Episode Number 5
Episode Number 5: GBC Resolution No. 3 & 6 – 6th–9th March, 1979. Desire, Desire & Desire
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Srila Prabhupada's Founding Documents & The GBC Resolutions Record (1975–2026)A Sequential Examination |
Episode Number 5
GBC Resolution No. 3 & 6 – 6th–9th March, 1979
Desire, Desire & Desire
Reading Time : 9 minutes
30th September 2026
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada — Founder-Acharya of ISKCON
"The executive directors who have herein been designated are appointed for life. In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple following strictly all the rules and regulations of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as detailed in my books, and provided that there are never less than three (3) or more than five (5) executive directors acting at one time."
— Srila Prabhupada's Last Will and Testament, June 6 1977
"Removal of a Temple president by the GBC requires support by the local Temple members."
— Direction of Management, July 28, 1970
GBC Resolution No. 3 - Standards of Action — 6th March, 1979
3(2): "Resolved: That the GBC Chairman shall see that all ISKCON properties are properly registered to fulfill Prabhupada's desire. It should be done this year, and all GBC must give full co-operation."
GBC Resolution No. 6 — GBC Parlimentary Organization - 6th March, 1979
6(4): "Resolved: That the GBC recognizes that as per Srila Prabhupada's instructions that GBC men may have thousands of secretaries, individual GBC men may see the need for appointing assistants who will have greater responsibility than temple presidents, and will be known as regional secretaries."
The Two Resolutions
The 1979 GBC meeting produced two resolutions that, placed side by side with the founding documents, mark a clear turning point in the record. The first invokes Prabhupada's desire as the basis for a property mandate.
Desire — Or Order?
Resolution No. 3 rests its authority on a single word: desire.
Srila Prabhupada expressed many desires across his letters, conversations, and lectures. He desired that temples be established in every town and village. He desired that devotees chant sixteen rounds daily. He desired that his books be distributed widely.
But desires and orders are not the same thing.
Desire — Or Order?
Resolution 3(2) asks the GBC to fulfill Prabhupada's desires.
Which desires? Written where?
Srila Prabhupada wrote about properties in his Direction of Management. He wrote about them in his Will. He wrote about them in his letters and other written instructions.
Each of these says something specific. Each was written for its own purpose.
The resolution does not name any of them. It does not say which document. It does not say which line.
It only says: desires.
Questions and Answers
| Does the Direction of Management designate the GBC as the highest authority? | No. It describes the GBC as the ultimate managing instrument for Prabhupada's will. Instrument and authority are not the same word. |
| Did Srila Prabhupada designate the GBC as the highest ISKCON authority? | The phrase does not appear in any founding document he signed. The resolution claims he did. The documents do not confirm it. |
| What is the difference between a desire and a signed order? | A desire is an expression of intent or preference. A signed order is a binding legal and spiritual framework. The founding documents are signed orders. Desires expressed in conversations or letters are not equivalent. |
PHILOSOPHICAL FOOTNOTE
CC Ādi 12.8
প্রথমেত' একমতআচার্যেরগণ।
পাছেদুইমতহৈলদৈবেরকারণ॥৮॥
prathame ta' eka-mata ācāryera gaṇa
pāche dui-mata haila daivera kāraṇa
Synonyms
prathame — in the beginning; ta' — however; eka-mata — one opinion; ācāryera — of Advaita Ācārya; gaṇa — followers; pāche — later; dui-mata — two opinions; haila — became; daivera — of providence; kāraṇa — the cause.
Translation
At first all the followers of Advaita Ācārya shared a single opinion. But later they followed two different opinions, as ordained by providence.
Purport
The words daivera kāraṇa indicate that by dint of providence, or by God's will, the followers of Advaita Ācārya divided into two parties. Such disagreement among the disciples of one ācārya is also found among the members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. In the beginning, during the presence of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, all the disciples worked in agreement; but just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly followed the instructions of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, but another group created their own concoction about executing his desires. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next ācārya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of ācārya, and they split into two factions over who the next ācārya would be. Consequently, both factions were asāra, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master. Despite the spiritual master's order to form a governing body and execute the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is still going on after forty years with no decision.
The members of the self-appointed ācārya's party who occupied the property of the Gauḍīya Maṭha are satisfied, but they could make no progress in preaching. Therefore by the result of their actions one should know that they are asāra, or useless, whereas the success of the ISKCON party, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which strictly follows guru and Gaurāṅga, is increasing daily all over the world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura wanted to print as many books as possible and distribute them all over the world. We have tried our best in this connection, and we are getting results beyond our expectations.
Source: Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 12.8, purport (His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
✦ DID YOU KNOW? ✦
Desires & orders are not the same thing.
✦ DID YOU KNOW? ✦
Almost all GBC resolutions, do have a persistent 'look out' for Srila Prabhupada's desire - express desires only.
✦ DID YOU KNOW? ✦
A student who loves his guru's lectures but ignores his direct orders is not in full surrender. He is in selective surrender. And selective surrender is comfortable. It takes what nourishes and sets aside what demands.
✦ DID YOU KNOW? ✦
How has the role of the GBC been described over the years …….. sometimes as managers; sometimes as interpreters; sometimes as decision-makers; sometimes as dasa-anudasas; sometimes as the ultimate management authority
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.
GBC RESOLUTION SOURCES:
"This episode is available in multiple languages at www.justiceforsrilaprabhupadafoundation.com use the translate button on the page."
COMING NEXT
Supplement No. 2 (4 min read time)
Why GBC Resolutions Matter to Every Devotee
3rd October 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.
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