Hencefoward | The Hare Krishna Movement

On My Behalf

22 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Hare Krishna Movement, Hencefoward, Uncategorized Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, accepting initiation, actual initiator, definition of vani, future initiations, Gauridasa Pandita Prabhu, On My Behalf, Srila Prabhupada

“So I cannot speak. I am feeling weak. I was to go to other places like Chandigarh, but I canceled the program because the condition of my health is very deteriorating. So I preferred to come to Vrindavan. If death takes place, let it take here. So there is nothing new to be said. Whatever I have to speak, I have spoken in my books. Now you try to understand it and continue your endeavor. Whether I am present or not present, it doesn’t matter. As Krsna is living eternally, similarly, the living being also lives eternally.

On My Behalf
Srila Prabhupada’s Initiation System
by Sriman Gauridasa Pandita Prabhu

Srila Prabhupada arrived in Sri Vrindavan Dhama on May 17th 1977 to prepare to ‘leave his body.’ He made all of the arrangements for the future of his movement. He formed his Will, the Temple Property Trusts, he gave instructions for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and the GBC and he established his initiation system for the future of ISKCON.

Due to some unseen good fortune I got the opportunity to serve Srila Prabhupada, at that time. Actually, I began to personally serve him in Bombay as one of his guards and then went with him to Hrsikesh to ‘regain his failing health’ on the advice of one of the life members, Mahadevia Kartikeya.

Things were like heaven in Hrsikesh serving Srila Prabhupada.
We were staying in a two story house right on the bank of the Holy Ganges River. We had the best Jalebi maker (Vedic sweets) in the world, according to Srila Prabhupada, right across the street. We used to have fruit, yogurt and hot Jalebis for breakfast. Srila Prabhupada said that hot Jalebis could cure the common cold.

I used to enjoy taking Japa Walks in the Himalayan Mountains. The forests are lush, filled with singing birds, and wandering devotees. Some Shivite’s live in the cave’s and only leave to bath in the Ganga. They eat only what is offered to them.

I used to also enjoy taking walks up along the Ganges Bank and then jump in the rushing Holy River and ride a log back to Srila Prabhupada’s house chanting all the way.

This reminded me of when Visnujana Swami was pulled by a rope in the water by the boat in Bengal as he chanted the Holy names of the Lord ~ Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevia…etc.

We used to Perform Hari Nama Sankirtan in the Market Place just down from our house on the Ganga. We would chant until about 5pm then take the kirtan back to the rooftop of our house. Then at about 5:30pm Srila Prabhupada would give his darshan to the general public.
Although we did not advertise the darshan; the room was always full of interested guests every night. Srila Prabhupada preached to them in his unique and charming way. He used his great Vaisnava wit to charm the crowds and inspire them to take to Krishna Consciousness. Most everyone left convinced, a few maybe not, but everyone who saw Srila Prabhupada felt that he was a perfect gentleman and a great and loving host. He always paid attention to everyone and made sure all guests received Prasadam. Srila Prabhupada also taught us each how to cook a basic meal of rice, dahl, and chapatis. The mercy of Srila Prabhupada was flowing like the Ganges at this time. And actually, it still is!

Yes, things were ecstatic in Hrisikesh, until that night when Srila Prabhupada first told us that he was going to leave his body.

All of the sudden the great weather turned stormy with thunder and lightening and the power was going off all night long. At about 2:30am Upendra Prabhu came downstairs and told us that Srila Prabhupada had been sitting up all night, and had just said that he was going to leave the planet! Srila Prabhupada said:

“Tomorrow we will go to Vrindavan; better to die in Vrindavan.”

Initiations in ISKCON

27 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Diksha, Disciplic succession, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Hencefoward, July 9th Letter Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Acharya, disciples, diska, guru disciple, Initiation, initiation system in Iskcon, initiations ceremonies, Iskcon, officiating acharyas, ritvik, ritvik representatives, Satsvarupa das Goswami, Srila Prabhupoada, Tamal Krishna Goswami

There is an ongoing debate on how initiations were to go on after Srila Prabhupada’s physical disappearance. Many devotees don’t like to talk about it or think about it, so conditioned are we to accept the status quo. But I think it is important not to turn a blind eye on the issue of initiation, and how it was meant to go on, as initiation (accepting a spiritual master), is a very important step in progressing in spiritual life. Success in spiritual life is in following the instructions of the spiritual master. So for the sake of keeping the very important issue alive we present the following post that we saw recently on the Prabhupada News website.

It is widely known that Srila Prabhupada instituted a ritvik or representative (proxy) initiation system throughout ISKCON as early as 1971 in order to meet the growing need to initiate his disciples worldwide. However what is not widely known is that he instructed his disciples to continue initiating new disciples on his behalf even after his physical disappearance.

He called those disciples who performed the initiation ceremonies ritvik representatives of the acharya (officiating acharyas). Below are quotes directly from Srila Prabhupada for the evidence of these instructions as well as explanations, philosophical insights, and historical background.

Harinama Dikska Written Test Question Paper

25 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Diksha, Disciplic succession, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Hencefoward, ISKCON, Iskcon Bangalore, Krishna Consciousness Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, dikska, dikska questions, GBC, guru and disciple, Harinama diksa, harinama dikska question paper, Iskcon, ISKCON Bangalore, July 9th Letter, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada

Sometime back, we published the “Harinama Diksha Reference Material and Study Guide“. Today we share with you the “Harinama Dikska Question Paper”. This was put out by the devotees at ISKCON Bangalore, and is very interesting. I won’t say anymore about it now, other than to say it is worth taking a few minutes to ‘take the test’, by answering the few basic questions.

click on following link

Harinam_Diksha_Question_Paper

The Rtvik Representative Of The Acharya

14 Dec 2013 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Diksha, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Hencefoward, Krsnacandra das, Ritvik Representative of the Acharya Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, disciple, gayatri, guru, hencefoward, initiated disciple of srila prabhupada, initiated disciples book, Initiation, ISKCON Bangalore, July 9th Letter, Krishna consciousness, Madhu Pandit Das, ritvik, rtvik representative of the acharya, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement

The following is an article, I have wanted to include for some time now, which was written by Krsnacandra Prabhu and posted on his page Prabhupadvision.com. In light of our recent post entitled Sri Madhu Pandit’s Official Reply to the EC we feel it is timely, and of utmost importance to our society that we understand the issues. Although our page is not intended as a political forum, it is a tool in the mission of our spiritual master, for the propagation of The Hare Krishna Movement or Krishna Consciousness.

Now that Śrīla Prabhupāda has named these representatives Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendations for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their Temple.

After considering the recommendation, these representatives many accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of a second initiation, by chanting on the Gāyatrī thread just as Śrīla Prabhupāda had done.

The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be included in Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book. (from July 9th letter)

The Rtvik Representative Of The Acharya
by Kṛṣṇacandra Dāsa – Vṛndāvan:

Shortly after His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda entered into his Samādhi līlā in 1977; 11 of his senior disciples and members of the GBC who held the official position of representatives of His Divine Grace in 1st and 2nd spiritual initiations [as per July 9th Document], without authority and without an order by His Divine Grace announced themselves to be pure devotees of the Lord and forcibly seized the titles, roles and functions of acharyas and Initiating Spiritual Masters of ISKCON.