ISKCON bans monk for criticizing Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a leading Hindu religious organization, banned monk Amogh Lila Das for a month for his alleged "derogatory comments" about Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahansa. ISKCON claimed Das realized his mistake and would seclude himself in the hills during the ban period. Das triggered controversy by criticizing Vivekananda for eating fish and making sarcastic remarks about Paramahansa's teachings.
'Derogatory remarks' show lack of awareness in Das: ISKCON
On Tuesday, ISKCON issued a statement saying the views expressed by Das are not representative of the organization's values and teachings. It said that the alleged "derogatory remarks" show a lack of awareness in the monk about the diversity of spiritual paths and personal choices. "We condemn any form of disrespect and intolerance towards other religious beliefs and practices," it said.
ISKCON says monk realized his 'disservice,' to seclude himself
ISKCON further said that the monk realized his "disservice" and begged for forgiveness for his comments. Das has allegedly taken a vow to go on prayaschit (atonement) for one month in the hills of Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh, to completely seclude himself from public life.
Full statement by ISKCON shared on Twitter
Das's comments invite sharp reaction from TMC
The controversy erupted on Tuesday after a video clip of Das's comment went viral on social media, inviting sharp reactions. Trinamool Congress's (TMC) General Secretary for West Bengal, Kunal Ghosh, while sharing the video, tweeted, "We revere ISKCON. But they should stop him now. Insulting Ramakrishna and Vivekananda will not be tolerated." "Immediate action should be taken against this so-called monk," he added.
Watch: Das's speech in which he made controversial comments
More about Das
Das is a monk, spiritual activist, and motivational speaker who has been affiliated with ISKCON for 12 years. His actual name is Ashish Arora, and he was born into a Punjabi family in Lucknow. He is presently the vice president of the ISKCON Dwarka chapter. On social media, he has a massive fan base, and his religious and motivational videos frequently go viral online.
