GBC and temples

Expressions researched:
"gbc" |"governing body" |"G.B.C." |"gbc's" |"gbcs" |"Governing board" |"temples" |"temple"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

GBC member means they will see that in every temple these books are very thoroughly being read and discussed and understood and applied in practical life.

Lecture on SB 2.9.3 -- Melbourne, April 5, 1972: Similarly, the GBC member means they will see that in every temple these books are very thoroughly being read and discussed and understood and applied in practical life. That is wanted, not to see the vouchers only, "How many books you have sold, and how many books are in the stock?" That is secondary. You may keep vouchers... If one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, there is no need of vouchers. That is... Everyone is doing his best. That's all. So we have to see that things are going on very nicely. So in that way the GBC members should divide some zones and see very nicely that things are going on, that they are chanting sixteen rounds, and temple management is doing according to the routine work, and the books are being thoroughly discussed, being read, understood practically. These things are required. Now, suppose you go to sell some book and if somebody says, "You have read this book? Can you explain this verse?" then what you will say? You will say, "No. It is for you. It is not for me. I have to take money from you. That's all." Is that very nice answer?

Conversations and Morning Walks

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: But by argument, by words, by our methods, by our preaching, we have to convince. So selected fifteen men, not twelve (indistinct). It may increase more. Now we have got very many centers, but the duty is very responsible. So as, so far the center is concerned, the local president is (indistinct) man. The GBC can supervise that things are going on. The first management is that each and every member in the temple is chanting sixteen rounds regularly and following the regulations, that's all. Otherwise we have no... That is our spiritual strength. That must be executed.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- December 16, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, there must be. In our organization... Just like in each temple we elect a president. Then we get GBC. Then above all, I am. So that is needed. It is not conventional. It is needed. Therefore above everything, there must be God. So if these people, they say, "There is no need of God, there is no use for Him," that means they are all rascals.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Spinning, yes. Everyone should be engaged. That is management. So all GBC members must see that in every temple, everyone is engaged.

Brahmānanda: That is the meaning of leadership.

Prabhupāda: That is the meaning of leadership.

Hṛdayānanda: And that all the devotees are protected.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hṛdayānanda: And all the devotees are protected.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone should be engaged. And if everyone is engaged, he'll never fall sick. Yes. [break] ...the farmers, their son, they're giving up the farming business.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Jayatīrtha: That's nice. That's nice. So I can go on and read these...?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayatīrtha: I hope this isn't, er... Anyway, this is discussing the responsibilities of the GBC men in their zones. So we've already said to organize opening new temples, to appoint temple presidents for new temples, to be responsible for training all temple presidents and insuring spiritual standards. In the case of major deviation or resignation...

Prabhupāda: Now, you... First of all, you finish one business. That Oath of Allegiance, so addition, alteration, you have made, complete, so that it may be typed?

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Jayatīrtha: Either they owe BBT money or they owe bank money.

Prabhupāda: That is not good. Debts should be... No debts. If any temple wants to make debt, it must be sanctioned by the GBC committee.

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Make it clear.

Jayatīrtha: That's nice.

Prabhupāda: Not that he whimsically, the president, and put the Society into debts, unless it is sanctioned.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Jayatīrtha: Six months after first initiation. All right. So the next role for the GBC man is to act as the designated representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda to settle all philosophic, procedural disputes which may arise and are not settled at the temple level. In other words, any philosophic question a temple president can't ans...

Prabhupāda: No, you... Eh?

Jayatīrtha: If there's some philosophic question and the temple president can't answer it, then the GBC...

Prabhupāda: Then GBC should be consulted. And if the GBC cannot answer, then I'll answer.

Jayatīrtha: Right. Or, if there's some quarrel—one man doesn't like another man, and the temple president can't solve it-then...

Prabhupāda: What is quarrel?

Jayatīrtha: ...the GBC man can solve it.

Prabhupāda: There is no question of quarrel. Quarrel is material.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. But it is the Age of Quarrel.

Prabhupāda: Quarrel is not good.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Jayatīrtha: The next point is to obtain reports from the temple presidents, financial reports, like this, to see that things are being looked up.

Prabhupāda: The general report should be submitted at least monthly.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. So "to obtain all reports on a timely basis..."

Prabhupāda: To the board of the GBC or to the individual, zonal GBC. Yes.

Jayatīrtha: We have kind of a system outlined in here, how reports can be done. It's a technical thing, but...

Prabhupāda: But they have that everyone is chanting sixteen rounds, everyone is following the principles, "so much money received, so much money deposited in the bank."

Jayatīrtha: Right.

Prabhupāda: "And this is the balance." And these are general (?) report. That's all.

Jayatīrtha: Right. Yeah, we have...

Prabhupāda: The financial means what they have collected, what they have spent.

Jayatīrtha: Right.

Prabhupāda: And general reporting: "Yes, everyone is chanting," or "He is not chanting in spite of warning," like that.

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

Prabhupāda: This is very good.

Jayatīrtha: So we have some guidelines in here about that. So, so should I go on with this?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Haṁsadūta: Under, under his direction. Any monies or properties under his direction.

Atreya Ṛṣi: That would be a separate oath. That would be a separate thing, Prabhupāda.

Haṁsadūta: Maybe that should just be left out because if we're going to have some legal document like an umbrella, then that will take care of all those things.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Well, that should be in the pledge, in the agenda.

Prabhupāda: No, no, GBC... Does GBC members deal with money?

Haṁsadūta: No, he does not personally. He doesn't have anything personal.

Prabhupāda: No, no. I mean...

Brahmānanda: But he puts his signature.

Atreya Ṛṣi: No, no. As GBC, we do not deal with money. In other words, if you're dealing with money, it's the temple president.

Prabhupāda: The GB...

Atreya Ṛṣi: Not as...

Prabhupāda: The GBC should see that it is being done properly. Why he should...?

Haṁsadūta: But sometimes it...

Prabhupāda: ...involve himself in the...

Rūpānuga: Well, for example, in New York...

Prabhupāda: ...internal management?

Rūpānuga: Well, in New York, for example, I just recently signed with Gopī-jana-vallabha Prabhu the papers on the farm. I signed conjointly with him on the farm because the officers had to sign, and we just recently had a thing in New York, ISKCON, Los Angeles, New York.

Prabhupāda: No, no, "sign" another thing. That I have signed, many.

Rūpānuga: So that's all right.

Prabhupāda: The one thing is that GBC is wandering. If the checks are to be signed, then where is the GBC?

Rūpānuga: There's no account, no GBC account.

Prabhupāda: The... The money matters should be dealt with the president, secretary and the treasurer, three men. Out of three, two should sign. And GBC's business is to see that things are going on, money matters. That's all. GBC is not supposed to deal directly. He has to inspect. That's all.

Atreya Ṛṣi: So I can cross this...

Prabhupāda: Just like... But the thing is, if the GBC and the president is the same man, that is not good. That is not good. The president should be separate. So the president, treasurer and secretary, they will deal directly, and GBC should inspect book, account, that it is done very nicely. That's all. You can question, "Why you have done this?" That's nice. Otherwise, in the..., it will be difficult to manage.

Rūpānuga: Yes. We don't want to become entangled in that money.

Prabhupāda: Ah!

Rūpānuga: We don't want to become entangled in that money.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Madhudviṣa: What controls? What controls in the matter of money then?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Madhudviṣa: Who has control of the money?

Prabhupāda: Control means if there is vigilant, I mean to say, examination, inspection, then there is control of money.

Madhudviṣa: Well, let's say someone gives the temple president some money, and he puts in an account with his name and the treasurer's name, and they both conspire and take the money. Then there's no...

Prabhupāda: Yes. That you can do also.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Anyway...

Madhudviṣa: Yes, but...

Prabhupāda: GBC can do also.

Madhudviṣa: But isn't the GBC supposed to be more trusted than the temple president?

Prabhupāda: Then everyone can do, who has got the...

Bhagavān: The BBT trustees did it.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Bhagavān: The BBT trustees also did it. They took unsanctioned loan from the BBT.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, what about in a case like myself. I'm a sannyāsī, and I have a traveling saṅkīrtana party. So can I handle that money?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'm a sannyāsī with a travelling preaching party. So I have no... Because I am personally seeing to the money, tbere's no debt on that party. Is that all right?

Prabhupāda: That you decide amongst the GBC. (laughter) Best thing is that don't keep money.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I have no money in my name.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, you don't... You spend the necessary expenditure, and balance money, you give whatever you like.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, yeah. We're doing... I meant to say...

Atreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda is...

Prabhupāda: Sannyāsī is collecting and spending.

Atreya Ṛṣi: There you have a function of, more or less of a president, as well as the GBC, in that party.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation After Film -- June 28, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Mr. Punjasai? He wrote a letter recently. He mentioned the business about the books, that Guru-kṛpā said he was supposed to some give books from Australia, and he wasn't getting them.

Prabhupāda: So you can write him—note down—that "We are managing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement by GBC. We have got about twenty GBC's for looking after the whole world affair, and above the GBC, I am there, and under the GBC's there are presidents, treasurers, secretaries in each and every center. So the president is responsible to the GBC. GBC is responsible to me. In this way we are managing. But why you are proposing a separate trustee for Fiji? We have no separate trustee till now, but if for security, if it is required, you can adopt it. So this is our management going on. Now, if you have got some new idea, so please explain to me how you want to manage. But I think Fiji temple cannot be managed in a separate idea. But still, I shall entertain if you have got some idea to manage. The deed should be given to the founder-ācārya, in the name of founder-ācārya like 'A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Founder-Ācārya International Society.' "

Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Mr. Boyd: Your Grace, in regards to the organization of the movement, as such, I somehow am led to believe that there's no coordination between, should I say, your office, in regards to the karmī world, and the different temples. Are each..., does each temple operate by itself, or each division operate by itself?

Prabhupāda: No, (indistinct). There is separate arrangement for management, but the idea and philosophy is the same. Ultimately, I am managing. I have my twenty secretaries, they are called GBC, they are assisting me to manage. Every GBC has got a certain number of temples to supervise, and ultimately, I supervise everything. Therefore I come occasionally, stay for few days to see how things are going on. I have got hundred temples, big, big temples, very nice. They have organized palatial buildings, but I cannot stay anywhere. (laughter)

Mr. Boyd: That's the trouble with being boss. If you don't do it, nobody else will.

Prabhupāda: As soon as I say, "Ah, it is very nice place," the time is over, they say "You please get out." (laughter and groans from devotees)

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: No, not gṛhasthas. I'm not taking any gṛhasthas.

Prabhupāda: So if a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, yes, if he wants to travel, so there is no objection.

Haṁsadūta: But what is happening is that for instance, someone will join me, then Gopāla will catch up with him and send the man to Delhi or to Hyderabad. The man will run away and come back again, and again he will be forced to go away. This is what I object to.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, this is wrong. I'll tell you what the facts are. In every temple there are certain key positions for some devotee. In no temple we are trying to keep more than necessary. Sometimes they come and he preaches to them and he gives them money. If he is the temple president... Like in Bombay Haṁsadūta came, he had a fight with Girirāja. Girirāja was ready to write such a strong letter to you. He gave money to few devotees...

Prabhupāda: The temple establishment, that has to be maintained.

Haṁsadūta: That I understand. Prabhupāda, I understand that.

Prabhupāda: So why, why the...? Besides that, if you want to take someone or if anyone is willing to go with you, the president of the local temple, he should be requested. Or the man who wants to go, that "I want to go with him." So if the president thinks that he can be spared, then he can go. But if he thinks that his presence is necessary, why he should go?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This is one of the GBC resolutions. No devotee can go without the temple president's permission.

Haṁsadūta: I understand...

Prabhupāda: I cannot hear two. Let him... When I ask him...

Haṁsadūta: In this particular instance, and practically always, I do that. But Girirāja was so unreasonable about the matter that the boy actually ran away.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that, that, there are so many people... If you do not satisfy his senses, everyone is free to run away. That you cannot check. You cannot say, accuse somebody or somebody. Because here everyone is giving voluntary service. Nobody is servant. So if he doesn't like something, at any moment he can go away. At any moment. Just like yesterday the Śāstrī came. So he went away. And somebody, they are coming, going. You cannot check them. Because they are not our paid servants. If they are very kind that they have come here, cooperating with us. But still there is some decency, if one is engaged in some work, all of a sudden he should go away, all of a sudden... That is not very good. That is not very good. Decently, that I used to go, and now in preaching work, so there will be no difficulty, this is the arrangement. Something must be done. All of a sudden, if somebody goes, that isn't very good. Tamāla also, if he did so, that is not good. Because I want some men, I cannot kidnap from any place. That is not good. We must see that the management is going on. The management may not suffer. But the president should allow to go if there is extra men.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, another point in this connection, Prabhupāda, the men who come with me, they don't stay with me forever. They will stay a few months some of them, and then they go. In this way...

Prabhupāda: Then that is the habit...

Haṁsadūta: For instance, in this temple, there are so many men which are on our party who are...

Prabhupāda: So many men. We don't want so many men. Now we are going to minimize. We don't want so many men. That if, now we have to estimate how many men absolutely required. So many men we shall keep. Others, they must go for the preaching. They must go to the preaching.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They can all go on the buses, the extra men.

Prabhupāda: No, they should be distributed. They may go to other centers.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Brahmānanda: This is wording for the Certificate of Awards. The Certificate of Awards.

Prabhupāda: Ha ha. Ha ha.

Brahmānanda: So it would be printed as follows: "International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Founder-ācārya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. To certify that ... has attained the highest outstanding excellence in executing devotional service in the field of ... during the year 491 Caitanya Era (1976-77), this Certificate is hereby personally awarded from the hand of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder-ācārya of the Society, and in witness thereof, the founder-ācārya gives his seal and signature at Śrī Māyāpura Candrodaya Mandir, West Bengal, India, on this auspicious 491st birthday anniversary of the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. March 5th, 1977. Signed A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, GBC and Temple President."

Prabhupāda: So I think the wording is little more. It can be reduced.

Brahmānanda: Reduced.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That you can... Otherwise it is all right. Try to reduce the wording little more. Then it will be all right.

Room Conversation "GBC Resolutions" -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: So this is the election of the officers: Kīrtanānanda Swami, chairman; Jayatīrtha, vice chairman; Satsvarūpa, secretary.

Prabhupāda: Kīrtanānanda, president, er, chairman. Eh?

Satsvarūpa: Chairman. Jayatīrtha, vice chairman. Satsvarūpa, secretary. And then, in that regard, we passed a resolution that the position of chairman can only be held one year consecutively, every year changed, whereas vice president, secretary, may be held three years consecutively.

Prabhupāda: Why? That should be also one year.

Satsvarūpa: Also one year.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We felt that this would give everybody an opportunity to experience that position.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is the way. Amongst the same persons, one may get chance by selection, by majority vote. That is the way.

Hari-śauri: Democratic.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The persons are the same, twenty men. Now, by this selection of the majority persons, one becomes chairman for one year. Then everyone has the chance. That is the way. So that is... So secretaries and vice chairman also should be for one year.

Satsvarūpa: Then, in regard to these meetings, we passed this resolution, that... [break] ...that we pass will be brought before Your Divine Grace for approval. Then they can be posted on a bulletin board so devotees can see what they were. Then after all the days' meetings of the GBC are finished, then we'll have a meeting of the temple presidents. If, at their meeting, by a two-thirds majority vote, they suggest any amendments to the resolutions or make new resolutions, these will be sent back to the GBC, who will meet again and who will again vote...

Prabhupāda: "Send back" means not now? Not now?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. During these days.

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: Immediately.

Prabhupāda: "Send back" means where?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that means that today, tomorrow and the next day, the GBC will meet. Then the following morning, the morning of the fourth, the presidents will meet and they will give any changes to the GBC, and on the afternoon of the fourth the GBC will consider all changes.

Prabhupāda: Decide. Decide.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And that will be the end of the meeting.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Then, if the GBC does not decide by the decision of the presidents' meeting, then I shall decide?

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: All right. Then?

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: The GBC will encourage serious devotees in their zone to go to India and will allow those to go who actually want to go. Resolved: Gṛhasthas not be discouraged to work at jobs or develop their own business with their own means.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Satsvarūpa: All temples will be encouraged by the GBC to undertake vigorous life membership programs with the Indians. In America this program should be standardized in all respects, using the present forms developed in New York and New Vrindaban. The program in USA will be overlooked by Ādi-keśava Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: More resolutions about book distribution. The temple presidents, in order to control the techniques of book distribution, whether they are going against our resolution not to use illegal techniques, the presidents should go out on a monthly basis and observe their own book distributors, how they distribute books in the field. And also the GBC man should go out in each of his temples in his zone at least once during the year to see how the men are distributing books. And if a temple continues some illegal technique for book distribution, the BBT trustees are responsible to do the needful to rectify it.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Satsvarūpa: We have made one resolution that certain techniques should not be done. They are too dangerous for arrest. So if a temple persists in doing those illegal techniques, then the BBT will...

Prabhupāda: Rectify.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. Also for book distribution techniques, the use of the Santa Claus uniform and other theatrical costumes is banned, not to be done.

Prabhupāda: Is there any legal objection?

Satsvarūpa: No.

Prabhupāda: Then why?

Kīrtanānanda: They're legal.

Hṛdayānanda: There was a great deal of negative publicity.

Kīrtanānanda: They are legal...

Prabhupāda: So if it is legal, why shall they be...?

Rāmeśvara: The reason it was decided is that even though it is legal in America, in foreign countries there is bad reaction. The Americans do not mind as much as the foreign countries. So we are concerned for the international image of our movement.

Jayatīrtha: It was published in practically every newspaper in the world, a picture of Santa Claus being arrested by a policeman in America. We got a lot of questions. Also the President of the United States questioned one boy in a Santa Claus outfit.

Rāmeśvara: We felt that it would not seriously decrease the book distribution if we stopped this.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Then it is all right.

Rāmeśvara: That's the real thing. That's the key factor.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: Resolution about restaurants, that they may be named either Hare Kṛṣṇa restaurant or Govinda's restaurant. Then we passed a resolution about attendance at the temple functions. All GBC members and temple presidents are responsible to see that all devotees in their zone attend the morning and evening program except when there is alternate bona fide preaching in the evening, like if there's some book distribution in the evening. Otherwise everyone must go to the morning and evening.

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we were wondering that one time when you were ill in Vṛndāvana you requested that the devotees in our temples around the world could chant kīrtana all the time, twenty-four hours, till you recovered your health. So the GBC was wondering whether we could request again for that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt. This is the real remedy for any disease. Very good idea. So, finished?

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Rāmeśvara: We had a GBC meeting, and we made a system so that there are three GBC men assigned to every American property, and they can't even be mortgaged without the signature of these three men.

Prabhupāda: And that declaration should be taken. That you are already taking.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I am in the process of getting them all, oaths of allegiance.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Oath of allegiance. That should be maintained.

Rāmeśvara: So we've already fixed it up for the American temples, with three GBC men assigned to each building, but it hasn't been mentioned in the will.

Prabhupāda: No, why not?

Rāmeśvara: It should be. So we'll have to add a clause...

Prabhupāda: Add it.

Rāmeśvara: ...to deal with the other properties.

Prabhupāda: Add it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Add it right now, Prabhupāda says. "Temples outside of India..." That's how it should be worded. "Centers" or "Temples outside of..."

Rāmeśvara: "Properties outside of India."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Properties outside of India may only be..." I think we can say, "in principle should not be..."

Prabhupāda: There should be inventory of all the properties in this will.