This directive is very important and clear. If these amendments would have been added in all the legal papers and bylaws, as Srila Prabhupada ordered, ISKCON would have been in a completely different state right now. Since 1978, GBCs would have been elected about 10 times, totally escaping the zonal acharya system, child abuse, Kirtanananda episodes, Bhavananda episodes, Hrishikesh episodes etc. We will cover this point in another article. Suffice to say that, the current plan of the West Bengal Society to change the Bylaws of the corporations would have never come about.
Just a cursory look at this document, is enough for any sincere follower of Srila Prabhupada to see that Srila Prabhupada wants the GBC to be elected by the provisions of the Direction of the Management. Just on the basis of this document alone, the whole Bylaws Amendment proposed now is absolutely and fully against Srila Prabhupada’s scope of services order.
The original GBC of ISKCON, is left abandoned now. All of its original members have either died or abandoned their duties. There are no active members of the authorized GBC of ISKCON today!
In the absence of the real GBC, members of the “ISKCON GBC Society of West Bengal” have staged a “coup” behind closed doors, and have declared themselves the GBC of ISKCON.
In the preliminary hearing in New York Supreme Court in 2004, the members of this West Bengal Society were questioned about the basis of the GBC of ISKCON, whose members they are claiming to be. On finding no legal basis, these members had to bring in the Direction of Management as their formation document. HOWEVER, the GBC ordered by the DOM, has to be elected by the Temple presidents every three years. Hence, it can be easily proven that these members have no other basis for their existence. They wanted to use the basis of the Direction of Management to prove that they are THAT GBC, but not being able to prove that, are now trying to adopt these bylaws – so as to make the West Bengal Society legal, giving them complete control over all Srila Prabhupada’s temples and assets.
As yet, none of the temples are legally under the control of this West Bengal Society. This new Bylaw adoption will change that, and give this foreign society legitimacy in USA. This move is against Srila Prabhupada’s wishes.
This foreign society does not even have a constitution! All the civilized governments on this planet have a constitution.
As written in previous articles, a constitution delineates powers of the ruling authority, and simultaneously provides for the rights of the members.
This is done to protect the innocent members from being exploited. The young gurukulis, the single mothers, the older devotees, or any other devotees have not been given any voting power, (to elect Temple presidents), by this “GBC Society” and this has given rise to exploitation. As can be inferred, deduce or conclude from evidence and reasoning, in Srila Prabhupada’s DOM, Srila Prabhupada desired certain rights to the Temple presidents and to the Temple members. Each Temple member has a vote in changing, (electing or removing), the Temple president, and each Temple president has a vote in electing a new set of GBC every three years.
Srila Prabhupada has provided us with the following protective system of checks and balances, whereby, if we strictly adhere to the DOM, we can use our voting power to practically remove any child molester, exploiter, murderer or any person, who does not represent Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.
Direction of Management:
Point 2 – “His Divine Grace will select the initial 12 members of the GBC. In the succeeding years GBC will be elected by a vote of all Temple Presidents who will vote for 8 from a ballot of all Temple presidents, which may also include any Secretary who is in charge of a Temple. Those 8 with the greatest number of votes will be members of the next term of GBC.
Point 3. The commissioners will serve for a period of 3 years, and they may be re-elected at the end of this period.” He further writes in
Point 8. Removal of a Temple president by the GBC requires support by the local Temple members.
We all know that ISKCON is designed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Srila Prabhupada, to deliver the whole world.
Srila Prabhupada states in Purport to Caitanya Caritamrita,, Adi 1.171:
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtan movement of love of Krishna throughout the entire world, and therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtan movement. Specifically, He sent Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrindavan and Nityananda to Bengal and personally went to South India. In this way He kindly left the task of preaching His cult in the rest of the world to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”
(Continued in Next Segment.)