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(C) 1995 by Richard S. Brown All rights reserved.
Who Caused The Vrindavan Anti Iskcon Riots In 1972?
By Richard Shaw Brown
As recently as 4 years ago I was told about the 1972 riots by an old Iskcon devotee, who said he was hit by a brick thrown at him by Srila Bon Maharaj. I laughed and told him that was completely untrue and that a 72 year old sadhu like Srila Bon Maharaj, would never harm a living being. But the devotee was sure he had been attacked by Swami Bon Maharaj; and this offensive lie is still circulated within Iskcon even up to the present time.
I resided with Srila Bon Maharaj in Vrindavan from Jan. 1968 until mid 1973, and I was present in the holy Dham when the horrible anti Iskcon riot took place, and I know clearly that Srila Bon Maharaj had nothing to do with the riots. Therefore this short article is being written to inform the devotees of Iskcon about this most offensive lie cast against Srila Bon Maharaj, and to expose the real culprits who hid behind this falsehood to escape their own guilt.
In "Vrindavan Days" (©1990) by late Hayagriva Swami the truth of the Vrindavan riots is clearly exposed. The real cause of the riots was due to the disrespectful and bombastic Iskcon devotees themselves. In 1972 the Iskcon devotees were just beginners, but they were so puffed up that they thought themselves better than the Vrajavasis, and treated the Vrajavasis as if they were idiots to be slapped; or ignorant fools who must learn about Lord Krishna from Iskcon.
In fact the Vrajavasis are eternal associates of Lord Krishna in the holy Dham; they are beyond paramahansa, they are beyond yoga, they are the spiritual associates of Lord Govinda living within the spiritual world. But the newly arrived and poorly behaved Iskcon neophytes treated the Vrajavasis with so much disrespect that Lord Krishna Himself sanctioned the violence just to put the fear of God into the Iskcon offenders.
In Hayagriva's book, on page 143, 3rd para., it is clearly explained that the seed of hatred and enmity of the Vrajavasis against Iskcon was caused by one Iskcon neophyte devotee. Hayagriva states, "Shyamsundar runs up to inform us that the eccentric London devotee, Kulashekar, got into a row in the (Vrindavan) market place. A (Vrajavasi) boy (a Gopa) was beating a cow with a stick, and Kulashekar descended on him..." "Kulashekar grabbed the (Gopa) boy's stick (commonly used by all gopas to herd the cows), and slapped [the gopa child] in the face." Shyamsundar informs us, "the (Vrajavasi) people who saw it are furious, and word is spreading that one of our (Iskcon) members attacked a (Gopa)child."
So it was NOT Srila Bon Maharaj who caused the anger of the Vrajavasis against Iskcon. FACT: It was none other than the clumsy puffed up Iskcon neophyte devotees themselves who caused the riots by treating the holy Vrajavasis with arrogant disrespect.
I hope this will vindicate Srila Prabhupada's God brother, Sad guru Srila Bhakti Hridaya Bon Maharaj, who had nothing what-so-ever to do with Iskcon's disgraceful 1972 Vrindavan RIOTS.
