10/26/1998 - 2417 (See Related VNN Stories)

IRG Vrindavan Conference

Vrindavan, India (VNN) - from a leading North Indian Hindi daily paper

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ISKCON REFORM GROUP (IRG) IN VRINDAVANA
(Translated from a leading North Indian Hindi daily newspaper)

 A two day international conference of the ISKCON REFORM GROUP (IRG) started today in Vrindavana.

The delegates expressed their concern and anguish towards ISKCON's governing body commission (GBC) for not following the orders of their founder-acharya A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The devotee delegates have converged from all over the world, including India.

Devotees of ISKCON, which include disciples of Prabhupada and those who have surrendered their lives for furthering the movement, are frustrated.
On the first day of the IRG conference, Adridharan das, the ISKCON Calcutta temple president felt pained that since Prabhupada had gone back to Goloka his orders relating to Diksha were being sidetracked. He stated that Prabhupada had expressed his desires for Diksha of future disciples in ISKCON in a letter dated July 9th, 1977, and that the letter was sent to all ISKCON GBC's and centers all over the world.
The senior disciples or sannyasis who would perform the initiation ceremonies would be called "ritvik" priests and act on behalf of Prabhupada only.

This letter is available in a paper entitled "The Final Order" which was commissioned by the GBC and based on lectures and other teachings of Prabhupada. It seems devotees of ISKCON are not kept updated about developments in the debate.
In spite of instructions against attending the conference, approximately 100 senior disciples attended the meeting. They included disciples from India, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, France, England, Italy, Singapore and Australia.
The IRG conference was held in the Dhanuka Ashram in Vrindavana. The author of "The Final Order" Krishnakanta Desai answered different questions and doubts from devotees for well over three hours.

Bhaktisiddhanta das, who has resided in Vrindavana for the last two decades and makes murtis, emphasized the point that the gurus will have to come to the reality of being just ritviks. He said that until this happens Prabhupada's movement would not be fully successful.
IRG members want to spread this awareness in ISKCON temples all over the world by the next GBC meetings to be held in Mayapura, West Bengal in February. Sources say that this issue will be settled by philosophical debate.
On the other side, ISKCON Vrindavana temple president Mahaman das says that the Indian Leaders Meeting will be held on October 27 & 28th, in Vrindavana and the IRG meeting may be discussed.

 ADDITIONAL NOTE
IRG would like to add that the following resolutions were passed unanimously at the end of the conference:

1 - DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE ON SRILA PRABHUPADAWe accept the document "The Final Order" as the definitive explanation of the process for initiating members into the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We invite the worldwide association of devotees to support our efforts to reestablish His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as the current and diksha link to the Gaudiya Sampradaya, and we humbly request the GBC members both individually and collectively, to seriously consider this proposal. This effort is designed to unite Srila Prabhupada's family and is specifically meant to create full public access to the mercy of H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada through spiritual initiation.

 2 - All devotees, regardless of their status, especially the second generation, are to be accepted as direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada, with everyone to be united as godbrothers and godsisters in the house that Srila Prabhupada built.

 NB - These resolutions are the same as those passed in Alachua, Florida earlier this month.

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