ISKCON Files: Concatenation of Crises | 1972 – Mumbai Land in Jeopardy! | Ch-1—Ep-5

Summary

The episode focuses on ISKCON’s 1972 dispute over the Juhu land in Mumbai. According to the narrator, Srila Prabhupada wanted the land for a temple and personally directed senior disciples Tamal Krishna Goswami and Shyamasundar Prabhu to negotiate with the owner, Mr. Nyer, who was allegedly trying to back out after signing an agreement and accepting advance payment.

Drawing mainly on accounts attributed to Giriraj Swami, the episode says Tamal Krishna and Shyamasundar believed the legal dispute could drag on. They wanted to cancel the agreement, recover the money, and leave Bombay. The narrator says they did so despite Prabhupada’s warning not to cancel. Vishaka Dasi was sent to deliver that instruction, but arrived after the agreement had already been cancelled. Tamal Krishna later reportedly told Prabhupada they had cancelled it because they had found defects in the agreement.

The episode also recounts allegations that the two disciples disparaged Prabhupada’s judgment, describing him as old, stubborn, or senile. A separate recollection attributed to Narayan Vishvakarma Prabhu connects the dispute with Shyamasundar’s interest in investing ISKCON funds in purported ruby mines, an idea Prabhupada reportedly rejected. The narrator says the land was later returned to Mr. Nyer and that Prabhupada had to pay an additional ten lakh rupees to secure it again.

The account describes Prabhupada repeatedly chastising Tamal Krishna in front of supporters over the cancelled agreement. The narrator interprets this not as personal resentment, but as an effort to help the disciple recognize and correct his mistake. The episode also recounts an argument involving Gargamuni and Tamal Krishna, who wanted to leave India to preach in America, while Prabhupada wanted them to stay and work in India.

The narrator presents Prabhupada’s determination to secure the property as devotion to Krishna, not stubbornness or poor judgment. Prabhupada reportedly said Krishna had been on the land and that he could not tolerate the owner’s attempt to remove Him. The episode closes by previewing further conflicts involving senior disciples in 1973.

Presenters and Contributors

• Presenter: Unidentified narrator
• Contributors whose recollections or accounts are cited: Giriraj Swami, Narayan Vishvakarma Prabhu, Vishaka Dasi, Sutakirti (also rendered “Sutakiri”) Prabhu, and Dravida Prabhu