"The Appointment Tape" -- Srila Prabhupada orders ritviks for ISKCON

"...the process is that you cannot change the order of the spiritual master."
-- Srila Prabhupada, lecture, 2/2/67, San Francisco

On May 28, 1977, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada told his students that he would soon appoint ritvik priests to continue initiation in ISKCON. He ordered his students to follow a ritvik system of initiation and never changed or revoked this order. See www.iskconirm.com/docs/webpages/tfo.htm for information.

TRANSCRIPT:

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Then our next question concerns, uh, initiations in the future, ah, particularly at that time when you are no longer with us. We want to know how a, a first and second initiation would be conducted.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acarya.

Tamal Krishna Goswami: Is that called ritvik acarya?

Srila Prabhupada: Ritvik. Yes.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Then what is the relationship of that person who gives the initiation and ...

Srila Prabhupada: He's guru. He's guru.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: But he does it on your behalf.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf. On my order, amara ajnaya guru hana, be actually guru. But by my order.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: So they may also be considered your disciples?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, they are disciples, but consider, who ...

Tamal Krishna Goswami: No. He is asking that these ritvik acaryas, they are officiating, giving diksa. Their ... the people who they give diksa to, whose disciple are they?

Srila Prabhupada: They are his disciple.

Tamal Krishna Goswami: They are his disciples.

Srila Prabhupada: Who is initiating ... he is grand-disciple ...

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Then we have a question concerning ...

Srila Prabhupada: When I order you become guru, he becomes regular guru. That's all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That's all.

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