Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007
From: Patrick Hedemark <pdhedemark@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Prabhupadanugas Press
To: lfelda@aol.com, mahesh_agtsp@yahoo.co.uk, zakheim@earthlink.net,
ccr2k@yahoo.com
Yes, Prabhu... thank you for your comments.
If we consider everything from the perspective of having to enter Srila
Prabhupada's room and explain our actions, what should be done appears
a little clearer.
I was by some strange good fortune once invited in to Srila Prabhupada's room in Washington DC. It is a long story how I found myself seated directly in front of His Divine Grace on the floor, with him seated on a sofa alone above me. He studied me very carefully for a moment, to the point where I was actually uncomfortable. Then he smiled and Hari Sauri Prahbu said, "Srila Prabhupada, this is Praghosa and he
is here distributing books in the airport every day. He has been
recently training to sell your books door to door like encyclopdedias."
Srila Prabhupada immediately smiled and said "Hmmm... how is that
working?" I answered him that Tamal Krsna Swami had decided that the
BBT was not yet set up to facilitate this and so he sent me back out to
distribute as we had been doing now for the last 3 years."
Srila Prabhupada immediately interrupted me and said "Yes, WHATEVER
WILL INCREASE the number of books distributed - we accept that."
That was it. I nodded and accepted this simplicity and clarity.
Later I noted that it was the crystallizaton of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's
order to him: "If you ever get money, print books!"
So this is the point. ISKCON IS THE SALES DEPARTMENT for the
BHAKTIVEDANTNA BOOK TRUST. That is all. Like GM has its factories and
its Dealership. Both are standardized. BBT is the factory. ISKCON
CENTERS are the DEALERSHIPS.
Before inviting me inside in this special moment, Srila Prabhupada
asked me "how our day had gone at the airport?" I told him 130 Gitas
between Vaisaseka and myself. He smiled, put his hand in the air and
said "Jaya! Victory!" Then I told him one soldier took 4 books and
donated $80.00. Srila Prabhupada said "4 Books? $80.00! That is a
handsome profit!"
That said it all to me - right there on the spot!
Now imagine me immediately telling Srila Prabhupada, "Srila Prabhupada,
this profit that you count on for building Mayapur and Vrindavana - we
decided to donate it to a team of Attorneys who were in desparate need
to pay their mortgages and get breast implants for their wives!!"
Could you imagine?
The BBTI spent the profit of the sale of 400,000 Bhagavad Gitas in
their last misadventure!
400,000 Bhagavad Gitas were sold to the public by faithful young men
and women, who are now nurtured by their leaders with sankirtan stories
of the Days of Old and the Days of New to inspire them. But this profit
was earmarked for Sri Mayapur Dhama and Sri Vrindavan Dhama. And also
for development of temples here in the US! It was never meant to be
donated to the silicone dreams of fancy kept wives of attorneys and to
pay for their Lexus, Country Club memberships and VACATIONS TO MEXICO
AND HAWAII!!
I am not in favor of giving attorneys one red cent! Not a farthing. I
am sure that Srila Prabhuapda is likewise fully opposed to this.
We are men. We love to fight. We are Americans! We love fighting. It is
in the very marrow of our blood! Would we not fight - had we the chance
- to keep the 55th Street temple had we known what the rascals were up
to? Let anyone challenge, "HEY! You are not authorized to do this! You
have no authority..." blah blah blah... I love the chance to take it to
the mat... All men do... My own guess is Svavas and Sura are likewise
more than willing to do the correct thing. They have singlehandedely
kept book distribution alive, in spite of their blunders and their own
self-defeating actions. They can be helped to see that doing the
correct thing in the end will STRENGTHEN THE BBT AND BOOK DISTRIBUTION.
UNITY OF COMMAND
MORALE
ECONOMY OF MASS
OBJECTIVE
THESE ARE SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES OF MILITARY DOCTRINE.
MAYA IS STEPPING IN AGAIN AND SAYING "HMMM... NOW YOU SHOULD BEG FOR
ADJUDICATION FROM THE KARMI SYSTEM. YOUR OWN COMMON SENSE AND THE
PURPOSE OF GURU IS NOT ENOUGH!"
FIE ON THAT. WE HAVE TRUTH. THAT IS SUFFICIENT.
THE BBTI IS A LEGAL FICTION.
THE BBT IS STILL THE REAL AND ONLY OWNER AND CONTROLLER OF THE
COPYRIGHTS OF SRILA PRABHUPADA.
THOSE WHO ARE WARRIORS - PROVE THEIR WORTH IN BATTLE.
MIGHT MAKES RIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN MIGHT SERVES RIGHT!
MIGHT - THIS CASE IS SIMPLE - YET ESSENTIALLY - DEADLY!!!
IF THEY CHALLENGE SRILA PRABHUPADA'S CLAIM TO HIS PROPERTY AGAIN, THEY
WILL BE SNUFFED LIKE BUGS ON A PICNIC BLANKET IN JULY!!
I say - if there is a fight they want - it is fight we will give em!
Stupid is as Stupid does.
You cannot claim something of mine - as yours - when I hold legal title.
They know this and have been bluffing for years.
Kenny Rogers used to sing:
You got to know when to hold up - Know when to fold up
know when to walk away - know when to run
you never count your money - when your sitting at the table
there'll be time enough to count - when the dealing's done
They have no idea that they should have walked away.
Now it is quite literally "time to run"! Not away - but straight to Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet and beg him to forgive their idiotic groveling at the feet of the Fop of Fops Hari Kesa and following that Knuckleheaded Prodigal Son of Prabhupada straight into the swamp!
It is never too late for common sense. Now is the time to act as SP
would expect us to act.
Say NO to attorneys. ALL Whores and Pimps - everyone one of em. What do
you call 100 attorneys at the bottom of the ocean? (C'mon Amarendra?
Just messin with ya, Prabhu...)
Your Brother
Praghosa
lfelda@aol.com wrote:
Dear Pragosa Prabhu
Your words make sense:
"MY own opinion - for what it is worth is - raise $1 million and then simply print all the books and tell the Felons to find another gig!!"
Sounds like what Srila Prabhupada said: "If you ever get money, print books."
We've seen enough litigation between devotees for one lifetime. Let's
try all other means of persuasion before committing more Laksmi into the pockets of lawyers. To pursue your combat analogy, THE THREAT of a lawsuit may be sufficient to scare the usurpers off the field of battle. I believe this fight can be won by preaching Krishna consciousness. It might take more time than
litigation, but there is greater glory in establishing the Absolute
Truth by a show of spiritual strength than by resorting to legal action
through the court system and appealing to the authority of a judge and
jury who are all non-believers.
Your servant,
Locanananda dasa,
NYC