Iskcon-dom.com: “The Direction of Management”

Iskcon-dom.com: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is the creation and property of its Founder-Acarya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who incorporated the institution as a nonprofit religious organization in the year 1966.

Srila Prabhupada, as He is called by His followers, physically departed in the year 1977, leaving the ISKCON movement to be controlled from that point onward by a small group of His leading disciples known collectively as the Governing Body Commission (GBC). Since that time there have been numerous controversies, scandals and criminal activities throughout the worldwide ISKCON organization, resulting in dramatic reduction of membership and worldwide defamation.

The original spiritual purpose of this institution has been seriously diminished due to social stigma, and the current standards and practices of ISKCON reveal a dramatic departure from those of the institution bearing the same name 40 years ago when Srila Prabhupada was personally present. To reconcile the ISKCON of 40 years ago with the ISKCON of today, and to restore the ISKCON intended by Srila Prabhupada, it is necessary to analyze the chain of events that took place between then and now.

On July 28th, 1970, Srila Prabhupada presented to the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) a signed order that was to function as the essential Managing Structure for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) from that point onward – The Direction of Management. This order went ignored by the GBC, and failed to reach the thousands of individuals composing the rest of the ISKCON membership, most notably the Temple Presidents (one per temple), to whom the document specifically pertained.

When Srila Prabhupada discovered the GBC’s rejection of His Direction of Management order in 1974, He again issued the order for the Direction of Management in a letter marked “TOPMOST URGENCY”. Just as in 1970, this second order for the Direction of Management went ignored and with several exceptions, uncommunicated to the ISKCON public.

The ramifications of the disobedience of the 1970 Direction of Management order are complex, and at the root of all ISKCON activities of a questionable nature that have transpired from its inception to the present day. This website is created by disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, to reveal the Direction of Management and its re-statement, the “TOPMOST URGENCY” letter to the public, and associated items.

Our goal in presenting this information is to create a surge of interest throughout ISKCON leading to public advocacy for the establishment of the Direction of Management, and all other orders of ISKCON’s Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, into the incorporation papers, charters, and legal contracts of all ISKCON temples.

Every written order of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada is to be followed “As It Is”, just as His Bhagavad Gita presents Lord Krishna’s Order “As It Is”. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, by virtue of being an Uttama Adhikari, exists and speaks on the same exact platform as Sri Krishna, and therefore can be known and understood as the “Person Bhagavat”.

As such, we can consider His Divine Words to be equal to and as substantive as Divine Scripture. For this reason, His Direction of Management of 1970 must be considered to be equal to revealed scripture itself. Disobedience of the direct order of the Pure Devotee, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is not in any way different from direct and deliberate disobedience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Himself.