Hey Corboy,

Do you have any news on what has become of ex-gurus from ISKCON?

I noticed the pictures of a mansion with a pool which you link to the former Harikesa, I think it was.

I find it fascinating to discover how specific gurus fell and where they went afterwards. It's interesting gossip with a serious political edge when you consider that some of these guys (and they are all guys) were "spiritual fathers" with tremendous control over the lives of hundreds of disciples.

It's very difficult to find this information online unless it's part of legal proceedings. The devotees often know the gossip, but I'm out of the loop.

Curiously & Respectfully,
ex-krishna

Greetings,

I think the only ones out there with comprehensive gossip are some of the devotees themselves. Of all the factions and websites out there, I would say the PADA group (a rtvk faction at war with IRM and just about every mission out there) has more access to gossip than anyone on the internet.

[mitglied.lycos.de]

They even had a website which has gossip on each and every guru in ISKCON, but I forgot the exact URL. You can e-mail the guy, I'm sure he'll be helpful in that regard.

Please note I am only posting the above link for informational purposes.

Go to the blacklist section of that website. Go to the link I gave you, then click "blacklist", and that will have the information you're seeking.

I dont have the time to go digging on my own--my dance card is pretty full these days. (grin)

A tip: If you have not yet tried this, do searches of the Google groups (that is, the Google listserves), and the various discussion groups relating to Krishna and ex-Krishna topics on Yahoo and MSN. You may have to subscribe. Go to Google, click the 'groups' tab, then do a search.

There's a discussion group on factnet.org that sometimes has info not available anywhere else.

Often, material shows up in discussion groups before it becomes news in the official sense.

However, anything mentioned in groups has to be evaluated cautiously. Just because people say something does not prove it is true--you need to test and evaluate.

Only way you can really find out what someone's legal track record has been is cough up and do a Lexisnexis search. I think they only do it state by state, though.

Sources such as pada are ok but aren't always factual. Which gurus do you want to find out about as I am in the loop so to speak and don't mind sharing?

Harikesh is living in Florida with his wife at the community outside of Gainesville. I have a few friends who know him fairly well and to the best of my knowlege he doen't have a lot of money. His marriage is really happy and he is involving himself with the community.
Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions about anyone or anything, as if I don't know personally I can certainly try to find out for you.

Prasadam Das is a diehard 30-year ISKCON/Krishna loyalist.

Anything said by such a person should be taken in that context.

ISKCON/Krishna has not made any meaningful changes regarding accountability for its leaders or real financial transparency.

Such changes are reflected by a written constitution with bylaws that make leaders accountable.

Don't expect objective informaiton from Prasadam Das.

I would not recommend that any ex-cult member (e.g. ex-Krishna devotee) contact such a person regarding anything.

Quote

Harikesh is living in Florida with his wife at the community outside of Gainesville. I have a few friends who know him fairly well and to the best of my knowlege he doen't have a lot of money.

I believe it. Except this wasn't bought with his money.

[www.french-property.com]

It was Krishna's money.

Rick, I have to thank you - your tone may seem shocking to people who don't realize just what a cult really is, but after six years in the Krishnas, baby, I know what damage they can do.

I know the Krishna world - it was my life for six years from the very impressionable age of 18, through a covered up suicide attempt, through a horrible horrible marriage within which I was psychologically battered and physically, well, ok, I'm just going to say it: made to have missionary position sex without orgasm in a loveless marriage with a man who not only had nothing good to say to me about myself but who actively worked to keep me apart from anyone or anything that could improve my sense of self-worth. This is a rambling, ungrammatically correct post but I am making a very personal, very important statement here.

I had my own self-esteem issues going in to the Krishnas - obviously - why else would I join an organization that explicitly considers women to be inferior beings?

But I've moved on. ISKCON came along when I was most vunerable and kicked me around psychologically for six years.

It takes years and years to reassimilate to the greater culture and to develop critical thinking skills after you have surrendered your free will to a cult like the Hare Krishnas.

I am happily on a good track now myself, and, well it may sound like Harikesa is too, in his happily married way if you listen to smooth talkers like Prasadam das. To the untrained reader, this guy may come across as reasonable but don't buy it.

Rick Ross is right: the smooth talkers are the most dangerous of all.

Prasadam das: I am not in this forum to enter into a cozy chat with you.

My ex-guru was a cruel man who did nothing but perpetuate the crimes my ex-husband committed against me. That was overt. Under the surface there are many degrees of misogyny in the ISKCON organization - some are worse than others - but misogyny is inherent to their beliefs and practices.

The spectacular (and I use that word ironically) fall of the big big gurus like Harikesa (who from what I heard went delusional and considered the woman he was having an affair with to be a demigoddess and himself to be a god incarnate) are interesting for what they reveal about the extreme hypocrasy of these individuals and of the organization itself.

So save the smooth talk for the folks at the Sunday feast Prasadam das - Harikesa and the rest have proven the value of smooth talking cult leaders (and all men in that cult are leaders no women are allowed to be).

Ok, rant finished.

Corboy and Dervish: thanks for the leads.

cheers,
EX-krishna

Brave woman, leaving the cult! I know how hard it can be. I wasted 10 years in Sahaja Yoga, a cult, ironically, led by a woman who insists that all other women (but not her, because she's "God") be submissive and subserviant. Sucks big time.

I'd like to find out what's next for cult Sahaja Yoga. I've heard that its leader, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, has mouth cancer. (More irony? She used to tell us that if we used our words for wrong purposes, we'd get diseases. Hmmmm.) I've also heard that she has established a "world council," made up of leaders from various countries (all men, of course. Surprise, surprise). And finally, I've heard that she is grooming one of her daughters to take her place as the goddess of the universe. Well, somebody has to take over the family business, I guess.

Anyway, Exkrishna, isn't it great to be free?

Hey Wordgirl!
It is fantastic to be free and, especially, to be balanced (e.g. past the initial delirium of freedom). Writing is one of the major ways in which I worked / am working toward balance. This forum has been very helpful to me in that way. I hope to find some group on Yahoo or somewhere where I can talk to others like you about our similar experiences from time to time! It's tricky after being in cult: the more years pass, the less people in your life know about your cult history: it's too embarassing and complicated to share with them and it sure as heck isn't on the old resume!
Thanks for your reply!


ps - thanks for the pic Dervish and sorry I confused it with coming from Corboy: you folks are great: Cosmophilosopher too!