By Madhusudana das, IRM New York

11th December 2001

Dear Locanananda Prabhu,
PAMHO AGTSP.

I am in full agreement with Madhudvisa prabhu that the Will provides 'proof of the Ritvik initiation system'. The fact that even Madhudvisa prabhu, who can hardly be deemed a friend of the IRM, accepts the IRM's position regarding following Srila Pabhupada's will should hopefully make it clear that it is best that you abandon this crazy notion that we can pick and choose if we wish to accept Srila Prabhupada's final signed written words.

As regards to the passage you have mentioned, I have ALWAYS accepted that the purpose of the Will was to ensure that the properties were protected and the system of management should not change. Both of these provisions are satisfied by ensuring that that system of initiation which was present in ISKCON when Srila Prabhupada was on the planet, is continued even after Srila Prabhupada departs. This Srila Prabhupada ensures by directing that only HIS initiated disciples will be populating ISKCON in the future. By doing this:

1. The properties are protected since ONLY those loyal to Srila Prabhupada will look after his properties, and not those loyal to some other Guru. Of course even those initiated by Srila Prabhupada have been disloyal to him, but prima facie those who are someone's disciple are more likely to be loyal to that person than those who are NOT someone's disciple.

2. Part of the system of managing the temples in ISKCON was that those who joined ISKCON temples got recommended by the temple president for initiation after 6 months of following strictly, and then got initiated by Srila Prabhupada, with most people not even having met Srila Prabhupada. Only by keeping the system of management the same, could this system of managing the temples be maintained. Otherwise the temples would degenerate into Guru cults where different gurus would come in and suck the funds and manpower out of the temple, with the hapless Temple President then finding it very difficult to manage the temple. And by NOT keeping the system of initiation the same in ISKCON, this is exactly what has happened.

So in conclusion the passage you quote SUPPORTS our position that Srila Prabhupada's written words in the Will were the ones he wanted followed. No one has ever argued that the WILL was explicitly about initiation procedures in ISKCON - that EXPLICT direction was given in the July 9th directive. Only that the Will provides evidence for the initiation system which should be present in ISKCON - one that only results in Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples. A fact so obvious that even Madhudvisa prabhu dare not argue against it. So please give up this campaign to try and change Srila Prabhupada's final written and signed words.

Thank You.

Your servant
Madhusudana das