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This is Srila Prabhupada's original
direction for the management of ISKCON
that Srila Prabhupada gave when he first proposed setting
up the GBC in 1970:
INTERNATIONAL
SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, INC.
FOUNDER-ACHARYA:
HIS DIVINE GRACE
A. C. BHAKTIVEDANTA
SWAMI PRABHUPADA
DIRECTION
OF MANAGEMENT
I, the undersigned,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, disciple of Om Visnupad Paramhansa
108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaj Prabhupada,
came in the United States in 1965 on September 18th for the
purpose of starting Krishna Consciousness Movement. For one
year I had no shelter. I was travelling in many parts of this
country. Then in 1966, July, I incorporated the Society under
the name and style the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
briefly ISKCON. The lawyer was Mr. J. Goldsmith. Gradually
the Society increased, and one after another branches were
opened. Now we have got thirty-four (34) branches enlisted
herewith:
Amsterdam, Holland
Atlanta, Georgia.........1476 Oxford Rd. N.E. 30322
Baltimore, Maryland.........1300 N. Calvert St.
Berkeley, California.........2710 Durant Avenue 94704
Berlin, West Germany
Boston, Massachusetts...... 40 N. Beacon St. 02134
Boulder, Colorado.........623 Concord St.
Buffalo, New York.........40 Englewood Ave. 14214
Chicago, Illinois.........2210 N. Halstead St.
Columbus,Ohio.........318East20thAve.43201
Detroit, Michigan.........74 West Forest St. 48201
Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
Hamburg, West Germany......2000 Hamburg 6, Bartelstrasse 65
Honolulu, Hawaii.........2016 McKinley St. 96822
Laguna Beach, California......130 Woodland Drive 92651
London, England.........7 Bury Place, Bloomsbury, W..C. 1
Los Angeles, California......3764 Watseka Ave. 90034
Montreal, Canada.........3720 Park Ave.
New Vrndavana, W. Virginia...RD 3 Moundsville 26041
New York City, New York...... 61 Second Ave. 10003
Paris, France............c/o Serge Elbeze, BO 113 Paris 14
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania......416 South 10th St. 19147
Provincetown, Massachusetts...104 Bradford St.
San Diego, California......3689 Park Blvd.
San Francisco, California......618 Frederick St. 94117
San Jose, California.........70 Hawthorne Way
Santa Barbara, California ......6654 del Playa, Goleta 93017
Seattle, Washington.........n5516 Roosevelt Way N.E. 98105
St. Louis, Missouri.........4544 LaClede Ave. 63110
Sydney, Australia.........298 Birrell St. Bondi, N.S.W. 2026
Tokyo, Japan............6-16, 2 Chome Ohhashi, Meguro-Ku
Toronto, Canada.........40 Beverly St., Ontario
Vancouver, Canada.........260 Raymur St., No. 305, B.C.
Washington, D.C..........2015 Q Street N.W. 20009
As we have increased our volume
of activities, now I think a Governing Body Commission (hereinafter
referred to as the GBC) should be established. I am getting
old, 75 years old, therefore at any time I may be out of the
scene, therefore I think it is necessary to give instruction
to my disciples how they shall manage the whole institution.
They are already managing individual centers represented by
one president, one secretary and one treasurer, and in my
opinion they are doing nice. But we want still more improvement
in the standard of Temple management, propaganda for Krishna
Consciousness, distribution of books and literatures, opening
of new centers and educating devotees to the right standard.
Therefore, I have decided to adopt the following principles
and I hope my beloved disciples will kindly accept them. There
was a meeting in San Francisco during the Ratha Yatra festival
1970 and many presidents of the centers were present.
In that meeting it was resolved
that an ad hoc committee be set up to form the constitution
which is taken into consideration. My duty was to first appoint
twelve (12) persons to my free choice amongst my disciples
and I do it now and their names are as follows:
1. Sriman Rupanuga Das Adhikary
2. Sriman Bhagavandas Adhikary
3. Sriman Syamsundar Das Adhikary
4. Sriman Satsvarupa Das Adhikary
5. Sriman Karandhar Das Adhikary
6. Sriman Hansadutta Das Adhikary
7. Sriman Tamala Krsna Das Adhikary
8. Sriman Sudama Das Adhikary
9. Sriman Bali Mardan Das Brahmacary
10. Sriman Jagadisa Das Adhikary
11. Sriman Hayagriva Das Adhikary
12. Sriman Krsnadas Adhikary
These personalities are now
considered as my direct representatives. While I am living
they will act as my zonal secretaries and after my demise
they will be known as Executors.
I have already awarded Sannyas
or the renounced order of life to some of my students and
they have also got very important duties to perform in this
connection. The Sannyasis will travel to our different centers
for preaching purpose as well as enlightening the members
of the center for spiritual advancement. The Sannyasis will
suggest for opening new centers in suitable places and the
GBC will take action on it.
As was stipulated by the ad
hoc committee, the function of the GBC will be as follows
with particulars:
PARTICULARS
OF THE GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION
"The purpose of the Governing
Body Commission is to act as the instrument for the execution
of the Will of His Divine Grace. And further,
1. The GBC oversees all operations
and management of ISKCON, as it receives direction from Srila
Prabhupada and His Divine Grace has the final approval in
all matters.
2. His Divine Grace will select
the initial 12 members of the GBC. In the succeeding years
the GBC will be elected by a vote of all Temple presidents
who will vote for 8 from a ballot of all Temple presidents,
which may also include any secretary who is in charge of a
Temple. Those 8 with the greatest number of votes will be
members for the next term of GBC. Srila Prabhupada will choose
to retain four commissioners. In the event of Srila Prabhupada's
absence, the retiring members will decide which four will
remain.
3. The commissioners will serve
for a period of 3 years, and they may be re-elected at the
end of this period.
4. The chairman is elected
by the GBC for each meeting. He has no veto power, but in
even of a vote tie, his vote will decide. The same will apply
for votes cast by mail between regular meetings.
5. Throughout the year, each
of the commissioners will stay with His Divine Grace for one
month at a time and keep the other commissioners informed
of His Divine Grace's instructions.
6. The primary objective of
the GBC is to organize the opening of new Temples and to maintain
the established Temples.
7. Advice will be given by
the GBC in cases of real property purchases, which will be
in the name of ISKCON, INC. (Trucks or other vehicles will
be purchased in the name of the local president).
8. Removal of a Temple president
by the GBC requires support by the local Temple members.
9. The GBC has no jurisdiction
in the publication of manuscripts, which will be handled by
a separate committee; profits to be returned to Srila Prabhupada."
So far my books are concerned,
I am setting up a different body of management known as the
BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST. The trustees of this body are also
members of the GBC, but their function is not dependent on
the GBC.
ISKCON Press was created for
the exclusive publication of my books and literatures and
should be continued in that way.
During my absence no one shall
live in my apartment.
ACB
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Witnessed by:
Date July 28th 1970
(Robert F. Corens)
Rupanuga das Adhikary
(William R. Ehrlichman)
Bhagavan das Adhikary
(Kelly Gifford Smith)
Karandhar das Adhikary
Date July 28th, 1970
At the World Head Quarters
3764, Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90034
Srila Prabhupadas original handwritten document here
dom-original.pdf (pdf-format 700
KB)
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