A central debate within ISKCON revolves around the legitimacy and continuity of the ritvik system of initiation, which Srila Prabhupada formalised in his directive dated July 9, 1977. Some proponents of the self-appointed guru system argue that this directive was revoked on October 18, 1977, during a conversation Srila Prabhupada had shortly before his departure from this world. This article examines the context, content, and aftermath of both communications, and presents evidence to demonstrate that the July 9 directive was never revoked but continued to be the authorised system for initiations in ISKCON.
The Genesis of the July 9 Directive In May 1977, when Srila Prabhupada returned from Hrishikesh to Vrindavan due to his deteriorating health, he requested the GBC members to present their questions for his final directions. On May 28, a significant meeting took place in which the GBC sought clarity regarding the conduct of initiations after Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure.
In response, Srila Prabhupada stated that he would appoint some of his senior disciples as officiating acharyas. However, immediate implementation did not follow.
On June 6, 1977, Tamala Krishna Goswami wrote the following to Kirtanananda Swami: I approached His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada regarding the initiations recommended by your good self. Srila Prabhupada said that for now he will not be initiating anyone new until his health improves. His Divine Grace did not suggest any alternative at this time but simply said that everyone should wait. This is true for both first and second initiations. Kindly inform Ramesvara Maharaja to inform all the GBC men throughout the world that until further notice no new recommendations for initiation should be sent to Srila Prabhupada.
This communication highlights Srila Prabhupada’s declining health and his desire not to take on the responsibilities of initiation at that time.
The Foundational July 7 Conversation A pivotal discussion between Srila Prabhupada and Tamala Krishna Goswami took place on
July 7, 1977. During this exchange, Srila Prabhupada approved a system wherein senior sannyasis would conduct both first and second initiations on his behalf.
Tamala Krishna: Those are their favorite words. Srila Prabhupada? We’re receiving a number of letters now, and these are people who want to get initiated. So up until now, since your becoming ill, we asked them to wait.
Prabhupada: The local, mean, senior sannyasis can do that.
Tamala Krishna: That’s what we were doing… I mean, formerly we were… The local GBC, sannyasis, were chanting on their beads, and they were writing to Your Divine Grace, and you were giving a spiritual name. So should that process be resumed, or should we…? I mean one thing is that it’s said that the spiritual master takes on the… You know, he takes on the… He has to cleanse the disciple by… So we don’t want that you should have to… Your health is not so good, so that should not be… That’s why we’ve been asking everybody to wait. I just want to know if we should continue to wait some more time.
Prabhupada: No, the senior sannyasis… Tamala Krishna: So they should continue to… Prabhupada: You can give me a list of sannyasis. I will mark who will… Tamala Krishna: Okay.
Prabhupada: You can do. Kirtanananda can do. And our Satsvarupa can do. So these three, you can give, begin.
Tamala Krishna: So supposing someone is in America, should they simply write directly to Kirtanananda or Satsvarupa?
Prabhupada: Nearby. Jayatirtha can give.
Tamala Krishna: Jayatirtha.
Prabhupada: Bhavanan…, er, Bhagavan. And he can do also. Harikesa.
Tamala Krishna: Harikesa Maharaja.
Prabhupada: And… Five, six men, you divide who is nearest.
Tamala Krishna: Who is nearest. So persons wouldn’t have to write to Your Divine Grace. They could write directly to that person?
Prabhupada: Hm.
Tamala Krishna: Actually they are initiating the person on Your Divine Grace’s behalf. Those persons who are initiated are still your…
Prabhupada: Second initiation we shall think over, second initiation.
Tamala Krishna: This is for first initiation, okay. And for second initiation, for the time being they should…
Prabhupada: No, they have to wait. Second initiation, that should be given… Tamala Krishna: Should… Some devotees are writing you now for second initiation, and I’m writing them to wait a while because you’re not well. So can I continue to tell them that?
Prabhupada: They can do second initiation.
Tamala Krishna: By writing you.
Prabhupada: No. These men.
Tamala Krishna: These men, they can also do second initiation. So there’s no need for devotees to write to you for first and second initiation. They can write to the man nearest them.
But all these persons are still your disciples. Anybody who gives initiation is doing so on your behalf.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Tamala Krishna: You know that book I’m maintaining of all of your disciples’ names? Should I continue that?
Prabhupada: Hm.
Tamala Krishna: So if someone gives initiation, like Harikesa Maharaja, he should send the person’s name to us here and I’ll enter it in the book. Okay. Is there someone else in India that you want to do this?
Prabhupada: India, I am here. We shall see. In India, Jayapataka.
Tamala Krishna: Jayapataka Maharaja.
Prabhupada: You are also in India.
Tamala Krishna: Yes.
Prabhupada: You can note down these names.
Tamala Krishna: Yes, I have them.
Prabhupada: Who are they?
Tamala Krishna: Kirtanananda Maharaja, Satsvarupa Maharaja, Jayatirtha Prabhu, Bhagavan Prabhu, Harikesa Maharaja, Jayapataka Maharaja and Tamala Krishna Maharaja.
Prabhupada: That’s nice. Now you distribute.
Tamala Krishna: Seven. There’s seven names.
Prabhupada: For the time being, seven names, sufficient. You can make Ramesvara.
Tamala Krishna: Ramesvara Maharaja.
Prabhupada: And Hridayananda.
Tamala Krishna: Oh, yeah. South America.
Prabhupada: So without waiting for me, wherever you consider it is right… That will depend on discretion.
Tamala Krishna: On discretion.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Tamala Krishna: That’s for first and second initiations.
Prabhupada: Hm.
The conversation reveals: • Srila Prabhupada’s desire for initiations to continue despite his illness. • His naming of several senior disciples to officiate. • His affirmation that all initiated devotees remain his disciples.
The Formal Directive of July 9, 1977 Two days later, the July 9 letter was officially issued to all GBCs and Temple Presidents. It institutionalised the instructions given in the July 7 conversation.
On July 18, Tamala Krishna Goswami reiterated this in a letter to Visvakarma: Regarding the devotees whom you have recommended for initiation, both first and second, a letter has been sent out to all Temple Presidents and GBC instructing them on the process to be followed. You should be receiving this letter soon and then you can resubmit the recommended names according to the new directions.
This confirms the July 9 directive as the new, ongoing standard.
Evidence from Oct 6, 1977: Continued Implementation Even as late as October 6, 1977, the ritvik system was in operation. Initiated devotees sent guru-dakshina to Srila Prabhupada, and his disciples continued initiating on his behalf:
Kuladri: …dakshina, eight thousand dollars in dakshina, for… Before… With the new system of initiation that you’ve initiated, he asked them to write you a check for $111 for each devotee he’s initiating for you. So he has a check for eight thousand dollars for you. One of the girls has taken silver thread and crocheted this silver bead bag with silver thread. (Prabhupada chuckles) Silver thread on satin.
(A little later, in the same conversation…)
Tamala Krishna: Checks. These checks are from initiations I think, Srila Prabhupada. They’re guru-dakshina for initiations.
This demonstrates that the July 9 directive was actively followed, and Srila Prabhupada continued to receive guru-dakshina, further proving that he remained the initiating spiritual master.
Evaluating the Oct 18, 1977 Conversation This is the conversation cited by those claiming a revocation took place on October 18.
Prabhupada: Hare Krishna. One Bengali gentleman has come from New York?
Tamala Krishna: Yes. Mr. Sukamal Roy Chowdury.
Prabhupada: So I have deputed some of you to initiate. Hm?
Tamala Krishna: Yes. Actually… Yes, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: So I think Jayapataka can do that if he likes. I have already deputed. Tell him.
Tamala Krishna: Yes.
Prabhupada: So, deputies, Jayapataka’s name was there?
Bhagavan: It is already on there, Srila Prabhupada. His name was on that list.
Prabhupada: So I depute him to do this at Mayapura, and you may go with him. I stop for the time being. Is that all right?
Tamala Krishna: Stopped doing what, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: This initiation. I have deputed the, my disciples. Is it clear or not?
Giriraja: It’s clear.
Prabhupada: You have got the list of the names?
Tamala Krishna: Yes, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: And if by Krishna’s grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again, or I may not be pressed in this condition to initiate. It is not good.
In this exchange, Srila Prabhupada stated: “I stop for the time being.” Some interpret this to mean a revocation of the July 9 directive. However, upon careful examination, Srila Prabhupada is not revoking the ritvik system. Instead, he is clarifying that he personally is no longer engaging in initiations due to his health, and that he has already deputed his disciples for this purpose: “So I have deputed some of you to initiate.” He also asked whether Jayapataka Maharaja’s name was on the list (which refers to the July 9 letter; and there is no other list apart from that) and confirmed his appointment.
Importantly, he did not say: “I deputed you people for the time being.” This signifies that the ritvik system he established or his July 9th directive, was not temporary.
Srila Prabhupada Continues to Be the Diksha-Guru We have already seen that in July 7, 1977 conversation, Srila Prabhupada says, “India, I am here” which means he was available to conduct initiation ceremonies himself in India, in addition to initiations by the ritviks.
The ritvik system was such that it functioned independently of his physical condition.
Hence, Srila Prabhupada’s statement: “And if by Krishna’s grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again, or I may not be pressed in this condition to initiate. It is not good.” does not imply cessation of the ritvik system. Rather, it indicates his willingness to resume personal involvement (wherein Temple Presidents send recommendation for initiation directly to Srila Prabhupada) if his health permitted, while the ritviks appointed by him would continue initiating on his behalf as per the July 9th letter.
By quoting Srila Prabhupada’s above statement, some argue that he wished to avoid taking on disciples’ karma due to his bad health, and therefore, he authorised new initiating gurus to have their own disciples and take their karma. However, as we have seen, on July 7, despite his illness, Srila Prabhupada insisted on the continuation of initiation, knowing that it involved taking disciples’ karma. Moreover, the July 9th directive and the acceptance of guru-dakshina on October 6 show that he had not relinquished the role of diksha-guru.
Absence of a Revocation Letter If Srila Prabhupada had intended to revoke the July 9 directive and appoint successor diksha- gurus, such a crucial decision would undoubtedly have been communicated via an official document, as was the case with the July 9 letter. No such directive exists.
In fact, the very same day—October 18—Tamala Krishna Goswami wrote a letter to Vasudeva Punja that reiterated the ritvik system: In general, Srila Prabhupada’s main desire is that you should increase the number of devotees.
In this regard, His Divine Grace said, “Initiate the local natives. Ask them to give up their bad habits and become Vaishnavas.” Four times while Srila Prabhupada heard your letter, He stressed this point of increasing the number of followers there. So just as when Srila
Prabhupada went to America, He was very merciful and lenient in giving out first initiations, so you may also be. If someone has agreed to follow the regulative principles and has been attending the temple for some time and chanting rounds, you can encourage them by giving initiation. You may send the names of such worthy persons to any one of the eleven devotees whom Srila Prabhupada has designated to initiate on His behalf, and after receiving the sanctified beads and new names, you can then perform the initiation ceremony. In this way spread very vigorously his glorious movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and try to make Fiji the first Krishna conscious country in the world.
This reiteration of the July 9 system clearly disproves any claim of revocation.
Srila Prabhupada stresses increasing the number of followers in Fiji to make it the first Krishna conscious country in the world.
Srila Prabhupada said this on October 18, and he left this world on November 14. So, it is not practical to expect Fiji to become the first Krishna conscious country in the world by an increase in the number of followers in just 26 days. It definitely proves that Srila Prabhupada wanted the ritvik system to continue even after his disappearance.
The July 9, 1977, directive was Srila Prabhupada’s final, formal instruction regarding the system of initiation in ISKCON. The October 18 conversation does not contradict or nullify this directive.
Instead, it reinforces the delegation made through the July 9 letter. No official revocation was ever issued, and the system continued to be practised even days before Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure.
Any assertion that the ritvik system was revoked is not only unsupported by documentation but directly contradicted by the facts and ongoing practices within ISKCON during Srila Prabhupada’s final months.