e will show how the GBC’s own teachings regarding core daily functions in ISKCON mean the GBC accepts that Srila Prabhupada is effectively ISKCON’s current link diksa guru. (Emphases added.)
One of the practices Srila Prabhupada introduced in his Society was offering arati to Lord Krsna. This still takes place throughout the day in ISKCON temples, beginning with the early morning mangala-arati. Srila Prabhupada describes how the arati practice involves first offering all arati items to one's diksa guru – as he is the current link or connection to the parampara or disciplic succession – so that he can then offer them through the parampara to Lord Krsna:
"for offering mangala-aratika [...] And what is the upasana? The first, guru. Guru, agni, arka – means sun – and then God. Therefore you see in our Deity room there is picture of guru first of all. First of all your guru, then his guru, then his guru – at least four, five generation. Because the spiritual knowledge is received through the parampara. I have received from my guru; you are receiving from your guru; and my guru received from his guru; he received his guru. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]."
(Srila Prabhupada, Lecture, 13/4/76)
Similarly, a disciple must offer food, called bhoga, via his diksa guru, who will then offer it on behalf of the disciple to Lord Krsna via the disciplic succession:
"Regarding offering food: The custom is to offer the foodstuff first to the Spiritual Master; we cannot do anything directly. The Spiritual Master accepts the offering on behalf of his disciple, and offers the same to Krishna. After Krishna's eating, the Spiritual Master eats it, and then the devotees take it as Mahaprasada. This is the system. Everything is offered to the Spiritual Master first, with the prayer "Nama Om Visnupadaya...""
(Srila Prabhupada, Letter, 15/2/68)
Therefore, one must reach Lord Krsna through the disciplic succession. Which means offering via the current link diksa guru member of the disciplic succession, who will then offer it up the chain of disciplic succession to Lord Krsna. This system of offering arati and bhoga taught by Srila Prabhupada is illustrated in diagram 1 below.
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Thus, following these teachings of Srila Prabhupada in practice would mean that disciples of Srila Prabhupada will offer arati and bhoga via their diksa guru, Srila Prabhupada, as he is the current link in the chain of disciplic succession for them. This is illustrated in diagram 2 above.
But those who are disciples of the GBC diksa gurus offer arati and bhoga through their GBC diksa guru, because they believe he has succeeded Srila Prabhupada in the chain of disciplic succession, and thus they now consider that for them the GBC diksa guru is the current link representative of the disciplic succession. And, hence, they believe that their GBC diksa guru will then offer the arati and bhoga to Srila Prabhupada, as Srila Prabhupada has now become the previous link in the parampara, and so the previous Acarya. And then it will go up the disciplic succession to Krsna. This is illustrated in diagram 3 above.
There are many devotees in ISKCON whose GBC diksa gurus have subsequently "fallen down" and thus are no longer functioning as diksa gurus. Even though the ex-disciples of these ex-GBC diksa gurus no longer even have a GBC diksa guru, they are not required to get "re-initiated" and take another GBC diksa guru. Rather, despite having no GBC diksa guru, they are still considered to be "initiated". Thus, for example, ex-disciples of ex-GBC guru Bhakti Vidya Purna/Anirdesya Vapu Dasa, were told that: "They continue to be initiated devotees in ISKCON" (GBC Resolution 301:05, 2022).
Therefore, due to not needing to get "re-initiated", there are many devotees in ISKCON who currently have no GBC diksa guru. This is not surprising, since at the last count there were at least 45 GBC diksa gurus who have been removed from being able to act as GBC diksa gurus.
In the first section of this article, we established Srila Prabhupada's teaching that one offers bhoga and arati to Lord Krsna through one's current link diksa guru. For those devotees who no longer have such a supposed current link diksa guru, because their GBC diksa guru no longer exists, the GBC has decreed that such devotees may now offer their bhoga and arati to Lord Krsna via Srila Prabhupada. Thus, in an email correspondence on 10/1/25, the GBC's corresponding secretary confirmed that a GBC diksa guru who has been deemed officially "fallen" cannot be offered arati or bhoga, but instead their ex-disciples may offer the items through Srila Prabhupada to the disciplic succession. This system of making offerings is illustrated in diagram 4 above.
Hence, the situation we have for these devotees with no GBC diksa guru is that:
1) After they joined ISKCON, the GBC diksa guru became the (supposed) current link in the parampara, through whom all offerings were made. Srila Prabhupada now became the "previous Acarya", through whom the "current link" GBC guru was required to pass the offerings up the chain of disciplic succession.
2) But now these same devotees are offering directly to Srila Prabhupada instead.
According to the philosophy given by Srila Prabhupada quoted earlier, such activities are conducted via one's diksa guru, who acts as the current representative in the chain of disciplic succession. Thus, the practice given in point 2) above will have the effect of instituting Srila Prabhupada as that current link, who directly connects the offerings of all these devotees to the disciplic succession. Hence, for these devotees, their system of making offerings now becomes identical to that of a Srila Prabhupada disciple. This can be illustrated by the diagrams above, as follows:
a) Previously the disciple of the GBC diksa guru was following diagram 3.
b) Now he is following diagram 4.
c) But diagram 4 is the same as diagram 2!
However, continuing to accept Srila Prabhupada in any shape or form as the current link diksa guru is strictly forbidden by the GBC, being considered a "dangerous philosophical deviation" called "rtvikism":
"The doctrine that Srila Prabhupada desired to continue to act as diksa guru after his departure from this world [...] is a dangerous philosophical deviation. [...] Ritvikism is thus an extreme deviation. It is utterly erroneous to espouse it, deluding and misguiding to teach it, and blasphemous to attribute it to Srila Prabhupada."
(GBC Resolution 301, 1999)
Please note that, though it is stated that continuing to accept Srila Prabhupada as the current link diksa guru is a "dangerous philosophical deviation", the GBC went on to add that it is also an "extreme deviation", "erroneous", "deluding", "misguiding" and "blasphemous". But most (if not all) of these things would automatically already be the case if something was a "dangerous philosophical deviation"! Thus, this unnecessary adding of more condemnations merely reveals how the GBC was unable to control its hatred for Srila Prabhupada remaining ISKCON's diksa guru when writing this resolution!
Yet, despite that, as just documented, the GBC has mandated that Srila Prabhupada can still take the position of the current link in the disciplic succession for those devotees who no longer have a GBC diksa guru.
The GBC has tried to rationalise Srila Prabhupada acting as the current link in the disciplic succession for these devotees with no GBC diksa guru. It claims that one can make offerings through one's siksa guru, and that Srila Prabhupada is thus acting as the siksa guru for the ex-disciple of the ex-GBC diksa guru. However, the GBC resolution just quoted also rules out Srila Prabhupada acting as the current link in even a siksa capacity:
"Ritvikism directly goes against the principle of parampara itself (of successive diksa and siksa gurus) [...] the principle of the parampara [...] is a necessity in the matter of sustaining a living tradition."
1) The resolution states that "rtvikism" contravenes the principle of the parampara also having "successive siksa gurus".
2) It then asserts that this is because the parampara must be a "living" (as in physically present) tradition.
Thus, it is claimed that even a "successive siksa guru", who acted as the current link, would need to be a "living" (physically present) guru. And, as the GBC loves to keep pointing out, Srila Prabhupada is not such a "living" guru. Therefore, even if we accept that the current link in the parampara can be the siksa guru rather than the diksa guru, if that siksa guru current link is the physically departed "non-living" Srila Prabhupada, then it means the GBC is still preaching "rtvikism", according to its own resolution.
Claiming that Srila Prabhupada is the current link siksa guru is also self-defeating because the GBC claims that its GBC diksa gurus are required to connect one to the parampara:
"Whereas connection via diksa to the parampara is essential for anyone aspiring to advance in Krishna consciousness."
(GBC Resolution 702.02: "Diksa-gurus", 2021)
But if the GBC claims it is possible to connect directly to the parampara via Srila Prabhupada even as the current link siksa guru, then there would be no need to accept a "successive" GBC diksa guru to connect us to the parampara. And thus, the GBC would again still be preaching "rtvikism"!
The GBC is preaching "rtvikism" by promoting Srila Prabhupada as being available as the current link to the disciplic succession. So many people have been banned and sanctioned for accepting that Srila Prabhupada continues to act as the current link, with the GBC having officially resolved from the very start that "severe measures" would be taken against those who support this "rtvik" philosophy (GBC Resolution 73, 1990). Yet, any action taken by the GBC against "rtviks" can now be challenged by just giving them this article. This will show the GBC that it is also preaching "rtvikism", and so they can be asked – why don't you ban yourselves?!
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