The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has taken disciplinary action against one of its prominent monks, Amogh Lila Das, for making inappropriate comments about revered spiritual figures Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramhans.
The controversial remarks made during one of his motivational speeches on social media have sparked a heated debate, prompting ISKCON to issue a statement and impose a month-long ban on the monk.
Who is Amogh Lila Das?
43-year-old Amogh Lila Das, born Ashish Arora in Lucknow, is a well-known spiritual activist, lifestyle coach, and motivational speaker, who has been associated with ISKCON for 12 years. He is a youth counselor and corporate advisor, according to hi Twitter profile and is also the Vice President of the ISKCON temple in Dwarka.
A software engineer by profession, Amogh Lila Das turned to spirituality at 29 after a stint at a US-based multinational corporation. He made the decision to embrace a celibate lifestyle and joined ISKCON. He lives in New Delhi and is a well-known personality of ISKCON and on social media.
What is the controversy?
During a recent speech, Amogh Lila Das raised questions about Swami Vivekananda's consumption of fish, suggesting that a virtuous person would refrain from consuming anything that harms animals.
Addressing a crowd, he provocatively asked, "Will a virtuous man ever eat fish? A fish also feels pain, right? Will a virtuous man eat fish then?" He also took a dig at Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda’s guru and a well-revered spiritual figure.
The punishment
The comments blew up on social media, and many criticised the monk's insensitivity towards the spiritual leaders. In response to the mounting controversy, ISKCON issued a statement expressing its deep concern over Amogh Lila Das's "inappropriate and unacceptable comments" and his apparent lack of understanding of the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramhans.
ISKCON's statement further revealed that Amogh Lila Das had expressed remorse for his remarks and had undertaken a vow of atonement, known as "prayaschit," in the hills of Govardhan for a month. The organization emphasized that he would be completely secluded from public life during this period.
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