AI Technology

Continuing with our post from yesterday…and this will probably be my last post on AI Technology, but I asked AI a simple question:

You asked: What did Śrīla Prabhupāda recommend regarding initiations after his departure? Here’s what’s clear from his instructions and historical records:

The Ritvik (Officiating Priest) System

On July 9, 1977, Śrīla Prabhupāda issued a signed directive appointing eleven senior disciples to act as ritviks—ritual officiants who would initiate new disciples on his behalf, not as independent gurus Wikipedia+1.
His instruction was explicit: henceforward, these ritvik representatives were to carry out initiation ceremonies, and names of new disciples would still be recorded in Prabhupāda’s Initiated Disciples book Hare Krishna Hansadutta.

Intent vs. Practice

Many early devotees, including temple leaders, clearly understood that Prabhupāda intended no successors—that the eleven ritviks were acting solely as his proxies, not as new gurus Vraj Vrindavan Hare Krishna London.
However, shortly after his departure on November 14, 1977, these ritviks began initiating disciples on their own behalf, leading to a shift toward a guru succession system Wikipedia+1.

Later Developments in ISKCON

The Governing Body Commission (GBC), which oversees ISKCON operations, eventually moved away from the ritvik system. By the mid-1980s, the GBC encouraged all qualified disciples to become initiating gurus, effectively changing Prabhupāda’s original system Wikipedia.

In Summary

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s final, direct instructions were for ritvik initiation: new disciples were to be initiated on his behalf by designated representatives, not by living gurus.
Yet, posthumously, that system was not upheld; the ritvik initiators became independent initiating gurus, diverging from Prabhupāda’s original plan.

Reflections from Devotees

Some early disciples recalled:

“I will announce some ritvik acharyas who will initiate disciples on my behalf when I leave the planet.”
— Gauridas Pandit Dasa, recalling a conversation with Prabhupāda in mid-1977 Hare Krishna London

This reinforces that the ritvik system was clearly intended to extend beyond his physical presence.