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Glory days of New Vrindaban: seven-year wave of good fortune (1979-1986).
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1979: Prabhupada's Palace dedicated.
Money pours into the community through pickers, tourists, Indian members.
NV hires 187 karmi employees to work as construction workers, gardeners, secretaries, maintenance workers.
Construction expands: NV developed as a place of pilgrimage. Bathing Ghats excavated, giant Gaura-Nitai Statues erected, Guest Lodge, Palace Restaurant, Govardhana Dairy Goshalla, new "temporary" temple for Sri-Sri Radha-Vrindaban Chandra built. Plans unvealed for gigantic granite Temple of Understanding and Land of Krishna Spiritual Theme Park.
In large part due to Palace Marketing Team headed by Big Mahabuddhi dasa, 500,000 tourists visit Palace in 1985.
May 21, 1985: Peak of popularity: U.S. Congressman speaks at New Vrindaban at the Shila Ropana ground-breaking ceremony for the Great Radha Krishna Temple of Understanding.
Favorable media coverage.
New Vrindaban patronized by local businesses, ISKCON gurus, thousands of ISKCON devotees visit during summer festivals.
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June 1984: one part-time NV resident, Sulochan--a tour guide at the palace, has difficulties with his wife and NV management, he decides to leave NV for good, but his wife and children remain in defiance of his wishes. Sulochan believes that Bhaktipada has "stolen" his wife's affections for him, although his wife only claimed that she was fed up with Sulochan because he was unstable and couldn't settle down; he was always moving here and there, making her live in a van, and she wanted a more secure homelife for her two infant children. She said she found that life at New Vrindaban. She is still living at New Vrindaban, more than two decades later.
Sulochan moves to California, where he acquires a pirate copy of Prabhupada's letters, and meets with other former NV residents who share with him stories about pedophilia and other crimes at NV. Sulochan, now convinced that Bhaktipada and the other ISKCON gurus are illegitimate, begins a campaign to discredit and remove the ISKCON gurus. He writes his book "The Guru Business"
October 11, 1984: Sulochan begins (in his own words) "openly declaring war against Kirtanananda and the entire Society. The Society ignored me. Hardly did I get one response."
February 22, 1985: In a letter to the GBC, Bhaktipada threatens to resign from GBC if Sulochana is not silenced.
March 1985: At the GBC meetings in Mayapur India, the ISKCON Privilege Committee agrees to hear and dispose of the matter. Sulochan files complaint with GBC. He is ignored.
September 1985: Meeting of Prabhupada disciples at New Vrindaban who advocate for "guru reform"
During the September 1985 guru reform meetings at New Vrindaban, Sulochan placed himself in protective custody with the Marshall County Sheriff and spent his time on the telephone with reporters relating stories of New Vrindaban drug dealing, prostitution, and child abuse. He spoke of a GBC “hit list” and claimed he was the most wanted man on that list. From the safety of his jail cell, he called GBC leaders to demand that Kirtanananda be expelled. His strategy backfired; Sulochan was excommunicated from ISKCON for issuing death threats in “abhorrent, blasphemous language.”
October 27, 1985: deranged visiting devotee Triyogi dasa smashes Bhaktipada on head several times with heavy construction pipe-tool after Bhaktipada refused to give him sannyasa. Triyogi wanted to become an ISKCON guru, and he thought that sannyasa from Bhaktipada would further his goal. At NV Triyogi worked in the kitchen and picked up trash around the community; he was frequently heard muttering under his breath. Bhaktipada, severely injured, is rushed to Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, then flown by helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is in a coma for 10 days and on "Critical List" for 3 weeks. Surgeons perform 2 cranial surgeries to relieve hemorrhaging and blood clot in brain. ISKCON centers around the world hold 24-hour kirtan and pray for his recovery. Satsvarupa das Goswami compares Bhaktipada to Christ and Haridas Thakur in Back to Godhead magazine article.
The author visited his spiritual master in the hospital, was deeply affected, and wrote an article, Forever By His Side, which Umpati Swami called, "The best literary work Hrishikesh has ever produced."
The New Vrindaban management naturally suspected that Triyogi had been influenced to attack Bhaktipada by Sulochan. NV management decided that Sulochan posed a clear danger to Pure Devotee Saint Bhaktipada. None thought that the community could continue without Bhaktipada’s leadership; they believed their lives depended on him. The top men concluded that, if push came down to shove, it would be better for Sulochan to leave his body rather than Bhaktipada. To protect their spiritual master, a “surveillance team” was created to spy on Sulochan’s activities, keep track of his whereabouts and “eliminate” him when the opportunity presented itself.
Tirtha Das, one of Bhaktipada’s disciples (initiated during April 1978 in Columbus), recalled:
- "A key point [in the history of New Vrindaban] was when Kirtanananda was attacked by Triyogi. That changed everything. It was no longer a war of words; it injected an element of violence. Naturally, as a good disciple, I couldn’t sit by idly and wait for the job to be finished. . . .
At several high-level management meetings, I was invited to attend. It was jointly agreed that Sulochan posed a clear and present danger to Kirtanananda (others also). The top men concluded that it was preferable to deal with the fallout of Sulochan’s death than Kirtanananda’s. No one thought they could continue on without Kirtanananda. He was that important to them. It was as if their lives depended on him. To a man they agreed they couldn’t imagine going on—as a community or as devotees—if Kirtanananda was killed. The only solution presented was that Sulochan be eliminated. And if somehow he slipped through [and killed Kirtanananda] because no one had the cajones [balls] or faith in Krishna to do the needful—well you’ll have to live with being a coward for the rest of your life."
Devotees believed killing a demon is sometimes authorized by Vedic scriptures: "If the man who blasphemed Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is killed, his sinful action may be atoned." (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 15.261) "One should by force cut out the blasphemer's tongue and kill the offender." (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.4.17)
Devotees believed Sulochan's allegations about child molestation were clearly "rumors and hearsay," as confirmed by ISKCON GBC Committee.
November 22, 1985: Bhaktipada returns home from hospital
December 6, 1985: Sulochan explains "These . . . gurus are ruthless men and would not hesitate to kill anyone who threatens them. . . . There is nothing wrong with the religion, only leaders who have become absolutely corrupt."
December 22, 1985: Bhaktipada, recovering quickly, begins driving his Chevy Blazer around NV. His vocal chords are paralyzed. Definite brain damage. Personality change observed by Kuladri and others, including local government officials, who begin distancing themselves from The Swami.
January 1986: Although hardly able to walk or talk, Bhaktipada, against advice by doctors, therapists, and NV devotees, endures a 2-week trip to India to enliven his Bombay disciples.
January 1986: Sulochan telephones NV and boasts that he is coming to Moundsville to destroy Kirtanananda and the New Vrindaban community; “to finish the job” that Triyogi had started.
Febrary 5, 1986: Sulochan arrested by police in Moundsville on charges of assault and carrying a deadly weapon in connection with threats made against members of the New Vrindaban community. He was carrying a loaded automatic pistol when he was arrested. No one bails him out, not even his own mother. He is considered a crazy and dangerous fanatic by New Vrindaban residents, ISKCON devotees and GBC, the news media, and his former wife, who is very happy now living in New Vrindaban with a new and responsible husband. Sulochan remains in jail for nearly 2 months until his trial. Sulochan predicts, “They are constantly watching me. I know some morning I will go to sleep and not wake up.”
Febrary 1986: Bhaktipada travels to New Orleans for Mardi Gras to visit ISKCON temple and "fire up" his sankirtan pickers working in cooperation with New Orleans ISKCON temple president Vrkodara dasa, who at the time was sympathetic to Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban.
April 3, 1986: Sulochan is convicted by a Marshall County Magistrate court on a charge of carrying a deadly weapon. Sulochan returns to California and decides to give up his crusade as obviously no one in ISKCON believes his accusations.
May 22, 1986: Sulochana is shot twice in the head with a .45-caliber pistol while sitting in his van outside the Los Angeles ISKCON temple at 1 a.m.
Tirtha shows up at the Columbus Temple (NV Satellite) and announces to Tapapunja "The tripe is gone." The plan was for Tirtha and his family to fly to India where Bhaktipada's wealthy disciple Nathji could arrange for a safe place for them to live. But Tirtha had not received money for plane tickets. He was promised $8,000 but now NV authorities (incredibly!) refused to pay. Tapapunja drives to NV and pleads with authorities that Tirtha needs money right now so he can leave the country before the authorities can catch him. Bhaktipada begrudgingly gives him $3,000; mostly in dollar bills. Bhaktipada counts it himself, not once but twice.
But all this time the government had an informer in the community, so government knew all the time what was going on. In fact, some sources say the government assisted in the murder of Sulochan by providing surveillance information so they could have a valid reason to indict Bhaktipada. Government used Sulochan as a pawn to get at New Vrindaban. State Police wiretap tapes Tirtha phone conversations.
May 27, 1986: Tirtha arrested with Tapapunja in Kent, Ohio. The warrant for Tirtha’s arrest, however, was issued by West Virginia authorities in connection with the unsolved disappearance in 1983 of another former New Vrindaban devotee, Chakradhari, and NOT in connection with the murder of Sulochan.
December 7, 1986: Tirtha convicted of 1983 murder of Chakradhari.
January 5, 1987: FBI raids NV, searching for more evidence to destroy Bhaktipada and New Vrindaban.
May 21 1987: Rolling Stone publishes article "Dial Om for Murder."
November 1988: Monkey on a Stick published.
August 1991: Tirtha convicted of murdering Sulochan, sentenced to life in prison.
New Vrindaban counters with persecution propaganda: "It's persecution; pure and simple."
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