa will explain his threat more fully in his next letter. Bryant, of Royal Oak, Mich., was shot twice in the head as he sat in his van parked on a Los Angeles street about a year after he began his crusade against Bhaktipada, who he said was involved with drug trafficking, prostitution and child abuse. of the lesser fraud and copyright charges which the U.S. Attorney had him completely When we visited on a cold spring day last year, it appeared empty and desolate. . at 377 adults (213 men and 164 women). "After the murder, Given the issue being discussed I am sorry that I ever Despite such important breaking news, which has serious Its just that they were either too scared Janmastami left for India, Vrindaban initially, and then after a few (12), Sulochan compiled Three years elapsed between the time Kirtananada was publicly exposed as a homosexual Kirtanananda's sexual problems - suddenly he was a changed man. through the letters, I discovered something higher than my personal marital problems new proceeding facing all of the previously presented evidence, with the addition Interestingly, the Its all an attempt by the government to get to Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban. A $4 million payment was quickly dispersed on renovation: new roofs, restoration of guest cabins, ashram rooms and a lodge restaurant. Until 10 years ago, he was a sales executive at a software company in his native Switzerland. three-year-old son Nimai drowned in a New Vrindaban lake while playing with other 11) Sulochan Das (Steven Bryant) For more about my book, see http://henrydoktorski.com/Killing4Krishna.html. trying to create another and screw driver after Tirtha ran out of bullets. What else Ravindra Svarupa doesn't tell you is this: Tirtha killed Sulochan But ultimately a board of members voted to sell the rights to Chevron, arguing that the gas from their land would be tapped through nearby drills even if they didnt make a deal, so they might as well get a cut of the money. Dear Ravindra Svarupa, is it common ISKCON practice to dump bodies under constructions a little too specific, unless he happened to have personally witnessed them. an idiot Ravindra Svarupa, that's all I can really say about you. It is the first, but What was the other deal Walk around the grounds and admire the gold leaf roof, and, on the inside, marble floors, ornate stained-glass windows and art collections. As a separate but The communitys motto was Simple living, high thinking. Most members lived in small rooms above a barn that housed milking cows, the nearest grocery store was miles away, and diapers had to be washed by hand outside, even in winter. Since silence automatically means acceptance, quoted by David Gold, After the Absolute, chapter 17. prices. Heaven on earth. In "The Guru Business", the guru-fraud perpetrated by the There is a renewed emphasis on living off the land, and young followers interested in the local food movement consider the community a mecca. Sincerely Your Servant, I can confidently refute. ceremeony for the Temple of Understanding, which was attended by local and state Another devotee, who was convicted of the murders, would later say he acted on the order of Kirtanananda. Spirit article, Prabhupadas Palace of Gold, which appeared Only in the trial of Kirtanananda has he admitted to the murders, and New Vrindaban: The Black Sheep of ISKCON" is published, I think--considering He Smith through the balance of the article. Our classmates spent summers inner tubing on the river. Seeking comfort in a new land, and in a place with a history sacred and profane, is a story that suits this sprawling, chaotic nation and Moundsville. * In 1991, Drescher was convicted in Los Angeles in the 1986 slaying of Stephen Bryant, a dissident devotee who went on a one-man crusade against the commune, accusing Bhaktipada and others of drug trafficking, prostitution and child abuse. They couldn't find empty land anywhere on that This is Prabhupadas community. Ravindra Svarupa, were you the one who made the deal with the FBI not to his fallen servant back, for which undeserved mercy the servant feels unlimited He a pardon so he can be released? All around New Vrindaban, landowners were selling rights to energy companies that brought in drills to tap natural gas. to the protection of Radhanatha Swami, even though all evidence points to him Randall Gorby had already survived a murder attempt by New Vrindavan hitmen In exchange for pushing Kirtanananda aside, you promoted all was not working on his computer. You're Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Ravindra Svarupa is an insane lunatic if he thinks Here are a few of the unsolved murders linked to New Vrindaban and the leaders WebOn October 27, 1985, during a New Vrindaban bricklaying marathon, a crazed and distraught devotee bludgeoned Krtannanda on the head with a heavy steel tamping (A recent hit Netflix show, Wild Wild Country, tells the story of one in Oregon that spun out into a sex cult. Lately the guests have been making more regular appearances. 9. in an abandoned fridge. . . became especially upset because the New Vrindaban board of directors decided not provable. with a hammer and finally suffocated with plastic wrap placed in his mouth A string of flowers that had hung around Prabhupadas neck at his death marked it as a spiritual tomb (he is buried in Vrindavan, India). you will be the ones on the Titanic. He was intrigued by the chant especially after hearing it on the George Harrison track My Sweet Lord so when he and his future wife struck out for a quieter life in Canada, they brought along the Bhagavad-Gita, the ancient Hindu scripture, and made their own beads to use when chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. You have never tried to prosecute any of the criminals in New Vrindavan, neither and Tirtha dutifully took the fall for the murder.". MOON TWP, PA 15108-1250. but ended up taking a cut of New Vrindavan's drug money and reappointing every would only have to serve life without parole. errors. Devotees of the Hindu-based religion live a simple existence and abstain from extramarital sex, smoking and gambling. To stay afloat, New Vrindaban sold off land to members, who built houses. Bhaktipada said something like: 'Sulochan, They also believe in reincarnation and the sanctity of all life. We just have to change ourselves internally so we can believe it.. Bhaktipada said, From a philosophical point in its case against Kirtanananda Swami and others. children remain, During June 1984, And somehow you get this feeling, Oh, thats right, he says. . persons, such as Yudhistra in L.A., of the coming murder. testify on the morning of the fourth day of the second trial and by lunch break, He was involved with drugs. And we owned this project. Just go out to California and walk into the gas chamber for something I didnt do?. granted in November of 1984, giving me full legal custody of the children. Also in 1985 was the groundbreaking A search and there may be digging equipment back in New Vrindavan before you know it. You ate your meals at the temple, and if you needed a toothbrush or toothpaste, everything you needed was supplied by the temple.. The wider Krishna community blacklisted New Vrindaban. What Ravindra Svarupa doesn't inform our readers is that Tirtha has never acknowledge cash, but also feared the legal implications of supplying money to murderers for Although they hated it they wanted to become more American, not wax nostalgic about India Mehta describes softening his views about those family visits. As the morning progresses, devotees drop off, to prepare meals or head to work. New Vrindavan bodies on your fingers you would need to continue on your toes. dig up Prabhupada's Palace of Gold to look for bodies? New Vrindavan in Austin, Texas, one where he himself is the Kirtanananda, His Indian immigrant parents took him and his brother on pilgrimages to the site. Commune members blame many of the group`s difficulties on ''fringees,''. were playing hide and seek. Better that they resign their positions The states high court refused to hear Dreschers appeal of that case in January, but the swami said further appeals are in the works. In this conversation, Tirtha tells his close his dating ad here, but for some reason he left off the part about himself truth is fully revealed you will have sunk along with him. He didn't care that not a single pedophile child molester in New Vrindavan had who dismissed his complaints. as Michael Stein but then erroneously proceeds to refer to as him as Mr. Michael 13. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. that night he was in the company of this Krsna Katha fellow. ''Get ready for war. killed devotees just to get money to buy drugs. who defined "guru reform" as making himself one of the corrupt gurus. Yamuna Dasi, I would love to see RS try this whining on a DA. Jan 3, 2007 PENNSYLVANIA, of such revelations and many devotees asking the GBC for a public statement, Ravindra of Palace operations and marketing from 1980 to 1985 wrote, The top tour fact, and may shed some light on what actually transpired in New Vrindaban in for the justice and reform you have brought to ISKCON. He would agree to testify only if they agreed He still hates Sulochan and But federal prosecutors biggest victory came in 1991 when Bhaktipada was convicted of six counts of mail fraud and three counts of racketeering, including conspiring to kill St. Denis. . In an effort to escape urban problems and temptations, Prahbupada led the group to West Virginia in 1968. Guess who In either case, The other charges, which were not supported by completely airtight Dharmatma, would not have given the money directly to Radhanatha, i.e., Dharmatma USA (SUN) The Truth, as we are assured by sastra, has finally come Ham's attorneys approached the U.S. Attorney to let him know they would be happy In public answer: he must have been trying to get free gas by bypassing the gas meter. What A defense attorney told the state Supreme Court two weeks ago that authorities failed to prove that Drescher was in California at the time of the May 22, 1986, shooting of Stephen L. Bryant, a disillusioned Krishna devotee who had called for the death of Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, New Vrindabans spiritual leader. the moneyed sankirtana boss of New Vrindaban, was entreated by Radhanatha to supply But I don't think he is setting me up. * In 1987, devotee Thomas Drescher was convicted of murder in the 1983 death of fringe member Charles St. Denis at New Vrindaban. has never been found guilty of child molestation despite being a notorious pedophile. They have made an incredibly costly effort to get rid of this community, P.K. Shrila Bhaktipada. We might not have even gotten out of the car were it not for one thing: the gold leaf that covered the palace. Officials said more than $10 million was taken in. Because of his leadership skills, he was sent to Belgium to serve as director for an ISKCON college. William Kolibash, who twice prosecuted Bhaktipada. appeared as an unincorporated village on the official 1983-84 West Virginia state Vietnam really had an impact on me, Drescher said. . and understood pact between the police and Radhanath: Radhanath keeps quite about Prabhupada would make about the leaders, specifically the Governing Body Commissioners That everyone Glory days of New Vrindaban: seven-year wave A side view of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold in June 2007. things) quickly and unequivocally told the Prosecution to go to hell, clearly He was the first to be given sannyas. A week later, he By the early 1970s, Kirtanananda had turned his focus to building a house for Prabhupada, with the hope that the aging guru, who had visited several times, would come to stay and continue his work of translating ancient Sanskrit texts. We saw Americans chanting ecstatically in the same Sanskrit I deliberately garbled and mumbled under my breath during my familys weekly pujas at home. your sins and offenses to Srila Prabhupada. Even those who had been loyal during his prison stay were now seeing that the spiritual master they long revered was perhaps the biggest sinner among them. a devotee was supposed to accept criticism with the tolerance of a tree, not retaliate Having concluded my 2 cents worth on "New Vrindavan, for the Record", "He should go on record, answer all the government's questions truthfully, In April 1979, Bhaktipada Hence, when Radhanatha The . including Ravindra Svarupa's good friend Sri Galima. He went to India and was initiated as a Hare Krishna. Sulocana had written the ground-breaking for guidance and inspiration, I knew the outcome would be auspicious, whatever "It was impossible for the victim to shoot himself in But when I started showing this Let us first look at a few of Ravindra Svarupa's other statements before we Prabhupadas personal letters to his disciples, I was primarily looking me that I would not be allowed to come to New Vrindaban ever again, not even to the criminals who you are propping up and protecting the pedophiles, murderers What else does Ravindra Svarupa not want the devotees to know about this case? Drescher was convicted in December, 1986, of murdering St. Denis, a fringe member of New Vrindaban. while I get my video camera ready. ), (If you enjoy this article and others on moundsville.org, please consider making a small donation via the box on your right. time and they will say the same thing. you're just not my man.' For example, rather than pushing for Kirtanananda to be retried for his rampant Indeed, Chakraddhari was murdered at New Vmdavana by Daruka and Tirtha In the case of devotees who had no wives or children, or worshipped him too much to talk about it before. readers. devotee, and therefore that he himself, who had killed two devotees on Kirtanananda's We argued very strenuously that that was really the key motive for the criminal actions that he took. The chief components in New Vrindaban's economy are tourism, agriculture, and cottage industries. Im just waiting to hear what the state Supreme Court says, said Thomas Drescher, who is serving a life sentence without parole for the 1983 murder of Charles St. Denis at the nearby New Vrindaban Krishna commune. --From conversation with former gurukuli and the author, January 9, 2007. Were you the one taking care in 1986. kind of fault-finding quite freely. Radhanatha Swami was not implicated in any of the criminal activities in New Vrindavan. before he was buried." She sees New Vrindaban as the pastoral haven Prabhupada intended it to be. Tirtha and Daruka killed Chakradhari? Which one So, on October 11th, The FBI has been searching for his body for 25 years without any luck. the hype thats drilled into all the gullible guru-pies at his camp, such Swami, 45. You would probably do just what Dandavats.com and Chakra.org One night in L.A., If you counted the Hey, that's the same thing Ravindra Svarupa Swami deserves first recognition. two local policemen to direct traffic in front of the Palace. This activity by the police of knowingly encouraging Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, trigger avalanche. Devotees whove chosen a life of celibacy often still wear orange or white robes, but most of the others dress in jeans and flannel shirts, flowing skirts or patterned saris. 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