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    Sequential ExaminationSeptember 20, 2026

    Episode Number 2

    Episode Number 2: GBC Resolutions Nos. 3 & 11 - 18th & 19th March 1978. The Floor Disappears Quietly. Not With a Crash — With a Resolution.

    Srila Prabhupada's Founding Documents & The GBC Resolutions Record (1975–2026)

    A Sequential Examination

    Episode Number 2

    GBC Resolutions Nos. 3 & 11 - 18th & 19th March 1978

    The Floor Disappears Quietly. Not With a Crash — With a Resolution

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    20th September 2026

    "This episode is available in multiple languages at www.justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.com use the translate button on the page."

    His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

    Prabhupada — Founder-Acharya of ISKCON

    "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."

    — Direction of Management, July 28 1970

    Resolution 3 — March 18, 1978, 9:30am:

    "A committee of Satsvarupa Goswami, Tamal Krsna Goswami, Jayapataka Swami and Jayatirtha Prabhu will review Jayapataka Swami's proposed parliamentary organization and report to the GBC on Sunday, March 19th as directed by Chairman."

    Resolution 11 — March 18, 1978, 2:00pm:

    "Gopal Krsna Prabhu will be GBC of Canada, China and India BBT."

    Resolution 3 — March 19, 1978, 9:30am:

    "Tamal Krsna Maharaj will be GBC of Bombay, and GBC requests BBT to make him in charge of BBT-Bombay."

    GBC Resolutions 1978, March 18th & 19th

    Srila Prabhupada departed in November 1977. By March 1978 — four months later — the GBC had convened at Mayapur. These three resolutions, read together as the record requires, mark the moment this work has been building toward.

    Titled in 1977 — proposed in 1978?

    Q.  When was ISKCON's "parliamentary organization" first proposed?

    On 18 March 1978 — the first Gaura-Purnima after Srila Prabhupada's departure. A committee was formed to review "Jayapataka Swami's proposed parliamentary organization," and the next day, the 19th, his standing orders were adopted.

      

    Q.  Then why does the record of 1977 already carry that title?

    The GBC's resolutions of 1 March 1977 — passed while Srila Prabhupada was present — already stand beneath the heading "Parliamentary Organization." A structure proposed in 1978 heads the page of 1977.

     

    Q.  How did the later word reach the earlier page?

    Three possibilities: it was added afterwards, when the resolutions were compiled or posted; Srila Prabhupada was aware of it; or it is a transcription slip.

    Resolution 11 of March 18th places Gopal Krsna Prabhu as GBC of Canada, China — and India BBT. The BBT Agreement of 1972 stated clearly that the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust shall exist independently of ISKCON, and that its Trustees' functions shall be separate and not dependent on the Governing Body Commission. A GBC zone now includes the BBT as part of its territory.

    Resolution 3 of March 19th goes further. Tamal Krsna Maharaj is named GBC of Bombay — and the GBC formally requests the BBT to place him in charge of BBT-Bombay. The GBC is not merely observing the BBT. It is stepping into the Trustees' office and requesting that its member be given authority there.

    These two resolutions must be read against the founding document they touch. The BBT Agreement was irrevocable. Its Trustees were appointed for life. Its functions were explicitly placed outside GBC jurisdiction. No amendment to that agreement is recorded in 1978. 

    ✦ Did You Know? ✦

    That the unexamined life is not worth living – Socrates

    (Plato's Apology (38a5-6))

    THE WRITER'S REFLECTION

    Srila Prabhupada's legal documents and direct orders of 1977, are his Legal Vani – his Structural Vani. Not any less significant than his books.

    This work is sequential, not selective. It does not examine every GBC resolution. Rather, it examines every resolution, statement, or policy that conflicts with, departs from, or contravenes Śrīla Prabhupāda's founding documents and direct instructions.

    ACCESS THE ARCHIVES

    Explore Srila Prabhupada's original founding documents and the complete GBC Resolutions Record (1975–2026), now available in our public Google Drive archive — free to access, download, and share.

    Help us spread awareness by forwarding this email to fellow devotees and supporters.

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    use the translate button on the page."

    Coming Next 

    Episode No. 3 (5 min read)

    The First Power Revolution

    23rd September 2026 · 6:00 PM IST

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    Disclaimer — Use of the Term "Resolution"

    For the purposes of this work, the term "resolution" or "resolutions" is used as a collective reference and, where applicable, includes statements, action orders, provisional orders, amendments, and other decisions or recorded actions appearing in the GBC records.

    The use of the term "resolution" should therefore not be understood as altering or replacing the original classification or designation given to any particular item in the GBC records.

    Disclaimer and Statement of Independence

    This publication is prepared and presented solely for informational, educational, research and public-discussion purposes. It examines historical and institutional documents, including Srila Prabhupada's founding documents, publicly available GBC resolutions, statements and ISKCON laws, and considers the relationship between those documents and the authority exercised thereunder.

    Unless otherwise indicated, quotations from GBC resolutions, statements and ISKCON laws are reproduced from publicly available records and are intended to be quoted accurately and in their original context. Founding documents and other historical materials referred to herein have been reproduced or cited from publicly available primary or archival sources. Readers are encouraged to consult the original documents and sources themselves.

    The analysis and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors/Foundation and are presented for discussion, research and educational purposes. They do not purport to constitute legal advice, a judicial determination, or a statement of binding legal or doctrinal authority. References to legal principles, doctrines or authorities are intended to explain the analytical framework adopted in this publication and should not be understood as representing that any particular legal conclusion has been finally adjudicated by a competent court or other authority.

    Where this publication expresses an interpretation, inference, criticism or opinion concerning institutional governance, authority or historical events, such statements are intended as good-faith analysis based upon the documents and materials identified or cited herein. Any distinction between documented fact, inference, interpretation and opinion is intended to be maintained throughout the publication.

    The Justice for Srila Prabhupada Foundation ("JFSPF" or the "Foundation") is an independent organization. It is not affiliated with, controlled by, endorsed by, authorized by, or representative of ISKCON, the Governing Body Commission ("GBC"), or any ISKCON-affiliated or associated entity, unless expressly stated otherwise.

    The Foundation does not represent that the GBC resolutions record, ISKCON archival material, or any other historical record examined for this publication is complete or exhaustive. The absence of a document from the sources examined should not be construed as proof that no such document exists. Readers are therefore encouraged to consult the underlying primary sources and any additional relevant materials.

    Nothing in this publication is intended to attribute a statement, position, motive, act or omission to any individual or organization beyond what is supported by the sources identified. Where the publication discusses disputed matters, competing interpretations or allegations, those matters are intended to be understood in that context and not as findings of a court or other competent authority.

    The publication is not intended to suggest that JFSPF speaks for Srila Prabhupada, his successors, ISKCON, the GBC, or any other individual or institution, nor is it intended to interfere with or determine any person's legal rights or remedies.

    All rights concerning third-party materials remain with their respective owners. Where third-party material is reproduced, quoted or referred to, such use is intended to be limited to the purposes of research, criticism, review, scholarship, education, reporting or discussion, as applicable under law. The inclusion of such material does not imply ownership of that material by JFSPF.

    The Foundation reserves the right to correct, clarify or update this publication if additional authentic primary-source material becomes available or if any factual error is identified.

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