Illustration: Akincana Gocara. Portraits: Bhakti Raghava Swami Vriksha / YouTube; Bhakti Vikasa Swami, video still. The meeting room and letter are illustrative.
WADA, India — As the GBC devoted the second and third days of its 2026 Midterm General Meeting at Govardhan Eco Village to Vaishnavi diksa-gurus,[3][4] two senior sannyasis and disciples of Srila Prabhupada addressed its members directly. Bhakti Raghava Swami, who says leaders of the India Continental Committee and the India Bureau asked him to take part in the meetings, wrote to GBC members in a letter headed “GBC/FDG October 2026”;[1] Bhakti Vikasa Swami recorded a four-minute video message.[2] Both ask the GBC not to force a decision on female diksa-gurus. Neither had been published before; Akincana Gocara reproduces both in full below.
Dear GBC members,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I have been requested by some of the leaders in Bharat (both ICC and Bureau) to participate in the mid-term GBC meetings in regard to the controversial issue pertaining to Female/Vaisnavi Diksha Guru.
As most of you know, over the years and more so recently, I have voiced strong reservations and opposition on allowing women to initiate as some of my Godbrothers and Godsisters have also expressed.
The unfortunate reality is that the GBC body as a whole, as well as most senior leaders in our movement, have failed to take up seriously Srila Prabhupada’s 50 percent mission, that of establishing Daiva Varnasrama Dharma.
The GBC has given only lip service to this extremely crucial dimension of Srila Prabhupada’s mission as demonstrated in your few and neglected resolutions on this issue. It should be a matter of great shame on your part to have allowed such disregard for our Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada.
Without having basic understanding of some fundamental principles and concepts that make up our Vedic culture, our GBC members are recklessly tampering with and about to destroy a foundational principle pertaining to women, as well as pertaining to Srila Prabhupada’s unequivocal directive that “There should be a thorough overhauling of the social system, and society should revert to the Vedic principles, that is, the four varnas and the four asramas.” (SB 4.29.54)
When we read Srila Prabhupada’s purports in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, when we properly hear his lectures, conversations, and morning walks, it becomes crystal clear that in the Vedic culture that we have been mandated to establish, women should be given special protection. Vedic culture advocates that women should not be independent, and women should not take on nor be trained in public leadership roles. Furthermore, if we are to ensure that our women remain shy and chaste, they should primarily focus on being ideal mothers and wives.
All these expectations for women fall within the category of primary, not secondary instructions. The duties and qualities of women are outlined as eternal principles within Stri Dharma as presented by our grandfather Bhismadeva in the Mahabharata and by Srila Narada Muni in the 7th Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, chapters 11 to 25. Has the GBC become so audacious as to reject these eternal principles of dharma by casting a majority vote?
To deviate from these principles is to deviate from dharma. It is a false and dangerous notion that men and women can play the same role in society or can receive the same education. It is an erroneous conclusion that Srila Prabhupada considered men and women equal in all respects. Otherwise, why did Srila Prabhupada forbid women to take Sannyasa? Why did he not appoint women as Temple Presidents, GBCs or in similar leadership positions as his men disciples when he was physically present? Our GBC men now know better than Srila Prabhupada?
Your GBC College is a serious deviation from these principles where you allow both men and women to mingle together through coeducation and you promote equal leadership roles for both men and women within the ISKCON society.
My humble submission is that when there is lack of clear understanding on such a fundamental issue, when there is a clear majority opposition again and again voiced by the leaders in Bharat, as well as others around the world, it is wise not to force this issue and best to give additional time.
History has shown that within other major religious organisations premature decisions on crucial matters have had devastating effects and have often caused irreparable damages.
Thank you for your thoughtful deliberation on this critical topic.
Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada,
Bhakti Raghava Swami, “GBC/FDG October 2026”, letter to GBC members[1]
Bhakti Raghava Swami
Transcript (machine transcription, lightly formatted; times are minutes and seconds into the video):
[00:00] Respected GBC members, at the last GBC meeting held in Mayapur, a resolution was passed that issues regarding guru-tattva specific to ISKCON need to be thoroughly discussed before any changes are instituted with regard to guruship in ISKCON,
[00:30] the question of whether or not female body devotees should act as initiating gurus. But after the meeting this resolution was jettisoned and the GBC instead decided that there has been enough discussion on the FDG issue. Everyone is fed up with it, let’s settle it once for all.
[01:00] However, considering that implementation of FDG is a deeply contentious question, it would be irresponsible of GBC members to vote to institute such a radical innovation without themselves individually being fully informed about all the issues involved.
[01:29] It would be said that, well, we know what the issues are, we’ve been through them again and again and it’s time to make a decision. Or even if an individual member is not personally aware of all the nuances of the arguments on both sides, he may think the SAC has done its work and recommended FDG so we should vote for it.
[01:51] However, there is evidence that the SAC did not research this issue open-mindedly but with an agenda in mind and that their research was seriously flawed and that even when the flaws were pointed out, neither the SAC nor the GBC acknowledged them.
[02:14] So, to those who think that there is a strong case for instituting FDGs, you are highly likely to be seriously misinformed.
[02:26] This is not the way to make crucial decisions that will indelibly affect the whole future of this movement, which is the only hope for saving human society in its darkest hour.
[02:41] No doubt you are all tired of this issue, but you need to take the time to thoroughly, openly and honestly address all the pros and cons.
[02:53] There should be open discussion published on YouTube for all to see.
[03:00] First, there needs to be discussion about guru-tattva with respect to ISKCON as it was previously decided.
[03:09] That in itself is a major and difficult topic. Only then should we move on, if at all, to the subject of women devotees initiating.
[03:22] Another topic that we as a movement need to recognize, bring it out into the open, discuss it thoroughly, is the whole direction of this movement.
[03:33] We need to recognize that underlying this FDG issue is a cultural divide that is polarizing the whole world, not just ISKCON.
[03:46] The cultural polarization within ISKCON also needs to be thoroughly discussed to save us from the type of animosity that has caused major schisms in Christian churches and seriously threatens to further divide ISKCON also.
[04:10] Thank you. Hare Krishna.
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