| Home | “Either they were ritvik gurus before AND AFTER Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, or their “guru” service ceased to exist after his disappearance.” |
The GBC now says that the zonal acarya system was a “deviation.” They also say that the original 11 ritvik representatives of the acarya’s service as “ritvik gurus” ceased to exist at the time of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance on November 14th, 1977, and that Srila Prabhupada never appointed any gurus.
Therefore, according to the GBC, they, the original 11 “gurus,” had the same status as Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant. That is, when Srila Prabhupada left, their ritvik service was finished. Then they should have simply gone back to being ordinary GBCs, sannyasis, grihasthas, non-GBCs, etc., just like Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant did. Prabhupada needed ritviks to help him, so he chose ones who were willing to do this service, and most of whom were already on the GBC (all except Bhavananda, whom Srila Prabhupada never put on the GBC), so that additional air fare would not have to be paid for them to fly from temple to temple, initiating “whomever was nearest.” This was simply a practical management decision. Therefore, shouldn’t their guru status now, according to the GBC, be null and void?
Either they were ritvik gurus before AND AFTER Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, or their “guru” service ceased to exist after his disappearance. The GBC can’t have it both ways!
If their “guru” service DID cease to exist after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, then what did Srila Prabhupada intend, for post-samadhi initiations within ISKCON? Ravindra Swarupa Dasa didn’t dream up ISKCON’s current system of initiations until 1986! Are we to believe that Srila Prabhupada intended for all those who wanted to be initiated in 1978 to wait for eight years to be initiated?
I would be very grateful if the GBC would please come up with a logical explanation for this obvious anomaly. As I’ve said before, to say that Srila Prabhupada was negligent in regards to making it extremely clear how initiations were to be continued in post-samadhi ISKCON is a very great offense against my Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada!
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