Standards of Guru Worship in ISKCON

a. ISKCON devotees shall instruct new members to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada and receive guidance, training and assistance from those who are practically and directly instructing them in Krsna consciousness. ISKCON members shall not compel or coerce new members to accept any particular siksa or diksa-guru or to take diksa initiation at any particular point in time. New members shall choose when and from whom they wish to request initiation, however, for a minimum of six months of strict sadhana, they must focus their attention on Srila Prabhupada as Founder-Acarya and their siksa-guru. After having established a solid relationship with His Divine Graces’ vani, they may accept an ISKCON guru and after a subsequent minimum of six months, accept Vaisnava-diksa.

 

b. After chanting the pranama-mantra of their diksa (or siksa) guru, all grand disciples and future generations should chant at least the first of Srila Prabhupada’s pranama-mantra while offering obeisances as a means of respecting the Founder-acarya.

 

c. In order to offer appropriate respect to Srila Prabhupada as Founder-acarya and pre-eminent spiritual master of ISKCON, it is considered an essential devotional practice for all ISKCON devotees, to observe or perform Srila Prabhupada’s guru-puja daily, either in an ISKCON temple, or if not possible, in one’s home.

 

d. With an aim to focus more fully on Srila Prabhupada and every devotee’s special relationship with him, and to correct any imbalance in application between the respect offered to siksa-guru s, diksa-guru s and other senior vaisnavas contributing to a devotee’s spiritual progress, an ISKCON siksa or diksa guru may accept public guru-puja (arati and/or foot-bathing) in person once a year on ISKCON property as Vyasa-puja.

 

e. Events welcoming Vaisnavas, including siksa and diksa gurus to ISKCON temples should be modest (for example, limited to presentation of garland(s) and accompanying kirtana.)

 

f. ISKCON Leaders shall teach that Srila Prabhupada’s books and teachings are the foundation of the spiritual lives of all ISKCON members. Therefore, all ISKCON members shall consider it their compulsory duty to study Srila Prabhupada’s books. Hearing from other devotee’s books and teachings is secondary and supplemental and should not be done at the expense of hearing regularly from Srila Prabhupada.

 

g. Temple Presidents and Project Leaders are fully responsible for engaging the devotees in their charge. Gurus must first consult with a Temple President before talking to his disciples about changing their service.

 

h. Gurus shall minimize the number of devotees engaged in their personal service and in their travelling entourage. Gurus shall not personally engage single members of the opposite sex or married members of the opposite sex without their spouse, in direct personal service and should never be alone or in a solitary place with them as ordained by sastra.

 

i. Guru-daksina and other donations offered to siksa- and diksa-gurus are the property of ISKCON.

 

j. At the time of diksa initiation, all disciples will be further instructed by their initiating guru that Srila Prabhupada is their pre-eminent siksa-guru as ISKCON’s Founder-Acarya, ever present in his books and teachings. Thus they have a recognized siksa link to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Times for Guru Worship

All festivals, events, commemorative occasions, etc. that are in honor of present ISKCON gurus and that are observed in the main worship area of ISKCON institutions, are to be held at times other than those normally set aside for regular worship, such as the morning program and the Sunday feast.

Restricted Titles

No one in ISKCON will be addressed published with honorific title “His Divine Grace”, nor be addressed either pulicly or privately, the honorifics ending in “pada” or “deva”. Disciples may address their ISKCON diksa or siksa gurus as “Gurudeva” or “Guru Maharaja”.

Photograph on Altar

ISKCON devotees shall offer arati and bhoga to Lord Krsna through both their diksa or siksa guru and Srila Prabhupada as their pre-eminent siksa-guru. A temple pujari shall keep a smaller picture of his diksa guru on the arati tray or table instead of on the altar and remove it after the arati. Subsequent generations of devotees shall continue in the same manner of respecting both their own diksa or siksa guru and Srila Prabhupada.

ISKCON Temple resident Members may keep the photographs of ISKCON diksa or siksa gurus privately in their asrama quarters but are not to display them publicly on ISKCON premises. Promoting occasional special preaching events may be an exception. Disciples of ISKCON diksa and siksa gurus should not wear or publicly display guru t-shirts, posters, bead bag buttons, athletic caps etc. (other than Srila Prabhupada).

Seat in Temple Room

Sastra enjoins that the disciple may not sit on the seat of the guru. The seat for speaking Srimad-Bhagavatam, however, is not the property of any one guru, there is no harm in any Vaisnava sitting in that place while giving class. Thus, anyone giving sastra classes in ISKCON temple rooms shall use a single seat reserved for the purpose.

Guru Under Suspension

No Public Worship

There should be no public worship of a guru who is under suspension by the GBC.

Disciples Offering Arati

While performing arati to the Deities a disciple of a suspended guru should offer the various articles through Srila Prabhupada to the disciplic succession.

Disciples Offering Bhoga

When offering bhoga to the Deities in the temple or outside the temple in ISKCON establishments like restaurants, a disciple of a suspended guru must offer through Srila Prabhupada to the disciplic succession.