[Photo: Radhanatha Swami around the time of the Sulochan murder.]

After months of silence, it is nice to finally hear directly from the alleged murder conspirator, Radhanatha Swami. Unfortunately, he seems to follow the exact same pattern as Tirtha, Malati and Ravindra Svarupa: open mouth, insert foot. For some reason none of them can manage to get out a consistent three sentence statement without implicating themselves further in the murder. Now it's Radhanatha Swami's turn to try to shift the blame, but his statements just don't make sense. He states:

"In 1993 New Vrindavana community members were informed about the spiritual problems Kirtanananda Swami was having. Janmastami dasa was furious, and told me that Kirtanananda Swami was the perfect acarya, and that anything said about him was all vicious lies. He said he held me responsible for being the leader of a conspiracy against Kirtanananda Swami and that I would be "destroyed." Since then he has repeatedly threatened me and other members of the New Vrindavana community."

Radhanatha Swami claims that Janmashtami Das has a life long vendetta against him, and the reason why Janmashtami wants to "destroy" Radhanatha Swami is because: Radhanatha Swami was exposing Kirtanananda as a criminal child molester pedophile. How can that make sense? Janmashtami himself hates Kirtanananda now, so even if at the time he had blamed Radhanatha Swami for exposing Kirtanananda, now after understanding the truth he certainly wouldn't be holding the same grudge against Radhanatha Swami. Rather he would be thankful and apologize, saying, "You were right for exposing Kirtanananda back then, I was wrong."

What makes a lot more sense would be this: Radhanatha was propping up Kirtanananda  (up till 1993) even after knowing he was a pedophile, and this made Janmashtami angry, as it would make any sane man angry. Radhanatha's claim that he was the one exposing Kirtanananda, and because of that Janmashtami hates him, even till this day, is just an absurd and ludicrous statement.

Janmastami states that in 1997 he found out his step son was being sexually molested by Kirtanananda, and Radhanatha wants us to believe that even today Janmashtami still hates him for trying to expose Kirtanananda as a pedophile in 1993. If anything, Janmashtami would be very thankful to those devotees who helped expose Kirtanananda as a child molester back then. Thus it is clear that Radhanatha Swami's version of the history is absolutely unbelievable and self contradictory:

1) 1993 Radhanatha Swami exposes Kirtanananda as a Pedophile

2) 1993 Janmashtami makes it his life's aim to destroy Radhanatha

3) 1997 Janmashtami finds out his step son was molested by Kirtanananda

4) 1997-2006 Janmashtami still hates Radhanatha for having exposed Kirtanananda in 1993 as a child molester and continues his life goal to destroy him.

That is the version of the history that Radhanatha Swami presents to us, and it just doesn't make any sense at all. How could the fourth point naturally follow from the third point. The more logical history is something like this:

1) 1982-1993 Radhanatha Swami props up Kirtanananda despite knowing he is a pedophile

2) Janmashtami finds out that Kirtananada is a child molester and loses faith in him

3) Since Radhanatha propped up Kirtanananda while knowing he was a pedophile, Janamshtami blames Radhanatha Swami as well.

Which version of the truth makes more sense to you?

Next we see that Radhanatha Swami tries to suggest that he was the one exposing Kirtanananda, but the historical record shows that he was the one propping up Kirtanananda up till the very last day. He was the last leader to abandon the sinking "Bhaktipada" ship. For example, there is this 1991 lecture where Radhanatha Swami glorified Kirtanananda Swami's deviations beyond comparison, certainly not the sign of someone exposing Kirtanananda for a child molester:

"Bhaktipada is a man of spirit. He is not a man of external form, and he's been training us intensely. Why do you think he changed the dress from dhotis to robes? It was for one reason-preaching in the West. But that's not all. He saw that we were attached to the concept of being a devotee based on how we look externally rather than being fixed in the spirit of devotion. Why are you sitting in chairs instead of on the floor? Why are the hymns in English instead of Sanskrit? Why is our hair an inch long rather than shaved off? On one level, it's practical for preaching in the West, but Bhaktipada had something much deeper and more profound than just that. He saw that we were ritualistically attached to our approach to God, just like practically all other so-called religious persons in this world. We thought we were devotees because of how we looked how we sang, and how we wore our hair. Bhaktipada wanted us to smash through all these external trappings and go right to the essence of the spirit of bhakti." - Radhanatha Swami, "A Perfect Plan to Increase Devotion," New Vrindaban World, no. 8 (April 26, 1991)

So it is clear that Radhanatha was not the one leading the exposing of Kirtanananda as he tries to claim. This attempt to rewrite the past seems to be a universal quality of all ex-Kirtanananda leaders. We saw the same with Umapati Swami, Devamrita Swami, Malati (ex-Swami) and now Radhanatha Swami. Everyone tries to show that they were the real good guys uncovering the corruption and exposing the criminals – what a load of rubbish.

In a recently published letter from Dharmatma we saw the following statement, written in 1994, just months after Radhanatha Swami returned to ISKCON:

"Recently, they made Radhanath Swami a GBC. With all due respect, as I do like him as a person, and he is a sweet devotee, but still he was involved to some degree or had knowledge of Sulochan's murder. I know this for a fact. Not only that, he supported K Swami to the end, causing many devotees much anguish and suffering. My feeling is that he, like many of the others, is motivated by profit, adoration and distinction."

Dharmatma Das, one of the very high-ranking leaders of New Vrindavan is on record saying that Radhanatha Swami was not exposing Kirtanananda, but rather propping him up till the very end, "causing many devotees much anguish and suffering." This appears to be the real reason someone like Janmashtami doesn't like Radhanatha Swami – not because of the absurd claim that Radhanatha Swami was exposing Kirtanananda as a child molester. In fact several letters have recently surfaced where former New Vrindavan gurukulis accuse Radhanatha Swami of covering up the rape of children. How does that go in hand with him trying to expose Kirtanananda as a child molester? Obviously Radhanatha Swami is lying, and all the evidence points to this.

We also saw in a recent letter from Tirtha the following statement:

"Triyogi's attack changed just about everything at New Vrindavan, and especially for Kirtanananda. A very different Kirtanananda  emerged after his attack and subsequent coma. Upon awakening he was fond of German Shepherd dogs, and would appear to be much more openly homosexual."

This claim that, after the Triyogi attack, Kirtanananda began to molest children openly is an often repeated statement. This attack occurred in 1985 – 8 years before Radhanatha Swami left Kirtanananda. So for those 8 years when Kirtanananda was openly homosexual and openly molesting children, what was Radhanatha Swami doing? Why was Radhanatha Swami propping up someone who was openly homosexual? I think Janmashtami has a right to be angry with Radhanatha Swami. Radhanatha Swami was demanding everyone must worship Kirtanananda as equal to God even though he was openly homosexual. For some reason Radhanatha doesn't recount that part of his history in his recent letter. In fact not only does he not hint at it, he even claims he was the one exposing Kirtanananda! Who can believe such nonsense? Well, the GBC bought it. Radhanatha Swami just sold the GBC a bladeless knife without a handle.

Next we see Radhanatha Swami try to avoid discussing the controversy by claiming he is an extremely humble Vaishnava, and therefore he doesn't want to defend his name:

"I do not have the time, health, or energy to get into Internet debates, and as I'm trying to be a Vaishnava, I'm reluctant to defend myself from such assaults of character."

But the Radhanatha Swami I know constantly speaks about his own glories in almost every single Bhagavad Gita class that he gives. As Rocana prabhu has pointed out previously, Radhanatha Swami's recently publish "Wonderful Story" was nothing but self glorification to fool neophyte disciples. And if you missed that, here is some more self glorification from a recent lecture of Radhanatha Swami's:

"I came to India in 1970. I told my parents that I would be back in three months, four and half months later they received a mail that I was hitch hiking to India. They received letters from the Himalayas where I was trying to convert them to become sadhus. And again there was no return mail address.

And when I returned home in 1972, I was a hardened seasoned sadhu, my life had changed in every way, I tried to be gracious and kind to them and they really to be gracious and kind to me, but they couldn't understand.

I was sleeping in the backyard, offering mangala arati to a picture of Radha and Krishna and chanting 64 rounds." - Radhanath Swami Lecture, ( January 7, 2007)

It seems just one week ago Radhanatha Swami had plenty of energy to glorify himself at his Vyasapuja ceremony, attended by thousands of disciples in Bombay. Yet to the GBC he claims he is a humble Vaishnava who will not even try to defend his name? Wow, the GBC actually bought two bladeless knives without handles from him. For those who have listened to his lectures, Radhanatha Swami is an ATM machine of self glorification, ready to dispense 24 hours a day.

Radhanatha Swami concludes his letter as follows:

"As far as what Janmastami dasa has written on the Internet, every single allegation against me is totally false. I was not involved in any criminal activity."

If that was true then why was Richard Slavin (Radhanatha Swami) originally listed as a defendant in the Kirtanananda indictment? If that was true, then why did he cover up the rape of children in the New Vrindavan gurukula? If it was true, then why did Radhanatha Swami flee to India after the Sulochan murder? If that was true, then why didn't he inform the police when he knew about the Chakradhari murder? Everyone at New Vrindavan was aware that Tirtha and Daruka had killed Chakradhari, so obviously Radhanatha Swami, as a leader, also knew. But he never went to the police to inform them. Sulochan even wrote the names of the murderers in his book "The Guru Business" in 1985. If Sulochan knew the murderer's names, and if everyone at New Vrindavan knew the murderer's names, and if the temple president at New Vrindavan was announcing to the devotees not to speak with the police about the Chakradhari murder, then it is obvious that Radhanatha Swami also knew who killed Chakradhari – but he never reported it to the police.

Some other obvious questions for Radhanatha Swami: Why do you meet secretly with Kirtanananda in New York even today? Why would your best buddy, Bhakti Tirtha Swami, request pedophile Kirtanananda to visit him before he left his body. Why didn't you say anything when a child molester (Vakreshwar Pandit) was asked by Bhakti Tirtha Swami to lead kirtan while he was leaving his body? What are you doing going to meet notorious devotee murderer Tirtha Das in prison? Why did the prison's drug sniffing dog identify you as having illicit drugs in your possession? So many interesting questions for you, Radhanatha Swami, but unfortunately you are too busy celebrating your Vyasapuja in Bombay to answer them.

We have already suggested to the GBC that the simplest way to clear this matter once and for all is to conduct a polygraph test on all of those involved (Radhanatha Swami, Tirtha, Malati, Ravindra Svarupa, and others). Within one day it can be established beyond doubt who is telling the truth and who is lying. Why would Radhanatha Swami and the GBC not be willing to undergo this simple test to completely clear their names – unless of course they are scared of what would be found if such a test were performed. If they were innocent they would have nothing to hide and no reason not to perform this test. But if they were guilty they would try everything in their power to avoid this, and that is what they are doing now.

So in conclusion, it is clear from everything that comes out of their mouths that these people are lying and trying their best to rewrite the history. Unfortunately, the majority of ISKCON devotees are new and innocent. All of the older devotees who are aware of these criminal characters have been driven out of ISKCON long ago. As a result, it is an easy game for the GBC to fool the new recruits with their rewritten version of the history – the one where Radhanatha Swami is the main reformer exposing Kirtanananda as a child molester. I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but that just never happened. Radhanatha Swami was the last to jump ship, and he was propping up Kirtanananda even while he was in the life boat escaping.

Once again, a summarized version of the history according to Radhanatha Swami:

1) Radhanatha Swami was exposing Kirtanananda as a child molester in 1993

2) In 1997, Janmashtami finds out his step son was molested by Kirtanananda

3) Since Janmashtami's step son was molested, and since Radhanatha Swami was exposing Kirtanananda as a pedophile, therefore:  Janmashtami hates Radhanatha Swami and has a life long mission to destroy him.

Huh?! How does that make sense? It makes sense to the GBC.