“Their immeasurable pride and audacity was not merely megalomania . All eleven of these men were absorbed in the delusion of self-apotheosis.”
In the spring of 1978 the great movement meant for the rejuvenation of pure spiritual life and realization amongst all of those who joined it was transformed into something else .
What was that something else? It was disconnected from the sampradaya (parampara) at that time with the eleven pretender mahabhagavats–and especially the Party Men who helped to implement the scheme at the pragmatic level–were key players in this initial transformation or change.
This imposition of eleven powerful men as “mahabhagavats”–all of whom were loaded with personal and institutional anarthas–was a scheme that appeared unbeatable at first. They all had their own zones of influence. Had they stayed in their turfs and not criticized one another-if they had also not attempted so many outrages-then the concoction might have lasted longer than the eight or nine years it dominated everything and everyone.
However, when conditioned souls, loaded with anarthas, imitate guru–and particularly when they imitate the actual self-realized soul–their destruction is arranged for by the demigods. This is, in part, because they are imitating the demigods. The immeasurable pride and audacity of the eleven pretender mahabhagavats was not merely the megalomania of some powerful leader of a nation-state. No. All eleven of these men were absorbed in the delusion of self-apotheosis.
They were all absorbed in the material mind. They were absorbed in their lusts and desires (kama-sankalpa), thinking these desires to be absolute. They were all absorbed in anger and hatred against anyone who criticized or thwarted them in any way. They were all very insane, but, due to having performed some buddhi-yoga in years past, they were still (generally) shrewd in their insanity. They were completely intoxicated by their great power over others, by the women who danced for them in front of their so-called vyasasans, and by the buzz they received on a daily and hourly basis as objects of worship by hundreds of dedicated fools and fanatics.
They were regularly subjected to the fear of their scheme being exposed, especially by knowledgeable godbrothers who could see the faultlines in this unauthorized arrangement. They were very greedy for more and more disciples, more and more power, more and more money (“laxmi”), more and more fame and influence, and more and more “knowledge” of ways to better pull the whole thing off.
In short, all eleven of these men were full-blown sahajiyas.
The very best thing is the Sampradaya Acharya, the mahabhagavat absorbed in love of Godhead. When the very best thing is perverted and imitated, it quickly degenerates into the very worst thing; this is a universal principle. Each of the eleven pretender mahabhagavats warped into a terrible caricature of siddha-purusa. They were all pseudo gurus, and, in this monstrosity, their anarthas were supposed to be absolute and praiseworthy.
So, instead of eleven somewhat advanced and learned devotees keeping their original initiated names, almost all of them adopted other names, usually ending in “pada.” This was a blatant and ultimately laughable imitation of Prabhu-pada.
They were the great cheaters, and everyone who followed them and actually believed that they were God-realized lovers of Truth constituted the cheated. The “ISKCON” movement devolved into the newest Society of the Cheaters and the Cheated, and, appropriately, they were all called “new gurus.”