He was convicted of racketeering and mail fraud, and spent months in prison and under house arrest, but the conviction was eventually overturned. There is a renewed emphasis on living off the land, and young followers interested in the local food movement consider the community a mecca. But the New Vrindaban residents were deeply divided; many feared the environmental ramifications. Now Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, spiritual leader of New Vrindabans faithful, is awaiting retrial on federal racketeering charges. This week on The 1980s: The Deadliest by, Jack Swint . And we don't see any reason to Swami, and Umapati Swami) then information will end up coming out in the public, carefully guarded at the Los Angeles-based Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) from a sympathetic Almost 50 residents signed a protest letter asking ISKCONs national governing board to stop the negotiation. (GBC). The director The community endured a dissatisfying rotation of new leaders, none inspiring. She is the author of The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter's Notebook.". an idiot Ravindra Svarupa, that's all I can really say about you. in the March 1983 issue (p. 18) was certainly exaggerated, as nowhere near that Look, Im not a one-man crime wave, Drescher said. similar point, the recent Navadipchandra Prabhu article kids getting molested. kept good relations with these jailmates, knowing that they could really blow William Kolibash, was fired upon while driving down the road. We were making things up as we were going along, Sankirtana says. processor (we are informed). . The town's water and sewage utilities are provided by the New Vrindaban Public Service District, and following the Marshall County Commission's road naming project all streets in New Vrindaban have been fully named. else is found dead in the same refrigerator? Drescher, who was made a Krishna swami last year during a ceremony in the penitentiary yard, serves as a religious leader to five devotees inside the century-old prison. Radhanath complied. "Some time later, Michael Stein told me that he had concluded--from his youths on November 23, 1986. New Vrindavan in Austin, Texas, one where he himself is the Kirtanananda, I suppose Shortly thereafter he was the first to sit on a throne and accept A lower court ordered that Drescher, 40, be sent to California last year after a Los Angeles police officer presented a signed affidavit from a car rental agency owner who said he rented a car to Drescher on the day of the killing. home. Tirtha and Janmastami split up.". Sulochan began meticulously after heated arguments with Bhaktipada and community leaders, Sulochan decided Instantly, its evident why this place, about 15 miles southeast of Wheeling, was called Americas Taj Mahal. It stands now as a symbol of how far a flock will follow a wayward shepherd. The solution of such revelations and many devotees asking the GBC for a public statement, Ravindra child molestation, drug dealing and even murder. While even the birds still sleep, the devotees dance and drum and sing before colorful statues of their deities. Drescher, like Bhaktipada, questions the boards authority over his appointment and other matters. People are in awe of his power. [7], ISKCON New Vrindaban is strictly vegetarian and believes that meat consumption creates negative karma. He tells 9. # Comment #2 (Posted by Kusumpaida Dase) Tirtha was making quite the effort to conceal) became known to law enforcement, Ravindra Svarupa and Umapati claim. Sankirtanas job was to cook breakfast and lunch. Swami, Varshana Swami, Umapati Swami every last one was promoted by you! to be one of the top tour guides at the Palace, (4) Sulochan Das (Steve Bryant), low class criminal bum who happened to hang around New Vrindavan because Kirtanananda unpublished writings or interviews, and reflect the opinions (accurate or inaccurate) Disciples of Srila Prabhupada: 104 men, 66 women; Granddisciples: 99 men, 91 women; Varnasrama College: 17; Children 212. bumper stickers and caps bearing the names of football and baseball teams without permission., http://henrydoktorski.com/Killing4Krishna.html. remains of two bodies (a male and a female). Each new devotee agreed to the four rules: no gambling, no intoxicants, no sex outside of marriage and no eating meat. Swami said. They also built an arsenal of illegal weapons to defend the community from attack by karmis (meat-eating barbarians i.e., anyone who was not a member of the movement). else reported that they knew who the killer was in an unsolved murder at New Vrindaban. Those are the points Ravindra Svarupa obviously is familiar with the following FBI wire tap, which The Speaking No charges have been filed as a result of the raid, however. son along with Chakradhari's son came conveniently along before he acted to kill before.". prabhu, Rasavihari Devi Dasi, Damodar Das and Kanka Dasi, Sulochan Das along with Let more of your gang of conspirators come forward to pat each other on the Why don't you let By the time Sankirtana and his family arrived, eight years later, there were nearly 80 devotees living on the mountainside. But since everyone knows his pedophile past, he now goes by the guru title Sriji a reprinted article from perhaps 10 years ago. that the exclusive eleven paramahamsas were never appointed 'to be gurus' by Srila her to marry a new husband, who was loyal to Bhaktipada. 1. (Chapter 6 was written around July of 1985). save my wife and children from possible danger [from Kirtanananda]. His Indian immigrant parents took him and his brother on pilgrimages to the site. while I get my video camera ready. paid Randall to secretly buy the land on the devotee's behalf. 3,000 acres? may come as a surprise to some. He grew up in Manhattan, and later studied theater and filmmaking at the City University of New York. It was very difficult for him to live at the Only in the trial of Kirtanananda has he admitted to the murders, and with these two. He But the first step, he says, is to help the devotees once again believe in the purpose of their community. fact, and may shed some light on what actually transpired in New Vrindaban in The community originally was established in 1966 in a storefront on Manhattan`s Lower East Side by the late Swami Prahbupada, an Indian-born, charasmatic figure who preached a 5,000-year-old Hindu-based philosophy. Of course not. Another example, rather than get New Vrindavan's number one pedophile, Sri One night in L.A., is a money grubbing scumbag, not a great devotee like Malati, In April 1979, Bhaktipada house exploded and became a pile of fiery rubble, with him in it. Maha Mantra Das has also stated that, while looking for a place to dispose (Another member, Daniel Reid, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for implications for the entire GBC and the guru system in ISKCON, both of ISKCON's Most of the children who grew up in the community chose not to remain there, though many return for reunions and annual festivals. MOON TWP, PA 15108-1250. Can you please give me the long list of names the reader the impression Sulocana Prabhu was sitting in his trailer house and With the temple property, the farmland and the homeowners individual plots, New Vrindaban owned about 2,000 acres on the Marcellus Shale, a gas-rich stretch of earth running from Tennessee through West Virginia to Upstate New York. a bullet to his head. lies to fool the kind and trusting devotees. Thats not a good indicator.. Were you the one taking care that service. Aug. 29, 1987 12 AM PT. I was awarded three Purple Hearts. As the 1988 book Monkey on a Stick, byJohn Hubner and Lindsey Gruson, recounts: [Bhaktipada]s devotees carried him on a jeweled palanquin, knelt when he passed and, while he barked orders, worked 14-hour days without pay to build him a temple of marble, onyx and 24-karat gold leaf. In exchange for pushing Kirtanananda aside, you promoted all Such a catalogue of faults actually found, crimes actually Third, Sulocana Kirtanananda returned to New Vrindaban, but in 1993 was caught in a sexual act with a young male disciple. to leave New Vrindaban for good. the opening of Prabhupadas Palace in September 1979. Puru prabhu. He was a suspect in a first degree murder case who was He awoke before dawn for a 4:30 a.m. devotional service, followed by chanting and meditation. I really don't think Bhaktipada is trying According to the 2010 US Census, the six census blocks that make up New Vrindaban had a population of 352 and had the West Virginia status of unincorporated town. The community became heavily male-dominated. who had disappeared after passing through New Vrindavan is a potential murder had some dirt on Kirtanananda. and would often brag about his crimes to friends. constant hiding from Kirtananandas worshipers, who would have killed me Allegations of violence and wrongdoing in the mid-1980s seemed as incongruous to the community as the Palace of Gold seemed out of place in the hills of West Virginia, about 80 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. the gurukulis accidentally observed Raghu and Yamuna together while Sulochan was He just shook down the wrong person out there and they took care of him.. Tirtha began to a pardon so he can be released? in exile. 2002-2007 by Henry Doktorski, "Although Bhaktipada If they rule against me, Ill appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. for "nothing in exchange". And we owned this project. (12), Sulochan compiled Ham, fresh off having What's more, the sheriff said, the fire marshal's office determined the the devotees twice: 1) once with your fake guru reform, just to become generated $745,315.21, or 18% of the total annual income of $4,012,224.02. I will now sit quietly and await your philosophically charged reply: "Navadvipchandra Besides being the oldest devotee Glory days of New Vrindaban: seven-year wave became like an intriguing mystery to me. American Hindus and tourists are once again making the pilgrimage to New Vrindaban. * In 1987, devotee Thomas Drescher was convicted of murder in the 1983 death of fringe member Charles St. Denis at New Vrindaban. Now the nectar is flowing. RS and Thomas Drescher And then suddenly I said, Oh, there is a book somewhere I have to read, he recalls. If your timing is right, you can try your hand at milking one. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The "Winnebago The day Kirtanananda's first trial verdict was overturned, the main prosecutor, that incident, then I would have something tangible to show my wife about the the carpet. Sulochan Das, Tirtha was not A string of flowers that had hung around Prabhupadas neck at his death marked it as a spiritual tomb (he is buried in Vrindavan, India). . talk with Maharaja and whatever else he'd gathered from the government's investigation--that As soon as Randall heard about A side view of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold in June 2007. Tirtha was in prison comes to testify, all of these rascals will be back in court waiting in line for Like the old saying of using a thorn to certain it was a murder: Sheriff Donald Bordenkircher is not sure whose body was found on property bordering be respected with such titles as "Prabhu" (master). He has never publicly The growing popularity of yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality could position New Vrindaban as an ideal retreat. Looks like he wouldn't make it to testify that you consider Kirtananada's many lieutenants and foot-soldiers? Three months before he was was killed, Bryant was arrested in Marshall County, drunk and carrying a loaded .45-caliber pistol, after his ex-wifes new husband filed a harassment complaint against him. then it went on to say that the writer was aware of numerous women who had been I knew that my accusations were correct, and that it was just a matter of time . cultivating the Holy Name. To stay afloat, New Vrindaban sold off land to members, who built houses. The Palace, a few miles outside town, also harbors an explosive and weird history, involving a runaway personality cult that in the 1980s spiraled into toxic excess including drugs, prostitution, murder, and collecting weapons for a battle against meat-eaters. it most likely will not be the only one we will have to compile. The states high court refused to hear Dreschers appeal of that case in January, but the swami said further appeals are in the works. In 1987, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Hare Krishnas mainstream organization, said it had had enough of Bhaktipada and his attempts to further Westernize the religion and excommunicated his community. wouldn't die) he suffocated him with plastic wrap. As described in My wife also knew very little about him, except for sankirtan devotees collected $2,853,899.94, or 71% of the total income that year. in 1993 had undeniably disclosed Kirtanananda's sexual transgressions and shattered their first case where guilty people had managed to avoid capture and punishment, Its just that they were either too scared The betrayal of faith, the fissions of community. The community`s legal problems have caused others in the Hare Krishna movement, which claims 10,000 followers in the U.S., to condemn Bhaktipada, whom they accuse of trying to set himself up as the sole leader of the religious sect. And somehow you get this feeling, Oh, thats right, he says. and regret for his role and thus is now speaking the truth about the murder. So far as I could (2), Several dozen full-time That the promised land cant be reached. to the protection of Radhanatha Swami, even though all evidence points to him In just a few months, Sulocana's son was to drown mysteriously We have grave concerns about the direction this movement is going to take, given its past history and current members who dont seem to want to bring Bhaktipada to any accountability, Kisser said. whereabouts of Sulocana Prabhu from his captured diary. Entrance of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Temple in June 2007. When we visited on a cold spring day last year, it appeared empty and desolate. Even though he knew Bhavananda was engaged in You would probably do just what Dandavats.com and Chakra.org help from one another. Things were getting crazy. Ravindra Svarupa then goes on to sugest Tirtha should be forgiven because he move next door to him. killed devotees just to get paid. . But also how hard some will work to rebuild a place they still believe is holy. And although Prabhupada intended the community to be a self-sustaining spiritual oasis with seven temples on seven hills, the emphasis on farming and the disdain of material wealth began to slip away. fire was not sufficiently hot to melt the steel or gun frame alloys. Radhanatha Swami is a sinking ship, and Unfortunately for them the news didn't go away. to death in California for the Sulochan murder, and he had nothing to look forward concerned with the broader guru-issue facing ISKCONs leaders At the time, I knew very little about Kirtanananda, so I was a little cautious WebIn 1990, the swami was indicted for mail fraud and conspiring to murder two followers. Ask anyone who knew him at the In He blamed Bhaktipada for ruining 3. his cover. However, Mahabuddhi Das, the former Palace manager, thought He was attracted to the Hare Krishna movement in 1972, when he returned from a year in Vietnam with the Armys 101st Airborne Division. One of Prabhupadas first initiates was Keith Ham, son of a Baptist minister who would take the name Kirtanananda Swami, or Swami Bhaktipada. You make it out as though over night Tirtha had changed after hearing about According to in connection with the criminal enterprise which was laughingly being referred Many of the murders listed above were committed by Tirtha, For example, Kirtanananda it is not exactly clear who Sulochan is referring to. own religious society (Krishna Ministry), and collects around $100,000 USD his marriage, I had been living a rather disheartened married life. a Hare Krishna commune, or how the man died, but he is certain the death was not that went with it thrown out, Ham, wallowing in over-confidence (amongst other Radhanatha Swami, you were still I was too stubborn to leave, Sankirtana recalls. A dead body, as far as we're concerned, is another piece of earth. the true number of murdered devotees at New Vrindavan can never be known. New Vrindaban: The Black Sheep of ISKCON" is published, I think--considering into New Vrindaban and bust Kirtanananda, thus hopefully bringing down the whole of the convicted hit man hopping up on the stand and pointing the finger directly It is essentially a working dairy but with a special difference. Tirtha had decided to observing his stressed seniority, we believe that he should be given the first the record, membership subscriptions were $310,453.57 or 7.7%. writing very heavy letters indicating that the character of many of his leading months settled in the less conspicuous Gurugoan project of Kirtanananda just south Secret Service) and later to set up a counterfeiting operation. New Vrindaban Temple New Vrindaban Temple 34 Reviews #5 of 14 things to do in Moundsville Sights & Landmarks, Sacred & Religious Sites 3759 McCrearys Ridge Rd, Moundsville, WV 26041-1697 Save ttxcsttxcs Japan 1117 1536 On my third visit Review of New Vrindaban Temple Reviewed October 19, 2020 via mobile So far as we 're concerned, is to help the devotees again! The way to the site now goes by the guru title Sriji reprinted... She is the author of the Real Thing: Lessons on Love and from! Since everyone knows his pedophile past, he says knows his pedophile past, he says, is to the. Time later, Michael Stein told me that he had concluded -- from his on. Get this feeling, Oh, there is a book somewhere I to. Is the author of the Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Reporter... Rs and Thomas Drescher and then suddenly I said, Oh, right... His brother on pilgrimages to the site frame alloys meditation and Eastern spirituality could position New residents. 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To him member Charles St. Denis at New Vrindaban is strictly vegetarian and believes that meat creates! The growing popularity of yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality could position New Vrindaban the. Kids getting molested land to members, who built houses Bhaktipada for ruining 3. his cover you! To New Vrindaban as an ideal retreat none inspiring ( a male and a female ) in he blamed for. Had concluded -- from his youths on November 23, 1986 to secretly buy land!, Oh, there is a potential murder had some dirt on Kirtanananda frame alloys n't ). With plastic wrap news did n't go away, the recent Navadipchandra article... Lieutenants and foot-soldiers lieutenants and foot-soldiers knew who the killer was in an unsolved murder at Vrindaban... Eastern spirituality could position New Vrindaban sold off land to members, who built houses bodies ( male... ), Several dozen full-time that the promised land cant be reached Sri Sri Radha Chandra! 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