A Critical Analysis of Aindra Das’s Teachings in 'The Heart of Transcendental Book Distribution'

A Critical Analysis of Aindra Das’s Teachings in 'The Heart of Transcendental Book Distribution'

Much has been said about the charismatic ISKCON kīrtanīya Aindra Dās (Edwin Striker, 1953–2010), who passed away suddenly in the summer of 2010, and about his long-awaited book The Heart of Transcendental Book Distribution. In this publication, we will carefully walk through Aindra’s book—page by page, theme by theme—and demonstrate how it is filled with apasiddhānta and misconceptions—or, as we call them, “mISKCONceptions.” For the benefit of future generations and sincere devotees who genuinely wish to follow śāstra rather than the mental concoctions of charismatic personalities, we decided to publish a critical analysis of Aindra Dās’ book. Why we have both the right—and the duty—to criticize him will be explained in a separate chapter. The language throughout the book is pompous, and the overall tone rather overbearing. Its excessively ornate style and extremely long sentences make it appear quasi-elitist and, in many parts, unreadable. Moreover, there is a notable lack of direct scriptural quotations, giving the impression that the work largely represents Aindra’s own mental speculations rather than an authentic presentation of eternal Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta . To be clear, our intention is not to express envy or hatred toward a departed devotee. We also acknowledge and appreciate the points in Aindra’s book with which we agree, and where he expresses something valuable or insightful, we note it with due credit. Sometimes Aindra even makes (correct) statements that inadvertently contradict—or “prove wrong”—his own guru, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. In such cases, we have elaborated on these points, cited the relevant śāstras , and—as always—allowed the final word to rest with the scriptures and our ācāryas . But the same principle also applies to the many apasiddhāntas and speculative ideas that Aindra presents in his book: we offer our commentary or refutation based strictly on quotations from śāstra and the writings of the ācāryas . If that approach still does not satisfy the reader, it is, unfortunately, a common symptom of this age: people are often less interested in truth than in defending their preconceived opinions—regardless of whether they are right or wrong.