LETTER: Dear Bhakti Charu Swami

Dear Bhakti Charu Swami,

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Krsna Balaram Swami.

Attached you will find a scanned copy of a letter from Krsna Balaram Swamiji written to you on December 9th 2015 and mailed to you at the Mayapur address from a USA address. I found out yesterday during a discussion with Swamiji where the temple president of ISKCON Vrindavan Pancagauda das and Sri Krsna Balaram Swamiji’s godbrother Sriman Banabhatta Prabhu were present, that Swamiji has not received a reply to the letter mailed to you. I have read the letter and it would amaze me if Swamiji does not receive a reply from your holiness. I would kindly ask if you could spare some of your time to answer Swamiji’s letter.

My name is Krishna Kirtan and I was raised in ISKCON Gurukula. During the past year I have learned quite a lot about Sri Krsna Balaram Swami and have come to accept him as my Spiritual Master after having researched and rejected other options, inside and outside ISKCON.

Over a year ago I was asked to volunteer to work on Srila Prabhupada’s disciple database and website in connection to The Legacy Project headed by Nandalal devi dasi, which I accepted and worked on it for sometime. Just about that time the leaders of Krsna Balaram Mandir in Vrindavan were trying to get the names and current location of all Srila Prabhupada’s disciples around the world today living either inside or outside ISKCON but who were present during the inauguration in 1975, so invitations could be sent to all of them for the 40th Anniversary festival. These were considered the most important people for invitations to be sent to, and I had been asked to recompile the database and extract names into such list.

When learning that Krsna Balaram Swami was a Vrajavasi who was present during the inauguration and was also a Srila Prabhupada disciple, I asked that he also be sent an invitation like all the others, but those responsible for the invitation list were not forthcoming about my request. The fact that Krsna Balaram Swamiji was not being invited like everyone else was very disappointing, apart from the fact that his residence is only less than 1 kilometer away from the temple. The guideline for the invitation list was to find all Srila Prabhupada’s disciples anywhere in the world who were present during the inauguration and send them an invitation, either printed or by email. The invitations were sent to all and regrettably Swamiji was not included and he did not receive an invitation, nor did I hear any more word about my request, although I had insisted. Soon after this happened I left the entire Legacy Project in disappointment. I would imagine that at least the courtesy of an invitation would have been appropriate, since that was the objective of the invitation list effort. In any case, I am sharing this with you because as I understand ISKCON leaders maybe dead set against our Swamiji, but the Guru and disciple relationship should not be disrupted because that is a spiritual connection. So I ask, what loss would there be by having Swamiji’s name in the invitation list?

Swamiji had collected for the construction of the Krsna Balaram Temple and had joined long before the inauguration in 1975. He had collected a lot funds for the constructions, was present for the inauguration, and is a Srila Prabhupada disciple; therefore it is very unfortunate that this happened and that he was not invited. It is very amazing to me that ex-cow-eaters, those who fell down, and some who even went back to eating and drinking such unwanted things again, have become so averse to a devotee born in Vrindavan who did so much service and altogether, that he was not even extended the courtesy of making him aware that such festival was taking place. I have also learned that even for Srila Prabhupada’s centennial celebrations our Swamiji was also not informed nor invited to participate.

I hope to receive a reply from you in connection to this. If anything please kindly acknowledge the letter Swamiji wrote to you this last December (attached).

Thank you very much. Jay Sri Radhe!

Your servant,
Krishna Kirtan
22 March 2016

[Sri Krsna Balaram Swamiji, KBS5139]