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A number of conclusions have been reached from the forensic tests on Srila Prabhupada’s saved hair samples and from the available body of scientific literatures and studies. (1) Average normal cadmium level in human hair is 0.064 ppm. Srila Prabhupada’s 15.73 ppm cadmium average in 3 tests is 250 X normal.  (2) Even those who had serious environmental or occupational exposure to cadmium only averaged 0.387 ppm cadmium. Srila Prabhupada had 40 X more than those who were accidently poisoned.  (3) Srila Prabhupada had 4 X more cadmium in his hair than in the worst USA cadmium-polluted waste dump.  (4) Srila Prabhupada’s sky-high cadmium levels are lethal over a short period of time. Somehow Srila Prabhupada survived these levels for at least 10 months.  (5) Cadmium aggravates, causes, and accelerates diabetes and kidney disease, which is what ISKCON’s GBC claims was Srila Prabhupada’s natural cause of death, an explanation which ignores the lethal cadmium levels.  (6) Srila Prabhupada had at least 12 physical symptoms unique to cadmium poisoning which are NOT found in diabetes or kidney disease, as well as 10 different physical symptoms which are not found in diabetes or kidney disease.  (7) Srila Prabhupada’s medical history for 1977 totally matches the outcome of a chronic, serious cadmium poisoning, with fatigue, no digestion or taste, physical wasting, anorexia, excessive constant mucus/ colds/ rhinitis/ conjunctivitis/ heavy cough.  (8) There were no medical tests, or memories of tests, including at the London hospital where Srila Prabhupada went Sept. 8, 1977, to specify any diabetes or kidney disease that Srila Prabhupada may have had. The ISKCON GBC’s claims in this regard are unsubstantiated by any known medical tests. Both his personal servants, Hari Sauri and Sruti Kirti, have stated they never had any indication of either diabetes or kidney disease from 1972 to 1977.  (9) The primary poison was cadmium, with arsenic and antimony being secondary.  (10) These levels of average 15.73 ppm cadmium in hair could only come about by a deliberate, malicious, homicidal poisoning through food or drink, via cadmium salts which are water soluble, tasteless, colorless, and look like sugar.  (11) The arsenic water crisis in Bengal began in the early 1980’s when new deep bore wells were dug. Srila Prabhupada’s elevated arsenic thus could not come from water wells that were not yet existing, neither would arsenic tainted water explain the cadmium. 

One of the first skeptical responses to a finding of high levels of heavy metals in a hair test is: “Maybe it is due to external contamination.” At first, the GBC organized their own hair test analyses to disprove there was a poisoning. Then, when the 1998 and 2002-05 hair test results from MURR-Dr. J Stephen Morris verified a lethal poisoning, they and various of their apologists made much propaganda to deny these results. Cherry-picking selected studies and misrepresenting their meaning, the GBC has denounced the science of hair analysis as invalid and inaccurate, and they have twisted the meaning of a few studies to favor a devious agenda.   Also, the GBC has raised ingenuous speculations meant to cause doubts by questioning: Whether the cadmium in Srila Prabhupada’s hair had come from the internal blood deposition process, called endogenous deposition, or  Whether it originated from external sources, called exogenous contamination.  This question revolves around whether the poison was bound into the hair from the blood at the growing hair root, or the hair adsorbing external poison through its overall exposed surface area. To establish a poisoning where the poison was internally ingested, the poison in the hair being tested should reliably be found to have endogenous or internal sources. Of course, the GBC has completely failed to suggest any logical, viable manner (other than homicidal poisoning) by which external contamination or inadvertent internal ingestion could produce Srila Prabhupada’s lethal levels. They only say, maybe this, maybe that, just to cast doubts. The standard approach to reasonably exclude possible external contamination is to avoid chemical “washing” of hair samples, to examine them under high-powered microscopes, and to know the history of the person, whether they used chemical, shampoos, creams, dyes, etc- and Srila Prabhupada did not use any of these items. Further, if a consumer product has ever produced lethal cadmium levels in anyone, say, from mustard seeds, ceramic dishware, swimming in the Yamuna, use of Ayurvedic medicines, then there would be many victims, not just Srila Prabhupada. But this obvious logic is lost on the crooked-minded deniers of the facts. Sample washing can have very serious effects in the compromising of results and was of limited value anyway, as explained by Dr. Morris at MURR, so he decided not to wash Samples A and D before testing them in 2002. By powerful microscopic examination of these hair samples which revealed lethal levels of cadmium, he did not find any significant, visible external debris or contamination. The samples had no external evidence of oils, chemicals, or other material. Also, he quoted scientific hair analysis studies that hair very close to the scalp, as these samples were (the first half inch), was least likely to be externally contaminated. Another study on the validity of hair mineral testing found that much of the result variances was due to the washing used by many labs (in their faulty attempts to address external contamination issues).  Sometimes a scientific reference may appear to say that hair analysis does not actually show if there is poisoning in the body, or that there is a poor correlation from hair values to body burden. E.g., from the CDC (US Center for Disease Control) website, about cadmium in hair: “Studies of exposed workers have not found a quantitative relationship between hair cadmium levels and body burden. Because of the potential for sample contamination, hair levels are not reliable either as predictors of toxicity or as indicators of occupational exposure.”  In reply, we refer to a graph showing the sky-high cadmium levels in Srila Prabhupada’s hair, illustrating the vast difference between the average exposed industrial worker with about 0.387 ppm cadmium and Srila Prabhupada’s average 15.73 ppm, which is 40 times greater!   CADMIUM LEVELS: Comparison showing Cadmium from 0 to 16 ppm. Srila Prabhupada: 15.75 ppm (250 X normal) Worst USA waste dump: 4 ppm (60 X normal) Highest ever value at Analytical Research Labs: 2 ppm (30 X normal) Dr. Hudson: “hefty load”: 1 ppm (15 X normal) Average Exposed Industrial Worker: 0.387 ppm (6 X normal) Average Normal Unexposed Person: 0.065 ppm  (same as Srila Prabhupada’s pre-poisoning hair sample values)   The CDC’s concern is over potential external hair contamination that will give a false positive. But Dr. Morris at MURR knew well about the pitfalls of doing hair tests in the wrong ways that would give misleading results. He microscopically examined the GBC’s hair samples that he tested and found no signs of external contamination. Dr. Morris and thousands of other scientists worldwide DO use hair analysis as a reliable and standard procedure to derive accurate and useful results. This means that hair DOES indicate the body burden of various elements and compounds, except perhaps at very low levels, but this was not the case in Srila Prabhupada’s ultra-high test results.  Dr. Morris did not run a commercial outfit that fed hundreds of cookie-cutter  tests daily through an automated process, as is done by many online hair testing companies. He took time to properly prepare EACH test uniquely, with its own set of fine-tuned parameters and settings of MURR’s nuclear testing equipment. Although one must be cautious about misleading results due to external contamination, as may be obtained by private, commercial, and high-production labs, this in no way invalidates the science of hair analysis as a whole. Otherwise, why are scientists and researchers all over the world relying on and using hair mineral tests?  Why would Dr. Morris’ MURR facility be funded with tens of millions of dollars over four decades if their hair tests were meaningless? The fact is that hair analysis, especially by neutron activation analysis (NAA), is a very accurate and valid scientific method to determine the body burden of poisons such as the heavy metals. Whatever is in the blood will be deposited into the growing hair at the same concentration level. The fact is that “buyer beware” applies to those who will test hair- they must find a reputable party who

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami singlehandedly began, organized, nourished, and built up the worldwide Hare Krishna movement from a 1965 beginning in New York’s Lower East Side. Through his society, named ISKCON, in 12 short years, he initiated 5000 disciples, opened 108 temples, published 80 books of Vedic scriptures and philosophy, and distributed 60 million of pieces of literature in dozens of languages across the globe. His health 80 years of age was very good and his vigor and strength was far beyond that of his much younger students. He slept a few hours a day and maintained a challenging schedule of exercise, study, writing, teaching, management, and counseling. Srila Prabhupada had very good health with only minor medical problems. In July 1976, he suddenly became very ill and weak, with weakness and no appetite. Thereafter his health declined relentlessly in stages. In Feb. 1977 his health again sharply declined, marked by chronic mucus and bronchitis. No doctor (out of many kavirajas and allopathic doctors) could pinpoint the actual problem, as their diagnosis suggestions ranged across the board, from diabetes to kidneys, from nothing was wrong to perhaps asthma. No doctor was engaged for long or allowed to do proper medical tests or x-rays, and his belated death certificate incongruously listed heart attack as the causeof death. After 10 months of hardly eating, Srila Prabhupada’s physical condition resembled starvation, yet his Krishna consciousness never wavered. It was a mystery illness. A series of whisperings by Srila Prabhupada’s caretakers about poison was discovered on tape recordings made in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters during his last days. That was sobering enough, but when conversations a day earlier than these “poison” whispers were stumbled upon, which hardly anyone had seen before, where Srila Prabhupada said repeatedly he thought he had been poisoned, and his caretakers discussed homicidal poisoning at length, the dots were connected. Many suspected Tamal Krishna Goswami of foul play, especially after an audio tape interview surfaced of him claiming Srila Prabhupada asked for “medicine to die now.” The GBC leadership of ISKCON was compelled to appoint an investigator and undertake an internal inquiry. Hopes were high that the truth of the matter would be revealed. A year later, little had been done, so some devotees decided to investigate on their own. Balavanta, the GBC investigator, was ill-funded and a busy attorney, and after 30 long months he made an inconclusive, initial report recommending further investigation. Meanwhile, the poison whisperers and primary suspects secretly organized and funded their own whitewash report with obvious lies, deceit, and fraud. ISKCON hastily endorsed this cover-up and claimed there was no evidence of poisoning. Move along folks, nothing to see here… The “poison whispers” were forensically tested by many top audio labs, and confirmed to be about poisoning. The GBC denied there had been a poisoning and the suspects organized a sham GBC book of poisoning denials. But the private, external investigation by honest devotees continued. A struggle to conduct a full, honest, and unbiased investigation into this matter was undertaken by a significant spectrum of persons. Many have contributed to the “private” investigation. A forensic breakthrough occurred by chance in 2002 when Srila Prabhupada hair samples that the GBC themselves had arranged to test (and declined to pay the costs) but abandoned were found to have sky-high levels of the heavy metal cadmium. Further audio forensics, research, interviews, and hair tests added to the growing pool of evidence. There was no doubt about Srila Prabhupada being homicidally, maliciously poisoned in 1977 by his own caretakers and disciples. An updated report was made public on this new evidence in 2017. The “poison issue” is not promoted by a disenfranchised group, nor is it manufactured by those with old grudges to avenge, nor by those with psychological imbalances, or from troublemakers and faultfinders, or emotional, “wounded souls” who are an unpleasant annoyance. ISKCON deceitfully shut out their own honest investigator (Balavanta das), and then, after cooking up a shameful cover-up, they prohibited and penalized any further investigation into Srila Prabhupada’s poisoning. Outside devotees completed the investigation that ISKCON should have done themselves. The resulting evidence stands on its own merits, although it is totally dismissed by ISKCON leadership. The fact of an actual poisoning cannot be honestly denied in the face of the overwhelming evidence. The “poison issue” is extremely relevant to the health and future of the Hare Krishna Movement. Many follow-through questions naturally arise, which is exactly what the misleaders of ISKCON do not want to face, and why they deviously avoid the issue and will not honestly investigate Srila Prabhupada’s poisoning. The evidence was obscured with Not That I Am Poisoned (NTIAP), published by the suspects in Feb. 2000 and endorsed by the GBC. This alone disqualifies them from continued leadership in Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON, as they refuse to focus on the actual evidence, fearing an unraveling of the myths and deviations they have propagated since 1978. Then in 2020 a GBC agent published Deception– a book full of deceit meant to discredit the poison evidence. Ultimately the private investigation outside ISKCON will be continued by secular authorities in pursuit of truth and justice. The debate on the lethality of the arsenic levels found in a 1999 hair test became largely irrelevant due to 2002-05 hair tests revealing shockingly high and lethal cadmium levels. Cadmium was found in similarly elevated levels in three separate forensic analyses of Srila Prabhupada’s hair. These cadmium levels could not be due to accident, pollution, industry, shampoo, medicine, or bad water. It was due to malicious homicidal poisoning by ingestion of contaminated food or drink. Science had found cadmium to be the primary poison, with arsenic secondary. Questions that arise are:(1) Who did it, who benefited, and has ISKCON GBC colluded with, aided-abetted the poisoners?(2) Can these leaders be trusted with what they have done since 1977? -their policies, doctrines, or philosophical interpretations? What serious deviancies have they introduced into ISKCON? Can we allow Srila Prabhupada’s poisoners

Sometimes it is said that the poison issue defames Srila Prabhupada and it is a disservice to him. But the discussion of the facts in Srila Prabhupada’s mysterious departure actually glorifies him and is a defamation of his poisoners. Srila Prabhupada knew he was being poisoned, and yet offered no protest, as seen in the tape-recorded conversations. This unselfish acceptance, without objection, of the betrayal and violence that was inflicted on him is a wonderful display of His Divine Grace’s transcendental glories. This is comparable to the acceptance of crucifixion by Jesus Christ, the unprotested flogging death of Haridas Thakur, and the poisoning of a submissive Prahlad by his demonic father. Just as one would study any other of Srila Prabhupada’s pivotal pastimes, such as his preaching about book distribution, his gurukula, his treatment of women, or his meeting with important guests, so we should also study his disappearance pastime. The pure devotee’s pastimes are all transcendental and glorious, including his departure pastime, although they may evince different emotions. Srila Prabhupada showed the highest example of tolerance and mercy, even in the most trying and difficult circumstances imaginable. He stated several times he was being poisoned and yet he refused to name his poisoners. His only ambition was to deliver the science of pure Krishna consciousness for the benefit of those in Kali Yuga for the next ten thousand years, and he passively accepted his poisoning as a divine arrangement. As Christians are not embarrassed by Christ’s gruesome crucifixion and murder, we should not be embarrassed by Srila Prabhupada’s departure pastime of tolerating a slow, terrible poisoning. This glorifies him as being a compassionate pure devotee coming to this hellish world, being tortured and “put to death” for being merciful to us. Srila Prabhupada told us that Christianity spread all over the world due to the drama of the Christ’s crucifixion. May Srila Prabhupada’s teachings also spread all over the world and may he be worshipped more widely than Lord Jesus Christ. Actually, there is a strong case that Srila Prabhupada is (or is like) the “Second Coming of the Messiah.” Although during Srila Prabhupada’s manifest presence many devotees understood Srila Prabhupada’s highly exalted stature and his indispensable essentiality for success in their spiritual lives, today, decades later, that same “Prabhupada consciousness” has been largely obscured. Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental glories have been covered by imitators exploiting Srila Prabhupada’s mission for their own self-gratification. Many volumes will be written in the future about this history. ISKCON, presumably the destined main branch of the manifest tree of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, must keep Srila Prabhupada, Jagat-Acharya for the Golden Age, always available and worshipped as the shaktavesha avatar of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, the original Jagat Guru. The updated, complete, honest, and unbiased analysis of the scientific evidence that Srila Prabhupada was homicidally poisoned with lethal levels of cadmium in 1977 is now available in a Sept. 2024 forensic report by Truth Labs, four years in the making and commissioned by the Justice for Srila Prabhupada Foundation. We should not be complacent about the physical attack against our spiritual master; his poisoning must be fully investigated and his spiritual mission cleansed of the insidious deviations introduced by his poisoners and their abettors. A mountain of evidence irrefutably confirms Srila Prabhupada endured lethal levels of heavy metals poisoning for at least 10 months in 1977. This was established by a series of NAA forensic hair tests done in 2002-05. ISKCON has denied all the evidence, making a mockery of their “leadership,” because it threatens their regime- the truth is sacrificed for their political expediencies and status quo. In summary, there is the well-known quote from Dresden James (1931-2008): “When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.”

As disciples and followers of Srila Prabhupada, we accept him as our guide to become free from the illusory energy. If he says, “it is a rope, pick it up!” -when we have faith in him, even if our senses scream, “no, it is a snake,” we’ll still follow his instructions and pick it up. Although many audio tapes from Srila Prabhupada’s last months are unexplainably missing, one tape contains a very disturbing conversation. Bedridden in his final days, Srila Prabhupada clearly says (in Bengali) “somebody says that someone has poisoned me. I think it is so.” So, do we believe Srila Prabhupada? If he says that he thought he was being poisoned, should we think that the claim should be investigated further? The ISKCON leadership has refused to honestly investigate Srila Prabhupada's statement, even though their appointed investigator, Balavanta das, advised in 2000 that the matter needed further investigation than his funding allowed. And he suggested several areas that were still not investigated properly. The GBC diplomatically stated that if new evidence came to light, they would investigate further. Well, guess what? New evidence subsequently came to light: forensic proof verified by many experts that Srila Prabhupada’s 1977 hair contained 250 times the normal amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. And, this could only occur if it was a malicious poisoning. These levels far excees any normal exposure, or from working in a highly toxic environment. And the GBC has refused to even acknowledge the new data or conduct any further hair analyses. Devotees should put pressure on ISKCON’s upper management to address this issue with transparency. The leading poison suspects were or are, devotees in Srila Prabhupada’s inner circle, the same ones who, very soon after Srila Prabhupada’s departure, claimed that they had been appointed as pure devotee zonal successor acharyas. Realistically, devotees everywhere should meet together, examine the evidence, and obligate their local leaders to confront the GBC on their ridiculous cover-ups of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance pastimes. In Nov. 1977, Srila Prabhupada said he thought he had been poisoned. His caretakers at the time all acknowledged he meant he was being homicidally poisoned. The taped conversations confirm this, and the caretakers did nothing to follow through. Why? Back then, there was no idea of bad medicine or that the poison issue was a false idea pushed by demented minds. Now, the hair tests and forensically confirmed poison whispers are in hand as well. These evidences back up Srila Prabhupada’s statements- so why do we not believe him?

On tape recorded converstaions in Nov. 1977, Srila Prabhupada himself clearly stated that he thought he was being poisoned, not once, but at least three times. He was asked who told him he waspoisoned, and he answered, “All these friends” and then “They all say.” Then when Tamal asked “Who said that…” – Srila Prabhupada answered, “I do not know, but it is said.” Here is the taped excerpt: Kaviraja: Kaun bolta hai? (Who told that?)Srila Prabhupada: Ye saab friends. (All these friends.)Bhakticharu: Ke boleche Srila Prabhupada? (Who said that Srila Prabhupada?)Srila Prabhupada: Ke boleche. (They all say.)Tamal: Krishna das? (whispers)… (blowing conch)Kaviraja: Aapko kaun poison dega? Aur kisleye dega? (Who would give you poison? And why?)Tamal: Who said that, Srila Prabhupada?Srila Prabhupada: I do not know, but it is said.Devotee whispers: (indistinct) …it’s Poison. So, who were “all these friends”? And who were “they”? All these friends means the plural and present persons, namely the caretakers who were with Srila Prabhupada. This is the logical understanding: that the “friends” were those persons who were right there, namely Srila Prabhupada’s caretakers. Bedridden and incapacitated, Srila Prabhupada hardly had the strength to raise an arm, and so he verbally pointed out those in his immediate presence as the ones who had said that he had been poisoned. Certainly, he was not referring to any visitors, who would come and go, and who could not be “these friends.” Later Srila Prabhupada was directly asked by Tamal as to who had poisoned him, but Srila Prabhupada never answered, with a 13 second silence in the taped conversations. The conclusion isthat srila Prabhupada chose not to say who the poisoner or poisoners were, and he simply said they were the ones in the room. Who else could he have meant?