The "responsibility" of the GBC is exclusively to assert and maintain the expressed will of the "supreme authority in all matters of the society", HDG Srila Prabhupada. ... There is no authority given to the GBC to interpolate their own will or desire to the clearly stated directives of Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada the Sole Authority for His Society

Dear Maharaja, PAMHO AGTSP Hare Krishna.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me last night. It appears that you share our eagerness to do the needful and set things right where it is possible within Srila Prabhupada's mission. This is not the full measure of what I could offer - but it will help you a great deal I am sure.

Kindly read over very carefully the following arrangements of Srila Prabhupada - which he emphasized were both spiritual and legal arrangements. Then we can carefully analyse how these arrangements of Srila Prabhupada inform the management of - as you so nicely emphasized last night - HIS MISSION.

They are all found here at this webpage: http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=176578.

When you arrive on this page, there is a link for the legal documents. [In the main body of the page you will see a listing of content preceded by a red dot, with the list description "Legal Documents".] Open this link and the following documents are found:

LD 1: Direction of Management, July 28, 1970

LD 2: Founding Document for the BBT, USA, May 29, 1972

LD 3: Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust Fund Agreement, July, 1971

LD 4: Founding Document of Association

LD 5: Amendments for Official Documents, July 22, 1974

LD 6: Declaration of Will, June 1977

LD 7: The League of Devotees Prospectus, May 16, 1953

LD 8: Certificate of Incorporation of ISKCON, July 13, 1966

It is all crystal clear, Maharaja. It is said "Rank confers no power or priviledge. It confers responsibility only."

The responsibility of the GBC is all clearly established by His Divine Grace. The position or "rank" of GBC Executor confers no priviledge. It confers responsibility only.

According to Srila Prabhupada's statements on the matter in the March 27th, 1975 GBC meetings - the individual GBC representative, is to "inspect" the actions of all local centers under his area of assigned responsiblity. Their authority is "representative" of Srila Prabhupada only.

Srila Prabhupada asserts that it is HE and HE ALONE - who is the sole authority for his society: This he asserted in the July Addendum letter to the DOM:

"He is the supreme authority in all matters of the Society. His position cannot be occupied by anyone else, and his name and title must appear on all documents, letterheads, publications, and buildings of the Society." (Addendum letter of July 1974)

The GBC was established by him - to ensure that the above fact was understood, accepted and fully informed all actions by any Temple President and subsequent congregation of adherents acting on his behalf and most importantly - in his name. This "name" was to be established on all documents pertaining to the official ISKCON MISSION.

The "responsibility" of the GBC is exclusively to assert and maintain the expressed will of the "supreme authority in all matters of the society", HDG Srila Prabhupada. (Same Addendum letter: "The GBC is to act as the instrument for the execution of the will of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada." Never their will! The GBC has no independent "will" or purpose save but to ensure that the self-evident "will" of Srila Prabhupada is understood and accepted by all local leadership in ISKCON.

There is no authority given to the GBC to interpolate their own will or desire to the clearly stated directives of Srila Prabhupada. Their duty is too inspect the conduct of all local chapters within their respective zones of responsibility and correct any deviations from the prescribed rules and regulations in "all matters of the Society" as given by Srila Prabhupada.

Both the TPs and the GBC members are to be sworn via the Oath of Allegiance - to uphold all of Srila Prabhupada's Directives contained within the DOM, Articles of Incorporation, The addendum to the DOM sent out on July 22nd 1974, and the Declaration of Will in 1977. So in effect - the GBC is authorized to ensure that all local TPs in his jurisdiction are conducting their duties in Srila Prabhupada's service - in complete accord with the authority of the Oath of Allegiance and all it commands. Where a Temple President might be derelict in his duty in this regard - the GBC is authorized to point this out and do all he can to either correct an errant TP or in the event that this TP remains deficient in his duty - oversee his removal and see that the local congregation replaces him with a qualified man. The GBC man has no authority to "reach in" and dictate the employ of a single dollar or the labor of a single man. This is not the authority of the GBC. Local TPs are duty-bound to return 50% of all income to Srila Prabhupada's BBT fund in exchange for HIS publications for distribution locally. The GBC has no access to a single dollar of this money - save but by the voluntary provision of that local community. The 50/50 formula in all money matters - does more to prevent friviolous lawsuits than any other single order from Srila Prabhupada. By the time all monies have been correctly spent for Srila Prabhupada - there is little left for such nonsense. Likewise - properly informed TPs will hold the GBC executors every bit as obligated to THEIR OWN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE as the TP is himself.

Here is that OATH OF ALLEGIANCE:

ISKCON OATH OF ALLEGIANCE - Dictated by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada to the GBC on March 27th 1975 and ordered by him to be sent to all Officers throughout his ISKCON.

I ...enter legal name and then initiated name - date of birth at present residing at, particular nationality (i.e. American, German etc) do hereby solemnly affirm, declare and state as under as follows: I state I have been elected or nominated a member of the Governing Body Commission/or Temple President - under the recommendation of my Guru Maharaja His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder, Acharya and Supreme Authority of the Krishna Consciousness Movement, under the banner of the ISKCON. I state I have imposed all my faith, integrity and honesty in my aforesaid Guru Maharaja, with the result he is the sole responsible person and Supreme Authority of my present position and status which I have gained and I am holding in the organization of ISKCON. I, the said - enter legal and initiated name - do hereby swear in the name of Krishna that I will bear truth and allegiance to the Constitution, by laws, rules and regulations and directives which have been given, including the 4 regulative principles (listed), chanting of 16 rounds very seriously or directions given me directly by my aforesaid Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, or through his authorized person or persons, and I shall obey faithfully all instructions and directions, which shall be binding on me, and that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of my Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada and the managing body commission and or any other body appointed by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, working under the said International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and I shall faithfully discharge the duty upon which I am about to enter or have already been appointed to that effect. I further pledge that His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada is the only source of authority, represented by his instructions and books and I shall follow his instructions only - of these books." [footnote 1]

On June 2nd of 1977, Srila Prabhupada stated to Tamal Krishna Goswami that this Oath should be sent out and sworn to "legally" by all officers of his ISKCON mission. Such would then hold each and every officer capable of being found in Breach of Trust were he to violate his foresworn condition. It is within THIS legal and spiritual arrangement - that HDG Srila Prabhupada deftly established "remedy" for all who might suffer damages as a consequence of any officers' dereliction of duty, breach of trust or missappropriation of ISKCON assets.

One would expect that the GBC of 1978 would have made establishing the above their priority in 1978. They did not, and they STILL HAVE NOT.

The GBC appears to be the most confused about their authority, and this speaks volumes as to how they have been able to mismanage the mission of ISKCON so incompetently - that they have misappropriated more than 10 million dollars of Srila Prabhupada's money in the last 12 years alone - with their actions ultimately alienating nearly all of Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples.

Four thousand seven hundred thirty-four (4734) men and women gave everything they had or could have produced to Srila Prabhupada, from 1970 to 1977; the equivalent of nearly 350 million dollars worth of potential investable energy! This was given freely - and with the deepest faith and respect.

Since his departure - the collective investment in Srila Prabhupada's efforts - by his trusting disciples - has essentially been minimized down to nearly zero - by a group of men who are both terribly incompetent and rigidly seeking the means to continue denying this group of men and women the natural "remedy" to such incompetence and/or malfeasance - ensconced within the arrangements Srila Prabhupada established both spiritually and legally for HIS ISKCON mission.

I could offer you many examples of how this defect in their understanding of their mandate and its subsequent actions has manifested itself - but I am sure you are well aware of many examples of such. In legal parlance - the simple question must and always be directed to them that attempt to wield real or imagined authority over the person or property of others: Quo Warranto? - under what and whose authority to you now assert this or that? The actual authority invested in the offices of GBC, Temple President and Ritivik Acharyas was set down in document form in the above referenced DIRECTIVES.

It appears that the GBC is finally coming to the correct conclusion that without the Direction of Management (DOM) and Addendum letter of July 22nd 1974 (known as the "Topmost Urgency" letter) they in fact have no authority to even exist - much less excercise any authority over any ISKCON branch whatsoever! However - it is fact that some have failed to correctly note that in the last few months - Srila Prabhupada altered his arrangements for "elected term limits" for GBC men imposed by the DOM (every 3 years). He said that GBC men were to serve for life. This adjustment, however, did not alter the way errant GBC men were to be changed or removed and replaced when necessary. Srila Prabhupada made this change - but THIS adjustment also does not alter one bit the powers and disabilities of the GBC men. What is the range and limits of the GBC was more important to HDG, and this conforms to common sense. Too much importance has been assigned to this previous provision of the DOM by some, and this has prevented a legitimate "meeting of the minds" by all in the implementation of the DOM.

We must NOT make this mistake in our efforts. We must help everyone to understand the importance of this simple adjustment by Srila Prabhupada. We can discuss this more later as it is important.

Recently - in the North American Temples meeting - the GBC was found to be pointing to the DOM as the source of their provenance - so it is only a question of time before they will be obliged to accept the "powers" AND the "disabilities" conferred by HDG to the GBC and all officers of his ISKCON MISSION - via these documents.

That is a very positive sign indeed. It implies that we can expect that within a short time, the singular solution to all potential problems within the ISKCON MISSION - the correct presentation of Srila Prabhupada's exclusive authority atop his mission and the position of any officer within ISKCON as one of very specifically delegated authority - representing perfectly enumerated powers and disabilities - will again manifest!

THIS is the singular impediment to our once again mounting a united worldwide effort against the forces seeking to prevent our successfully manifesting the mission of Srila Prabhupada!

"Ultimate Managing Authority" as the GBC is described in Srila Prabhupada's final Will - holds them more responsible than any other devotee - to correctly refer to the mandates of Srila Prabhupada and their own sworn OATH OF AFFIRMATION to uphold them.

I hope this is helpful Maharaja in our ongoing efforts to arrive upon the best possible program for Srila Prabhupada.

Respectfully,
Praghosa

PS - The above reality has always been misunderstood by the Gaudiya Math and its various "modern" manifestations. But surely WE at the least cannot shirk from the beauty and simplicity of all these merciful arrangements given us by Mahaprabhu via His Dear Servant Srila Prabhupada.