ISKCON GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION SOCIETY

Registration Number S/74662 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
P.O. Shree Mayapur Dham, Dist. Nadia, West Bengal 741313

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, FEBRUARY 6 – 16, 2015

Go to 2015 Zonal Assignments


Section 100: APPOINTMENTS

101. GBC Officers and Members

1. His Grace Praghosa Das is elected GBC Chairman.

2. His Grace Sesa Das is elected First Vice-Chairman.

3. His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami is elected Second Vice-Chairman.

4. His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami is elected GBC Secretary.

5. His Grace Candrasekhara Acarya Das is appointed as a full GBC member.

6. His Holiness Prahladananda Swami is appointed as an Acting GBC.

7. His Grace Revati Raman Das is appointed as an Assistant GBC.

8. His Grace Tirtharaj Das continues as a GBC Candidate.

102. Sannyasa Waiting List

The following are the candidates for sannyasa along with their respective waiting periods:
 

103. Reaffirmation of Ministries and Standing Committees

The following are the Ministry and Standing Committees and their membership assignments for 2015-2016:

Section 200: FINANCES

201. GBC Budget

The GBC budget for 2015-16 is (in INR):

202. Appointment of Auditor

Sri Nathmal Agarwal and Associates, F.C.A., Chartered Accountant, of 125 Netaji Subhash Road, Room No. 45, Kolkata 700 001, is appointed as statutory auditor for the year 2014-2015.

Section 300: INTERNAL ISKCON

301. Midterm Meeting 2015

The Midterm Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society shall take place from October 15-23, 2015, at Govardhan Eco-village, India.

302. Annual General Meeting 2016

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ISKCON GBC Society shall take place from February 16-March 2, 2016, at ISKCON Mayapur, WB, India.

303: GBC College for Leadership Development

Whereas Srila Prabhupada repeatedly indicated the need for training qualified leaders:

“There is need for intelligent young men to train them up as future leaders and preachers to go all over the world for spreading the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Letter, 9 January 1973) 

“If we simply go on expanding and there are no qualified men to lead, then everything will be spoiled eventually.” (Letter, 5 January 1973)

Whereas the GBC wishes to promote high standards of spiritual leadership and management throughout the Society

RESOLVED:

A.   The GBC College for Leadership Development is hereby established.

The College’s primary focus shall be on contributing to prepare devotees to serve in crucial leadership roles within ISKCON.

The GBC College shall be managed by a Board of Trustees (minimum seven, maximum nine). Trustees shall be appointed by the GBC through a simple majority vote for a renewable three-year term (or when needed to fill vacancies, etc.). Future trustees shall be added or reaffirmed through a simple majority vote by the GBC.

The Board of Trustees shall be supported by a Board of Advisors (minimum fifteen, maximum thirty), appointed by the Board of Trustees.

B.   The first Board of Trustees of the GBC College for Leadership Development shall be composed of Romapada Swami, Radhanath Swami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Tamohara Das, Laxmimoni Dasi, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, Rupanuga Das (BCS), Kaunteya Das (JPS) and Gauranga Das (RNS).

By October 2015 the Trustees shall submit for the edification of the GBC a draft of the parameters for the legal document delineating the functioning of the College. The final Trust document shall be approved by the GBC.

304: Zonal Configuration Russia

Whereas ISKCON Russia has expressed readiness to formally ratify its zones.

RESOLVED:

Russia shall include nineteen zones:

1. Moscow
2. North-West
3. North
4. Central
5. Golden Ring
6. Tatarstan
7. Volga
8. South 1
9. South 2
10. South 3
11. Bashkortostan
12. Ural
13. West Siberia
14. South Siberia
15. East Siberia
16. Baikal
17. Far East 1
18. Far East 2
19. Far East 3

305: Appointing Zonal Supervisors

Whereas the GBC has established the position of Zonal Supervisor, who assists the GBC Zonal Secretary/ies in managing a zone, and their process of appointment needs to be clarified

RESOLVED:

After successfully graduating from the GBC College of Leadership Development with the appropriate degree, a person can be appointed as Zonal Supervisor by the GBC Zonal Secretary/ies responsible for that zone.

The GBC Zonal Secretary/ies shall consult relevant leaders connected with the zone (including national or continental councils, etc. where present) before appointing the Zonal Supervisor.

The appointment shall be ratified by the GBC Body through a simple majority vote. The GBC’s ratification is only required at the first appointment, not for every subsequent zonal appointment, even if in different places.

In rare cases, the GBC Body may ratify as Zonal Supervisors devotees who have not completed the standard course, but who are otherwise qualified for the service, by a two-thirds majority.

The appointment shall be on a probation basis for a year. After the probation period the GBC Zonal Secretary/ies shall retain the option of suspension or removal in case of non-performance or malfeasance. In case the Zonal Supervisor believes that there are grounds for appeal, he or she can approach the GBC EC for consideration.

306: Sastric Advisory Council Bylaws

Whereas, resolution 604/2002: Sastric Advisory Council (SAC) reads, in part:

"There shall be no term limit for SAC members, but as part of its self-regulation, the SAC will review the character, behavior, and performance of its members to ensure that they continue to uphold its ideals. The procedure for doing this will be established by the SAC itself during its first year of operation."

Whereas this procedure has never been established;

Whereas, in addition, there is a need to have a protocol and bylaws more precisely regulating the internal operation of the Sastric Advisory Council and its interaction with the GBC Body and EC;

Whereas, the SAC members in collaboration with the GBC EC have produced such a document

RESOLVED:

The attached document entitled "SAC Bylaws" hereby replaces the corresponding regulatory part of Resolution 604/2002.

307: Improving Sanskrit Pronunciation in ISKCON:

[Statement]

The GBC hereby recognizes the importance of improving Sanskrit pronunciation in ISKCON and encourages all ISKCON devotees to improve their Sanskrit pronunciation. The book, Samskrtoccaranam: A Complete Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation, by Lokanath Swami, is a good resource and we encourage devotees to take advantage of it.

308: Proposal From The Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) Team

Whereas the GBC Body, recognizing the special priority personally expressed and emphasized by Srila Prabhupada in his words and writings to construct the TOVP, provided for the entire BBT Construction Fund to be contributed to the TOVP for a period of five years, which is now ending;

Whereas notwithstanding the launching of a full-time, world-wide Fund Raising Campaign, the TOVP’s very nature and magnitude is unprecedented in size and quality of materials and works—as specified by Srila Prabhupada—and in spite of the frugality of expenditure  as evidenced by its accounts, remains in critical need of further funding to keep the construction going without interruption to prohibit any further increase in budget and delay, especially as it now enters the crucial finishing stages;

Whereas the following quotation is pertinent in this regard:

“Those who are trying their best to keep intact the flow of service to Sri Mayapur will be considered the benefactors of the future world of Vaishnavas.”

(Bhaktivinoda Thakur from Sajjana-Toshani 12/1)

RESOLVED:

That the GBC Body will ensure that 75% of the BBT Construction Fund goes to the TOVP for a further period of five years beyond 2015.

309: Daivi-varnasrama Research Committee

Whereas Srila Prabhupada had said that 50% of his mission—establishing Daivi-varnasrama—remained unfulfilled

RESOLVED:

That the GBC recognizes the need to establish Daivi-varnasrama and to that end it shall establish a research committee to study how to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desire in that regard.

310: Guru Related Research

[Statement]

Based on the sacred siddhanta of guru-tattva, and with a positive and enthusiastic spirit, the GBC undertakes the responsibility to provide for present and future generations of devotees, a comprehensive and inclusive understanding that delineates how diksa- and siksa-gurus unitedly work within the framework of ISKCON.

In the meantime the existing resolutions and proposals concerning (a) Vaisnavi diksa-gurus and (b) disciples initiating in the physical presence of their initiating guru, are held in abeyance until these roles are defined within the above-mentioned comprehensive research. The progress of that effort as regards these resolutions will be reviewed annually until its conclusion, to which the GBC is steadfastly dedicated to accomplish.

311: GBC Deputies’ Membership

Whereas the current term of the GBC Deputies expires with the conclusion of this 2015 AGM;

And whereas the GBC Body is satisfied with the work of the Deputies and desires that their term be renewed for an additional three years

Resolved:

That the following devotees are appointed as GBC Deputies to serve through the AGM of 2018:

1.    Acintya Rupa Dasi

2.    Acyuta Priya Das

3.    Akrura Das

4.    Aniruddha Das

5.    Bhaktarupa Das

6.    Bhakti Vinoda Swami

7.    Devaki Nandan Das (Botswana)

8.    Eklavya Das

9.    Hanuman Das

10.  Jagajivana Das

11.  Kalasamvara Das

12.  Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das

13.  Laxmimoni Dasi

14.  Madana-mohana Das

15.  Mathuresh Das

16.  Praharana Dasi

17.  Prasanta Dasi

18.  Rasaraja Das

19.  Srivas Das

20.  Srivasa Pandit Das

21.  Tukaram Das

22.  Vedavyasa Priya Swami

312: Mayapur Retirement Village as an International GBC Project

Whereas the desire of the international GBC is that a retirement village be created in Sridham Mayapur that would operate under the direction of the international GBC

Resolved:

That the Retirement Village/Elders’ Enclave is under the exclusive direction of the international GBC Body. There is no direction or control from any other ISKCON entity.

A committee will be formed to oversee the operation of the Retirement Village once the construction phase has been completed. Badrinarayan Swami will work with the Mayapur GBCom to select that committee and to establish the guidelines under which the management committee and the Retirement Village project will operate.

Badrinarayan Swami is appointed as the GBC Body’s agent for this project. Badrinarayan Swami will report to the Mayapur GBC committee as needed and will seek their prior approval for major decisions.