Importance of GBC in ISKCON & Status of an authorized guru!
(Part of the Series “Duties of a disciple to his guru”)
To Go to the Part-(B) Click HERE.
(A) STATUS OF AN AUTHORIZED GURU IN ISKCON
While identifying a right and bonafide guru, we have to consider many aspects. We have seen many of them so far.
In this part, we are going to see a very important attitude or symptom of a bonafide guru in ISKCON.
(Can a disciple of a Non-bonafide Guru take Diksha in ISKCON? READ HERE!)
What is it?
Whether that guru has accepted the hierarchy of the management and authorities of ISKCON should be seen.
Why?
In ISKCON, Only the GBC (Governing Body Commission) is the topmost authority. No one is above this body.
So, all the gurus in ISKCON are expected to function following the system recommended by the GBC from time to time.
Srila Prabhupada has instructed us to reject someone if he does not accept the GBC, but accepts only Srila Prabhupada.
That means, though one is loyal to Srila prabhupada, if he does not accept the powers of GBC, Srila Prabhupada won’t accept that devotee.
What this shows?
Srila Prabhupada was very firm that the GBC is the topmost authority to manage all the affairs of ISKCON.
(Importance of Guru (Spiritual master) in a devotee’s Spiritual Life! READ HERE!)
If a guru has all the other qualifications, but is not in favour of the GBC, one should not accept him even as his siksha guru. Then what about getting diksha from such a guru?
In other words, only the gurus approved to initiate the devotees by the GBC in ISKCON are the authorized gurus from whom we can get diksha.
Let us see what Srila Prabhupada or GBC has said about this:
(1) GBC Statement on the Position of Srila Prabhupäda (March 2013):
Those who accept the service of diksha guru or Siksha guru in ISKCON are required to be exemplary in representing Srila Prabhupäda’s teaching in their words and personal behavior. The Siksha guru gives spiritual instruction and inspiration on behalf of Srila Prabhupäda and our guru parampara. The diksha guru gives spiritual instruction, inspiration, formal initiation, a spiritual name, and later imparts the sacred Gayatri mantras to a qualified disciple as a service to Srila Prabhupäda and our guru parampara.”
(Is Diksha given by a Guru who is not approved by his guru valid? READ HERE!)
These are the Eligibility & Attitude of an authorized guru in ISKCON!
(Is Shankara Sampradhaya a bonafide Sampradhaya? How? READ HERE!)
(B) IMPORTANCE OF GBC IN ISKCON – SRILA PRABHUPADA’s VIEWS (Contd.)!
Srila Prabhupada framed the best system of management by a group of devotees instead of having a single acharya after his period!
Let us continue to read what he has said about the importance of GBC in ISKCON as the ultimate governing authority.
Srila Prabhupada’s Declaration of Will, June 1977 on Importance of GBC in ISKCON:
“The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority of the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”
Why not a single guru, but GBC?
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.18 — Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:
You must be engaged continually for these missionary activity. The Gaudiya Mission has failed in preaching work because they adopted this principle. As soon as they got a little shelter under the name of Matha, or temple, and a few dozen of…, not few dozen, one dozen [disciples], then he is settled up there. Now he is bhajana, ‘Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna,’ showing that he is very great chanter. And what is your preaching? . . . Therefore my Guru Maharaja condemned this policy. Mana tumi kisera vaisnava: ‘What kind of Vaisnava you are?’ Pratisthara tare nirjanera ghare: ‘And simply for cheap popularity, Oh, he is a Vaisnava. He is chanting. All right.’ . . No botheration, because if there is no preaching, there is no botheration. You can sit down and show people, ‘I have now become a very liberated soul,’ and chant and meditate. That means sleeping. This sort of business is condemned by my Guru Maharaja. Pratisthara tare nirjanera ghare tava harinama kevala. This is simply cheating. He did not approve this kind of business. He did not approve. He wanted to see that everyone is engaged in preaching work.”
(Is Diksha given by a Guru who is not approved by his guru valid? READ HERE!)
Guru Reform—Ravindra Swarupa Dasa—ISKCON Communications Journal#2.1:
Vaisnava doctrine holds that the essential qualifying characteristic of a guru is that he follows the order of his own guru. He never becomes the master, but always remains the servant. Consequently, to be qualified as a guru in ISKCON it was essential to strictly follow the order of Srila Prabhupada, who had decreed that all devotees must serve co-operatively under the authority of the GBC. Accepting the authority of the GBC board was not a voluntary option—because it was Srila Prabhupada’s order, it was necessary to guru-hood itself.”
Srila Prabhupada’s Strong reaction to those who didn’t accept GBC:
8th February, 1975, Honolulu, SP Lila-Addendum to SP lilamrta—by Sri Satsarupa Das Gosvami:
“Another confrontation took place in Srila Prabhupäda’s room, with devotees who insisted they could faithfully obey Srila Prabhupäda but could not follow his G.B.C. representative or his ISKCON….The devotees in Prabhupäda’s room had formerly been leaders of ISKCON Hawaii but had left and were now threatening to use the funds and properties in their own name.
Prabhupäda kept asking them simply, “Why did you leave? Why don’t you stay? Why don’t you surrender?”
But they insisted that while they trusted Prabhupäda, they could not trust the G.B.C.
One of the G.B.C. members in the room became exasperated with their refusal to accept Prabhupäda’s simple request of surrender.
(Can a disciple of a Non-bonafide Guru take Diksha in ISKCON? READ HERE!)
“You say that you accept Prabhupäda?”
“Yes,” they replied.
“And you say you have faith in him?”
“Yes.”
“You say that whatever he asks, you can follow?”
“Yes.”
“So, then, if Prabhupäda asks you to follow the G.B.C., will you do it?”
The room became tense and silent.
“No, we cannot follow.”
When they uttered that no, Srila Prabhupada dropped his fist on his table and pointed to the deviant devotees, declaring, “Just see the hypocrisy!”
Even after Prabhupada’s stark conclusion, they maintained their “we-surrender-to-you-but-not-to-ISKCON” philosophy until Prabhupäda asked them to leave.
To the other devotees remaining in the room Prabhupäda remarked, “When they say they don’t like ISKCON and the G.B.C., they are really saying they don’t like to follow my order. That means they don’t like my order. That means they don’t have faith in my order. That means they don’t have faith in me. That means guru-aparadha. To say they have faith in me is just hypocrisy.”
What will happen if there is no system of GBC?
Sri Caitanya-Caritamruta Adi 12.8:
“Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next acarya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acarya, and they split into two factions over who the next acarya would be. Consequently, both factions were asara, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master.”
What Srila Prabhupada says about not accepting the GBC?
8th February, 1975, ISKCON Honolulu, Hawaii:
“When they say they don’t like ISKCON and the G.B.C., they are really saying they don’t like to follow my order. That means they don’t like my order. That means they don’t have faith in my order. That means they don’t have faith in me. That means guru-aparadha. To say they have faith in me is just hypocrisy.”
So, an aspiring disciple should evaluate whether the guru whom he plans to accept or already accepted follows GBC in speech and actions.
Thus Srila Prabhupada did not come down even a bit in relaxing the Importance of GBC in ISKCON as the supreme governing authority.
Therefore, it is to be understood that Governing Body Commission (GBC) is the ultimate governing authority of ISKCON.
(Importance of Guru (Spiritual master) in a devotee’s Spiritual Life! READ HERE!)