On October 15th and 16th, Hridayananda das Goswami and Brahma Tirtha Das met with the GBC body and a special subcommittee to discuss some mutual philosophical concerns and Krishna West.

The committee members included the GBC Executive Committee–Bhakti Charu Swami, Madhu Sevita Das & Bhaktivaibhava Swami–as well as Sivarama Swami, Radhanath Swami, Guru Prasad Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Badrinarayan Swami,
Bir Krishna Das Goswami and Praghosa Das.

While those discussions are a work in progress and will continue up to and during the 2018 GBC Annual General Meeting, the meeting in Ujjain was conducted in a very polite, cordial, and Vaisnava way and the following statement was unanimously agreed by all: 

Hridayananda Das Goswami with GBC members.

“As a liberated maha-bhagavata, Srila Prabhupada perfectly presented the teachings of Lord Krishna and the previous acaryas. Controversial or paradoxical statements should be understood and explained in a way that shows proper veneration toward Srila Prabhupada and protects his dignity as the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, and a pure devotee of Lord Krishna.

The GBC Body and Hridayananda Goswami are jointly striving toward a better integration of Krishna West within the general ISKCON preaching strategy.

The GBC body has requested Hridayananda Goswami to serve as the GBC for Brazil, provisional to confirmation at the AGM. It is hoped that in due time, Dhanvantari Swami will assist Maharaja as a co-GBC. Dhanvantari Swami is requested to begin the process and education required to take up the service. 

We are grateful for everyone’s cooperation in this matter. While this group endeavors to come to a mutually beneficial and encouraging path forward, we request the assembly of devotees to maintain a respectful attitude towards all involved parties and avoid criticism on either side of the issue. Any questions in the meantime should be referred to the official spokesperson of the committee, Bir Krishna das Goswami.”

Hridayananda Das Goswami and Sivarama Swami.