Concerns about PureBhakti theology, gurukula abuse, and a temple called Bhakti Yoga Lima in Lima, Peru
As an ex Hare Krishan, I recently read PureBhakti’s article “Did Srila Prabhupada Know?”, and it helped me understand something disturbing about how harm can be rationalized inside this movement.
The article discusses whether A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada knew about the abuse that happened in ISKCON gurukulas. Instead of treating the abuse first as an institutional failure, the article explains it through karma, guru theology, and the idea that Prabhupada could not truly be at fault. It even suggests that the suffering of abused children was a reduced karmic reaction because they had come into contact with a pure devotee.
To me, that is extremely disturbing. It creates a religious framework where the guru remains protected, the institution remains protected, and victims’ suffering can be explained away as karma.
Source: PureBhakti – “Did Srila Prabhupada Know?”
This matters to me because I have serious concerns about a temple called Bhakti Yoga Lima, in Lima, Peru, and its broader PureBhakti/Bhakti Yoga environment.
I do not want to disclose my identity publicly because the temple and its network may have influence. But I want people to be aware of allegations involving Madhavi Dasi, associated with Bhakti Yoga Lima, in Lima, Peru.
According to what I learned, Madhavi Dasi allegedly brought a very young woman named Nandini from a vulnerable situation, possibly a homeless shelter. Nandini was reportedly around 16 or 17, or at least not older than 18. Madhavi Dasi, who was around 50 or older, allegedly entered into a sexual and romantic relationship with her inside the temple environment.
If accurate, this would not be a normal relationship between equals. It would involve a major power imbalance: an older temple leader, a vulnerable young person, spiritual authority, possible dependence on housing/community, and a religious environment where obedience, surrender, and guru authority are heavily emphasized.
I was also told that after the relationship deteriorated, Nandini was allegedly emotionally mistreated, abandoned, and later expelled or pushed away from the temple. I was told that Sripad Bhaktivedanta Damodara Maharaja allegedly justified her removal by saying something like it was “not her karma” to stay.
That kind of language deeply worries me because it resembles the same pattern I saw in the PureBhakti article: harm is not confronted directly; it is spiritualized. Instead of accountability, people are given explanations involving karma, spiritual destiny, or guru authority.
I am not presenting this as a court judgment. I am asking for attention, documentation, and investigation from people who understand cult dynamics, spiritual abuse, grooming, power imbalance, and institutional cover-ups.
For context, some members of this broader network are connected with Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir, in the Seva Kunja area of Vrindavan, India.
Please do not harass anyone. Please do not threaten anyone. But if you have relevant information, screenshots, testimony, public records, archived pages, or knowledge of similar cases, please document it carefully and share it with people who can investigate responsibly.
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If this resonates with you, or if you have information about similar experiences, please consider coming forward with a formal complaint or testimony. Even a carefully documented report can help protect vulnerable people and prevent this kind of abuse from being hidden behind spiritual language.