While following Srila Prabhupada’s orders and instructions,, is known as the “life and soul” of his disciples. If there is to be an organized society of devotees; then there must be “Management”. Without proper humanitarian organized management, any society, will surely lack efficiency, and productivity, both in the society’s mission, and the spiritual life of its members. Hence, Srila Prabhupada’s mission depends on his disciples following his orders and instructions on “management.”.
This issue that is also just as important as the un-authorized guru system that was adopted by the GBC after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance.
Srila Prabhupada precisely wrote down, for all his disciples to know, what his desire is on how ISKCON should be managed. He then ordered the GBC to make several official GBC resolutions that would seal these instructions in concrete. This happened 7 years prior to his departure.
Unfortunately, after his disappearance, all of these resolutions were ignored. I have seen several Internet Web-Sites that address this issue; except for one:
“The resolution that instructed that his quarters, in all his centers, can never be occupied by any of his disciples; thus, all his quarters have been made into museums.”
This blatant and absolute disregard, disrespect, indifference, contempt, and neglect of the other orders and instructions, that were specifically dictated by Srila Prabhupada, is just as devastating to his mission, as the un-authorized guru protocol.
What is not commonly known, is the fact, that the GBC, while Srila Prabhupada was still present, and behind his back, and as early as 1972, pushed back against these instructions from Srila Prabhupada.
Before getting into the heart of this issue, I believe that it would be a good idea if we consider the following questions;
- What form of government did ISKCON have during Srila Prabhupada ’s lifetime?
- What form of government does ISKCON have now?
- What forms for government did Srila Prabhupada intend the ISKCON society to have?
.
Should ISKCON be changed to a democracy, with the freely elected representatives of all the devotees invested with ultimate power?
The answers, are best revealed from the words spoken and written by Srila Prabhupada himself. This subject matter has been one of the personal agendas of the writer of this Treatise; however, amongst Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and followers, awareness of this issue can be understood as follows:.
- Amongst Srila Prabhupada disciples, this issue has “slim-to-none”, awareness.
- Amongst Srila Prabhupada’s grand-disciples; their awareness, is probably zero.
.
Why is there so little awareness? The answer to this question, is that there is a general poor fund of knowledge of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas philosophy. I suppose they have replaced their responsibility, by assuming that:
“If a devotee has the title of GBC. That means that person is an Uttama-Vaisnava, and therefore, whatever they do, is perfect; therefore, I personally do not need to worry nor be concerned on how ISKCON is managed.”
It is not irrational to understand, that the Management of ISKCON, at the present, is not what Prabhupada wanted or desired. Why is it not? The only logical reason is that after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, the GBC leaders of ISKCON, developed an agenda that was opposed to Srila Prabhupada’s own agenda.
Otherwise, why change it. Prabhupada instructed us not to change anything regarding how he organized ISKCON, its intention and purpose; in other words, just execute the orders of the Spiritual Master, and follow his instructions. There actually is a severe penalty if we do not follow Srila Prabhupada orders and/or instruction. There are no-ifs and no-buts.
- SUCCESS in our advancement in Bhakti, is characterized by following the orders of the Spiritual Master.
- FAILURE in our advancement in Bhakti, is characterized by not following the orders of the Spiritual Master.
Therefore, the leaders of ISKCON have discarded this part of Prabhupada’s agenda and they have established their own protocols on how ISKCON is managed, in order to facilitate their own personal agenda