Ritvik Initiations In ISKCON
(July 9-November 14, 1977)
From Danavir Goswami
posted October 3, 2003

Recently a new version of ritvik-oriented hypothesis debuted, via internet news site, which we can call Sampradaya Acarya theory, for lack of a better name. This theory differs from the traditional Ritvik theory, which originated in the late 1970’s, in two primary ways, 1) by dispensing with the need for a proxy-representative ritvik (priest) and 2) by eliminating the requirement for taking initiation (diksa) entirely. Persons interested in a thorough refutation of both Ritvik and Sampradaya Acarya theories showing how both deviate from the standard Vedic system delineated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness may read another article of mine entitled “Diksa or Ritvik”.

Today’s discussion will focus on one particularly disturbing statement posted a few days ago by advocates of the Sampradaya Acarya theory:

“Despite the fact that thousands of candidates were awaiting initiation from Srila Prabhupada -- a situation Srila Prabhupada wished to remedy by this letter -- the GBC/Rtviks took no action upon receipt of the letter [July 9, 1977]. Four months elapsed, and they did nothing to comply with the instructions contained in the letter. Instead, they waited until after Srila Prabhupada's departure, then initiated all those candidates as their own, direct disciples.”

The letter which is being referred to, i.e. July 9, 1977 is shown below:

Letter to: All G.B.C., All Temple Presidents
--
Vrindaban
9 July, 1977
To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as "ritvik - representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:

His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami
His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami
His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami
His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami
His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami
His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
His Holiness Harikesa Swami
His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari
His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari

In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated Disciples" book.
Hoping this finds you all well.

Your servant,
Tamala Krsna Gosvami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

Approved:
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

In the letter above, written by Srila Prabhupada’s secretary, Tamal Krsna Goswami, with approval and signature by His Divine Grace, the system for conducting initiations of new disciples during the ISKCON founder-acarya’s final days is being explained. Srila Prabhupada indicates his desire to continue accepting disciples but empowers some of his leading assistants to decide, on his behalf, which candidates are to be accepted and what their spiritual names will be. Formerly, he himself made those decisions--- but now, due to his declined health, he delegates others to execute those services.

If the astounding accusation is true that GBC/Ritviks took no action on the letter and waited until Srila Prabhupada departed so that they could initiate the waiting candidates themselves, it seriously questions the integrity of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC). This would then lend substantial evidence supporting a claim made by some, that Srila Prabhupada’s leading disciples were so envious and power-hungry that they hastened their own guru’s demise by administering poison to him. Not surprisingly, the “poison theory” is also embraced by Sampradaya Acarya theory’s proponents.

Last week I asked two of those 1977 ritvik representatives and His Divine Grace’s then personal servant whether it was true that no disciples were initiated via the ritvik system during the last four months of Srila Prabhupada’s stay on earth. All three devotees, namely, Jayapataka Swami, Hridayananda dasa Goswami and Hari Sauri Prabhu claimed the statement was untrue. They said many disciples were initiated by Srila Prabhupada using his ritvik representatives during this time. Their statements are corroborated by the Srila Prabhupada Disciple Database maintained by Mahamaya devi dasi as follows: “According to the info in the Srila Prabhupada disciple database, approximately 233 devotees are listed as initiated in July 1977 through November 1977 (we don't keep track of the day of the month).”

The Sampradaya Acarya theory proponents accuse the GBC/Ritvik representatives of foul play by performing no ritvik initiations during Srila Prabhupada’s last four months on earth, yet it is shown here that in truth there were approximately 233 initiations performed.

We may all feel some relief at this point knowing that the GBC/Ritvik representatives did not disobey the instruction given in the July 9 letter.

Part 2

But for some, a new doubt may have arisen in the mind.

“Doesn’t 233 initiates seem like kind of a small number for that period of time?”

Let us analyze whether 233 initiates is a reasonable quantity for that four-month period. Throughout his lifetime Srila Prabhupada initiated approximately 5,000 disciples which averages out to 138 initiates per each four months. Although higher (nearly double), someone might still object by saying that the number of initiates during late 1977 should have been greater since the movement had expanded by then.

One should consider that a substantial proportion of students/candidates living in ISKCON temples from July 9 to November 14, 1977 had not been serving long enough to be considered for receiving initiation. Srila Prabhupada had been granting regular initiations (at least by mail) without ritvik assistance up until the middle of May, 1977. During the time period in question, I was writing and distributing a world-wide monthly newsletter entitled “The Bhakta Program Newsletter” under the approved guidance of Srila Prabhupada. This newsletter kept track of the numbers of new devotees recruited in each of temple of the world. Based on that newsletter, my estimate is that there were approximately two thousand uninitiated devotees living in our ISKCON temples at that time worldwide.

Among those who had been residing in the temples for over six months, some had not yet received the required recommendation from their temple presidents and local GBC secretaries to become initiated.

Also to be considered is the fact that ISKCON temple presidents and GBC secretaries in 1977 were reluctant to submit vast numbers of candidates for initiation knowing that the consequence for acceptance of them could well exacerbate Srila Prabhupada’s already declined state of health. They had become well-aware of the adverse effects of taking many disciples:

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore stated that the spiritual master who plays the part of Krrsna's representative has to consume all the sinful reactions of his disciple. Sometimes a spiritual master takes the risk of being overwhelmed by the sinful reactions of the disciples and undergoes a sort of tribulation due to their acceptance. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised that one not accept many disciples.(SB 4.21.32 Purport)

His Divine Grace further confided that his present condition of disease had been caused by accepting so many disciples, or more specifically, too many unqualified ones. He had mentioned this fact earlier as well:

If the spiritual master is attacked by some disease, it is due to the sinful activities of others. “Don’t make many disciples.” But we do it because we are preaching. Never mind—let us suffer—still we shall accept them. Therefore your question was—when I suffer is it due to my past misdeeds? Was it not? That is my misdeed—that I accepted some disciples who are nonsense. That is my misdeed. (PQPA 6: The Perfect Devotee)

Devotees throughout the entire movement prayed day and night, “My dear Lord Krsna, if You desire, please cure Srila Prabhupada." Even from a personal perspective I remember the shock of seeing Srila Prabhupada so unbelievably thin and frail when he arrived in England on August 29, 1977. Although my service at that time was to recruit and train new devotees---new devotees who accepted Srila Prabhupada as their spiritual master, it was unthinkable to expect Srila Prabhupada to initiate them in his condition of health. Thus no initiations were held during that visit.

Between July and November in 1977 the ritvik priests were themselves busy flying to and from their posts throughout the world, back and forth to Vrndavana to visit Srila Prabhupada. Upon his request, they spent weeks or more with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana chanting for him and serving him personally. This too may well have contributed to the so-called moderate number of ritvik initiations performed.

Conclusion

1) We may rest assured that the outrageous claim of Sampradaya Acarya theory and poison advocates is not true. There was no conspiracy to prevent Srila Prabhupada from initiating disciples via his ritvik system as proven by the hundreds of disciples who were indeed initiated.

2) Nor is there any basis for claiming that disciple-hungry GBC men poisoned Srila Prabhupada.

3) The 233 or so initiations which did take place as per the ritvik system in Srila Prabhupada’s presence is a reasonable number considering the many extenuating circumstances.

4) As far as why such a false allegation was published without consulting the history---we leave that question to be answered by the reader.

Hare Krishna.