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Testimonial by Sita D.D.
Testimonial by
Sita Devi Dasi (Ecuador)
Hare Krishna
P. Pariksit.
I wanted to
send you my most respectful obeisance for having the courage to make audios
about the situation that is being experienced in the VRINDA Mission in relation
to Guru Maharaj.
I send you
this audio with the only desire to validate your words, without the intention
of harming anyone, but with the intention of saying that what you have
manifested in the audios regarding the inappropriate behavior that Guru Maharaj
has had with some matajis is true.
And why can I
affirm this? Because Guru Maharaj has had this kind of behavior with me on
several occasions. I was very stunned the first time this happened, it was when
we returned in a bus from a parikram, he sat next to me, I was wearing a poncho
and he put his hand under the poncho and rubbed my leg near the groin. I felt
guilty, I told myself, how could I have provoked such a reaction in a pure
devotee?
In spite of
this, the desire to try to serve Krishna through the service of the pure
devotee always prevailed in my heart, in the different programs of the mission,
such as The Spoon Revolution, House of Wisdom, Vaishnava Academy, in the
office, in the temple, etc.
During that
time, I was lucky to meet very nice devotees from all over the world, from
Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, United
States, Hungary, Germany, from whom I learned many things one way or another.
And in a short time they became my soul family. But of course, as in all
families, there were obviously discrepancies, not because of malice, but with
the sole and sincere desire that we could all do a service that made Guru
Maharaj proud.
In the end,
weren't we all trying to serve Sri Radha Krishna? Wasn't it our duty to offer
the best of us so that in the world there would be more Krishna consciousness?
For the mission to grow, for Guru Maharaj's ideals to protect Mother Earth, to
promote vegetarianism, to clean Vrindavan, to make Oida Therapy known, etc.
expand more and more all over the world?
But there was
a parallel situation that did not give me peace. I was once told that the
relationship we have with the guru is the relationship we have with Krishna,
which could be of a brother, sister, friend, father, mother, or a relationship
of a wife; so, I wondered, is my relationship with the guru that of a wife? And
if so, is this type of behavior of the guru allowed with his disciples? I
really had no one to ask because I would look like someone who offends the pure
devotee.
Well, and it
happened also that on two occasions Gurudeva tried to kiss me, once when I
privately complained to him, that why he protected so many devotees that have
caused much harm to other devotees within the mission. He approached me and
tried to kiss me, I walked away and I left the room right away.
When I had the
mercy of traveling to India, the first thing Gurudeva told us when we arrived
was that in Vrindavan everything good we do is magnified, becoming good karma
and that everything bad we do is also magnified, becoming bad karma. Those
words stayed with me, so I tried throughout my stay to control my mind so
nothing would disturb me. On that occasion, Guru Maharaj had asked me to help
him with a Powerpoint presentation and at the time of reviewing, I sat next to
him and he turned around and tried to kiss me. I got red, started sweating, but
I kept showing him the presentation and what he had told us about karma came to
mind again.
I make this
statement in solidarity with my spiritual sisters, with Radha Kunda, with
Prisni, whom I know personally, and in solidarity with the other matajis who
have lived similar experiences, and who for fear of being branded crazy or of
being threatened, they do not have the courage to be transparent about these
uncomfortable situations that they have lived with Guru Maharaj. I am sure that
the matajis who had the courage to denounce him did not lie or exaggerate. I am
very sorry that they have been persecuted by their fanatical spiritual brothers
and sisters, who tried to make them look crazy and have threatened them to the
point of wanting them to retract, perhaps solely for their personal interests,
for the implications that this may have on their preaching or personal
businesses related to the mission.
How is it
possible that they told a mother not to mention anything, that it is a
"blessing" to be "touched" by the guru? This is
inconceivable.
Guru Maharj, I
beg you, on behalf of all those who have served you selflessly from the heart,
to please reconsider your position, listen to your well-wishers, who are not
necessarily those who want to force you to stay in the mission. I ask you for
total transparency. Please think of the hearts of the people you have touched
with your tireless preaching for over 40 years, and who are now confused, hurt,
and helpless. Apologize from the heart, amend, since at this time there is no
coherence between what you have preached and what is happening. It is not my
desire to condemn you, we are human, we make mistakes, but in your position as
a guru you cannot please your senses that way with matajis after taking vows of
celibacy. Please make the right decision, not only for your disciples, but for
you, and for the impact all this has on the lives of thousands of people.
Devotees, my
obeisances. I just wanted to share my personal experience regarding Guru
Maharaj and the Vrinda family.
Dandavats
everyone and forgive my past, present or future offenses.
Editor’s note:
1. Link to Pariksit's audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V31rTccUS4s
A devotee is currently translating the
audio, we will publish it here in the coming days.
2. Sexual assault is a crime. It includes
unwanted touching, kissing, grabbing and rape.
3. Some victims already reported the sexual
assault to the German Embassy in the U.S. and some South American countries.
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1. Original Yotube Spanish audio here.
2. Original English text here.
