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 during one of his recent ‘pravachans’ (discourses) triggered a controversy.
Amogh Lila Das, 43, is a monk, spiritual activist, lifestyle coach and motivational speaker, who has been associated with ISKCON for 12 years. He currently serves as the vice president of the Dwarka chapter of ISKCON.
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He criticised Swami Vivekananda for eating fish, stating that a virtuous person can never harm a living being. He also made 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, PTI reported.
A video clip of Das’s comment went viral on social media, triggering a storm with many criticising the monk and demanding action against him. ISKCON has banned him from public events for a month and has said that the monk regrets his remarks.
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The ISKCON issued a press release on Tuesday stated, “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.”
“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.