However, since moving into the Philly asrama, Bhakta Alec has acquired 3 sweater vests. “The chocolate brown one is my favorite,” said Alec after a recent darshan with the ISKCON guru and GBC representative, Ravindra Svarupa. “But the forest green one and the maroon one with the fake knitted braids are good too.”

Prior to becoming a Hare Krishna, Bhakta Alec admits he never even considered owning a sweater vest, preferring nylon windbreakers from Dick’s to woolens from L.L. Bean. While he credits his new wardrobe to the lack of heat and insulation in the asrama and steadily says “he is waiting for Srila Gurudeva to reveal himself to me in my heart,” others are skeptical.

“He’s totally Phillyed out,” reports long-time temple member Big Jay Bhakti. “He looks like a little Ravindra Svarupa. The other day I even heard him quoting Thomas Merton to some college students who came for lunch prasad.” Adding, “he’s on his way to being a full-on RSD disciple.”

The other asrama resident, Maha Suci das, shared that although Bhakta Alec fits the profile of a Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu disciple, there has been no indication, aside from the woolens and affinity to Christian theologists, that Bhakta Alec is aspiring for initiation from anyone. “When he starts listening to classical music, I mean seriously listening, that’s when I’ll start asking him if he’s aspiring.”

“Many devotees have asked me if I was aspiring for Ravindra Svarupa prabhu,” said Bhakta Alec while paging through the more recent issue of New Yorker Magazine. “But I just don’t see why they’d just assume that.”

At almost any other temple, Bhakta Alec’s recent purchase of a 2008 VW Passat, its glovebox stuffed with Atomic Fireball Candies, would have been sharply criticized by fellow devotees. Alec, always wanting to keep the peace, calmed any possible dispute by taking the rest of the asrama for Rita’s Italian Ice and their bi-weekly visit to Brooks Brothers, a clothier renowned for their selection of the finest sweater vests made.

“The initiation of the famous Sriman George Harrison is a long-overdue and auspicious occasion,” said Kapirasa das, who performed the ceremony on behalf of Srila Prabhupada. “His name is now Sriman Hari das.”

Since meeting the devotees in 1969 until the time of his death, ISKCON had been trying to woo Harrison to their cause. Harrison, who often seemed to distance himself from the organization, remained what he called a “plain clothes devotee,” abstaining from meat eating, but not illicit sex and intoxication.

“It is true, he was never able to follow the regulative principles,” said Kapirasa das. ” but now that he has left his body, that is no longer an issue.”

ISKCON representative, Matsaryam das, expressed disgust at the initiation asking, “How can the ritviks do this?” asked When Srila Prabhupada was on the planet, he would have to approve of invitations prior to the ceremony. Now that he is no longer with he, he can give no such approval.” Adding, “besides, everybody knows we had dibs on George!”

“Yes, ISKCON had dibs,” conceited Kapirasa das, “but according to ISKCON’s initiation policy, the disciple has to be alive. Fortunately, being presently on this planet has no bearing to our philosophy.”

Shortly after meeting the devotees, George Harrison told Srila Prabhupada that he wanted to shave up, take initiation and move into a temple. Srila Prabhupada disagreed, stating, “just continue your music and Krishna will be greatly pleased.”

Kapirasa das agreed with Srila Prabhupada’s instruction. “Yes, at that time for Sriman Hari prabhu, those were the perfect instructions. But we must act according to time, place and circumstance. Now that his music career is over, it is time for him to seriously take to Krishna consciousness.”

ISKCON argues that the famous George Harrison was not a follower of the Ritvik ideology. “He was a true vaisnava, a follower of ISKCON,” said Matsaryam. “It is just simple fact that no other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as being a member of ISKCON.”

According to sources within the Ritvik camp, a dozen or more devotees have been waiting to take Ritvik initiation. Not from Srila Prabhupada, but from Sriman Hari das, George Harrison.

“After Srila Prabhupada left our mortal vision, we began performing posthumous ritvik initiations on his behalf,” said Kapirasa das. “I see no reason why, since Sriman Hari prabhu has left his body, that we cannot perform initiations on his behalf as well.”

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“While the basis of our philosophy is that Srila Prabhupada never told his successors to become gurus in their own right, 95% of our movement was based solely upon silly names for ISKCON gurus,” said Ritvik leader Prema Caitanya das. “And now that we’ve run out, there’s not much more we can do.”

Historically, the Ritvik movement kicked off its campaign of silly names with the now classic “Ravana Svarupa.”

“We knew we were onto something when we discovered that certain ISKCON gurus’ names could easily be changed to something mean or vulgar,” Prema Caitanya said, “We knew it hurt ISKCON deeply.”

To counter these funny names, ISKCON, convinced that ignoring the Ritviks would be enough, waged a war of attrition.

For the next two decades, the Ritvik movement fought an uphill battle against ISKCON’s guru policies. A string of silly names for ISKCON gurus marked their victories.

Perhaps the Ritvik movement’s crowning achievement was the one-two punch of simultaneously changing “ISKCON” to “IT’S-A-CON” and “ISHCON, International Society for Hindu Consciousness.”

“I thought we had them there,” Prema Caitanya reminisces, “it took them several years to recover, and when they did, we hit them where it really hurt.”

Sociology professor, Harold Floyd, an expert in ISKCON relations, agreed. “After the two-pronged “ISKCON” attack, most experts concluded that the feat could not be topped. But coming up with a gem like ‘Rotten-nath’ knocked ISKCON back on its heels.”

“‘Rotten-nath’ nearly dealt us a death-blow,” said ISKCON spokesperson Vivek Shani. “It was a dark time for our movement, we knew that if they hit us once more like that, we would be finished.”

Though devotees and scholars alike questioned how they could top it, as it turned out, it was their swan song. The Ritvik movement struggled for several years since the “Rotten-nath” victory, including several failed silly name attempts.

“Who would have thought that nobody cared about ‘Beer-Krishna Goswami’ or ‘Viper-Mukhya’?” Said Prema Caitanya. We knew we were really at an end when some new Ritvik convert blurted out ‘Shave-ananda Swami’ in an ISKCON chat room.”

According to Prema Caitanya, that is when the Ritvik movement made its decision.

In a press release issued by ISKCON a day after the Ritvik movement’s surrender, it was stated that ISKCON knew all along that “sooner or later the Ritviks would run out of silly names for our gurus.”

As a gesture of goodwill, ISKCON has lifted the ban on Ritvik adherents. Shani asserts that though they have been enemies for so long, “the Ritviks are once again welcome in ISKCON temples.” Adding, “at first they can come and participate in kirtan, but very soon they will be giving class and taking part in temple management.”

Prema Caitanya, who has just recently quit his job as a bank teller to become president of ISKCON’s Birmingham temple, concedes, “I was duped into thinking silly names could prove ISKCON wrong, but through the grace of guru and Gauranga, I could see that I was the one who was mistaken.” Adding, “besides, the pay is better.”

While the Ritvik movement has officially disbanded, it is reported that militant factions of ritvik guerrillas have set up camps on the hills overlooking several rural ISKCON centers. It is unclear what their motives may be. This story is still developing.

The Ithacar Used Carlot in Ithaca, NY opened in spring of 2002, several months after O’Brien stepped down from the post of ISKCON guru due to sexual misconduct and what he calls “financial misunderstandings.”

But it was those “financial misunderstandings” that O’Brien insists gave him the business skills to establish the Ithaca-based business.

“You’d be surprised how similar the two jobs were,” Says O’Brien, whose skills as guru naturally lead him into the used car business.

“In ISKCON I had to convince my disciples that I was some pure and holy guy, ready, willing and able to take them back to Godhead, what they didn’t know was that I was sleeping with my secretary and lying on my expense reports.”

“And as a used car salesman,” he continued, “I had to convince my customers that I was some friendly and honest guy, ready, willing and able to sell that 1987 Ford Fiesta at invoice, taking not a penny of profit, what they didn’t know was that I picked it up at a repo-sale for under a hundred bucks. I was lying on my expense reports there too.”

The business flourished until 2006, the year he was audited by the IRS and taken to court on five separate occasions under New York’s Lemon Law.

“It was surprisingly similar to his experience in ISKCON,” states ISKCON spokesman Balananda dasa, “in both cases, he managed to pass himself off as honest and trustworthy, but in the end, it was his disciples and customers who paid the price.”

There were hints of misconduct at both professions long before termination of either. In 1994, several of O’Brien’s female disciples came forward, claiming to have to have been inappropriately touched and taunted by their, then, guru. This resulted in O’Brien being suspended from initiating new disciples for one full year.

Similarly, in 2003, a disgruntled customer, Jerry Berowitz, accused O’Brien of dishonesty involving a 1989 Mercury Topaz with two different Vehicle Identification Numbers. The lawsuit resulted in the suspension of his Auto Dealer’s License for one year.

“I just didn’t know what to do,” complained Berkowitz, “I trusted this man to be everything he said he was. I put my faith in him and he let me down. I was promised that this Mercury Topaz would take me back to home, but it was all lies.”

In a letter of apology to his customers, modified only slightly from his letter of apology to his disciples, O’Brien states, “Yes, I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I am truly sorry for the pain that I have caused to so many trusting people. But my with my health problems all the service I had to do, I simply couldn’t keep up with my daily duties and practices.”

O’Brien is now banned from giving class in any ISKCON temple as well as selling cars in New York state.

He claims that he will appeal the ruling and be “back in charge in no time at all,” but it was unclear whether he was talking about ISKCON or the Ithacar Used Car Lot.