Naman Shrestha
In the two-part documentary series, ‘Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness & The Hare Krishnas,’ the focus is on the Hare Krishna movement and the controversies surrounding ISKCON in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on the eponymous New York Times bestselling book, the show also highlights the murder of a former ISKCON guru named James Immel, also known as Jayatirtha Dasa. Thanks to the insightful interviews with former devotees and other associates of the late guru, the audience gets a detailed account of the entire debacle.
James Immel Rose Through the Ranks of ISKCON
Born on November 13, 1948, in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, James Immel earned a major in business and philosophy before becoming one of the disciples of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a life trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and serving as the Manager of the Spiritual Sky Enterprises. He helped it become a multimillion-dollar company, earning a front-page article in the coveted Wall Street Journal. Around that time, he had earned the nickname Jayatirtha Dasa. In the 1970s, he also became the President of the Los Angeles ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple.
Due to his contribution to the movement, James was also made the senior leader, preacher as well as a member of the managerial authority called the Governing Body Commission (GBC). Not just that, he was soon promoted to the prestigious position of the head of the ISKCON movement in Europe. It was his unwavering dedication that led Prabhupada to direct him to oversee and conduct the operations of the Hare Krishna movement in their UK base in England in 1975. To be specific, the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the village of Letchmore Heath in Hertfordshire became the home of James and his family in the country. As a devoted disciple of Prabhupada, he visited several sites worldwide to promote the teachings of the movement. His process of deity installations and worshipping made him stand out from the crowd and earned him words of appreciation from Prabhupada.
James Immel Was Found Brutally Murdered Inside a London Shop Where He Worked
To help the students navigate the process smoothly and produce results of the same standard, James aided in the compilation of a handbook under the supervision of Prabhupada. Around that time, he also became associated with The Maha Bharat Times as its Chief Editor. Swami Prabhupada’s passing in 1977 set James on the course of becoming one of the very few initiating gurus who would prep the disciplines for initiation by imparting transcendental knowledge about ISKCON and what it stands for.
Alongside that, he also invested his expertise in handling the managerial responsibilities of the movement not only in Great Britain but also in South Africa, thus helping ISKCON find its footing there. Over the years, James contributed heavily to the Hare Krishna movement. However, the year 1982 turned his life around when he got banished from the religious organization. Following his expulsion, he allegedly established his own LSD drug cult, claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. One thing led to another, and James saw significant ups and downs in his life in the subsequent years.
In 1987, he was still in England and working at a brass fittings shop called Liberty Architectural in the neighborhood of Finchley in north London. He was a reputed member of the society and was referred to as Vijaya by his followers. According to reports, he desired to start his own business someday and was acquiring lessons and tricks of the retail aspect from Mr. Canarnani. On November 13, 1987, his birthday, James reached his workplace as usual, completely unaware that it would be his last day in the world. Just a few moments after his arrival, a man ambushed him and stabbed him to death, igniting a thorough investigation.
A Former Worshipper of James Immel Came Back to Haunt Him
Given his position at ISKCON, James Immel, also known as Jayatirtha, traveled to Africa, India, the USA, and several other countries frequently. Being a big believer in meditation, the UK resident used to travel to secluded holy places during his India visits. Eventually, he was suspected of drug usage, after which the Governing Body Commission (GBC) suspended him from ISKCON for a total of one year and ordered him to take sannyasa. After his suspension, his loyalty transferred from ISKCON to Shridhara Swami, the godbrother of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Finally, in 1982, his ties with ISKCON were cut off once and for all. Soon after that, James moved to Mendocino County, California, claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
This claim of his earned him about 150 followers, who even purchased a farm called the Golden Mountain Sanctuary. In the farm, James had many devotees, including a man named John Tiernan and a woman named Geraldine Sanderson, both of whom believed that he was Jesus reincarnated. While the former turned into a virtual slave to James, as per the detectives, Geraldine became his wife and the Holy Mother, despite their vows of chastity. However, when reports of James Immel being involved in sexual relationships with his followers surfaced, even his most loyal devotees started questioning him. Not only was Geraldine shocked, but even John was startled by the guru’s indecent actions. He felt deceived by his master, whom he had been devoted to since 1982.
On November 13, 1987, James Immel was working at the brass fittings shop called Liberty Architectural in London. Suddenly, he was visited by the familiar face of John Tiernan, who stabbed him to death with a seven-inch butcher’s knife. Not only that, John also ended up sawing off the former ISKCON guru’s head, allegedly to exorcise “the evil” that he believed was in him. Not long after the murder, John was arrested and deported during the Commonwealth Conference in Vancouver as he threatened to conduct surgical strikes across British Columbia. Interestingly, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and avoided getting tried for the murder of James Immel. However, he supposedly received the apt punishment for his crimes.
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