THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS

HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SVAMI, founder-accarya.

GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION MAYAPURA MEETINGS, 1999.

The EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, assembled GBC members, and respectful Vaisnavas,

Open PROPOSAL on the subject of an ISKCON Constitution.

Dear Godbrothers and Godsisters and sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble obeisances. It is becoming more and more urgent that ISKCON reform its ways and the GBC better assume its function if the legacy of Srila Prabhupada is to be preserved and not lost to the divisive forces of impersonalism. The branch of the tree of love of Godhead of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that is ISKCON grew out of the failed attempt of the Gaudiya Matha institution to achieve what His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada dubbed, Unity in Diversity. It should be admitted without rancor or defensiveness that the last 20 years since the Vapu disappearance of Srila Prabhupada have seen the Krsna consciousness movement fall in the same grip of the poison of individual interpretations of the acarya's legacy.

Therefore the idea of an ISKCON Constitution is central to the debate on what to do in order to put the movement directly under the lotus feet of the founder-acarya. Let the ISKCON Constitution be the Vani incarnation of Srila Prabhupada. Let it be the enforceable law of the Society. Let the government and the administration of the society be performed as he instructed and let there be a written statement about how Vaisnava relationships should be consucted in order to create Unity in Diversity.

The constitution and each of its articles are to be debated in Mayapura-Dhama where Srila Prabupada said Unity in Diversity could be achieved by consultation of the GBC and senior men of the movement. The details of a truly representative Constitutional Convention , the convention itself, the final wording of a constitution voted by at least 2/3 majority of 50-60 saintly delegates duly elected by the various recognized constituencies of ISKCON and the due process and deliberation thereof, the proper ceremonies of inaugurating the constitution and the formal swearing-in of all officials of the Society, everything can be organized and done in a proper mood of Vainava co-operation during 1999. The induction of the constitution could then coincide with Gaura Purnima 2,000.

This effort to please Srila Prabhupada collectively rather than at cross-purposes to one another would surely incur the benediction of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya upon ISKCON and its sincere followers. If the constitution truly reflected Srila Prabhupada's instruction, albeit 'glorified, beautified or magnified', it would automatically provoke a reconciliation of the Vaisnavas, a granting of a general amnesty, a display of true repentance from those who are sincere, a granting of forgiveness... For all that to incrementally occur there must be general agreement on a master-plan that is comprehensible to everyone and strictly enforceable. Such master-plan requires the formation of a real government for ISKCON, with the modern need for balancing power between the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial, common goals and the proper assignment of duties, responsabilities and accountability. The structure of ISKCON is already there by Srila Prabhupada's grace, and the fundamentals for the law of the Society is also there in Srila Prabhupada's many instructions: the Governing Body Commission, the guru, the daivi-varnasrama system, the temple organization, the Pancaratrika-Viddhi worship of Sri Murti and Bhagawata-Vidhi of preaching by distributing books. A return to these fundamentals is what a constitution will seek to achieve. There is a need for strong independent-thinking Vaisnavas to confront one another respectfully on the delicate issues of the constitution in its final phase. The 2/3 vote of the Constitutional Convention has to be the final and binding word. This will give a solid foundation to the Society, one that will withstand the test of time and carry its institutions past the generational gaps.

A constitution would give a new start to Srila Prabhupada's beloved institution. It should by now be painfully evident that Vaisnavism is again prey to the 13 impersonalistic kinds of deceit and the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhus's sankirtana movement are dividing again, bitterly and acrimoniously if the public debate is any indication. Some groups have now proposed and are proposing particular Vaisnavas as designated heir of Srila Prabhupada, as having understood the message better than all others, having become the maha-bhagawata devotee of the Lord whose self-effulgent qualities can achieve Unity in Diversity by his very presence. But none have or will actually rally everyone as Srila Prabhupada did or, when such an elevated devotee were to appear and be properly recognized, he would, giving Srila Prabhupada's insistance on organizing the sankirtana movement as a modern society, elect to follow all the duties, assume all the responsabilities, and make himself completely accountable to ISKCON, its GBC and its constitution, much as King Janaka who was a self-realized devotee beyond all rules and regulations willingly assumed all the duties of a responsable monarch in order to give good example to the rest of the society. All the constitution seeks to achieve is this, ´ We do not have to manufacture anythingnew. We are getting perfect knowledge from Krsna trough the disciplic succession, so our position is very firm. Whatever we hear from the bonafide spiritual master should be practicec in life and the same message delivered to whowever we meet. In this way you become spiritual master. ª (Dec. 31, 1975)

But regardless of the chosen behaviour of a pure devotee of the Lord who is always beyond Vaidhi-Bhakti although he never deviates from his beloved twin-sister, knowing her to be the will of God for His followers, the successors of His Divine Grace are advised, ´... Let them manage by strong governing body, as is going on. Then acarya will come by qualifications. ª (April 28, 1974) To achieve Unity in Diversity a constitution as to 1. Be written and voted publicly and openly by a truly representative Constitutional Convention 2. Be ratified by the vast majority of all sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada.

There are many details and strict organization needed in order to write what is essentially a public document, that is publicly debated as it is being formulated, and 95% completed by the time of the actual Constitutional Convention in 2,000. Working electronically however makes the offering of an ISKCON Constitution in 2,000, a constitution that is popularly endorsed by a majority of all devotees, a feasible and desireable task. The GBC has the wherewithals to oversee and organize this collective effort. The secret however would be that the GBC avoid getting its tail wet in this attempt at crossing over the river of dissent. In 1987 there was an attempt at reform in ISKCON but it failed miserably because of an oliarchic control of the end-game. To succeed the exercice of writing a constitution should be open to public scrutiny and debate up to its last final details that are resolved in the end by the verdict of the Constitutional Convention by 2/3 vote. When the final version of the ISKCON Constitution is finally inducted and empowered then it will remain the law for ISKCON all time with very stringent rules for its amendment.

The Romans used to say 'Consensus tollit errorem', consensus can overcome error. Achieving a consensus and writing a constitution are synonymous. A consensus cannot be imposed by an individual, unless he were a Maha-Bhagawata. Nor should a consensus be imposed by a particular oliarchy. Achieving Unity in Diversity should be done in the manner instructed by Srila Prabhupada, ´Now this displeasing of Godbrothers has already begun and gives me too much agitation in my mind. Our Gaudiya Matha people fought with one another after the death of my Guru maharaja, but my disciples have already begun fighting even in my presence. So I am greatly concerned about it. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu: trnad api sunicena... we must always remmber this verse and be as tolerant as the tree, as we execute the Krsna consciousness movement. Without this mentality we cannot be successful. Material nature meand dissension and disagreement, especially in this Kali Yuga. But, for this Krsna consciousness movement, its success will depend upon agreements, even though there are varieties of engagements. In the material world there are varieties, but there is no agreement. In the spiritual world there are varieties but there is agreement. That is the difference . The materialists, without being able to adjust the varieties, and the disagreements, make everything zero. They cannot come into agreement with varieties, but if we keep Krsna in the centre, then there will be agreement in varieties. This is called unity in diversity. I am therefore suggesting that all of our men meet in Mayapur every year during the birth anniversary of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With our GBC and senior men present we should discuss how to make unity in diversity. But if we fight on account of diversity, then it is simply the material platform. Please try to maintain the philosophy of unity in diversity. That will make our movement successful. One section of men have already gone out, therefore we must be careful to maintain the unity in diversity... ª (Oct. 18,1973)

It is therefore proposed that an ISKCON Constitution be inaugurated in Mayapura-Dhama at Gaura-Purnima 2,000. All the preliminaries can be accomplished during 1999 making certain that the consultation of the devotees is broadly based and done in an open and honest manner. All personal familiarity aside and suspending temporarily acquired notions and opinions the sassembled Vaisnavas should exercise collective-acaryaship and thus overcome individualistic interpretations.

In the service of Srila Prabhupada,

Vywambhara dasa.

Offered on this the auspicious appearance day of om visnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacarya astottara-sata Sri Sriman His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada's beloved Guru-Maharaja.