About Us

The Prabhupada Network team

Vision Statement

To deepen the understanding movement-wide of Srila Prabhupada’s position as ISKCON’s
Founder-Acarya and all ISKCON devotees’ foundational relationship with him as his instructed
followers so that devotees will be intensely inspired in their bhakti and our movement will
remain empowered by Srila Prabhupada’s loving sakti for the next 10,000 years.

Mission Statement

Understanding the significance of devotees profoundly connecting with Srila Prabhupada, strengthening their relationships with their diksa and siksa gurus, and solidifying their
commitment to “Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate to keep this institution together after I am gone.”, the Prabhupada Network Team will facilitate:
• Community development and devotee care — In the diverse Mayapur community this will be implemented in consultation with the Mayapur Community Sevaks, our Sector Leaders. We will
utilize a similar modality to what the Mayapur Russian Community is very successfully using with the support of the Community Development Course offered by Sridham Prabhu and Kisori
dd and the Devotee Care Course offered by Radha Gopinath Prabhu and Damodar Prabhu. These facilitators have years of experience in the Chowpatty Temple community, which is one
of our movement’s strongest communities.
• A monthly Srila Prabhupada Connect Day for the entire community with (1st 2 on April 21 st & May 26th): o Senior devotees speaking on challenges in the movement, the community, and with
individuals that were brought to the attention of these speakers in advance, and how Prabhupada’s vani and taking shelter of it will bring resolution to these challenges on a practical devotional level and empowerment to strengthen all aspects of Prabhupada’s mission, o Cultural events relevant to Prabhupada’s life and vani, and o Awards for competitions based on:
▪ Reading biographies of Srila Prabhupada for adults and older children, and
▪ Prabhupada-relevant artwork for younger children,
• A yearly GP Festival Srila Prabhupada Connect Day (March 23 this year) with an agenda like our monthly event,
• Based upon the community development, monthly (or regular) Srila Prabhupada Connect Days will be facilitated in sectors or ethnic groups,
• Srila Prabhupada’s yearly Vyasa-puja and Tirobhava festivals,
• Courses that will give each student support for entering further into a loving relationship with Srila Prabhupada to access his merciful sakti with the resultant devotional strength and
empowerment to serve his ISKCON (Teacher training for these courses will be launched after May 26thevent),
• An ongoing mentoring system for those who have taken these courses and for those within the community development initiatives to help them further develop their relationships with Srila
Prabhupada and effectively process their challenges via guru, sadhu and sastra, and
• Websites for both the Prabhupada Network and Srila Prabhupada’s Puspa Samadhi, as well as activity on social media to pull more devotees into deepening their relationship with Srila
Prabhupada, and to promote Prabhupada Network offerings.

We hope to develop the above as a model that can be utilized in other communities with whatever assistance we can provide.

We are simply servants of Srila Prabhupada, the GBC, the Mayapur Co-Directors, ISKCON’s diksa and siksa gurus, and all ISKCON devotees in offering facilities to help fulfill the 1994 GBC Resolution # 35 and the 2013 Resolution # 303 regarding Srila Prabhupada position and role in our lives as our beloved Founder-Acarya.

35. (1994) That the following statement be accepted as ISKCON’s statement about the Founder-Acarya:

To fulfill the previous acarya’s desire for a united worldwide preaching organization to expand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, Srila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as a distinct branch of the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. Therefore, he is the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON.
a. Srila Prabhupada is the because he has realized and presented the teachings of the previous acaryas of the Brahma foundational siksa guru for all ISKCON devotees Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya appropriately for the modern age.
b. Srila Prabhupada’s instructions are the essential teachings for every ISKCON devotee.
c. Srila Prabhupada’s books are the embodiment of his teachings and should be accepted as the standard by all future generations of ISKCON.
d. Srila Prabhupada should be worshiped daily by every ISKCON member.
e. Every ISKCON spiritual master is responsible to guide his disciples to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions.
f. As Founder-Acarya, Srila Prabhupada gave directions for management, principles of cooperation, and other practical guidelines which form the basis and inspiration for ISKCON’s policies.
g. Srila Prabhupada established the Governing Body Commission to execute his will, following the order of the previous acaryas.

303. (2013) GBC Statement on the Position of Srila Prabhupada
Whereas there is a need to clarify within our society, via a succinct statement, Srila Prabhupada’s preeminent position in relationship to diksa and siksa gurus as well as all ISKCON members, and to provide clarity on the function and position of diksa and siksa gurus in the ISKCON society:
RESOLVED: That the GBC endorses the following statement: As the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and the preeminent teacher and ultimate authority within our society, Srila Prabhupada has a unique relationship with every ISKCON devotee. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original guru whose Divine Grace descends through the medium of the guru parampara. As such, a devotee is ultimately delivered by Sri Krishna acting through a combination of various manifestations of His mercy. These include, but are not limited to,
the caitya guru, Srila Prabhupada, the guru parampara, one’s diksa guru, other siksa gurus, the Holy Name, sastra, and the nine processes of devotional service. Within these cooperative elements, Srila Prabhupada, as the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is the preeminent guru for all members of ISKCON. All members of ISKCON, for all generations, are encouraged to seek shelter of Srila Prabhupada. All members of ISKCON are entitled and encouraged to have a personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada through his books, teachings, service, and his ISKCON society.

All members accepting leadership roles within ISKCON, including diksa gurus and siksa gurus, have the duty of serving together under ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s instructions as he has given in his books, lectures, and personal communications. [1] Overall, the primary duty of all diksa gurus, siksa gurus, and others in leadership positions, is to assist Srila Prabhupada in his service to his Guru Maharaja Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and our Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.

Those who accept the service of diksa guru or siksa guru in ISKCON are required to be exemplary in representing Srila Prabhupada’s teaching in their words and personal behavior. The siksa guru gives spiritual instruction and inspiration on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and our guru parampara. The diksa guru
gives spiritual instruction, inspiration, formal initiation, a spiritual name, and later imparts the sacred Gayatri mantras to a qualified disciple as a service to Srila Prabhupada and our guru parampara. Srila Prabhupada has clearly explained that devotees who are strictly following the Krsna conscious
principles are acting on the liberated platform, and, as such, are pure devotees, even though they may actually not yet be liberated. [2] (Such unalloyed devotional service is not necessarily determined by one’s role or position of service, but by one’s realization.) Those who accept the service of diksa or siksa guru within ISKCON are mandated to be strict followers of the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, and, as long as they follow, they are acting on the liberated platform. Thus, they may serve, as Srila Prabhupada ordered, as bona fide representatives of the Lord and the guru parampara and be a via media of their mercy. Yet it should be clearly understood that if such diksa or siksa gurus deviate from strictly following, they may fall down from their position.
Thus, to act as a diksa guru in ISKCON means to serve under the GBC and in cooperation with other ISKCON authorities by functioning as a “regular guru” as Srila Prabhupada has directed. This statement, while conclusive, is not exhaustive in its discussion of these principles. The GBC may
authorize additional statements and papers in the future to further explain the preeminent position of our Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, the role and responsibilities of those who serve as gurus in our society, and the related duties of ISKCON members and initiates.

All GBC members must distribute this resolution to all ISKCON temples, communities and congregations via appropriate means of communication for the education of all ISKCON members. This statement shall also be studied in ISKCON courses including introductory courses, the ISKCON Disciple Course, the Spiritual Leadership Seminar: Being a Guru in ISKCON, and other relevant venues. Reading this statement, and affirming it has been read prior to initiation, shall be part of the test for all prospective initiates.
1. More details on these spiritual relationships and duties may be found in the official “Harmonizing ISKCON’s Lines of Authority” Paper approved by the GBC in 2012.
2. “This Krishna consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature. Lord Caitanya therefore says: ‘By My order you may become a spiritual master.’ One can immediately become a spiritual master by having full faith in the transcendental words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by following His instructions.” SB 4.18.5, purport

And:

A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who areless qualified or not liberated, but still can act as guru and acharya by strictly following the disciplic succession.” Letter to Janardana, 26 April, 1968.

And:

“We may not be cent percent perfect, but as far as possible, if we follow the instruction as it is, that much perfect. In this way one will get perfection. So one has to follow. The same example, try to understand, that a perfect, expert technologist or technician or mechanic is working, and somebody is working under his instruction. So this somebody, because he is strictly working under the instruction of the expert, he’s
also expert. He may not be cent percent expert, but his work is expert. Is that clear? Because he is working under the expert. Do you follow? So if you follow pure devotee, then you are also pure devotee. It may not be one is cent percent pure. Because we are trying to raise ourself from the conditional life. But if we strictly follow the pure devotee, then we are also pure devotee. So far we do, that is pure. So pure devotee does not mean one has to become immediately cent percent pure. But if he sticks to the principle that “We’ll follow a pure devotee,” then his actions are… He is as good as a pure devotee. It is not I am explaining in my own way. It is the explanation of Bhagavata. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186].” Bhagavad-gita 2.1-10 and Talk — Los Angeles, November 25, 1968