Friday was a late night. Rati, Dwija and I stayed up late talking. And then next day, I was dragging. I think we all were. I remember laying on Gokula’s floor watching Kunji play with a Transformer. I think I remember that. Kunji got restless and someone suggested indoor miniature golf or maybe seeing the Christmas lights at the park.

We opted for the Christmas lights, but first we went to a small nature museum/play room. They had masks and puppets. Gokula and Kunji did both…

The Christmas lights were not a disappointment.

The miniature golf course was in the mall in Ohio. It was lit with black lights and had a glow like if Van Gogh painted on velvet.

Kunji was the winner.

I don’t remember if we did this on Saturday night, but Kunji had developed a game. It involves a disposable white plastic cup. He would throw the cup slightly above me and I would bat it back and forth in the air while he would do a little dance. This was “killing demons.” I’m not sure of the specifics of the rules to this game, but it would last for hours. Children, especially four year olds, have no concept of time, no loss of energy and worst of all, no reason to give adults a chance to rest. It was amazing to see. Would have been inspirational if I hadn’t been exhausted.

That was Saturday.

Ok – been gone for a few days, time to catch you up.

I rented a car again. Bus still in the shop. I think it might be there forever. The five hour drive is warmer and more comfortable in a rented Chevy Cobalt, but a fall ride through western Pennsylvania is always uneventful.

The Thanksgiving dinner was held at Gokula’s and I was the first to arrive. I’ve known her for something like twelve years. She and her four year old son, Kunji live in an apartment complex several miles from the temple. A handful of devotees, most of whom I knew from over a decade ago, showed up. Seva and I hung out talking politics, punk rock, old times and the possibility of me moving to West Virginia. “I’m thinking about it,” I said.

Dinner was amazing, we stuffed ourselves like true Americans (though it was all vegetarian – mostly vegan, which was really sweet since I was the only vegan – people have no idea how much that really means to a vegan boy like myself). After everyone left, I hung out with Gokula and Kunji till 9 or so (no idea, really) and headed to Rati & Dwija’s house, my home away from home (if you can call where I’m living “home”).

Staying with Rati & Dwija is great. Always good conversation and always fun. They’re one of the big reasons I was seriously thinking about moving there.

The next day, Friday, Rati, Dwija and I hung out for a bit, I made chili for a vegan potluck that Gokula, Kunji and I were going to. Gokula was helping out some friends with their cart in a mall near Pittsburgh. Kunji was at a friend’s house. I met her in the mall in front of The Orange Julius. You know, like in high school. All that was missing was the parents to drop us off and a record store to spend our allowance. I couldn’t remember where I parked my car. We were taking hers, but I had the chili in mine, so we needed to find it. She drove around for a bit while I felt bad. I’m not good in parking lots.

Well, we found the car and headed to pick up Kunji. I was the self-appointed navigator. And why not? I’ve traveled enough. But when I do, I write down my own directions. I’ve never had to read someone else’s. Kunji was retrieved, no problem. However, finding our way back to the interstate to get to the potluck was a chore. She stopped for gas and I (at her prodding) asked for directions. Somehow we had to backtrack several miles. I was lost.

But onward. Except that I was having trouble reading what the directions were. She wrote “William Penn Highway.” But I saw a sign for “Old William Penn Highway” and figured that she was wrong. I then reconsidered that position. And then spoke up, ignoring my reconsideration. At this point we were on some sort of side road/off ramp. She stopped the car abruptly, gave me a much-deserved scowl and said “Are we are the right road or not?!”

My first thought was “Damn, this girl has guts – she’s stopped in the middle of the road!” And then I figured that if she had the guts to do that, I had better figure out just what the hell I was doing. A car pulled up behind us, she seemed unphased and ready to just turn around. I quickly collected myself and told her to keep going straight, that the road up ahead (*Old* William Penn) was an older version of the road we wanted, and they’d meet up. She was very rightfully skeptical of my shenanigans, but kept cool and for some reason trusted me. To my surprise (see, I really had NO idea what I was talking about), we come to the road we needed. Crisis averted.

Let me clarify, this was 100% my fault. Sure, I’m not used to reading other people’s directions, but they were correct. I tried to freestyle it, I tried to read more into it and to generally be a guy. Guys are morons. I needed to have my ego checked and stopping in the middle of a road pretty well knocked the much-needed sense into me.

Somehow or another, we got to the potluck. Mostly, we hung out with Michael and Tiffany. I knew Michael from way way back, though my memory of it is shady at best. Kunji and the other kids played random and strange games while we ate some wonderful vegan food. Michael and I talked quite a bit and he asked me if I was moving to New Vrndavana. I told him that I was.

That was the first time I had actually said it. Before then, it was “maybe” or “we’ll see.” But this time, so naturally, it just was. I didn’t even think about it. It was like I had never thought of it before. Like I had just always known. That may not have been how the decision was made, but that’s how it came to me, naturally sudden.

Am I on the right road or not?
I am.

…I think I’ll finish this later…

A year or so ago, I came across the 1976 Bhakta Program Handbook, basically an early edition of what was to become Fortunate Souls, the bhakta program bible by Danavir Maharaja.

It’s pretty hilarious in some spots (very dated). But one thing that struck me as pretty cool is how much Danavir cared about the bhaktas. You can tell there is a real love there. I totally wasn’t expecting that. For instance, when he is explaining what the new bhaktas should have in the room at all times (provided by the temple), he includes aspirin, moisturizer, and lots of other items that temples would never even think of providing today.

Yeah, there are some super-cultish parts like…

and

when a devotee leaves the temple for any reason, he has to be accompanied by another devotee just in case of fall down.

It starts off with many pages on how to convince someone to give up everything and move into the temple. There are 21 different scenarios that could come up and here’s exactly how to deal with them. From smoking cigarettes to liking music, it’s all here.

For instance:

Fun!

And if you “have to do some things for my family.” You might be told by the Counselor that…

Oh, and if you’ve got “a few more things to finish up before you join” you’re encouraged to let the temple handle it. But if you insist upon doing it yourself, you must make sure there is a devotee with you at all times…

I wonder why they thought we were a cult….

How about if the Candidate wants to practice Krishna consciousness while living outside of the temple?

My favorite exchange is this:

Yep. Really far out.

Did you know…

And if the people, friends or parents of the new bhakta are there and voice opposition, the Counselor should say…

And then the people, friends and parents promptly kick your ass. That’s not in the book, but it probably should be. You know, just to give you a head’s up.

Eat everything that was ever on your plate?

If there is any money that the new bhakta has in the bank…

Why did they call us a cult, again? I don’t remember….

But like I said, there was definitely some love there. AFTER the devotees came into the fold. Take another look at the facilities that were expected to be there for the devotees!

Devotees are also issued clothes everyday: 2 dhoties, 2 kirtas and one sweatshirt to be worn for the evening program and the following day’s activities.

There’s also supposed to be a library containing all of Srila Prabhupada’s books!

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While you can definitely see why we were considered a cult, it’s also clear that Danavir was doing what he thought best. His heart really was in the right place. Maybe he wasn’t the best at devotee/karmi relations, but he was really good at watching out for the bhaktas and making sure they had everything they could ever need (seriously, take another look at what he expected to be in their living quarters).

And you can download the whole thing here.

I originally got it from this site. It has a ton of other stuff as well. Fun, I assure you.
http://steamboats.com/pdf

And now… the exciting conclusion…. [if you missed part one, click here to read it.]

Spiritual Chauvinism
Despite all this, the Hare Krishnas claim that their movement is based on spiritual equality. The truth, however, is that women are awarded absolute superiority, even int he realm of the soul.
“The soul… is supposed to be originally a woman” (SB 3.31.41).

“Women in general, being very simple [simplicity should not be mistaken as an inferior quality. Rather, in Hare Krishna philosophy, simplicity is comparable to purity and truthfulness.] in heart, can very easily take to Krishna consciousness, and when they develop love for Krishna they can easily get liberation from the clutches of maya, which is very difficult for even co-called intelligent and learned men” (KB, p. 206).

“A woman can actually be elevated by advanced Krishna consciousness… She should concentrate her devotional activities in chanting and meditating upon Krishna, as is advised herein. One should not follow the men called shajiya, the so-called devotees who take everything very lightly.” (KB, p.248)

Most shocking is their bold assertion that the highest spiritual perfection is exclusively the domain of the female (Cc. mad 8.79). Without serving these women, a man has no hope of entering the spiritual world (Cc. mad 8.223). It is absolutely impossibly, they say, for a male to achieve this level of advancement. The male must first become a woman (Cc. mad 8.225).

This is spiritual equality?

God is a Woman
How has this religion become so firmly matriarchal? It goes all the way back to their conception of God. They believe the most exalted manifestation of Godhead, superior even to Krishna Himself, is Female. They call Her Radharani. (NOD pp. 16, 375)

In their famous chant (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), Her name appears twice as often as any of Krishna’s male names.

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THE WHOLE TRUTH
I just conclusively showed how Krishna consciousness is sexist against men. But it’s not true. The facts are true, the quotes are real, but the conclusions are distorted.

Female chauvinism is a distorted view of Krishna consciousness. Male chauvinism in an equally distorted view. Both positions are based on hasty, unwarranted conclusions deduced from the isolated quotes taken out of context.

Here’s a brief explanation of the whole picture, drawn from my four year intensive study of Krishna literature:

Marriage & Maya
Marriage “is actually a duty performed in mutual co-operation” between husband and wife, for the spiritual upliftment of both partners (SB 3.14.19).

Who is the symbol of maya? “Not only is the woman the gateway to hell for man, but man is also the gateway to hell for woman… but if the attachment is transferred to Krishna, both of them become Krishna conscious, and then marriage is very nice… Then there is possibility of liberation from material bondage for both of them” (SB 3.31.42, 41).

Intelligence
“Being transcendental to the issue of men’s or women’s rights, Prabhupada saw beyond the designation of the body. He saw the the criterion for intelligence wasn’t material – one’s sex, race or nationality – but was one’s desire for spiritual life” (Prabhupada-Lilamrita vol. 6, p. 87).

Spiritual Equality
No doubt, Prabhupada mentions different positive and negative tendencies of both men and women. But “Such natural instincts of a woman or a man are manifested only in the bodily conception of life. When either a man or woman is advanced in spiritual consciousness, the bodily conception of life practically vanishes. We should see all women as spiritual units, whose only duty is to serve Krishna.”

Prabhupada “gave women in his Krishna conscious movement the same opportunity as men. ‘So far as Krishna consciousness is concerned,’ he said, ‘we equally distribute. There is no such thing that, “Oh, you are a woman, less intelligent or more intelligent, therefore you cannot come.” We don’t say that. We welcome woman, poor, rich – everyone. Because on that platform there is equality. That is equality’” (P 6, pp. 71, 85).

“To be a man or a woman only involves one’s bodily dress” (SB 3.31.41).

“Krishna consciousness is meant for anyone. Whether one is a man or woman does not matter” (SB 6.18.41).

“One the spiritual platform.. whether one is man, woman, sudra or whatever, everyone is equal” (SB 9.14.36).

This was written by Vic108 a billion years ago for his ‘zine Enquirer #6. I always found it to be a bit cute and fun, so I figured I’d post it.

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Aren’t you sick of being seen as just a piece of meat? An exploitable toy? I want the Hare Krishnas out of hardcore, and I’ll tell you why: blatant sexism. Sexism has no place in our scene. Female domination and male subordination must end!

Marriage = Male Slavery
Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), belittles the male’s role in marriage by repeatedly describing the wife as “the better half of the husband” (SB 1.7.45).

The man is portrayed as spiritually incompetent. The “foolish” and “hard-hearted” man is said to be completely dependent on the mercy of his “good wife.” Without her help he can not be elevated. Prabhupada says, “the wife is considered to be the source of all liberation” (SB 3.14.17).

Because of this, “husbands as a class cannot repay their debt to women either in this life or in the next… Not all husbands are able to appreciate the good qualities of their wives, but even though one is able to appreciate these qualities, it is still not possible to repay the debt to the wife” (SB 3.14.21).

Thus “[the] wife is mentioned here as ishta, which means ‘worshipable’” (SB 4.13.12). The husband is commanded to see the wife as his worshipable object of service. He dedicates his entire life to satisfying her every whim, supplying anything she may request – just to keep her happy.

The spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada’s guru instructs that the wife should always be seen as the greatest exalted devotee. The husbands should respectfully place the dust of her feet on his head, serving her like a menial servant. He is to serve her every meal, taking or himself only what she leaves behind. What fate awaits a husband who won’t do all this? Surely he falls down into hellish existence. (Babaji Maharaja, part 1)

As if all this were not demeaning enough, male slavery persists even after the husband is gone. The woman continues to be served hand and foot, this time by her eldest male child. “In the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to take charge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability” (SB 3.25.5).

Man – Symbol of lust
After sacrificing his entire life for the wife, how does she see her husband? With gratitude? With thanks?

No. She is instructed not to be allured by the man, who is the death-like representative of maya [illusion and lust]. “A woman foolishly looks upon maya (illusion) in the form of a man, her husband. A woman, therefore, should consider the husband, her house, and her children to be the arrangement of the external energy of the Lord for her death, just as the sweet singing of the hunter is the death for the deer” (SB 3.31.41-42).

Women, on the other hand, are to be seen as embodiments of divinity and the representations of intelligence (SB 4.25.21). Should an unchaste male dare to question whether this assessment is fair, he is calmly informed that such a doubt is simply the product of his own sinful nature and impaired judgment skills. Krishna says, “alabdha-saranani [a Sanskrit term denoting females] are my own body. Those whose facility of judgment has been impaired by their own sin look upon these as distinct from Me” (SB 3.16.10).

“Intelligence is Feminine.”
It’s no surprise you men don’t agree; after all, according to Krishna, intelligence is a feminine quality. “Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and patience,” Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.34).

The man, on the other hand, is described as having “so-called” intelligence (KB p206), or just plain “less intelligent” (Cc Adi. 7.35.37).

Prabhupada says that it is women who will save the whole world from the miserable situation dogish men have created. “Women… become spiritual masters capable of delivering the whole world” (Cc Mad. 18.121-122).

Further, the very source of intelligence, the Vedas (the body of knowledge on which the Hare Krishna movement bases its existence) is given feminine gender. (SB 3.24.15).

[Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of "Sexist Things the Krishnas Say"!]

Most of my old writing on KC was preachy, self righteous and lame. There are a few exceptions. This is one.

I wrote this article a waaaaay long time ago. I thought it’s about time to bring it back. It was in a zine I used to do called Do All Cows Eat Grass…

[It's pretty hard to read, so I typed it out for you. Yay!]

Here it is….

Hare Krishna on the Homefront

WASSERWAHL, UTAH – You’ve seen the Hare Krishnas on street corners chanting and selling books and flowers, but perhaps the least-likely place to find them would be at a country western style hoedown. But Bhakta Jeb “Slappy” Hienz and Bhakta Billy Bo “Shakey” Fullerton have taken the congressional chanting called “kirtan” by the Hare Krishna to levels unthought of by the devotees.

“Slappy” and “Shakey” (as they prefer to be known as) follow strictly the Hare Krishna four regulative principles: no intoxicants, no meat eating, no illicit sex, an no gambling.

“Before we became devotees,” says Bhakta Slappy, who plays the mandolin,” me and Shakey prabhu would jus’ sit ’round all day ‘n’ drink moonshine and, well, to be God honest, we used to eat ’bout a pound or so of giblets a day. I still long for the stuff. But I know Lord Krishna, he don’t like it none, so I ain’t gonna eat it no more.”

When the other citizens of Wazzerwahl were asked about what they thought of Slappy and Shakey’s new system of religious beliefs, we received mixed response. Many thought that they were influenced by Satan, but surprisingly enough, many more were actually supportive of Slappy and Shakey’s new found ideals. A few have even started “chanting japa” (saying the Hare Krishna chant on wooden beads like that of Rosary beads).

We questioned Bhakta Shakey (the banjo player) about his plans for the future. “I don’t rightly know, I guess it’s whatever Gurudeva [the spiritual teacher] wants, don’t you know. He says that me and Slappy prabhu gotta cultivate this here area ‘n’ maybe cut a record.”

But for Slappy and Shakey, life on the homefront isn’t as bad as it used to e. They have turned mostly self-sufficient and rely on oxen to pull their plows to till the soil. They have renounced everything except for the sideburns and cowboy hats, but in Slappy’s words, “hey, Gurudeva says we can keep’em.”

We wish Bhakta Slappy and Bhakta Shakey the best of luck spreading the Krishna faith to the towns people of Wazzerwahl, and bid them a hardy haribol and thanks for the BBQ chutney dipped pakoras.

Saturdays were always my sleep-in day when I was in school. A well deserved day off. Friday nights were football games and high school dances where I’d try to convince some poor gal that she really did want to slow dance with me to some Def Leppard power ballad spun by the DJ in the gymnasium. It seldom worked. I’d return home pretty bummed and sleep as long as I could on Saturday morning.

But now I look forward to Saturdays! Not because the ladies are finally digging Warrant, Poison or LA Guns (haha!), oh no! It’s because every Saturday I’m posting another Classic ISKCON Tape! WAAAAAAAAY better than power ballads!

Today, I’ve got a tape from the LA temple.
KT-05 Visnujana Swami – Hansadutta – Los Angeles Temple Studio Recording

Here’s a track list…

1) Visnujana Swami – Hare Krishna Kirtan
2) Visnujana Swami – Nrsimha Prayers + Jaya Radha-Madhava
3) Visnujana Swami – Vasanti-rasa
4) Visnujana Swami – Vasanti-rasa (Spoken English Translation)
5) Visnujana Swami – Nama-sankirtana
6) Hansadutta – Jaya Radha-Madhava + Hare Krishna Kirtan
7) Hansadutta – Gaura Arati

Thanks to Brian, I also have the original artwork from the original release. Check it out…

What’s interesting from the original artwork is that it claims the kirtans to be from the New York temple, while the newer artwork (well, the newer cassettes) claim it to be from LA. I believe Side A was recorded in LA, Side B in NY. Or, rather, Visnujana Swami in LA, Hansadutta in NY.

From the original spine it seems that the songs on the original KT-5 are completely different from the songs on the new KT-5. It is, in fact, the same recording, the original KT-5 doesn’t list all of the songs and uses an alternate title here and there.

Also note that the same cover was used for all of the KT & SB cassette series tapes. Only the spines were different.

When dealing with ISKCON history, so many people focus on the happy, wonderful times or the dark, nasty times. But nobody seems to be focusing on the fairly boring times. That’s where I come in, I guess. I just wish that I had some help. :)

Click here to download KT-5.

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ps – Yeah, Hansadutta yet again, just can’t get rid of this guy!