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Killing for Krishna: The Danger of Deranged Devotion
The 1986 murder of Hare Krishna devotee Steven Bryant (Sulochan dasa) was arguably the darkest moment in the fifty-one year history of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness—a new branch of the Chaitanya-Bengali-Vaishnava religion founded in New York City in 1966 by an Indian spiritual teacher and guru, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977). A mere nine years after the disappearance of this beloved spiritual father, one of their own was hunted down and assassinated. This brutal killing was achieved through a cooperative effort by “spiritual” leaders, senior managers and hit men enforcers from West Virginia, Ohio, and Southern California ISKCON temples.The murdered whistle-blower had discovered many secrets and threatened to reveal to the world the immoral acts and criminal dealings of a set of self-appointed, illegitimate successors to Swami a corrupt oligarchy of new ISKCON “gurus.” He had also, perhaps foolishly, advocated using violence against the gurus to evict them from their posts. ISKCON leaders took his threats seriously, and they hunted down and assassinated the passionate reformer. How did the peaceful, shaven-headed, saffron-clad Hare Krishna devotees regress from their blissful activities of chanting, dancing, and selling incense in the streets to this?
The author, himself a former ISKCON devotee, probes deeply into the disturbing direction of a new religious movement. In this book, he exposes the danger of philosophical errors and deranged devotion that practically ensured that bloody tragedy would eventually occur. The author has engaged in years of painstaking research by poring over tens of thousands of pages of trial transcripts, newspaper and magazine articles, ISKCON publications, and confidential ISKCON documents, while also interviewing dozens of eyewitnesses. His effort culminates in a thoroughly-engaging and extremely well-documented thesis exposing the hidden inside story of the conspiracy to murder Steven Bryant, including its genesis, development, blunders involved in it, execution, cover up, as well as a stunning aftermath after the deed was done.
The author, himself a former ISKCON devotee, probes deeply into the disturbing direction of a new religious movement. In this book, he exposes the danger of philosophical errors and deranged devotion that practically ensured that bloody tragedy would eventually occur. The author has engaged in years of painstaking research by poring over tens of thousands of pages of trial transcripts, newspaper and magazine articles, ISKCON publications, and confidential ISKCON documents, while also interviewing dozens of eyewitnesses. His effort culminates in a thoroughly-engaging and extremely well-documented thesis exposing the hidden inside story of the conspiracy to murder Steven Bryant, including its genesis, development, blunders involved in it, execution, cover up, as well as a stunning aftermath after the deed was done.
663 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2021
Hare Krishnas and the New Vrindaban community
“Killing for Krishna” is an intelligent and impeccably researched work on the early events of ISKCON - New Vrindaban, a rural community of Hare Krishnas in Moundsville, West Virginia. The author who lived and witnessed events during his stay acknowledges ambiguity in this inherently complex narrative. He offers clarity to the history of one of the major temples in the United States. The main character of the story is Swami Kirtananda also called Bhaktipada, the charismatic man who was the first disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Kirtananda helped build the very first temple in New York City before he moved to Moundsville. He was primarily responsible for expanding the spiritual movement of Hare Krishnas in the United States.
The major event in the history of the commune was the 1986 murder of the devotee Steven Bryant (Sulochan Dasa), and the involvement of senior disciples of Swami Kirtananda in this crime. Bryant was a resident-devotee of New Vrindaban and worked for Kirtananda at the temple for few years before the relationship soured. The hostility of Bryant towards Kirtananda became personal when he blamed Kirtananda for breaking his family and separation from his wife and children. His first book, “The Guru Business,” attempts to exposes illegal activities at New Vrindaban and put the blame on Kirtananda, but his attempts fail. He refuses to give up, upon more research at Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in Los Angeles, California, he digs more dirt on Kirtananda and start campaigning with devotees at various American temples. The close followers of Kirtananda become involved in the murder of Steven Bryant. ISKCON leaders denounce the murder and distance themselves from New Vrindaban. The ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) urges Kirtananda to resign from the GBC if he is indicted. Kirtananda agrees, but when he is indicted, he refuses to resign. In September 1986, New Vrindaban lays off their entire work force of 187 employees. All money at New Vrindaban goes to Kirtananda’s legal fund. All projects are neglected, including the dairy, and many protected cows at the New Vrindaban community die from starvation. The closure of New Vrindaban Elementary School directly affects forty children of the devotees.
Kirtananda Swami inaugurates a year-long “First Amendment Freedom Tour,” during which he appears on ninety radio shows and sixty television shows, including CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Larry King Live, and the Sally Jesse Raphael Talk Show and West 57th Street. In April 1987, Rolling Stone publishes an article entitled “Dial OM For Murder,” about the murder of Steven Bryant. The authors claim that Kirtananda ordered the assassination of Bryant to silence him from sharing information about Kirtananda’s illegal and immoral activities. Most New Vrindaban devotees believe the charges against their spiritual master are “rumors and hearsay.”
The book offers a one-sided look at the dark history of the temple, but several things written in this book are unsubstantiated from independent sources. Despite all the ills, the New Vrindaban at present is a prosperous community for a large population of devotees in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Over the past twenty years, this temple has emerged as one of the important spiritual centers of ISKCON organization that has lived up to the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
“Killing for Krishna” is an intelligent and impeccably researched work on the early events of ISKCON - New Vrindaban, a rural community of Hare Krishnas in Moundsville, West Virginia. The author who lived and witnessed events during his stay acknowledges ambiguity in this inherently complex narrative. He offers clarity to the history of one of the major temples in the United States. The main character of the story is Swami Kirtananda also called Bhaktipada, the charismatic man who was the first disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Kirtananda helped build the very first temple in New York City before he moved to Moundsville. He was primarily responsible for expanding the spiritual movement of Hare Krishnas in the United States.
The major event in the history of the commune was the 1986 murder of the devotee Steven Bryant (Sulochan Dasa), and the involvement of senior disciples of Swami Kirtananda in this crime. Bryant was a resident-devotee of New Vrindaban and worked for Kirtananda at the temple for few years before the relationship soured. The hostility of Bryant towards Kirtananda became personal when he blamed Kirtananda for breaking his family and separation from his wife and children. His first book, “The Guru Business,” attempts to exposes illegal activities at New Vrindaban and put the blame on Kirtananda, but his attempts fail. He refuses to give up, upon more research at Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in Los Angeles, California, he digs more dirt on Kirtananda and start campaigning with devotees at various American temples. The close followers of Kirtananda become involved in the murder of Steven Bryant. ISKCON leaders denounce the murder and distance themselves from New Vrindaban. The ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) urges Kirtananda to resign from the GBC if he is indicted. Kirtananda agrees, but when he is indicted, he refuses to resign. In September 1986, New Vrindaban lays off their entire work force of 187 employees. All money at New Vrindaban goes to Kirtananda’s legal fund. All projects are neglected, including the dairy, and many protected cows at the New Vrindaban community die from starvation. The closure of New Vrindaban Elementary School directly affects forty children of the devotees.
Kirtananda Swami inaugurates a year-long “First Amendment Freedom Tour,” during which he appears on ninety radio shows and sixty television shows, including CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Larry King Live, and the Sally Jesse Raphael Talk Show and West 57th Street. In April 1987, Rolling Stone publishes an article entitled “Dial OM For Murder,” about the murder of Steven Bryant. The authors claim that Kirtananda ordered the assassination of Bryant to silence him from sharing information about Kirtananda’s illegal and immoral activities. Most New Vrindaban devotees believe the charges against their spiritual master are “rumors and hearsay.”
The book offers a one-sided look at the dark history of the temple, but several things written in this book are unsubstantiated from independent sources. Despite all the ills, the New Vrindaban at present is a prosperous community for a large population of devotees in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Over the past twenty years, this temple has emerged as one of the important spiritual centers of ISKCON organization that has lived up to the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
September 12, 2021
Wow. Amazing historical work on the murder of Sulochan and the many people involved in the assassination plot. The effects of the New Vrindaban days still reverberate today. I'm an ex-hare krishna, was in the ISKCON cult for five months. Got really deep into Prabhupad's books, but started questioning his comments about women, his initiation of pedophiles, his leniancy towards sexual deviance within his movement, anti-moon landing comments, pseudoscientific solutions to medical problems. He was a very superstitious man, very idiotic. Yet in a business acumen sense, he was incredible. This book is not about Prabhupad, but it is about what came after the death of the elderly benevolent dictator, and how he introduced a horrifying trend of other "benevolent dictators" into his movement. As a man who seemingly called for the protection of children, Prabhupad was unable to protect his own children and abandoned his family to take Sannyas. Is it such a system that is perfect? Is Varnashram really supposed to destroy people's lives? From Grhsastha to Sannyasa, and his children end up dying from retardation? Prabhupad was a man who promoted rape of women, and his disciples adore him and find a myriad of ways to excuse his misogynistic comments, because they believe him to be a pure devotee that was descended from Vaikuntha. He raped his wife, and he laughed at the fact that she was a scared child aged 11, whilst he was aged 24. He promoted the sexualised pubescent girls by saying once a girl has reached menstruation she has a sex drive and enjoys sex, many times he says "this is the psychology". In fact, he made up his own psychology. And this is horrifying trend in ISKCON, that the pedophile and drug addicted devotees were just following in the footsteps of Prabhupad. Lying, cheating, stealing, pedophiling, raping. It wasn't unique to a few deranged disciples. It all came from the genitals and the snuff snorting nose of the deranged conspiracy theorist, pro-hitler, demoniac man himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2020
All of it is so sad and horrible...and particularly embarrassing if you're a Western Vaishnava...but the author does a very good job of documenting everything. Much more detail and first hand info than Monkey on a Stick was able to provide.
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February 23, 2022 Stopped reading mid-first chapter. There is an excellent book somewhere in there, but it desperately needs a really good editor to find it. It reads like a really long term paper (with some too long quotes).
I listened to a podcast called AMERICAN SCANDAL that used this book as a reference. I applaud the podcaster for fighting through the text to get to what is otherwise an amazing story.
I listened to a podcast called AMERICAN SCANDAL that used this book as a reference. I applaud the podcaster for fighting through the text to get to what is otherwise an amazing story.
April 8, 2022
kuh kuh kuh kuh kuh 'illen for krishna . im kuh kuh kuh 'illen for krisna.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews