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EDITORIAL February 27, 1999 VNN3180 Little Johnny Hoodwinkle BY RADHA KRISHNA DASA EDITORIAL, Feb 27 (VNN) — Little Johnny Hoodwinkle is sprinkling his pixie dust over everybody's heads, and somehow we all forget what just happened. The most shocking allegations cross the paths of our ears, but somehow we just block it all out. We don't call for investigations. There is no outcry for justice. We go on merrily about "business as usual." This is the most amazing thing. "Hello, is anybody home?" Hare Krishna. This is about several allegations that our society have not taken very seriously. This is about mass denial. We have been trained so thoroughly to accept authorities, not question the authorities, to be humble, to not make offenses to others, so on, so much that others have taken too much advantage of our Vaisnava codes of ethics. It is time that we start making serious investigations, instead of always giving the benefit of doubt and just being humble and non critical. Sastra says to call spade a spade. This paper will talk about certain allegations that are related to the Guru issue. We could also talk about the abuse of our children and women in ISKCON, but that is a big subject, and is being spoken about by others. There is another issue so horrific, it can barely be mentioned, which will certainly come later. These things are hard to swallow when other minor things do not even raise an eyebrow. This paper is about other things related to the reform of ISKCON which need to be addressed. 1. The tape. In most ordinary circumstances, there would be a great hue and cry arising all over the world, an outrage of how such a thing could have possibly happened. What? The words of the greatest acarya in history are being spliced and doctored? This is tantamount to high crimes in the government, where the president would be impeached. But us? No, not us. We just gloss it over and rationalize the whole thing. We do not want to make offenses to Vaisnavas. We want to follow our authority. We want to see the best in everybody. We can't believe such a thing could happen. And worst of all, we GO ON QUOTING the tape like its primo evidence, like nothing ever happened. Its like a curtain of Maya is covering everybody's intelligence. This is like Yudisthira Maharaja's most amazing thing, how everbody dies and nobody thinks they are next, or its happening to them. This is like that. The forensic experts tell us "falsification." Instead of major investigations, little Johnny Hoodwinkle sprinkles his pixie dust, and its swept under the carpet of illusion. Hello, McFly, is anybody home? 2. The promise of "its all on tape." The secretary told Yasoda, "they'll be ritviks, its all on tape." This was like saying, "Don't worry Yasoda, it is all on tape. And everybody will hear all about it on these tapes. We've got it all recorded, so that everybody can hear how Srila Prabhupada wanted the system of initiations in the future, after departure." Don't you worry a bit, Prabhu, why all you've got to do, is ask for the tapes from the archives, and we all can hear about Srila Prabhupada's marvelous plans for the future. But wait a minute. What? What are you telling me? You are telling me there are no such tapes? There are 150 missing tapes from 1977? What?, no, this is too incredulous, no, there must be some mistake. You know that Srila Prabhupada always had something to say everyday, the tape recorder was always there, catching all the conversations. The secretary made sure that nothing was missed. But you are trying to tell me that Srila Prabhupada had nothing to say for months after the July 9th directive?? Ah, come on Prabhu, do you really expect us to believe that? After all, the secretary promised Yasoda (and all of us in that statement) that "its all on tape." So where are the tapes?? Look out, here come little Johnny Hoodwinkle! And then we get the same old usual response, which is something like this - "Don't worry Prabhus. Don't question authorities. Be humble now. Are you suggesting some foul play here? Shame on you! How can you suggest things like that about senior Vaisnavas? Now just go on and do your service, and forget about these little small matters." Little Johnny Hoodwinkle is flying all around the world, sprinkling his pixie dust again. Hello, is anybody home? 3. The confession. Later the secretary gets in a little trouble with the boys. So, to put some pressure on the boys, he makes the confession at Topanga Canyon, "we made a great mistake. Srila Prabhupada only ordered ritviksˇ" Then the boys say they are sorry, and the secretary is back in the club again. Then the secretary orders all the tapes and transcripts of the confession to be destroyed. The Topanga gate confessions never happened, Prabhu, it was all a figment of your imagination. Just do your service and be humble. Here comes little Johnny Winklehood again, oh, there's that pixie dust again. At the snap of my finger, everybody will forget all this Topanga gate stuff. Snap. Now there is mass amnesia, the evidence is all shredded and burned. Everybody forgot, and it never happened. "Oh, there's those envious snakes out there on the fringe, bringing up this confession stuff again." Hello, is anybody home? 4. Gauridas says that he stood 3 feet from Srila Prabhupada and heard him say, "Tomorrow I will I will announce some ritvik acharyas who will initiate disciples on my behalf when I leave the planet." But no, lets assassinate his character to prove him wrong. This is the pot calling the kettle black. We are supposed to believe the secretary, after hearing his "colorful history." We are supposed to denounce the humble little Gauridas just for being a human being in Kali Yuga, like it was something really bad that he did. Did Gauri splice Prabhupada's tapes, or did he withhold 150 tapes from the devotees? No, but when the big shots do these horrible things, we gloss it over, and are told to forget it. But little Gauri, he is so bad for whatever he did. This is bunk. Are we supposed to think that Gauridas had something to gain by fabricating such a claim? As if the secretary has nothing to lose by confirming such a claim? Come on people, lets use our brains. Gauridas had nothing to gain. On the other hand, the secretary had everything to lose by confirming Gauri's claim. Everything to lose. Think about it. Let us hear the 150 tapes first, then we can see who is fabricating. Let us stop being chumps in the name of humility. Let's start being rational and intelligent about this. Hello, is anybody home? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Your servant, Radha Krishna dasa Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9902/ET27-3180.html
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