On the 22nd of May, a bleak anniversary will come around again – it will have been 36 years since Hare Krishna devotee and dissenter Steven Bryant was murdered in cold blood, as he prepared to go to sleep in his van. His murder had been plotted for months by a handful of “saintly figures” at New Vrindaban, the famous temple once led by Keith Ham, aka Kirtanananda Swami, now relegated to history as a prolific paedophile.

After having his children removed from him at gunpoint by Keith Ham’s enforcers and returned to the cult, where his wife was determined to remain, Steven Bryant began a public campaign against Keith Ham, given all he had witnessed in that “holy establishment” (including beatings and intimidation). Initially, he truly believed that by shedding light on one corrupt corner of ISKON, the higher establishment would take note immediately. He was hopeful and naive, believing in the overall sincerity and fairness of the institution.

His perseverance paid off, as ultimately, he obtained documents pertaining to the cult, which devotees were not meant to ever see. Speaking with other former devotees, he uncovered a vast array of crimes, including child molestation, at the temple where his own children were located. For about a year and a half, living out of his van, he engaged in an unprecedented effort to bring these matters to light, writing and self-publishing the book The Guru Business.

The higher establishment, however, did not give a toss. Even in the local police department, someone had the stupidity of sharing his private writings with the cult while he was in jail, revealing contact details for his associates to those who wanted to kill him.

Ironically, when he was killed, he’d given up on this war he couldn’t win, after having been imprisoned for the threat he supposedly posed to the cult. He had indeed made threats of violence and carried a weapon, but under those conditions, it’s difficult to judge him. He had found a new woman and was about to embark on a whole new life, away from the shadows of this cult. This renunciation, however, came too late to save him, as they had been plotting to kill him for quite some time. His own mother was deceived into revealing his location by someone pretending to be an old friend of his. Such was their sadism.

Steven Bryant’s tale is not only one of extreme courage; it also demonstrates the futility of trying to reform a deeply corrupt religious institution, by going almost single-handedly against its arsenal of fanatics, money, influence and criminals for hire.

In the book Killing for Krishna, Henry Doktorski, a former devotee and resident of New Vrindaban, describes in painstaking detail how this murder was plotted and carried out, some notable participants having left the situation without a criminal charge or a stain on their names. Having obtained access to an almost literal truckload of documents which took a decade to process, Henry Doktorski finally revealed the intricacies of this murder plot.

Through his book and subsequent testimonies such as that of Jyiotirdhama dasa, who had knowledge of the conspirators’ communications in real time, it came to light that Radanath Swami, having instigated the murder by calling Sulochana (Steven Bryant) a demon in need of taking out, had no consequences whatsoever for his part. The fact that he organised the payment for this murder never made enough waves to take him off his pedestal.

Quite the opposite: today, Radanath Swami is worshipped by devotees, seen as a saintly and gentle spirit. Over the years, he is known to have made attempts to silence those who had initially implicated him in the murder; a late PR exercise perhaps. Why have a conscience after all?

A more fortunate tale of resistance in the sect is Puranjana dasa, who along with Sulochana (Steven Bryant), was working to expose and dismantle the corrupt practices of ISKON, and continues to do so to this day, in safer conditions. However, Puranjana, as he recounts, was nearly murdered three times – once by the devotees of Jayatirtha, then by those of Hansadutta, and finally, he was followed by Steven Bryant’s killer, hours away from being killed, had the police not caught up with him. When chased in the street by Hansadutta’s devotees, who had saved him on the previous occasion from Jayatirthas’s mob, he was rescued by the police at the last minute. Although the (very tempered and gentle) sarcasm Puranjana speaks with today when describing these events does not evoke hatred, what he describes should scare the breeches off any prospective member of ISKON.

Puranjana later took ISKON to court, as a class action lawsuit by the many, many children who had been abused and molested in the cult. They won, much to the dismay of those who thought such things should be swept under the carpet. By reminding people of ISKON’s history and supporting the work of Henry Doktorski, he remains a pain in their proverbial backsides, which it’s easy to understand is a role he took on a long time ago, for life. Although still faithful to the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, and thus still a Hare Krishna devotee, he did issue an opinion on the possibility of ISKON ever being reformed (a very slim one).

The leadership, so far removed from individual devotees, is believed to be benign

Big mistake. I could end it right here.

The old proverb, the fish starts stinking from the head, is applicable here. If corruption and abuse are rampant in any establishment, there is absolutely no way they aren’t at least permitted by the leadership.

For some devotees it takes years for this to sink in. It’s reminiscent of an old story of a Jewish person during the early stages of persecution in the 1930s, shouting “Wait until Mr Hitler hears about this”. For people who act in good conscience, it’s almost unimaginable that someone in a high position could get there without prerequisites such as basic moral values or adherence to the principles they claim to espouse.

Anyone who dedicates a significant portion of their time to a cause wants to keep believing in its legitimacy, despite repeated proof to the contrary. They want to believe that at least those at the top, should they be informed enough, care about the accuracy of what they are publicly portraying.

Just as state leaders and the political class have completely different standards of behaviour for themselves, while reprimanding the population for any transgression, religious institutions or cults regularly take a leak on their so-called sacred principles.

Too many people are complicit after corruption takes hold

Admitting a major problem in a religious institution comes at a price: it often involves admitting having had knowledge of it for quite some time, failing to take any action. Of course, in many cases corruption is present from the beginning, when groups are founded on greed and narcissism.

Jumping ship when things implode, feigning ignorance, is much easier than acknowledging having turned a blind eye in order to keep enjoying the benefits of one’s position.

It’s also easier for those involved to wait until their final years to publicly confess that state of affairs, in the knowledge that repercussions are no longer possible. Take Hansadutta Swami for example, who candidly admitted in an interview that the guru status he held, along with other imposters (all involved in major criminal activity for decades) was unfounded to begin with. Admitting this may seem honourable on someone’s part, except it’s too little too late, after having benefited from such a fraud for years, with no pangs of conscience.

Hoards of idiots (with nothing to gain) continue to pressure others into silence

This is actually exasperating, and it’s ubiquitous whenever a move is made to expose corruption in a religious institution. Instead of worrying about the abuse suffered by their fellow devotees, minions rush to silence those speaking out, with righteous indignation. They typically say the following:

You are damaging the reputation of our faith, alienating other members.

You are dissuading others from joining and finding salvation.

These (corrupt) leaders have done so much to glorify God; what have you done?

You are committing offences against God by causing a disturbance.

You are giving ammunition to the the enemies of God.

They are willing to cover anything up in order to maintain the good name the group does not deserve, refusing to consider that said corrupt leaders would squash them (and anyone else) like flies if needed, in spite of their gatekeeping and adoration. It doesn’t matter if evidence of that corruption is indisputable (for instance, it comes out in court).

Somehow, they seem to think that having done so much good towards glorifying God (by expanding a movement), murderers and paedophiles must simultaneously be good people, worthy of being obeyed and protected. Let’s say there were a God – corrupt leaders don’t need any help committing offences against him.

As to the enemies of God (many refer to atheists as such), even for devotees, the truth should be the truth – if those so-called enemies speak the truth, where is the moral high ground in denying it? In other words, what is the point in considering themselves spiritually superior?