The Facts of Life in ISKCON Today

Fact 1: ISKCON gurus and GBC have disobeyed Srila Prabhupada's orders with regard to initiation of newe disciples and appointment of gurus.

Just 4 months before he passed away, Srila Prabhupada deputised 11 disciples to act as "rittvik representatives of the Acharya" in a letter dated July 9, 1977. This order was afterwards misconstrued to mean that Srila Prabhupada had appointed the 11 as successor acharyas and empowered them as "pure devotees" to assume the role of spiritual master and direct their disciples to worship them instead of Srila Prabhupada or as good as Srila Prabhupada.

When several out of the original 11 gurus fell down from the standard of spiritual practices, the Society's management body (GBC) began to appoint new gurus by vote, despite so many instructions and warnings to the contrary in Srila Prabhupada's lectures, conversations, letters and published books and all the shastras that one becomes guru not by appointment, vote nor by any mundane court action.

Fact 2: ISKCON has made extensive changes to Srila Prabhupada's books without authorisation and misled the public to believe that those books are the authorised editions, disrespecting and failing to preserve the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada published some 40 books (more than 87 volumes) in the last 12 years of his life, among them his famous Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Chaitanya-charitamrita, and Sri Ishopanishad--not including another 70 volumes of works compiled from his lectures and conversations and letters after his departure, and not counting the Back to Godhead magazine which he founded and published monthly.

But ISKCON GBC-guru Jayadvaita Swami and his team have stated openly that it is their life's mission to revise all of Srila Prabhupada's books, even without permission from Srila Prabhupada, and they have already done so to many of Srila Prabhupada's books, including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krishna book, Chaitanya-charitamrita, Science of Self Realisation and others.

The changes are so extensive that in many cases the meaning has been altered altogether. Please note that the changes are not just to correct spelling and grammar in the original editions. There are instances where revisions have been made to support shifts in ISKCON policies and doctrine. One glaring example recently came to our attention in the Chaitanya-charitamrita, where the original edition (1974) reads:

If one thinks that there are many pseudo devotees or nondevotees in the Krishna Consciousness Society, one can keep direct company with the spiritual master, and if there is any doubt, one should consult the spiritual master. --Purport, Caitanya caritamrita Madhya-lila 19.157

Compare this to the newly revised publication edited by Jayadvaita Swami (1996):

Even if one thinks that there are many pseudo devotees or nondevotees in the Krishna Consciousness Society, still one should stick to the Society; if one thinks the Society's members are not pure devotees, one can keep direct company with the spiritual master, and if there is any doubt, one should consult the spiritual master. --Purport, Cc Madhya-lila 19.157

The changes to Srila Prabhupada's books continue even now, in spite of protests across the worldwide community of devotees.

Before his departure, Srila Prabhupada received hundreds of favourable reviews from scholars who paid tribute to his scholarly and devotional contribution in the shape of his books. But under ISKCON's stamp of approval, Jayadvaita Swami has made so many changes (subtractions and additions) that Srila Prabhupada's books are not the same books at all, yet ISKCON and its publishing arm BBTI promote them as the authorised editions, thus misleading the public to believe that Srila Prabhupada has spoken or written whatever is printed within. This is not only fraud, but grievously offensive to the spiritual master Srila Prabhupada and a serious threat to the integrity of his teachings, or the siddhanta of the guru parampara.

Srila Prabhupada said that his books were the lawbooks for ISKCON and all of human society, but ISKCON has found them deficient, in need of revision or upgrading. What does this say about ISKCON's leaders and those who follow them? That they are more intelligent than the spiritual master or that they are disobedient and disrespectful rascals?

If you want to become overintelligent, to present something, to interpret something, whatever over you have heard from spiritual master you can make some further addition, alteration, then you'll spoil whole thing. Then you'll spoil whole thing. Don't make addition or alteration. Simply present as it is. Therefore we have begun Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Don't try to become over spiritual master. Then you'll spoil. Remain always a servant of your spiritual master and present the thing as you have heard.-- Srila Prabhupada, cited in Festivals with Srila Prabhupada, Sri Vyasapuja, p. 143-144

Fact 3: ISKCON gurus and GBC have belittled Srila Prabhupada and defied his express wishes for the operation of his Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, publisher of his books.

In 1972 Srila Prabhupada estalished a legal trust in the State of California, USA, named it The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and vested in it the copyrights to his works. In 1983 ISKCON by-passed the trust and trustees, and took over the publishing operations under the name ISKCON of California, Inc. with the fictitious business name "Bhaktivedanta Book Trust", and went on to create a corporation called Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Incorporated (BBTI). Neither the fictitious business name "Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" operating as ISKCON of California nor the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Incorporated had any connection with Srila Prabhupada's trust named The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, but ISKCON cleverly used the same or similar name as a smokescreen for their illegal takeover of the publishing of Srila Prabhupada's books and distribution worldwide.

Most of the devotees were unaware what had happened, and the corporation BBTI began to boldly assert that it was the lawful copyright owner. In 1992, this corporation took out a court case against Bhima das in Singapore for publishing a Chinese edition of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is, claiming copyright infringement. But in 1998 BBTI withdrew the courtcase in Singapore when we demanded proof of the corporation's copyright ownership, and uncovered Srila Prabhupada's original Bhaktivedanta Book Trust as the lawful copyright owner, and Hansadutta das as the legal trustee, appointed for life by Srila Prabhupada.

ISKCON then banded together with the corporation BBTI, and sued Hansadutta das in California. ISKCON and BBTI asked the court to declare that Srila Prabhupada's Bhaktivedanta Book Trust had never existed, was never legal, that Hansadutta was not a legal trustee, and that the trust never owned the copyrights to Srila Prabhupada's books-- in direct defiance of everything Srila Prabhupada had personally set up.

Worse yet, ISKCON GBC testified that Srila Prabhupada never owned the copyrights to his books, because they were "works for hire", a legal term meaning that Srila Prabhupada was only a hired worker of ISKCON, who provided him with pen, paper, tape recorder, typists, room and board, and whatever he produced belonged to ISKCON. Using this legal argument, ISKCON and BBTI laid claim to the copyrights to Srila Prabhupada's books.

Calling Srila Prabhupada a hired worker of ISKCON and denying the validity of his Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, they have belittled and blasphemed the spiritual master and nullified all their spiritual credit.

One who criticises Lord Vishnu and His devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a hundred pious births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhipaka hell and is bitten by worms as long as the sun and moon exist. One should therefore not even see the face of a person who blasphemes Lord Vishnu and His devotees. Never try to associate with such persons. --Bhakti-sandarbha (313), cited in the purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 15.261

If one does not immediately leave upon hearing the Lord or the Lord's devotee blasphemed, he falls down from devotional service.--Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.74.40, cited in Bhakti-sandarbha (265) and in the purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 15.261

Similarly, Lord Shiva's wife Sati states in Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.4.17): 'If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, he should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer's tongue and kill the offender, and after that he should give up his own life.'--cited in the purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 15.261

Srila Prabhupada has said that 90% of spiritual advancement depends on association with the devotee, meaning the pure devotee. On the other hand, keeping company with disobedient and faithless persons who have offended the pure devotee Srila Prabhupada will undo us also. Spiritual life means keeping vigilant, and directing our energies to please the pure devotee—not associating with each other on the basis of friendship, love and society.

As for those misguided persons who unwittingly follow ISKCON's leadership, we urge them to study these points carefully and bring them to the attention of their leaders and insist on straightforward answers and action to correct the offences. Otherwise, they should leave such unworthy persons, and embrace Srila Prabhupada as their spiritual master under the shelter of one who does actually serve Srila Prabhupada.