After the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, the Hindu religious organization he was associated with, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or International Krishna Bhavnamrit Sangh (ISCON), is being widely discussed. Many are also complaining that ISKCON propagates radical religious doctrines.
Again, in the countries where ISKCON was banned earlier, the demand to ban the organization in Bangladesh is also being raised on social media. However, on Thursday, the Bangladesh High Court did not take into consideration the plea to ban ISKCON.
Again, the debate about whether ISKCON really promotes Hinduism or not, comes to the attention of the Internet. This report will attempt to shed light on what ISKCON actually does.
Birth of ISKCON
Abhayacharan De, born in Taliganj area of South Kolkata, later in life, Abhay Charanavinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada or AC Bhaktivedanta is the founder of ISKCON. Millions of followers of ISKCON all over the world consider him as the religious leader.
Radharaman Das, vice president and spokesperson of ISKCON in Kolkata, said he studied at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata. He also participated in the freedom struggle. At a much older age, he met his Guru Maharaj in this Calcutta. It was he who ordered AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to go to the western countries to propagate Hinduism. When he was about 70 years old, he boarded a cargo ship from Kolkata to New York, USA. That was on 16 July 1965.
According to information provided on the ISKCON website, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami had only a few trunks full of books and only seven US dollars when he left for the United States. ISKCON was founded in 1966 and AC Bhaktivedanta died in 1977.
In this short time he has visited many countries of the world, authored more than 40 books. Currently, ISKCON manages more than five hundred large centers, many temples, schools, thousands of local groups, and about one hundred vegetarian restaurants. In addition, they distribute various social welfare works, relief in natural disasters.
The main center of this association is at Mayapur in Nadia, West Bengal. The association claims that the Vaishnava monk Chaitanya Dev was born in this Mayapur.
Propagation of Gaudiya Vaishnava doctrine
ISKCON claims that the basis of its spiritual ideology is the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavad Purana, written in Sanskrit. Radharman Das used to say, we are Gaudiya Brahma Madhav sect. The philosophy of ISKCON is the Vaishnava doctrine of this Bengal, that is, the Vaishnava style of the Gaur region, that we spread to the world.
ISKCON members spread their ideology in various ways outside of worship in their own temples. They spread the doctrine of ISKCON all over the world by chanting the mantra 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' with khol-kartal, dancing or seminars.
ISKCON is a part of Hinduism
Many people question whether the Gaudiya Vaishnava doctrine that ISKCON preaches is Hinduism at all. Navakumar Bhattacharya, head of the West Bengal Vedic Academy, explained that the Vaishnava sect is one of the five sects of Hinduism. Other sects are Shaiva, Shakta, Saura, and Ganapatya.
According to him, Hinduism is a tradition consisting of philosophy. Each community has a different philosophy. The Vaishnava sect is the exact opposite of the Shakta sect. Again, not everyone is in favor of the Vedas. In this philosophy there are recognized philosophies such as Charvaka, which speak of atheism.
"The root is the thought of Brahman. Some are embodied, some formless are attached to the thought of Brahman. The philosophy that ISKCON adheres to is that of the Vaishnava community, with some new ideas added over time. So the ideology of ISKCON is definitely a part of Hinduism. They are always given that recognition. Those who are against Hinduism raise these questions," said Navakumar Bhattacharya, a scholar of Hinduism.
Controversies about ISKCON
Millions of followers of ISKCON are spread in various countries of the world including western countries. Apart from their original name, they are given a separate name as devotees of ISKCON. Many of the famous devotees of ISKCON have renounced the life of luxury and chosen the celibate life. Famous and 'billionaire' members of ISKCON include Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Ford Motors owner Henry Ford, George Harrison, one of the faces of The Beatles, poet Allen Ginsberg and former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Just as famous people have gathered in ISKCON, ISKCON has also been involved in controversies at various times. For example, ISKCON has been banned in Singapore for a long time since its inception. The association's registration was withheld. But later ISKCON activities started in that country with a different name, now there is a temple there and ISKCON devotees work openly.
Also ISKCON still cannot conduct its activities in many Middle East countries. An old article on ISKCON's website says they have to work secretly in China as well. However, the association claims that ISKCON has at least 12 temples in Pakistan. In many countries including Russia, ISKCON's method of religious propaganda has been litigated at various times.
Asked about these controversial issues, Radharman Das, spokesperson of the ISKCON center in Kolkata, said he was busy and would speak at another time. However, Hindutva researcher Snigdhendu Bhattacharya said, "It is true that ISKCON is in controversy in various countries, but the reasons are different in each country. Various ISKCON monks have been accused of being atheists, racists, etc. Allegations of child abuse have been received.
"The activities of ISKCON in Bangladesh are said to be radical and militant religious organization. It should not be said at all. They may be religious conservative organizations, but conservatism is promoted by many organizations of different religions," said Snigdhendu Bhattacharya.
In his words, "The main complaint raised against ISKCON in Bangladesh at various times is that because of their large fan base in India and the United States, they took advantage of that and took various issues of Bangladesh to the international level at various times. sought India's intervention.''
"Recently hearing 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans spread in India mainly among BJP leaders and activists in the mouth of some monks associated with Bangladesh ISKCON has strengthened this Bharat Yoga charge. Here the issue of India's relationship with ISKCON has become important due to the recent anti-India trend in Bangladesh politics," said Bhattacharya.
What does ISKCON do in Bangladesh?
Recently, there have been various discussions in Bangladesh regarding several activities of ISKCON. They are also termed as religious fundamentalist organizations. In an event in Sylhet on Tuesday, Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that the movement of ISKCON has domestic and foreign fuel.
In a statement that night, ISKCON Bangladesh said, as a traditional organization, they work to protect the religious freedom and rights of minority communities in Bangladesh, such as Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and others.
ISKCON Bangladesh central committee member Bimala Prasad Das said, "We do service work in Bangladesh like all over the world."
In response to the question that ISKCON is being called a religious fundamentalist organization, he said, "The government has various intelligence agencies, they will look into it. They will look at all the information they have.''
Late last month, members of the Hindu community held a rally at Chittagong's Laldighi Maidan demanding eight points. There they made demands like prosecution of attacks and persecution of minorities, punishment of those involved, compensation, making laws for the protection of minorities.
General Secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari said in a statement on Tuesday, "ISCON is an international organization, which carries out peaceful religious practices and humanitarian activities based on Gaudiya Vaishnava religious ideals and traditional values. We have always worked for peace, harmony and amity. Committed to work on the same ideals in the future.'' BBC Bangla.
