Apr 25 2009, Montreal, Quebec, Canada: We have seen this scenario unfold before. The International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON) is not, as such, different from any other social entity. It exists on the material plane. As with all other social entities its governance requires the rule of law. That is the great difficulty that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankirtan movement faces in our times. Societies are meant for the conditioned souls who need rules and regulations to progress.
Because the ultimate goal of ISKCON is to bring its members up the path of devotional service, its governance must, for success, be aligned with the transcendental nature of its Founder-Acarya. Because the Governing Body Commission is mismanaging Srila Prabhupada’s Society there is a lot of grumbling among the devotees who aspire to be true followers of Srila Prabhupada. The kettle will eventually boil over and change will be demanded. This is the historical nature of societies in this world: one government is reformed or replaced by another.
These big affairs usually fail because they fail to grasp the proper vision. Often, the ‘revolutions’ do not bring about much change at all. Revolutions usually only change the actors and the roles they play while the script remains unchanged. His Holiness Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said, “King Kamsa knows very well that if the faith in the transcendental is once allowed to grow it is sure to upset all his empiric prospects.” The idea of organizing the progress of Krsna consciousness in the form of a society is such a novelty that ISKCON has yet to understand its mistakes and act to prevent them in the future.
In 1987 the kettle boiled over. The GBC was on the ropes. That year, big guns on the GBC, who were powerful Zonal Acaryas, had fallen prey to the wiles of maya – Bhavananda Prabhu, Ramasvara Prabu, Bhagavan Prabhu, Hansadutta Prabhu etc. The revolutionaries who had been pushing against the Zonal Acaryas were flushed with success and eager for change. At Gaura-purnima that year in Mayapura-dhama the GBC put itself at the mercy of what became known as The Committee of Fifty. The committee was to meet and decide the future of ISKCON, post the Zonal Acaryas. Most of the victorious revolutionaries were North American Temple Presidents and other important devotees. Unbeknownst to the troops however, the intellectual leader of the revolution, His Grace Ravindra Svarupa, turned on his friends. In collusion with personalities such as HH Jayapataka Maharaja, HH Tamala Krsna Maharaja, His Grace Harikesa Prabhu, and a few others, Ravindra-svarupa Prabhu perpetuated the fundamental flaw on guru-tattva. Together, these devotees plotted to foil the revolution.
At the first meeting of the Committee of Fifty, a resolution was passed to extend the privileges of guruship to a greater number of Vaisnavas at the discretion of the GBC. Many so-called revolutionaries bit at the bait of becoming gurus themselves. Thus the revolution was disarmed and sidetracked. It can be easily argued that the decision only made things worse. Ambitious individuals were no longer restricted to a particular geographic area, but could spread their influence unhampered all over the movement. The problem with trying to organize ISKCON is that Srila Prabhupada’s Society is so transcendental that Kamsa sends his agents to immediately take it over. The leaders become material interpreters of the pure devotee’s teachings.
In the topsy-turvy times in which we live, what is one to suppose is the priority of the Kamsa Agents of this world? After all the fanatical arguments have been heard, who is right and who is wrong about this and that? The sad, sad fact is this: Srila Prabhupada’s glorious ISKCON is being ruthlessly utilized by the few to pursue personal ambitions and the net result of it all is a lack of opulence everywhere in spite of all the monies collected. The days of temples full of devotees eager to chant and preach are gone. Many of these same temples survive only because of the support of the Indian culture. The devotees are mistreated, the temples are mismanaged, the GBC has blown itself into a humongous bureaucracy, disciples of gurus follow the example of their gurus and become exploitative, like them. The net result is that the message that should reach the masses has lost its potency.
If the devotees really want to return to the original formula of ISKCON as set up by Srila Prabhupada it can be done. His Divine Grace has already given all the precise instructions needed for this in his books, lectures, letters, etc.
Now the devotees are urged to do something about the GBC, the guru-hoax, the dilapidation of the Society’s assets, etc. Legal action cannot change hearts. The hearts of the devotees have been broken and it is not easy to mend a broken heart. Devotees may want to desperately believe that some form of recognition of the DOM would solve ISKCON’s problems. Nothing is further from the truth. The DOM establishes some guidelines but by itself, it is not a solution for dysfunctional governance. For example, both the ISKCON group as well as the Rtvik group are in favor of the DOM. However, the document will not of itself close the gaping gap that separates these two groups on the difficult question of guru-tattva.
Let us say some devotee becomes elected GBC. Does that mean that he suddenly knows what are the duties and responsibilities of a GBC member? And more importantly, what is the system in place for holding the GBC or Temple Presidents accountable to the rest of the society for their actions? For that matter, what is going to be the guru-tattva understanding that will satisfy every sincere follower of Srila Prabhupada? What is the real role of the BBT that it is now failing to carry out? How can the Society refocus on its preaching the message of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai? The DOM does not answer these questions.
By all available calculations, we live at a momentous moment in the history of the world. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada has given a lasting gift to humanity in the form of his ISKCON. We, his disciples, are charged with forming an ISKCON that will be the successful vehicle for transmitting pure Krsna consciousness to the masses. If this cannot be done, the Kamsas and Putanas of the world will have won.
The task of establishing an organized effort at preaching is formidable indeed. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has explained why:
“The church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches have always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest form of worldliness from which even the worst of non-ecclesiastical criminals are found to recoil.
It is not from any deliberate opposition to the ordained clergy that these observations are made. The original purpose of the established churches of the world may not always be objectionable. But no stable religious arrangement for instructing the masses has yet been successful. The Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in pursuance of the teachings of the scriptures enjoins all absence of conventionalism for the teachers of the eternal religion. It does not follow that the mechanical adoption of the unconventional life by any person will make him a fit teacher of religion. Regulation is necessary for controlling the inherent worldliness of conditional souls.”
(Organized Religion)
As disciples of Srila Prabhupada, we have to believe that in spite of the fact that ‘no stable religious arrangement for instructing the masses has yet been successful’, that does not constitute an intractable obstacle. By the grace of Srila Gurudeva all obstacles can be overcome. It may seem that thirty years after the departure of His Divine Grace we are irreparably divided and unable to come to a consensus. Yet, we know in the bottom of our hearts that ISKCON alone stands a chance to succeed in spreading Krsna consciousness efficaciously and purely.
Saintly inclined Vaisnavas who want to accomplish something great for the benefit of humanity should be able to rise above petty rivalries. Such rivalries are based on misconceptions born of the mode of ignorance. There is no flaw in the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. However, a great project like ISKCON needs a great plan. Intelligent men of all times have always recommended and established the methods and discipline of spiritual life. In the parampara system the last true representative must necessarily embody all the wisdom of his predecessors, albeit in an adapted and condensed form. The physical departure of Srila Prabhupada has left his Society rudderless. It is time to remedy the situation. The first thing to do if we want a great ISKCON is to formulate a great plan. That plan is already there and it has proven its efficacy many times over. Now, the duty of the disciples is to structure it in a functional way.
When creating a society, the first thing to consider is its constitution. A constitution is described in the 1947 Edition of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as: “The fundamental organic law or principles of government of a nation, state, society, or other organized body of men, embodied in written documents, or implied in institutions and customs.” The Eleventh Edition of the same dictionary adds: “…The manner in which sovereign power is distributed; the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.” John Stuart Mill was more blunt, describing a constitution as “A means of insuring that depositories of power cannot misemploy it”.
Without a constitution, a society is like a boat without a rudder. The boat goes here and there at the whim of changing winds. For the followers of Srila Prabhupada, the task of writing a constitution is greatly simplified. Our foundational knowledge is already extant: The disciples recognize in His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada the senepati-bhakta who, it was predicted, was to come to unify the Vaisnavas. A constitution gives direction, establishes functioning institutions, ensures justice amongst its members, etc.
For ISKCON, the task also involves massive preaching, personal training, book publishing, etc. The how and when things should be done for such an ambitious society can only be established by he who is described as the commander-in-chief of the devotees. Once the position of the Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada is established to everyone’s satisfaction, the rest is a question of giving structure and application measures to his instructions. Such a document, drafted publicly and taking into consideration all view points, impartially reserving its final judgment exclusively on the strength of guru-sastra-sadhu, and ratified by a 2/3 majority of the living disciples of Srila Prabhupada, would be the greatest contribution to the future of the world.
Legal actions do not mend hearts. The DOM will not cure the culture that has prevailed in ISKCON over the past thirty or more years. A constitution may not in itself be a solution, but a constitution is a necessary tool to enforce and encourage adhesion to the rules and regulations set down by our beloved Srila Prabhupada. It will also spell out the purposes of the Society, as well as act to guarantee the equanimity of justice for all its members. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and likewise his representative, Srila Prabhupada, have both shown the inconceivable ways of being simultaneously hard as the thunderbolt, yet soft as a rose. The strictness of the law is reserved for the wolf in sheep’s clothing, who is never repentant and remains always arrogant. The softness of the rose and compassionate side of IKSCON law should be reserved for the fallen but repentant devotee.
If a 2/3 majority of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples cannot come to an agreement as to how he wished his society to be managed and developed, then all is lost and this devotee will never again taste the nectar of serving Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet in ISKCON and in the association of like-minded devotees.
The Sampradaya Sun has a high enough profile to conduct an essay of that sort. How should ISKCON be managed to achieve Srila Prabhupada’s satisfaction? It is fine to criticize the existing management; that is not so difficult. The disease that destroys all spiritual organizations has to be clearly identified if measures are to be taken to stop its reemergence once it has been exposed. The so-called revolution of 1987 that culminated in the disavowing of the Zonal Acarya concoction only made matters worse immediately after. If the devotees want to see the spirit of the DOM in practice, then a constitution has to be drawn and ratified.
The constitution must clarify items such as:
- The GBC: its mandate, its duties, its accountability.
- Guru-tattva for ISKCON must be explicated.
- Daivi-varnasrama guidelines must codify the duties and expectations for both the varnas and asramas.
- The actual function of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) must be spelled out.
- The duties, responsibilities and accountability of the Temple President have to be understood by everyone and the functioning of a temple detailed.
- The monies received by the Society must be parceled out only as specified by His Divine Grace and not otherwise.
Even the application of constitutional enforcement is difficult in this age because of the general apathy of the people and, more sinisterly, the evil tendency for ecclesiastical power domination. However, well established customs and cultural assimilation go a long way to let common sense prevail in the affairs of a spiritually oriented society that wishes to avoid the pitfalls of ecclesiasticism. The common decency of dialogue and accommodation is pretty well lost in Kali yuga. Therefore, methods and structures are needed tools for social integrity to survive. A properly drawn constitution is machinery that a people give itself for the attainment of a goal or goals. Back to Godhead for everyone is the goal of ISKCON.
Why not stop all antics and become serious, now that we are all growing old day by day, and soon all of us will be gone from the scene? How will Vaisnava history view how we, as a generation, have handled the legacy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami? Sad to say, if judgment were today, most of us could be condemned to many repeated births and death and we would be shamed. It would be nice to leave this body at the fag end of life knowing that we have not left Srila Prabhupada’s legacy in the hands of those eager to use spiritual life as a means of satisfying their endless personal ambitions.
Your humble servant,
Vyswambhara das
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