Totalitarianism & Vedic Totalism:
The Difference is Night and Day

January, 2018

by Kailäsa Candra däsa

Initiated Disciple: . . . people often confuse our allegiance to scriptural authority with totalitarianism. One professor told me that, if the Kåñëa consciousness movement ever became powerful, we would probably be intolerant towards all other religions.
Prabhupäda: That means he does not understand us.
Room Conversation, February, 1977 in Bhübaneçvara, India

“There are, and always have been, innumerable doctrines of a grand and sweeping nature which call for peace, disarmament, brotherhood, and harmony, but modern history has not found one which will work. Neither communism, socialism, capitalism, totalitarianism, democracy, nor whatever is really acceptable for the welfare of all.”
Räyäräma das, Back to Godhead, Issue #19, 1968

“And of all plagues with which mankind are cursed,
ecclesiastic tyranny’s the worst.”
Daniel Defoe

Karl Marx observed that, when we deny scriptural evidence of the Absolute Truth, we defy the conception of an Ultimate Owner and Controller. The result is that the highest power, recognized by any genuine system of theism as solely His, appears to be hurled down into the realm of humanity. Its reflection is then hijacked by audacious men, who utilize the perversion of such absolute power for their own warped, corrupt, and selfish purposes. That usually results in totalitarianism, a philosophical concoction by fallible men, or, as Marx chose to call it in The Communist Manifesto, the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Kåñëa conscious devotees are totalists but not totalitarians. Kåñëa conscious devotees believe in Absolute Truth, and they know that it is absolute and present everywhere, despite being covered. There is a gulf of difference between totalism and totalitarianism. There is Absolute Truth, and it is neither irrational nor illogical. Those devoted personalists who live according to it and who preach it are totalists, and they are the best of mankind.

Anti-Vedic authoritarians promote false hopes and innumerable doctrines of a grandiose nature. Their attempt to define Reality is not based upon the Vedic strictures nor the teachings of the God-realized Vaiñëava. As they descend to become totalitarians, they do whatever they consider necessary to eradicate the influence of dissidents, and this quickly leads to atrocities. Totalitarians will torture and murder anyone in order to implement their program by force. It is the ends justifies the means mentality by which they rationalize their inhumanity. Suppressing any evidence that exposes them, they will do what they consider the needful in order to erase the influence of fact, truth, and logic from your being and thus they steer everyone they can into a state of never-ending fear, suspicion, and mistrust, impugning the character of anyone who dares to criticize and resist their flawed version of Reality.

All emphases added for your edification and realization.

In recent centuries of Kali-yuga, the history of the political world proves that quasi-religious deviations, as long as they are only once removed from a genuine and empowered founder, after a long and bitter struggle, will employ totalitarianism via their own desultory version of theocracy. For example, in the first two centuries after Iesus Kristos, early Christians had no political or social standing in Rome. They were persecuted, murdered, and held in contempt by the emperors and virtually all of the Roman citizenry. Anyone who considered them to be some kind of threat, however remote, to the empire was considered a bit of a lunatic himself and mocked for such an anxiety.

How did that work out?

The fabricated, so-called“ISKCON” confederation is a once-removed deviation, and it has an international spread of influence. Rittvik is also a once-removed deviation from the Founder-Äcärya, and, although it is not as widespread as “ISKCON,” if everything breaks right for it (and if it is able to unite its disparate factions), Rittvik could turn out to be just as dangerous. Neo-Mutt, on the other hand, is a twice-removed deviation, and, although it is very dark (but only powerful in limited circles), for all practical purposes it is not a threat as a totalitarian theocracy that could eventually impose world-wide oppression.

“I am the guru of the Americans.”
Conversation with Sumatee Morarji
7-5-72 in London, England

The guru is the antidote to such oppression. America is supposed to be the beacon of freedom, the shining light on the hill, the perpetual bulwark against totalitarianism. Çréla Prabhupäda was meant to be recognized by everyone here as the guru of this country. It will be explored further as we analyze democratic secularism later in this article.

Eliminatio Logica

çré-kåñëa-caitanya-dayä karaha vicära
vicära karite citte päbe camatkära

“By applying logic to the mercy of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, you will receive within your heart a strikingly wonderful experience.”
Caitanya-caritämåta, Ädi, 8.15

“I have already written to Hayagriva that the instructions which I impart are not dogmas. Our instructions are all based on sufficient logic and philosophy.”
Letter to Brahmänanda, 11-5-67

“ . . . (the) principle which everyone must have (who understands anything that is not a hypothesis) . . . is that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject in the same respect.”
Aristotle, Metaphysics

An interpretation is never accepted as evidence when it is contrary to scripture, even if logic appears to be present in it, i.e., logic and reason always take a back seat to çästra. Still, logic remains helpful and important in understanding the pure science of Vedic and Vaiñëava theism. Prabhupäda’s movement was full of knowledge, logic, and reason, and it was—and is meant to primarily remain–a cultural movement that both promotes and utilizes authorized philosophical deliberation in order to create first-class brähmins:

“After all, Bhagavad-gétä is the sublime cultural knowledge, and, of course, religion is included there, but it is not fanaticism or sentimental religion. It is based on pure science, philosophy, and logic.”
Letter to Indira Gandhi, 11-6-73

In Western occultism, logic is illustrated as a thunderbolt sheering off a capstone from a pyramid, hurling down both a king and his loyal servant from atop the edifice. Religious movements, or political states of any and all variety, are eventually destroyed when their arguments for legitimacy are logically exposed. That enlightenment creates positive cognitive dissonance in its previously bewildered subjects.

The power of oppressive movements or political entities is thus mitigated when their irreconcilable contradictions are logically made self-evident to those previously subjugated by the confusion inherent in those contradictions. Suppressive power incorporated into their edifices is eliminated. Logic helps us to clearly reject fanaticism in the name of religion. Those who had been benefiting from a previously unassailable philosophy underpinning the superstructure, when its capstone is seared off by indisputable logic, are hurled down. That is actually a cause for great celebration.

Prabhupäda’s movement was meant for the intelligent class, deliberative men, in order for them to ascend to the next octave, to convert them into highly intelligent brähmins:

“This movement is meant for intelligent class of men, those who have reason and logic to understand things in a civilized way, and who are open-hearted to receive things as they are.”
Letter to Kirtanänanda, 6-30-68

It was and is not meant for fanatics, seeped as they are in shibboleth, cliche, and corporate buffering, aided and abetted by blind loyalty to institutional gurus. Reason and logic was and is meant to play an important part in his movement, because deliberative brähmins of discrimination cannot be without strong development in intellectual assets. Civilization itself—true civilization and culture, that is—must be underpinned by a logic and reason that fully accords with Vedic and Vaiñëava teachings.

Kåñëa consciousness possesses an inexhaustible treasure-house of philosophy, logic and science, and these are required in order to convince pious people about the legitimacy of Vedic theism. Propagation of these assets is very much dependent upon independent brähmins, those who never kow-tow to deviated institutional powers. Such illegitimate powers are themselves self-appointed to the capstone of their own pyramid scheme.

Kåñëa consciousness is the perfection of totalism; indeed, ultimately there is no such thing as totalism if it does not culminate in Kåñëa consciousness:

“Kåñëa consciousness is perfect, so it can be substantiated by all means of argument and logic.”
Letter to Bhakta Don, 12-1-73

The best defense is a great offense, and the greatest offense can only be the perfect one. In other words, totalitarianism will be completely destroyed when totalism—totalism in the true Vedic sense of the term—is recognized by enough people and thus ready to replace it. Prabhupäda brought us that perfection of totalism, and all of his devotees are dedicated to replacing each and every form of totalitarianism—especially the totalitarianism that now reigns throughout “ISKCON”– with the Absolute Truth of perfect Kåñëa consciousness. Logic is integrally involved in this fight against totalitarian darkness.

“ISKCON” cannot be bona fide and bogus at the same time, i.e., it cannot have the attribute of legitimacy in its formulation and formation if these were underpinned by that which was not authorized by His Divine Grace. Such has been and remains the case, and it is incumbent upon all of us to realize that. It is time to confront the illogical and unethical foundation of the fabricated, so-called “ISKCON” confederation, sheer off its capstone, expose and reject its power node (the vitiated G.B.C.), and hurl all of its oppressors down from their pedestals.

Vedänta-sütra is there to help us in this, and it is called nyäya-prasthäna for a reason. Become a powerful brähmin yourself, and then do what you are called upon to do—which, for some time now, you surely have known that you must do.

“ . . . brahma-sütra-padaiç caiva hetumadbhir viniçcitaiù: ‘Understanding of the ultimate goal of life is ascertained in the Brahma-sütra by legitimate logic and argument concerning cause and effect.’ Therefore, the Vedänta-sütra is known as nyäya-prasthäna. . . All scientific knowledge of transcendence must be supported by çruti, småti and a sound logical basis.”
Caitanya-caritämåta, Ädi Lélä, 7.106, purport

Tyranny, Interrupted

Initiated Disciple: America’s founding fathers didn’t like classes, because they’d had such bad experience with them. Before the revolution, Americans had been ruled by monarchs, but the monarchs would always become tyrannical and unjust.
Çréla Prabhupäda: Because they weren’t trained to be saintly monarchs.
Science of Self-Realization, “Declaring Our Dependence Upon God”

“We have to defeat tyranny in the realm of thought and create a will for world peace.”
Back to Godhead, Volume III, Part One, March, 1956

“A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and faithful . . . From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved. The reply is that one ought to be both feared and loved, but, as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved . . .”
Niccoló Machiavelli, The Prince

Totalitarianism and tyranny go well together. Often, they become inseparable, although totalitarianism is the philosophical underpinning of its tyrannical implementation, i.e., in and of itself, totalitarianism is not a description of domination and control methods.

Ecclesiastic tyrannies are not maintained by fortune, ability, or even talent; they are sustained primarily by their own accepted tradition. They are easier to defend than tyrannies of a civic nature, since the subjects under either a personality cult or an oligarchical tyranny do not resent their bondage. By the very nature of a pseudo-religious tradition that has been inculcated into, and imposed by, its governing system–even when it is a somewhat recent creation–the operation is considered sacrosanct by all of its devoted followers. Even when concocted and unprecedented, it is believed to have been established by the Supreme Being and upheld and maintained by Him.

These are components of virtually all organized religions, of course. As far as the fabricated, so-called “ISKCON” confederation is concerned, its oligarchical tyranny is subtly imposed as a war against deliberation, or, as one of my godbrothers once observed, it is a “no-think cult.” You are called “over-intelligent” if you ponder doubtful aspects of “ISKCON” practice, hierarchy, management, or history, especially if you do not accept the institutional pabulum that it dishes out in order to explain its inconsistencies or “apparent contradictions,” what to speak of its bald-faced lies.

It has its own recent but classic way of doing things; how it interprets its history is part of that. Its misinterpretation, which ultimately is nothing more than an institutional rationalization for protection of vested interests, always is designed to put everything pertaining to it in a favorable light in the here and now. Where is the problem?

The past is the problem, because the ecclesiological tyranny, first imposed by the eleven pretender mahäbhägavats, continues on for a variety of reasons. A few of them are still in good standing, of course, and thus allowed to initiate. All of the current institutional gurus are connected to the chain of that 1978 disciplic succession. It began with the zonal äcäryas, and that is a big problem, one which is not to be deliberated upon by the tyranny of thought which permeates “ISKCON.” Its brain police admonish all: “Don’t criticize.”

Of course, it is conveniently forgotten that critical thinking was integral to the spread of the Hare Kåñëa movement in its early days when things were bona fide. Fine discrimination in activity with good memory means discrimination, which has gotten a bad reputation since the Sixties—and for little reason other than to protect a dark-skinned race for preferential treatment. “ISKCON” does the same thing, but for a different purpose. Tyranny of thought will matriculate into totalitarianism once the chance for it to do so is presented by material destiny, a fate waiting in the wings simply for the right time. Communication, however, has exponentially expanded in the last few decades, and the INTERNET has thrown a wrench into the works as far as “ISKCON” is concerned.

If you are determined to find out its flaws—flaws that are big, consequential, and foreboding—you are now able to do so. That revelation is interrupting what should otherwise be its linear development toward totalitarianism, but rust never sleeps. Communication will be greatly restricted, as it is now in many authoritarian or totalitarian countries, if the “ISKCON” crypto-brähmincals are able to worm their way into a power position behind the throne. Honest devotees can interrupt that momentum at this time, and we are doing so. None of us are interested in merely delaying it, however, since destroying it is far more laudable.

Questions and Answers

“ISKCON” has been under attack for some time now, but, with few exceptions, it does not make specific and significant counter-propaganda against its critics. Why is this?

There are two chief reasons why its scribes (mostly) do not do so. First of all, if they made such propaganda, it would only have a truncated effect for a limited time. Their counter-propaganda would have to be at least as logical, strong, and effective as the withering criticism they choose to counter-attack. If so, that would open Pandora’s Box: Their own people would be forced to deliberate and ponder the subjects thus brought to light.

Any “ISKCON” defense of the indefensible would thus be revealed in due course, particularly if its apologists take on devotees who are expert and/or empowered to expose them via the written or spoken word. “ISKCON” leaders prefer to preach to the choir within their own echo chamber, wherein they have more or less complete control. The capstone atop their pyramid has not yet been sheered, as the thunderbolt still has not come down. They do not want to hasten that as the rolling thunder moves their way.

Secondly, they are past masters at the power of diversion. As they are fully in the service of the Universal Regulatrix, how could it be otherwise? Most of them are well-aware of the really contentious issues that will never go away, but they cover and divert and steer all of that into their own contrived crises. Such a tempest in a teapot really does not hurt or overtake them, because there’s not a dime’s worth of difference in such meaningless polarities.

Those absorb the mass consciousness of their flock. The root issues are entirely ignored by this tactic, conveniently forgotten, and replaced by an institutional controversy of the moment. Each one of these controversies is considered integral to the institution’s very survival, although it is merely a diversion and is no threat whatsoever. On the contrary, it serves a very effective and covert purpose by making itself the banner issue that just must be resolved. Noam Chomsky succinctly described the tactic:

“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”

Don’t we need warriors to stop the totalitarianism that “ISKCON” mis-leaders are moving toward? Are brähmins making propaganda against them enough to ultimately stop them?

That the initial deviations were strong-armed into the movement via intimidation and thuggery—at least, to some extent—is beyond dispute. However, most of the eleven mahäbhägavats were brähmins by nature–fallen brähmins, that is. Technically, they all were brähmins, of course, because they were all initiated as brähmins. Nevertheless, most of them were also sannyäsés. Only one of them had the nature of warrior according to his essence, but even he was quite brähminical and usually did not exhibit his warrior tendencies.

That all of them possessed a substantial measure of éçvara-bhäva is without question, but, when it came right down to it, they were not really fighters on the physical plane. They were instead aggressive, psychological manipulators, but not princes or warriors in the true sense of the term. Their movement, the fabricated, so-called “ISKCON,” was not created through warrior action per se, but it was instead established via a quasi-brähminical form of warped and dishonest persuasion, rooted in falsehood.

In other words, those men were experts at various forms of black ops: Lies, mudslinging, character assassination, misinformation, disinformation, cognitive dissonance, brain-washing, love-bombing, censorship (including censorship by omission), and the pretense of authorization and brähminical power. As such, since it was implemented by these quasi-brähminical and pseudo-brähminical means, it can be brought down in much the same way, but by genuine brähmincal means.

Diabolical, Deviant, Dead

“Die means spiritual death. No spiritual idea. Otherwise, we have no death, nitya, but spiritual death is there.”
Room Conversation, 8-8-76 in Teheran, Iran

“Who does not deviate from the instruction of the Lord, he is Äryan. All others, non-Äryan. The Äryans will take the words of God as it is, without any deviation. That is Äryan. An Äryan means advanced, advanced in knowledge, and one who is advanced in knowledge, he is advanced civilized. Rascal fools, how they can be civilized?”
Morning Walk, 9-4-75 in Våndävan, India

“But what’s confusing you is just the nature of my game.”
The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”

It is incumbent upon us all to learn the difference between time, place, and circumstance adjustments—temporary arrangements for difficult situations (as well as for devotees new to bhakti-yoga and the Vaiñëava teachings)—as opposed to deviation from the philosophy and the process handed down by the Äcärya. Prabhupäda made some adjustments, granted, as well as some experiments. The G.B.C. was an experiment that failed, for example. However, he did not change the Vaiñëava standard in any way, and he certainly did not meddle with the philosophy, the Vedänta.

Deviation means change, and ultimately that is rooted in a diabolical mentality. That mindset is able to be passed off today, in post-modern so-called civilization, as the real thing due to confusion. A great many Westerners, virtually the totality of them, are very bewildered as to what constitutes spiritual life and devotional life, which must be based on çästra as well as a great deal of applied philosophy–real philosophy, Vedänta philosophy.

Of the six Vedic philosophies that have both some kind of çästric and Äryan tradition underlying them—Säìkhya, Yoga, Nyäya, Vaiçeñika, Mémäàsä and Vedänta—only Vedänta is free of error. The spiritual master represents Vedänta only. That philosophical standard is strict, and even a slight deviation from it–and from what is explained and purported by the Acärya–can and will create havoc. This havoc is what we are experiencing after what has gone down in the name of the Hare Kåñëa movement over the last forty years.

Each of the above-mentioned Äryan schools are conducive to civilized life, and, in and of themselves, are certainly not diabolical. Of course, it is an open question how many of them still have a viable and functioning line. Five of them contain intrinsic deviation, however, and those five cannot—at least, not directly or easily–lead to vimukti, the goal of human life. Only Vedänta philosophy can bestow that benediction.

There are also the more deviant Buddhists, Jain and atheist existentialist philosophies, with theories of voidism, nihilism, and materialism. There are many more of these concoctions, but those are just a sample. They all deny the spiritual integrity of the soul, and, as such, are conducive to the breakdown of civilization, leading to anarchy and then tyranny.

A spiritual counterfeit in the form of an apa-sampradäya, posing itself as a Kåñëa movement, “ISKCON” certainly destroys spiritual integrity for the unfortunates who are seduced by it. It does so more effectively than any other deviant school. All authenticity formerly in it has been compromised by the Western adventure (in the name of time, place, and circumstance adjustments), and the Absolute Truth has thus been squeezed out of it.

Those who benefit from it—or in the real thing which it destroyed and hijacked as of March, 1978–may appear to be totalists in their outlook, but they are nothing more than insipid totalitarians in the making. Their apa-sampradäya has now been culturally co-opted by an anachronistic Western-cum-Hindu dumbing down imposition that is socially irrelevant, doctrinally incorrect, and spiritually dead.

Although “ISKCON” is a dying institution, it is still dangerous. Rittvik has been gaining momentum on the mother ship in recent days. Both of these apa-sampradäyas—one an imitation school and the other a wrong school—appear to be Prabhupäda-centered but, in actuality, they have both hijacked his original message and movement. Once you get past the superficialities, there is a diabolical underpinning to all of that.

These deviations from the order of the Äcärya are all integral to the universal jaòa, and none of their leaders or adherents is anywhere close to being free from contaminated consciousness. These two deviated schools, along with Neo-Mutt, simply embellish the general confusion present today in human society. They utilize, somewhat indirectly, a secular means for carrying out their “missions,” changing whatever suits them at any time, often by creating new laws. This has forged a situation wherein any hope for the world at large to be guided by Vedic and Vaiñëava teachings is now scattered and lost.

ISKCON” and Rittvik are creating havoc, and they have successfully bewildered many thousands of newcomers to devotional life, who now all face the prospect of losing their initial interest in Kåñëa consciousness and thus becoming spiritually dead. Conducive to a reformation of world civilization (if it had been kept pure), the Vedänta philosophy and process, mercifully bestowed upon us by His Divine Grace Çréla Prabhupäda, is now jeopardized. If unchecked, this will culminate in international totalitarianism.

We must realize the difference between totalitarianism and totalism, as they are as different as night and day. Deviant, pseudo-Vaiñëava sects may project themselves as emblems of the Absolute Truth, as representing totalism, but that projection is as diabolical as it is false. They instead represent the worst form of so-called religion, and, due to polluting the esoteric plane with their deviations, contaminate all circles down-line and outside the esoteric.

This augurs a form of unprecedented totalitarianism, a perverted reflection of what was otherwise meant to be a great benediction. Genuine Vaiñëava totalism is meant to advise and assist in the establishment of a world government that would curtail the diabolical absurdity and pandemonium that now runs amok all over this lonely outpost called planet earth.

Proceed to Part Two