The DOM alone will not fix broken Love and Trust

Posted by Hansadutta das on May 29, 2010

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Dear Naranarayan Prabhu,
Please accept my most humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I have been following, from a distance, your thread of letter regarding the Direction of Management (DOM) [Download copy of the original document - 444Kb, pdf]. This is my observation and humble conclusion on the matter.

The DOM is a legal document, issued from one spiritual leader (Founder Acharya of ISKCON) to his voluntary spiritual followers (disciples). It is issued on the premise of LOVE AND TRUST. As there is a hierarchy of power and influence in the materially focused organizations of the world, their binding catalyst being force and fear, similarly there is hierarchy of spiritual power and influence in the spiritual realm, based on LOVE AND TRUST.

When Srila Prabhupada issued this order or URGENT directive, it apparently was not taken into action. It was not implemented. We can say it was because the disciples who were responsible at the time of its issue simply did not LOVE AND TRUST Srila Prabhupada, and therefore failed to carry out his order.

Therefore it is now too late to fast forward to the year 2010 and expect or demand or legally try to get the order put into place in an institution (ISKCON) that did not LOVE AND TRUST Prabhupada more than 35 years ago.

Before there was anything legally binding in our awakening to Prabhupada’s love and trust for us, there was an understanding of the siddhantas and saddhanas that lifted us to a platform of progressive spiritual advancement, and which awakened a glimmer of attachment and an inclination to LOVE AND TRUST Prabhupada. It is only after this initial awakening took place that Srila Prabhupada could discipline us and direct us to submit and serve (inquiry, submission and service) him accordingly. The spiritual hierarchy is based on this principle of inquiry, submission and service.

The situation is something like a boy and girl fall in love, there is a declaration of marriage (engagement), a promise or vow — “I will marry this girl, I will marry this man.” The couple’s intention and exclusive dedication in love is declared. They are not yet married, but their promise, their intention is declared publicly. Then after some time, there is hesitation, there is doubt, there may be adultery or any number of other diversions, one party breaks the engagement, and the relationship is broken. So can you or I or anyone now backtrack and enforce marriage on them? I don’t think so. The LOVE AND TRUST has long ago evaporated. It is dead. The DOM situation is something like that.

Similarly, the engagement, the LOVE AND TRUST has been broken, so how will you establish a legally binding contract or order upon those who actually do not LOVE AND TRUST Srila Prabhupada? Those leaders who stood with their hands in their pockets while legal papers were being filed to prove Srila Prabhupada was a hired worker of ISKCON, whose books were “WORKS FOR HIRE” — “We supplied paper, pen and office space, we fed him, clothed him, sheltered him, and therefore he had no legal rights to the copyrights of the books he wrote, thus there is no valid BBT and thus Hans Kary is not a trustee” — those same leaders, same hands in their pockets, make no protest now as “The Clerk”, Jayadvaita, ADULTERATES Srila Prabhupada’s books. They are the same leaders who ignored the July 9th letter appointing Rittvik representatives of the Acharya, who were empowered to continue the expansion of ISKCON by initiating new devotees for and on behalf of Srila Prabhupada. Those same men are still initiating, not on behalf of Prabhupada, but for their own LOVE – FRIENDSHIP – and SOCIETY. How will you convince their sheeplike, lemminglike followers to throw off their yoke and embrace Srila Prabhupada? How will that happen?

There are other issues, but these three main points should do for now.

I am not opposed to your enthusiastic effort, but I cannot see beyond the pivotal issue, the pole star, the absolute constant: LOVE AND TRUST. Where is the platform of love and trust? They say it is more economical and practical to build a new house than to renovate an old house.

Your humble servant,
Hansadutta das

People enter into legal binding contract after they have developed a degree of love and trust (even notorious gangsters do so). The principles of love and trust are exhibited in varying degrees of purity, but the principle is all pervading. Even animals exhibit love and trust. The legal, formal expression is a shadow, or extension of the substance of the LOVE and TRUST existing between two parties.

No one marries legally and then later tries to love their mate — no, first love and trust. When the love breaks, then usually the
legalities are also severely violated. We see this in ISKCON now. No one accepts anyone on love and trust, everyone wants salary and
contracts, when there are disputes, as there was with me, immediately rush to the courts. Nothing can be adjudicated under the authority of SRILA PRABHUPADA, because the leaders do not love or trust Prabhupada. They love the court and they LOVE legal wrangling.