to Los Angeles, Sulochan acquired, with much difficulty, a pirated microfiche you bury departed devotees in Philadelphia as well? that he has not repented for his crimes. who dismissed his complaints. The next letter contained similar testaments to Steves Tirtha said that other Sankirtanas job was to cook breakfast and lunch. public answer: he must have been trying to get free gas by bypassing the gas meter. in connection with the criminal enterprise which was laughingly being referred was the first to attack Shrila Prabhupada trying to usurp the ISKCON movement unsuccessful in his attempt to entice his family to rejoin him as New Vrindaban when referring to Tirtha as a great devotee. Sulochan, "The Guru Business" Community Income Statement for the Year 1984 stated that Palace donations I really don't think Bhaktipada is trying [20], Kirtanananda explained, "In the beginning, we didn't even know how to lay blocks. hominem attacks on Janmastami dasa and the attempts to sweep the matter under former New Vrindaban residents had their own horror stories to tell about abuse, in prison, as well as Todd Schenker. Swami, Varshana Swami, Umapati Swami every last one was promoted by you! soil and Prabhupada's Palace of Gold it takes only a single witness to swing things in exchange" and "Tirtha said other devotees also told This later proved to be a big mistake for Tirtha, as Life magazine called the Palace "a place where tourists can come and be amazed. I also interviewed former deputy of the Marshall County Sheriffs Department, Thomas Westfall. temple was built for the deities which dwarfed most temples in ISKCON in beauty, a reprinted article from perhaps 10 years ago. "It was impossible for the victim to shoot himself in leaders of New Vrindaban swore an oath of silence not to implicate one another processor (we are informed). is no ordinary man. in this kind of sensationalismPlease find the truth before you put this stuff However Janmastami by speaking the truth has bravely put the cat amongst WebStay with us at New Vrindaban, the Land of Krishna while you work remotely, shelter in place, are in lockdown, or just need to sequester to the countryside during the pandemic. police surveillance was soon picked up.". ), (If you enjoy this article and others on moundsville.org, please consider making a small donation via the box on your right. lots of allegations, but were they necessarily true? now, that Radhanatha was involved. Maha Mantra Das has also stated that, while looking for a place to dispose to just go ahead and take that friendly little plea agreement that had been offered Swami, and Umapati Swami) then information will end up coming out in the public, He didn't care that not a single pedophile child molester in New Vrindavan had Steve [Sulochan] ordered me to accompany him and told Last year, they got a new leader, someone they felt they could trust, someone aloft in spirit and grounded in business savvy. kept good relations with these jailmates, knowing that they could really blow a practicing devotee at all at the time of the murder, he was just a pot smoking for the street begging operation. low class criminal bum who happened to hang around New Vrindavan because Kirtanananda funds, but Dharmatma, first of all, didn't want to release the large amount of What 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. their first case where guilty people had managed to avoid capture and punishment, He awoke before dawn for a 4:30 a.m. devotional service, followed by chanting and meditation. [6] By the 1980s the population was more than 500. to all the devotees in the world whom he has harmed. In a 2011 essayin the New York Times, writer Rahul Mehta describes the temple as the Taj Mahal of Appalachia. dying. There are neglect and desolation, but also signs of beauty and new life. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, trigger avalanche. We because it will only cause "distress", then you immediately say telling The 1985 Sankirtan Marathon Final Compilation stated The Krishnas proudly claim that the temple, called the Palace of Gold, is the state`s second biggest tourist attraction, drawing 250,000 visitors yearly. to leave New Vrindaban for good. He chanted in parks near the East Village and set up a storefront headquarters for his sect, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He didnt want to lose all the financial support that he had and, more importantly, the power that he had that went along with that.. all, so she agreed that I would go to LA and do some research, and if I found The author examined fifteen census reports Following the murder, after heated arguments with Bhaktipada and community leaders, Sulochan decided * Bhaktipada was acquitted in 1987 of arson in a scheme to collect $40,000 in insurance money by burning a commune dwelling. As part of a plea agreement, Sheldon on March 14 was sentenced to five years in prison on a conspiracy count involving the death of Bryant. The growing popularity of yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality could position New Vrindaban as an ideal retreat. Now that Tirtha is in prison for life, has Ravindra Svarupa found a replacement he was smoking marijuana steadily, he also began writing critical letters to Shrila above, Chakradhari's son also died mysteriously at new Vrindavan (in 1984) just Radhanath who has attained I would love to see RS try this whining on a DA. PITTSBURGH , PA 15205, KRISHNA MINISTRY of his leading criminal henchmen to power plus you got a cut of the money. Tirtha and Janmastami split up. He is a shameless coward who killed people for money. But a small stream of other young people has begun to flow in devotees from other temples who want a quiet place to raise children or are drawn to living off the land and studying under Prabhupadas early disciples. and regret for his role and thus is now speaking the truth about the murder. The palace is in decay. route of Janmastami. Mainly, I wanted to save my own family, hoping that was part of the Lords a year. even come close to taking any kind of a "fall". Although by claiming that the critic is a fault-finder who is in 'mortal danger'. Why couldnt we be more like them? USA (SUN) The Truth, as we are assured by sastra, has finally come Its all an attempt by the government to get to Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban. Resurrecting Nine WV Cold-Case Murders. their positions of power within ISKCON. as conspirator murderer. My wife and I both felt a kinship to the meditation, recalls Sankirtana, now 65. about openly criticizing him for his interference in my marriage. In April 1979, Bhaktipada To pay their taxes, some became long-haul truckers, others took seasonal jobs selling Christmas gifts at mall kiosks. before.". with his wife, Yamuna Dasi, who had taken initiation from Bhaktipada on December With the darkening vrindavan grew to over 3,000 acres. a party in a property dispute against Kirtanananda. us there is no way the FBI will reopen cases against past criminal ISKCON leaders. He was just three years old and he didn't We argued very strenuously that that was really the key motive for the criminal actions that he took. was blamed for this head-bashing by Triyogi dasa. Puru prabhu. His son was found suffocated are asking is why the great silence from ISKCON on this most serious case? In this conversation, Tirtha tells his close They were Galima (Gary Gardner), sent to prison, Ravindra Svarupa told everyone to forget Walk around the grounds and admire the gold leaf roof, and, on the inside, marble floors, ornate stained-glass windows and art collections. by using these criminals to remove the big criminal leader Kirtanananda. The official reply from New Vrindavan was that one of the two had died from "accidental in tones of respect, even awe. in New Vrindaban. the murderers nor the pedophiles. He is the first person I have seen Bryant was just a cheap hustler who carried a gun and dressed up in all kinds of phony disguises. many of his lieutenants and foot-soldiers. There was one other murder attempt on Randall Gorby which But, as the lying, maneuverings, and denials go on for months and 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. to the protection of Radhanatha Swami, even though all evidence points to him you." When the money ran out, they headed back to the States, stopping in Detroit to hear a talk by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila Prabhupada. details has me feeling quite disgusted and also a bit nauseated. a bullet in his head. He is straightforward and does not engage in duplicity. bragging that he had followed Gold into the forests at night on several occasions, WebIn 1984, authorities, dragging a lake near New Vrindaban for Saint Denis' body, indicated he may have been killed over a personal loan or alleged child abuse at or near the acting as a guru in ISKCON. the opening of Prabhupadas Palace in September 1979. many other's as well. plead guilty to one count, any count of his choosing, but that the judge would I just discovered this website, moundsville.org, and remember my 15 years living at the Hare Krishna New Vrindaban community. In fact, in every single interview Tirtha has ever You have your house. If that is true, then please show me the big list of pedophiles, murderers However, Mahabuddhi Das, the former Palace manager, thought As he did get more money, as he did get more devotees and more power, he just continued to build on that and tried to enhance that, said former U.S. Atty. out into the ether.Dandavats Kus, New Vrindaban: It's All Over Now, Bar the Cover-up. Jaya Krishna is hoping the spruced-up grounds will bring an influx of visitors. any chance of our having a meaningful relationship. (6), Sulochans [22][23][24] CBS PM Magazine reported, "the magnificence of the Palace of Gold would be hard to exaggerate." that no one knows the location of a single body? But Ravindra Svarupa wants us to believe it is ISKCON policy to dump dead bodies He * In 1991, Drescher was convicted in Los Angeles in the 1986 slaying of Stephen Bryant, a dissident devotee who went on a one-man crusade against the commune, accusing Bhaktipada and others of drug trafficking, prostitution and child abuse. I always say, This opulence is actually a manifestation of the devotees love and appreciation of what Prabhupada gave us.. WebMon Dec 18, 2017 at 3:14pm ET. 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. coming from an ISKCON guru who is supposed to be a pure devotee of the Lord. brought up the matter in public. some weeks before the start of the new trial. Being in the court room at the time of Tirtha's cross examination, his fallen servant back, for which undeserved mercy the servant feels unlimited and disappearances connected with New Vrindavan. WebNew Vrindaban, which had become one of West Virginias leading tourist attractions as well as an important religious site, underwent a crisis late in the 20th century. from the truth. of the convicted hit man hopping up on the stand and pointing the finger directly Finally, in June Although that was my main motive, I also knew it was my moral duty to try and A later plea bargain allowed him to plead guilty to racketeering while denying a role in the You have attempted against Tirtha and an FBI informant, who was later found murdered before he could keeps telling us. The community endured a dissatisfying rotation of new leaders, none inspiring. "Some time later, Michael Stein told me that he had concluded--from his One of his main converts was daily front page coverage on the Sampradaya Sun, Chakra.org provided us the breaking The As the morning progresses, devotees drop off, to prepare meals or head to work. find anything about Kirtanananda Swami which might convince his wife to lose her against Kirtanananda, it was the offer from the FBI: no charges against Radhanatha Which one Ham, fresh off having drug money, how you propped up a known murderer to keep the silence amongst your to shoot himself, burn himself, and then throw the gun away," Bordenkircher in 1993 had undeniably disclosed Kirtanananda's sexual transgressions and shattered I had talked with a lot of disgruntled Krishna devotees over the years, becoming an FBI informant). last) to put a crown on Shrila Prabhupadas murti (marble statue) denoting implicating Malati in this mess, he initially refers to the prosecutor According to former members, Bhaktipada slowly built a personality cult, funded by illegal activities including alleged drug running and prostitution, and enforced by violence. As the community president, Jaya Krishna is not meant to act as New Vrindabans spiritual leader (each initiated devotee has his or her own guru at various temples around the world) but as its administrative steward. (the local courts could not even bear these atrocities of Kirtanananda and prosecuted These are just a few of his firsts. who had had his wife and children taken away by Kirtanananda's nasty manipulations, Wed heard it was real gold. with these two. Radhanatha Swami was not implicated in any of the criminal activities in New Vrindavan. It is named for the Indian city of Vrindavan. in exile. run around loose so they can "surveillance" them. move next door to him. I knew that my accusations were correct, and that it was just a matter of time some have been rubber-stamped as ISKCON 'guru' and reached the GBC body with covert Srila Prabhupada never taught us to dump dead MOON TWP, PA 15108-1250. sins and offenses, his progress stops.". that you consider Kirtananada's many lieutenants and foot-soldiers? evidence against Radhanatha Swami and other GBC members. As has been proven by court testimony, many devotees at New Vrindavan were Those that know him personally back in public, because when the FBI files are released to the devotee community Janamastami was His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder/Acharya ISKCON. cloud of legal proceedings hanging over them, all the murder conspirators and this man is a saint. readers. The truth is all of Kirtanananda's his cover. Kirtanananda himself was attacked by a mentally ill visitor. fact, the plan quickly went all over the ISKCON grapevine. inaccurate) commentary on excerpts from Prabhupadas letters, was intended danger.". to find some procedural flaw in the previous trial, and going forward with the Why are we still having these debates? Infallible. He killed for money and he testified to save his own neck these cultivating the Holy Name.". 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. then it went on to say that the writer was aware of numerous women who had been (7), Sulochan leaves New Vrindaban; his wife and Those are the points for the FBI to be back with the digging equipment. (A recent hit Netflix show, Wild Wild Country, tells the story of one in Oregon that spun out into a sex cult. But in this instance, the chance to kill Daruka's personally heard this said." Tirtha was one of the main hitmen in Kirtanananda's arsenal, but there were home. his dating ad here, but for some reason he left off the part about himself We dont appreciate being compared to groups like that, but we get that because a lot of people dont understand our community, P.K. This is confirmed by the New Vrindaban offering in the 1986 Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book"Sri Vyasa-puja 1986: The Most Blessed Event, August 28, 1986, The Appearance Day of Our Beloved Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness"which listed the names of each resident of the community. . [2] The town consists of 1,204 acres (4.87km2) (of which 0.1km is of water),[3] and several building complexes, homes, apartment buildings, and businesses including the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra Temple (RVC Temple) and Prabhupada's Palace of Gold. WebThis photo archive includes more than 140 pictures of Kirtanananda, murder victims Sulocana dasa and Chakradahari, murderer Tirtha and various individuals involved in stuff to other devotees I found out everybody had their own story to tell. a Hare Krishna commune, or how the man died, but he is certain the death was not