How Can There Be Many Different
Versions of the Truth?

Back To Prabhupada, Issue 8, Summer 2005

Decide for yourselves what really happened, because the GBC and ISKCON leaders can't!

WHEN were the Guru hoaxers authorised to become Gurus?

1) May 28th, 1977

"The present paper will show that on May 28th, 1977, Srila Prabhupada ordered his disciples to become initiating spiritual masters."
(Disciple of My Disciple, p2, Badrinarayana Das, Umapati Swami et al., 1997)

2) July 7th, 1977

"On July 7th. Prabhupada gave the list of those he "chose." The process was already clear. First on his behalf, then regular guru."
(Continuing the Parampara, Sivarama Swami, p20, 1994)

3) July 8th, 1977

"The appointment of July 8th which is the only appointment on record is the appointment of ritviks...Most devotees who have studied this transcribed conversation agree that it is reasonable to conclude that Prabhupada expected those who officiated as ritviks in his presence would continue after his disappearance as diksa-gurus under his order."
('Under My Order': Reflections on the Guru in ISKCON', Ravindra Svarupa Das, 1985)

4) July 9th, 1977

"Thus the July 9 letter was not, as falsely claimed by the author, a "final order," a "policy statement on how he wanted initiations to run within ISKCON," but merely an interim order, which got the named persons functioning as gurus even in his own presence yet while still observing the etiquette."
(Prabhupada's Order, Appendix 3, GBC 1998)

HOW were the Guru hoaxers authorised to become Gurus?

1) By Srila Prabhupada directly

"Here Prabhupada says to the entire leadership of the Krishna consciousness movement (the GBC, sannyasis, and presidents gathered at Mayapur) that he expects them to become acaryas (gurus) who will initiate their own disciples...So it is abundantly clear that Prabhupada is speaking throughout the April 6, 1975 lecture of acaryas who will initiate disciples"
(Drutakarma Das, The Phantom Order, 1998)

"The day Srila Prabhupada gave sannyasa to Bhakti Caru Swami, he told him, 'Now that you are a sannyasi, you can give initiation. But as long as the spiritual master is alive one doesn't give initiation. That is the etiquette.'"
(Gurus and Initiations in ISKCON, GBC, 1995)

2) By the GBC

"Srila Prabhupada wanted the GBC to decide who would initiate"
(Bhakti Caru Swami Letter, 24 September 1993, New Mayapur, France)

"Your diksa guru is giving you diksa because the institution of ISKCON decided that he should give diksa."
(Bhakti Caru Swami, Text PAMHO6829041, Monday 19 May 2003)

WHO was authorised to be Guru?

1) 11 devotees authorised to be Guru

"Srila Prabhupada named eleven devotees to give diksa" [as initiating gurus]
(Sivarama Swami, Siksa outside ISKCON?, p.28, Lal Publishing, 2002)

2) No one authorised to be Guru

"Srila Prabhupada did not want to name anyone as his successor or successors"
(Bhakti Caru Swami Letter, 24 September 1993, New Mayapur, France)

Was Guru authorisation clear?

1) It was very clear

"Srila Prabhupada made it quite clear that they would initiate after his disappearance"
(Bhakti Caru Swami Letter, 24 September 1993, New Mayapur, France)

"But there never has been any doubt that Srila Prabhupada clearly ordered his followers to carry on the parampara as regular gurus."
(Ritvik Catechism: Questions and Answers on Ritvik, GBC, 1998)

2) It was very unclear

"Srila Prabhupda's statements in this issue appear to be somewhat vague, which is very unusual for Srila Prabhupada"
(Bhakti Caru Swami Letter, 24 September 1993, New Mayapur, France)

"I must also admit that Srila Prabhupada did not say anything very clearly about how the initiation system in ISKCON should be after his disappearance from this planet."
(Bhakti Caru Swami, Day 3, LA Seminar, 'Questions and Answers', Published on June 11, 2000)

Thus ISKCON has not been able to give one clear answer for when, how or who was authorised to be Guru. Neither are they even clear, if the authorisation was clear! In answer to the question, "how can there be many versions of the truth?" The answer of course is there can't be. There can only be one version of the truth by definition. And this version has been given consistently in The Final Order, as well as repeated here in the pages of BTP; and here it is:

"Srila Prabhupada alone shall be the diksa (initiating) Guru for as long as ISKCON exists. This is supported both by his last written directive on the subject of initiations issued to all ISKCON GBCs and Temple Presidents, and also by his Last Will and Testament."

Simple. One Fact. One Truth. One Guru. One united and glorious ISKCON.

The very fact that the Guru hoaxers have had to concoct many contradictory and different stories to support their Guru system is one of the strongest evidences that we are dealing with a hoax. Just as with any complex and lengthy crime or hoax, the criminals usually struggle to get their 'story straight' between them, and due to the propensity of the conditioned soul to make mistakes, discrepancies in the story of the hoax will naturally occur as the hoax is perpetrated.

If Srila Prabhupada really had authorised diksa Gurus to replace him in ISKCON, why can't the GBC simply state, with one voice, for all time, when, how and who was authorised? Why haven't they been able to state it for almost 30 years now?

Simple, because no such Gurus were ever authorised!

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