Apr 23, 2016 — EUROPE (SUN) —
Who is the successor to Srila Prabhupada? Over the years there have been many claims to the throne. Without wishing to systematically examine each one, here are some examples:
1. Kirtanananda declared himself as the only true successor of Srila Prabhupada.
2. Tamal Krsna Maharaja was temporarily banned from initiating after claiming he was the via media to Srila Prabhupada and absolute authority to his godbrothers.
3. Some followers of B.R. Sridhara Maharaja saw him as Prabhupada's successor.
4. Some ISKCON gurus attempted to establish Narayana Maharaja as Prabhupada's successor.
5. Some followers of Gour Govinda Maharaja saw him as Prabhupada's successor.
6. The IRM Ritviks claim that no one will succeed Srila Prabhupada as diksa guru.
7. Other Ritviks claim that a self-effulgent acarya may emerge in the future and be recognised as the successor of Srila Prabhupada.
8. During the Zonal Acarya era, many devotees thought the eleven acaryas were the successors to Srila Prabhupada.
9. Last year, Murali Krsna Swami was expelled from ISKCON for various reasons, which included claiming to be a self-effulgent acarya and planning a revolution against the GBC. This appears to be a claim to succession.
10. Some argue that all of Srila Prabhupada's followers in good standing are his successors.
All the above theories have been rejected by the GBC. Instead, they claim that the GBC body is the successor of Srila Prabhupada:
"It is customary in India for an ācārya to leave his institution to his chosen successor as a legacy in his will. The action Śrīla Prabhupāda took in 1970—establishing the GBC— allowed him in 1977 to set this down as the first provision of his "Declaration of Will": "The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority of the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness." By thus establishing the GBC and leaving it as his chosen successor at the head of ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda insured that the order of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura would continue to work efficaciously in the world and bear fruit." (Founder Acarya paper)
The above quote is similar to a statement found in "Cleaning House and Cleaning Heart", an article written by Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu.
"In India, the current acarya would appoint his successor from among his followers, and in this way the charisma would be transferred. Upon the demise of his predecessor, the successor acarya was ritually elevated over all other disciples (godbrothers) of his guru, and they would thereafter bring new members to him for initiation.
ISKCON, however, represents a departure from this archaic form of organisation. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly stressed his intention that ISKCON would not, after his death be managed by a single acarya, but rather by a board of directors (the GBC), that he formed and began to train in 1970. Śrīla Prabhupāda's intention, and his departure from the 'institutional acarya', is shown in a striking way in his will. Traditionally, it was in the first article of his will that an acarya named his successor, passing on his institution to the heir as if it were personal property. However, the first paragraph of Śrīla Prabhupāda's will reads: 'The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority for the entire International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness." (ISKCON Communications Journal, 1994)
Given the amount of speculation over the years and the sheer number of succession theories, it is surprising that the GBC should make this claim without providing strong evidence. Here are some problems with the claim:
Srila Prabhupada did not explicitly state in his Will that the GBC was his successor, rather he used the phrase "ultimate managing authority". Also, there are other ways to interpret the events of Srila Prabhupada's departure.
Followers of Narayana Maharaja claim that because he placed Srila Prabhupada in samadhi he was the chosen successor, as per tradition. Alternatively, the Ritviks claim that the letter appointing eleven ritvik acaryas* indicates that Srila Prabhupada did not appoint a successor. All three interpretations are speculative, so why favour the GBC interpretation? [* The July 9th Letter specifically refers to the eleven as "rittik"-representative of the acarya]
According to the Vedabase, on a number of occasions Srila Prabhupada was asked if he had chosen a successor. He answered it many different ways, never explicitly stating that the GBC was his successor. Only the first quote below indicates that the GBC could be the successor.
"...there is no need of one person. As other things are managed, but by committee, so this can also be managed..."
"I may nominate or they [the committee] can nominate."
"I am giving the legacy to all my disciples, all my followers, and whoever follows will have the legacy."
"That will be revealed to you."
"My success is always there."
The open-ended nature of these quotes suggests that Srila Prabhupada did not appoint a successor at all, and left things up to Krsna. In effect he was saying that whoever follows properly will have the legacy. On two occasions, including at the time of Srila Prabhupada's departure, Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja asked him about the succession problem (4 minutes into the video). Srila Prabhupada's replies were "What to do? Everything Krsna's will." and "What shall I do now? "
