Back To Prabhupada, Issue 2, Winter 2003/4
n the last issue we reproduced the final directive (July 9th 1977 directive) issued to ISKCON by Srila Prabhupada on the matter of how initiations were to be conducted in his Society. This directive stated that Srila Prabhupada would remain as the initiating Guru for ISKCON, with his representatives conducting the initiation ceremony on his behalf.
Now we have further evidence confirming this state of affairs. Above we reproduce the Last Will and Testament of Srila Prabhupada. Please note the following:
1) In 1970 Srila Prabhupada established a managerial body, the GBC (Governing Body Commission), specifically and exclusively to implement his orders in ISKCON. In Clause 1 of the Will, we see that Srila Prabhupada did not hand over management of ISKCON to another Guru or acarya, but rather he mandated that there was to be no change in the way ISKCON was run - the GBC would just continue implementing his orders in a purely managerial capacity. (The fact that the GBC decided to unauthorisedly abandon their executive responsibilities, and instead become a legislative and judicial body, appointing themselves and others as successor Gurus, is of course what has necessitated this campaigning magazine).
2) Clause 2 of the Will reiterates that the system of management will stay as it is, there being no need of any change. Again, the emphasis is - no change. One of the systems of management in place within ISKCON at the time the Last Will and Testament came into effect was the July 9th directive mentioned above. This was the ritvik system of initiation which Srila Prabhupada wanted for ISKCON.
3) Clause 3 speaks of how future executive directors for ISKCON's permanent projects in India, which were meant to last for thousands of years, would be chosen. It states that these executive Directors for the next thousands of years could only be "initiated disciples" of Srila Prabhupada. This obviously could only occur if the first two clauses of the Will were followed, and there was "no change" to the system of management of ISKCON, i.e.:
a) No change in Guru systems or who is the Guru; the GBC existing only to execute the orders of Srila Prabhupada just as they had been doing since 1970.
b) All other systems of management, such as the system for initiation etc, to also remain unchanged.
Only if the above two clauses were satisfied could there even exist, long into the future, a pool of initiated disciples of Srila Prabhupada from which future executive directors could be selected.
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