Saving the Mission ~ Open letter to GBC's and devotees

[Guest guest]

Improving the Mission

Dear GBC Members,

Please accept my respectful obeisance's.

All glories to our jagat guru Srila Prabhupada!

As you are having your annual international meetings in Sridam Mayapur soon

I wanted to write to you about how to improve Srila Prabhupada's mission. I have

tried for 27 years now to speak to the GBC body. If at first you don't succeed,

try try again.

The reason Srila Pabhupada's mission is struggling especially in the West

is because we have not implemented his instructions for proper initiations

linking the new devotees to Srila Prabhupada. I am qualified to speak on this

subject because I was a witness to His Divine Grace's last instructions on this

and other matters. We need to keep Srila Prabhupada as the siksa, diksa and

delivering guru of his ISKCON mission. This is what he ordered. I am not the

only witness; it is also documented on July 7th 1977 and in the July 9th 1977

Newsletter. These orders have not been followed to date except in the Bangalore

temple and on a small scale in some of the Prabhupada anuga preaching centers.

The Bangalore temple is a shining example of how we can cooperate to preach and

work together to advance Krsna Consciousness to the devotees and society at

large. Only with Srila Prabhupada in the center can we have unity and purity

and thus cooperate to do some dynamic preaching work.

What we have now is a splintered movement with camps of devotees here and

there. What we need is for all of the devotees to be united under Srila

Prabhupada; juniors still respecting the seniors.

I was present when Srila Prabhupada said he was going to leave his body in

Vrindavan. I was present when Srila Prabhupada ordered representatives to

initiate on his behalf after he physically left the planet. I was present in

his garden, when his secretary asked him questions regarding the future of

initiations and ISKCON in general. I heard Srila Prabhupada say he would always

be our guru. When the secretary asked him when we could be regular gurus Srila

Prabhupada said that we could not be gurus (except for siksa gurus of course)

in his temples. We would have to do as he did and start our oun mission. Srila

Prabhupada did not return to the Gaudiya Math to fight for properties,

disciples, money and worship or profit, distinction and adoration. As a

qualified guru he has the potency to attract and inspire us to become devotees.

If you are qualified to do this the ettiquitte is that you should do it in your

own temples; not Srila Prabhupada's.

When the secretary asked if the representative initiators could sit on

vyasasanas Srila Prabhupada immediately said, "No. That would create enmity

among my disciples." He made it clear that no others should be worshipped in

his temples. The devotees who are giving initiation today should be doing on

behalf of Srila Prabhupada as the priests represent the deliverer Jesus Christ

for the true Christians. The priests should be respected but not worshipped.

The GBC should immediately stop the worship of Srila Prabhupada's disciples on

his alters. Only Srila Prabhupada should be worshipped by all of us. Food

should only be offered the traditional way through Srila Prabhupada with the

approved prayers.

Today sometimes we hear that another 'guru' has fallen down and sometimes

they admit that they had not been following the rules and regulations for quite

sometime before admitting it. Do you think foods offered to their pictures were

accepted? That is unauthorized and actually gambling. Why are we making the

same mistakes year after year? Will you rectify the situation for the benefit

of the devotees and the world before you also die? Do you want to leave with

this work undone? Do you want to be found guilty by Yamaraja of disobeying to

orders of the spiritual master?

To those of you who are determined to claim to be the deliverer of your

initiates you should do so in your own centers. The rest of us should preach on

behalf of Srila Prabhupada, the siksa/diksa and delivering guru.

Dear Godbrothers, I beg you out of honesty and humility, not hate or envy,

to do the needful to help our great mission that ultimately can save the world.

If we make these changes we will see everything improve. Why not try it and see.

The current gurus just need to follow the orders to Srila Prabhupada and the GBC

to do so. Shape up or ship out! Srila Prabhupada is the only worshipable guru in

ISKCON. His representatives are very respectable; but not worshipable. Once this

last change is made the respect gained by humility will be present and the real

love and trust that Srila Prabhupada wants will grow more and more.

No matter how many 0's you have without the 1 in the front they are useless. Let

us learn a lesson from Christianity and not disregard it as usual and not put

the saktavesa Avatars; Jesus Christ and Srila Prabhupada on the levels of the

priests or visa versa.

I am available and will always make myself available at your request. I pray

this happens in our lifetimes so I can leave with a smile on my face.

Hoping this meets you all well and in a cooperative spirit.

Your servant,

Gauridasa Pandita Dasa