© 1999 VNN
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WORLD January 17, 2000 VNN5288 Comment on this story Message From The Ministry Of Justice BY AIRAVATA DAS / SESA DAS AND OTHERS USA, Jan 17 (VNN) — (see also VNN Story 5229) Dear Sesa Prabhu: PAMHO AGTSP Some devotees send me today message, which you posted on chakra. I am shocked. So you wrote: "There is a growing body of strongly supported evidence to show that in the past (with a Middle Eastern donor), and now most recently (with an American donor), he is misusing and misappropriating donor funds (at least $10,000 so far). Evidence shows that he is NOT using the donations he receives for the intended and stated purpose of printing books, but is instead using them for his own purposes."Who is this mysterious "a Middle Eastern donor"? You never mentioned to me about him. I guess he does not exist. The "American donor" is Satyanarayana Prabhu who donated $5,000 only for printing books, which is done. Satyanarayana Prabhu got samples of books and photos of book distribution and widely advertised his donation in HKW. If books were not printed then why he advertise his donation??? In addition you never proved that books are not printed and never produced any evidence that books are not printed. Nevertheless you stating that "evidence shows that he is NOT using the donations he receives for the intended and stated purpose of printing books, but is instead using them for his own purposes." Where is prove that I used donation for my own purposes? So without any proves you just make one false statement after another. So Satyanarayana Prabhu gave $5,000, where you got then "at least $10,000 so far". You obviously adding spices to win the readers. This shows that you have personal motivation and completely partial. Neutral observers will clearly see your mood of hostility and passion. "These are serious allegations, which are supported by direct investigation within the Middle East and by reports from the GBC overseeing the area.There was no "direct investigation within the Middle East". And the GBC overseeing the area never comes to the area what he can report then? Harivilas Prabhu was not answering to my e-mail messages during last 10 months. "Further damaging to his credibility is the fact that Airavata dasa completely refuses to co-operate with this investigation and is ignoring all communications from the Ministry."I was busy with organising Interfaith Conference and was not able to get my e-mail. But after I answered to you and explained my busyness you posted the statement "Airavata dasa completely refuses to co-operate with this investigation and is ignoring all communications from the Ministry." I delayed only 2 and half weeks and you make such an exaggerated statement. It is another prove of you being partial. "While thoroughly ignoring the investigation, he continues to make wide appeals to the general devotee population for more money."There was one article about preaching in Saudi Arabia which was posted not by me but by one of our Middle East devotees and in this article there were not "wide appeals to the general devotee population for more money". You again misinterpret and exaggerate. "While Airavata dasa ignores repeated requests that he answer to these strongly-supported allegations of misusing or stealing donor funds for his own use, he continues to widely advertise for more money using the appeal of printing books in the Muslim countries."Here you repeat whole things again but this time presenting things which must be proven as already proven. This time you using expression "stealing donor funds" without any prove. You just abusing me left and right by misusing your position of Minister of Justice. Here abuse of power is clearly visible. Your mood of punishing me by any means and without any consideration is obvious. "Sesa Prabhu is now broadening his investigation through the Ministry of Justice and will be working with the BBT Trustees, GBC and any other devotees that can provide further evidence and further examples of misuse of funds in this case."You first prove misuse of funds in Satyanarayana's case then try for more. Without starting investigation how you can say, "broadening his investigation". It is seems that you are trying to show how you dedicated to your job. Some devotees wrote to me that they strongly feel that you just making show that you justifiably getting salary from ISKCON. While talking to me and asking just for few small details in Satyanarayana's case which I can easily provide, you publicly making from this insignificant complain of one donor huge issue of repeated misuse of funds. Many devotees have strong impression that you are partial and have some personal motivation. While posting for all COM users one statement, you posted in chakra another statement, which is unbelievably hostile, you actually playing double game. Your ill intentions are apparent. I came to know about this chakra posting only today accidentally. You make enormous show that you are caring for donors but why you have least care about me? In Middle East countries I am always working hard to earn money for the preaching project. In more than 20 years I gave to ISKCON 100 times more than any donor gave to me. Therefore I am biggest donor for the Muslim Preaching Project. Why then you don't care about me? For $5,000, which was misused, according to your imagination, you ready to kill me. But why you are not considering how much I gave to ISKCON. I am Ph.D and have good records from so many Universities. I can earn $5,000 in one month without any special efforts. This hard earned money I am not using for my "own purposes", as you said, but for preaching. I have no family, house or any property. Without knowing my life style and me, why you are mounting one false allegation after another? There is no way that you can prove that I am using money for my "own purposes" because I have only Krsna's purposes. We know from shastra that if devotee have some difficulties in his service the duty of other devotees, especially senior devotees, to help that devotee to rectify his mistake. But all your endeavours are ashastric. You are manifesting great zeal to punish me and encouraging other devotees to finish me off. I am more than 20 years in ISKCON and naturally there can be some devotees who don't like me. So you are encouraging them to come forward and add some more false allegations and you are showing an example how to judge without evidence and prove. I already informed you that because of this great injustice you did to me by publicly disrupting me without any considerations, solid evidence, thorough investigation and clear proves you must withdraw your baseless statement and publicly apologise. Only after this I am ready to give you all details of Satyanarayana Prabhu's case. But now, after reading your posting on chakra your partiality, personal motivations and hostility are obvious. Therefore, besides of your public apology, I am humbly requesting H.H. Bir Krsna Swami to appoint another neutral, unmotivated and friendly devotee for this investigation. I am also humbly requesting H.H. Jayapataka Swami, to whom I am eternally indebted for constant inspiration to go and preach to Muslims, to protect me from further abuse, defamation and mistreat by Sesa Prabhu. Your humble servant, Airavata das Statement from Sesa (das): Prabhu: Let me clarify the text below which I just sent. Subsequent to the initial posting to All COM users and on Chakra (I think it was posted there or at least I did request that it be posted there) I have followed the policy explained below. I have not been contacted by Chakra or VNN for any statement or information concerning this matter. Nor have I authorized anyone to speak on my behalf, nor provided anyone with the statements contained in the text you sent. Sesa das Dear Airavata Prabhu: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I neither posted nor was aware of the posting on chakra you are refering to. I have limited my comments etc in this matter to my communications with the parties involved. Anyone else who has communicated with me I simply responded "Thank you for your comments, they will be made part of the case file." In short, I don't know what you are talking about. I don't even read Chakra or VNN. Sesa das From: Radhasyamasundara (das) JPS (Mayapur - IN) Subject: Message from the Ministry of Justice ------------------------------------------------------ > In my capacity as ISKCON GBC Minister of Justice I am requesting that the > following message be posted to all COM users. > > ISKCON GBC MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WARNING RE: AIRAVATA DAS > > .... etc. ......... > Dear Sesa Prabhu, PAMHO. AGTSP. Although I am a lay man and I am no one to talk, I could not help being hurt and disappointed when I read your text (partially quoted above) and thus be impelled to aknowledge you of my feelings. It seems to me that you have done great wrong to Airavata and to the devotees who accept you as their minister by writing such a letter. And that is for several reasons: 1) First of all, being minister of Justice, everyone expects you to act on a higly legal level: how can you sentence someone of guilt just on the basis of some "very credible complaints". Complaints should lead to an investigation, which is meant to produce evidences, without which no one can be judged culprit. There are no proofs of Airavata's guilt and already, a little time given to him, he has been sentenced to death. 2) Is the Ministry of Justice's policy to broadcast to all users the names of whoever is allegedly misappropriating funds? If so, I know of at least a dozen of such cases, and none of them has been advertized in such a way (or even in ANY way at all). If someone would not know your honesty and integrity could be tempted to think that there are some personal motivations behind you accusing him in such a rude way. 3) Even if prooved guilty, has the misappropriation of funds involved a huge number of people ? Or just one or two, or a few, at best? If so, what's the need of informing everyone about this problem. Could you not just inform the persons directly involved, plus his local authorities and few other individuals who may eventually become involved in this case ? 4) I am sure you know he is preaching in an area were, if recognized as an Hare Krsna devotee, he will run into serious problems. Don't you fear that broadcasting his activity in such a large scale may put his security in danger ? 5) You said that he has "ignored repeated requests from myself to provide information" ... but being him preaching in a country were other faiths are outlaw, it seems understandable he is unable to make his activities and contacts pubblic. Is that enough to make him guilty, because he cannot reveal his sources? Besides, he is not preaching alone. Have the other devotees of his group substanciated those allegations ? I believe they were not even asked. 6) Either innocent or culprit, Airavata Prabhu has been preaching and working hard for our institution for the past so many year. No one can argue he has done AND HE IS STILL DOING great service within our movement. Should you, being his authority, not trying to rectify him rather than finish him off ? 7) Even assuming he may have done a little wrong, does a devotee who risk his own life for Krsna deserve to be uprooted like a poisonus tree? 8) And, last, suppose he is innocent. Can you evaluate the damage you may have done to his service and to his own spiritual life? I am sure even the strongest among the strongs will see his enthusiasm seriously decreasing after a blow like this. How will he be able to carry on preaching while all world speaks of him as a thief ? How will he be able to safely resume his service with the fear to have been exposed ? I really don't know, neither it is my job to find out, if he is innocent or culprit. But you have taken no step to prouve the allegations against him with solid evidences. Does your duty ends with the text you sent everyone ? It does not seems you have done a good job. Personally I had, and still I hold some (otherwise I won't be here writing you) great faith in your professionality, rightfulness and sense of justice. And I was very disappointed by reading your text were apparently those quality do not shine for their presence. I am sure you understand that there is nothing personal in my words, but rather that, introducing yourself as the representative of "Justice", I had no choice to be puzzled by seing you perpetrating an action which seems to me to be unjust. I am also sure that, being you broad minded, you are actually happy to receive some feed back from the general mass of devotees, among which I am a little one. Thank you for your patience while reading this comments. I hope this finds you well. Hare Krsna. NB: I added J.P.Svami, Hari Sauri and Dayaram as receivers since, as coodirectors, they are his authorities in Mayapur. Hari Vilas is the GBC of the zone were he is preaching, and B.K.Gosvami the GBC Chairman. GREAT INJUSTICE Subject: Message from the Ministry of Justice ------------------------------------------------------------ > I really don't know, neither it is my job to find out, if he is innocent > or culprit. But you have taken no step to prouve the allegations against > him with solid evidences. Does your duty ends with the text you sent > everyone ? It does not seems you have done a good job. I want to agree with Radhashyamasundara prabhu's points made in his text. I thought it highly irregular that the Ministry of Justice go public with an accusation (not a confirmed finding) and bring a devotee who is literally risking his life to preach in certain countries into disrepute. I have never see the Ministry make such a blanket attack on a devotee which it has received a complaint about, and I wonder why it was done this time. I think Sesa prabhu needs to make some further public announcement now to clarify why he did this; or he needs to retract the one he just sent out. In this case I do not think justice has been rightly served. Your humble servant, Hari-sauri dasa Answer to the false allegations on Cakra At 4th March there was announcement by Sesa das as Minister of Justice. The devotees from Muslim Preaching Project highly disappointed by Sesa's false allegations and unproved statements. We can't tolerate this great injustice and want answer to the baseless allegations of "conserned devotees" on Cakra. >There is a growing body of strongly supported >evidence to show that in the past (with a Middle >Eastern donor), and now most recently (with an >American donor), he is misusing and >misappropriating donor funds (at least $10,000 >so far). Evidence shows that he is NOT using the >donations he receives for the intended and stated purpose of printing books, >but is instead using them for his own purposes. Not a single evidence what to speak of "strongly supported evidence" are produced by "conserned devotees" so far. This "a Middle Eastern donor" is pure lie. No such a donor ever exists. Otherwise let now them present the name. The American donor is Satyanarayana das who donated only $5,000 for printing books in Turkey which is done. We personally saw these books and distribute them. Satyanarayana das was given samples of books and photos of books distribution. Satyanarayana das already advertised his donation everywhere including Hare Krsna World. But he is still unsatisfied. If books were not printed then why he advertised his donation??? Not a single fact of "misusing and misappropriating donor funds" is presented. Just bear false allegations. With the statement "at least $10,000 so far" they just adding spices to the blown up issue. Where they got another $5,000 is a mystery indeed. Statement "instead using them for his own purposes" also remains without any prove. >These are serious allegations, which are supported by direct >investigation within the Middle East and by reports from the GBC >overseeing the area. These are false allegations for sure. No any direct investigation within the Middle East have been conducted. It is pure lie. The GBC overseeing the area never comes to the area, what he can report then. >Further damaging to his credibility is the fact that Airavata dasa >completely refuses to co-operate with this >investigation and is ignoring all communications from the Ministry. Airavata das was very busy last month with organising Interfaith Conference and didn't check his e-mail account. But after 2 and half weeks from first message he replied to Sesa das but Sesa das instead beginning investigation just made the statement on com. There was no any investigation at all. So now Airavata das communicating with Sesa das but before giving any details he requested Sesa das first apologise for his baseless allegations but Sesa das refused to co-operate. >While thoroughly ignoring the investigation, he continues to make wide >appeals to the general devotee population for more money. Airavata das didn't make appeals for money. There were some articles about preaching of Airavata das to inspire devotees in their services. The endeavours of Airavata das are misunderstood and misinterpreted by them. >While Airavata dasa ignores repeated requests that he answer to these >strongly-supported allegations of misusing or stealing donor funds for his >own use, he continues to widely advertise for more money using the appeal >of printing books in the Muslim countries. Why again and again repeat same statement? And now by using words "stealing donor's funds" without any prove and investigation makes them just liars in the eyes of Middle East devotees. Here we want to stress that no any investigation was conducted in Middle East countries, neither any Middle East devotee was contacted by Sesa das, nor any solid evidences were presented, nor anything what they say is proven. In this situation we really wonder why they exaggerate this issue to such an extend. In ISKCON were so many cases when millions dollars was misused and not a single announcement like this was made. Whole mood of posting is one of hostility and passion. Why they so eager to disrepute Airavata das who is a devotee in good standing. He serving to ISKCON more than 20 years and always risks his life for Srila Prabhupada's mission. He actually opend up for Krsna consciousness Turkey and other Middle East countries. He is first devotee who attracted many prominent Muslim leaders to Philosophy of KC and chanting holy name. He is one who developed perfect method of presenting KC to the Muslims. He published many books and articles on Islam and other religions. He is example of great determination and selfless service to Krsna. He inspires so many devotees to preach in Muslim countries. We who know Airavata das very closely don't believe any of their statements. They have commited great injustice towards Airavata das and must apologise publicly. Your humble servants Amala das Nararatna das Acyuta Madhava das and many other Middle East devotees whose names we can't reveal. Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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