ISKCON bans monk for 'derogatory' comments on Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna
Kolkata, Jul 11: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Tuesday said it has "banned" a monk who will go for atonement to the hills and seclude himself, after his comments on Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahansa triggered a controversy.
The monk, Amogh Lila Das, criticised Swami Vivekananda for eating fish, stating that a virtuous person can never harm a living being. He also made sarcastic remarks about Ramakrishna's teaching of "Jato Mat Tato Path" (as many opinion, as many paths), saying that not every path leads to the same destination.
A video clip of Das's comment went viral on social media, triggering a storm.
Sharing the clip, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh, 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."
In a statement, ISKCON said the views expressed by Das are not representative of its values and teachings.
"We condemn any form of disrespect and intolerance towards other religious beliefs and practices," it said.
It also said the "derogatory remarks" shows a lack of awareness in Das about the diversity of spiritual paths and personal choices.
"Taking view of this serious mistake committed by him, ISKCON has decided to ban him for 1 month. We have communicated our decision to him. Amogh Lila Das has begged for the forgiveness for his comments, and he is realizing that what a great disservice he has done," the statement said.
"He has taken a vow to go on 'prayaschit' (atonement) for 1 month in the hills of Govardhan and will completely seclude himself from the public life with immediate effect," it added.
ইস্কন আমাদের প্রিয়। কিন্তু তার এই বাচালের অসভ্যতা বন্ধ করুন তাঁরা। রামকৃষ্ণ, বিবেকানন্দকে অপমান করে এসব কথা বললে বরদাস্ত করা হবে না। অবিলম্বে এই তথাকথিত সন্ন্যাসীর বিরুদ্ধে ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হোক। https://t.co/6eO9rRJVms
— Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) July 11, 2023
শ্রীরামকৃষ্ণ ও স্বামী বিবেকানন্দকে অপমান করার জন্য অমোঘ লীলা দাসকে শাস্তি দিল ইস্কন। তাঁকে প্রায়শ্চিত্তের জন্য গিরি গোবর্ধনে নির্বাসনে পাঠানো হচ্ছে। pic.twitter.com/KSbc2ETSNw
— Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) July 11, 2023
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Kerala court grants pre-arrest bail to actor-MLA Mukesh in alleged rape case
Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala district sessions court in Ernakulam has granted pre-arrest bail to Malayalam actor and CPI(M) legislator M Mukesh in a case of alleged rape. The court observed that the complainant had not initially mentioned forced sexual intercourse in her first statement and made this allegation only after the initial bail plea hearing.
The case against Mukesh emerged following the release of the Hema Committee report, which exposed widespread sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry. The court noted that the complainant, who is a law graduate, had sought financial assistance from Mukesh on two occasions, which led the judge to distinguish between rape and consensual sex. The complainant had alleged that Mukesh raped her in 2010 after promising her membership in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).
The court also granted pre-arrest bail to Edavela Babu, a former general secretary of AMMA, who was also named in the case. The opposition has been demanding Mukesh’s resignation following these developments.
