On December 20, 2011, India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna announced in the Parliament that the Government of India has taken up the Bhagavad-Gita controversy with the highest levels of Russian government for resolution.
Referring to media reports about the hearing conducted by a Court in the Russian city of Tomsk on whether a Russian language commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita qualifies as "extremist" literature, SM Krishna informed the member of the Indian Parliament about the case. Below is a summary of the minister's statement:
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been functioning in Russia for decades. ISKCON has faced periodic problems with respect to its properties and functioning in Moscow and elsewhere. On occasion, our Embassy has intervened on behalf of ISKCON with the local city authorities as well as with the Russian Government.
ISKCON conveyed to the Indian Embassy that its branch in Tomsk, Eastern Siberia, had received a notice in June 2011, of a complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office in the local court. This complaint, apparently driven by some local individuals, was to the effect that the third Russian edition of the publication Bhagavad-Gita As It Is - a translation of a commentary by Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON - had certain portions that were 'objectionable' and 'extremist' in nature.
Following the initial proceedings in August 2011, the District Court appointed its own three member expert group from the University of Kemerovo in Siberia, which was to submit a report within three months. The final hearing in the Tomsk District Court was due on December 19, 2011, but has been rescheduled for December 28, 2011, as the Court has agreed to seek the opinion of the Russian Ombudsman on Human Rights in Tomsk District, and of Indologists from Moscow and St. Petersburg, who have greater knowledge and expertise on India.
SM Krishna said that the officials of the Embassy of India in Moscow and India's Ambassador to the Russian Federation have been in regular touch with the local representatives of ISKCON, since this matter came to light in June 2011.
ISKCON representatives were advised to take legal recourse to counter this misdirected complaint. The Ministry of External Affairs has been in regular touch with our Embassy in Moscow on this issue. The matter was also taken up with the Russian Ambassador based in India, H.E. Mr. Alexander Kadakin who is himself a well-known Indologist. In fact, the Ambassador has been publicly critical of this episode. He has stated that Bhagavad-Gita is a great source of wisdom for the people of India and the world. He also said that Russia is a secular and democratic country where all religions enjoy equal respect.
The complaint in a local Russian court appears to be the work of some ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals. While this complaint is patently absurd, we have treated this matter seriously and the Embassy of India is closely monitoring this legal case, informed SM Krishna.
The Bhagavad-Gita is not simply a religious text; it is one of the defining treatises of Indian thought and describes the very soul of our great civilization. The Gita is far above any cheap propaganda or attacks by the ignorant or the misdirected. In Russia itself, we have many great Indologists, scholars and experts who understand the essence of the Gita and have written on it with reverence and passion. We do not want to dignify with too much attention some misdirected individuals who have filed an absurd complaint. We are confident that our Russian friends, who understand our civilizational values and cultural sensitivities, will resolve this matter appropriately, hoped the minister.
Various human rights groups have come forward in support of the ISKCON that is fighting the case, including former world chess champion and political activist Garry Kasparov, and the Russian Ambassador, Alexander Kadakin, reported ISKCON's Russian organization. The Russian devotees of ISKCON recently released a petition in both English and Russian, and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has formally presented a concern letter to Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. to address the situation.
Although public support for ISKCON is high, the future of the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is and those who follow its teachings in Russia is uncertain. If ISKCON loses the case, devotees will be forbidden to publish, distribute, and keep the third Russian edition of the holy book.
Please feel free to post your comments and have your say.UPDATE: On December 29, 2011, the Russian court rejected the petition, which had sought a ban on Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. The judge dismissed the plea after reviewing the petition from the state prosecutors and the responses against it.
