B. Radha-Govinda – US: I’m sure pre-1978 aspirants living and serving in the ISKCON temples must remember how strict the standard was set regarding what foodstuffs devotees who were out of the temple preaching, and not being able to partake of temple Prasadam that particular day or for some weeks, c(w)ould and c(w)ould not partake that could be (were) offered to Krsna. When we would go out to distribute books, in purchasing bhoga to be offered to Krsna outside the temple, we were very strict in what we would purchase. (Even potato chips were considered to be maya.)

Yet we have one of ISKCON’s gurus (and a sannyasi at that), who, in going to the Berkeley temple, refused to honor (partake of) the Maha Prasadam that had been offered to the Deities, but instead ate food ordered from a Chinese restaurant. Amazingly his guru name is Acaryadev – acarya meaning, one who by his actions sets example, or one who teaches by example.

No wonder (besides this example of Howard’s given), ISKCON in general is so off… yad yad acarati sresthas (BG 3.21)

 

Might I add on, that when I was living in New Vrndavan when Howard came on Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day, (1998) he (along with his foolowers) did NOT!!! attend the puspanjali/aroti offered to Srila Prabhupada. In fact, while another devotee and I were cooking extra preparations to be offered to Srila Prabhupada, (besides the feast that would be served out to the devotees), Howard’s foolowers were in the Deity kitchen cooking for his DISgrace (Howard) at that time, my THINKING they were cooking preparations FOR SRILA PRABHUPADA, but my later finding out they were INSTEAD!!! cooking their goru (goat) a feast, which Howard ate BEFORE!!! Srila Prabhupada was offered the foodstuffs for His Disappearance Day feast.

(How do I know? Because Howard’s foolowers and Howard, came into the temple room, his foolowers with paper plates (and believe it or not), were EATING!!! from their plates Howard’s remnants while they walked into, and were walking around the temple room while the Tirobhava aroti was being offered to Srila Prabhupada. (I might also add that Srila Prabhupada’s feast and puspanjali was offered to His Divine Grace one hour later than it was supposed to be – maybe due to Howard’s foolowers cooking for him in the Deity kitchen? where the ONLY preparations that were supposed to be being cooked were for the Deities’ Raj Bhoga offering, and for Srila Prabhupada’s feast.)

Srila Prabhupada got offered only a few extra foodstuffs which another devotee and I had cooked, (my thinking that the other people – besides the devotee cooking for the Raj Bhoga offering – cooking in the kitchen, were cooking for Srila Prabhupada, but as said above, I later found out that they were NOT cooking for Srila Prabhupada, but for Howard).

So Howard’s foolowers (with Howard) came into the temple room, Howard’s seeing Srila Prabhupada’s Tirobhava aroti being offered, then turning to them and saying, “So when am I supposed to give the lecture?,” the reply then being given, “After the aroti and kirtan are finished.” So Howard told them, “Alright, let’s go out,” and they left the temple room, (Howard setting the example for them that Srila Prabhupada’s Tirobhava meant nothing, and there was no “necessity” of His or their going, plus the other “lessons” he “taught” them that day by his actions and/or lack of some).

Howard later came back (of course with his foolowers, who by now had finished taking their goru’s ‘remnants’), and gave his dis – as in disgusting – discourse for Srila Prabhupada’s Tirobhava, and said NOT a single word about Srila Prabhupada, but spoke about how the devotee bathrooms on the first floor of the temple (which were also used by the public) weren’t clean.

When Howard finished his (obviously self-spellbound) speech – which lasted for more than two hours – he closed the “class” and took no questions, though he saw my hand go up for asking a question. (I wanted to ask him, “So why do you think it is that the bathrooms aren’t clean?” and would have replied it myself, “Because people like you, don’t honor Srila Prabhupada even on Srila Prabhupada’s Tirobhava, and thus, because of the unclean consciousness, the bathrooms aren’t clean, and reflect the general consciousness of ISKCON’s leaders.”)

So now we have Howard Resnick, “Acaryadev,” who shows by his example, that it is better to accept food from the Chinese restaurant and refuse to accept the foodstuffs which have been offered to the Deities. (And who knows, in terms of the way things are in ISKCON these days: Maybe the cook in the Chinese restaurant might be more pure in heart than the person who’s (being paid) cooking in the temple.)

Your servant,

B. Radha-Govinda

Hare Krsna