Papers and Resources may be accessed at the end of this page.

Introduction

This page is dedicated to discussion and essays concerning the issue of who is eligible to become guru within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). This page is named after ISKCON Founder-Ācārya A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda’s term “The Law of Disciplic Succession”, which appeared in his letter of December 2, 1975, to Tuṣṭa Kṛṣṇa. We quote the part of his letter in which this term if found:

Keep trained up very rigidly and then you are bona fide Guru, and you can accept disciples on the same principle. But as a matter of etiquette it is the custom that during the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the Law of Disciplic Succession. I want to see my disciples become bona fide Spiritual Master and spread Krishna consciousness very widely, that will make me and Krishna very happy.
(Letter to Tusta Krsna — New Delhi 2 December, 1975)

It is difficult to overstate the influence of this statement. In the book Ṛrtvik-māyā-vāda-śata-duṣaṇi, 100 deviations of Ṛtvikism (1991), “a project inspired by His Holiness Jayapatākā Mahārāja,” as per the first pages, the excerpt from the letter to Tuṣṭa Kṛṣṇa is featured on the book’s back cover. Whether in debates on ṛtvikism or on the question of disciples in ISKCON initiating while their guru was still alive, innumerable papers and discussions cited this statement. For some time after the disappearance of Prabhupāda in 1977, this etiquette was strictly followed.

In ISKCON today, however, this etiquette is not as strictly observed. There are two resolutions from ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC), one from 2019 and another from 2021, that mark this change.

The 2019 resolution reads as follows:

701.2 ISKCON Spiritual Masters Conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus — 2019 [Governing
law]

Whereas ISKCON Law 7.3.2 now reads:

“As taught by Srila Prabhupada, the etiquette of not initiating in the presence of one’s diksa-guru will be upheld in ISKCON. However, Srila Prabhupada and historical precedents also teach us that disciples may sometimes initiate in the physical presence of their diksa-gurus, if so directed by them. In such a case, the disciple should go through the normal procedure for commencing the service of diksa-guru (7.4.1).”

Resolved: ISKCON Law 7.3.2 is amended to read as follows:

As taught by Srila Prabhupada, the etiquette of not initiating in the presence of one’s diksa-guru will be upheld in ISKCON. However historical precedents also teach us that disciples may sometimes, in exceptional cases, initiate in the physical presence of their diksa-gurus. The GBC clarifies that an individual devotee taking up the service of diksa-guru in the physical presence of their guru may be allowed as an exception when the following conditions are met.

The 2021 GBC resolution repeals the 2019 resolution.

701.02: ISKCON spiritual masters: Approval and regulations
[Title] – Initiating in the presence of one’s guru: Amendment — 2021

Resolved: That ISKCON Law 7.3.2 reverts to its previous formulation thus:

“As taught by Srila Prabhupada, the etiquette of not initiating in the presence of one’s diksa-guru will  be upheld in ISKCON. However, Srila Prabhupada and historical precedents also teach us that disciples may sometimes initiate in the physical presence of their diksa-gurus, if so directed by them. In such a case, the disciple should go through the normal procedure for commencing the service of diksa-guru (7.4.1).”

The justification given in the 2021 resolution to repeal the 2019 resolution prominently noted “The Law of Disciplic Succession” statement and its pervasiveness throughout Prabhupāda’s teachings.

Whereas it can be clearly observed that whenever Srila Prabhupada spoke about disciples not initiating in
the presence of their guru he always referred to it as etiquette.

Whereas on 2 December, 1975 Srila Prabhupada wrote to Tusta Krishna Swami and used the phrase “law
of disciplic succession” in the following manner: “Keep trained up very rigidly and then you are bona fide
Guru, and you can accept disciples on the same principle. But as a matter of etiquette it is the custom that
during the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or
disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession”.

Whereas even in the one letter where he used the phrase “law of disciplic succession”, it is important to
observe that he continued to use the same term etiquette while referring to disciples not initiating in the
presence of their guru.

Whereas considering Srila Prabhupada’s consistent and overwhelming use of the phrase “etiquette”
without exception including the letter where he wrote about the “law of disciplic succession”, the said letter
should be seen in the same context of etiquette rather than something distinct.

As can be seen, Prabhupāda’s utterance of “the Law of Disciplic Succession” and other referents to it widely pervades his instructions on the question as to whether disciples may initiate in the presence of their gurus.

With regard to The Law of Disciplic Succession, we wish to present some further papers that had been privately commissioned and which may shed further light on this etiquette and the traditional practice of disciples becoming gurus. More papers and resources may be included in the future.

It is my hope that the research presented herein may be informative and useful for those interested in the topic.

Kṛṣṇa-kīriti dāsaḥ
Convenor
ISKCON India Scholars Board
17 January 2026, Delhi, India

Papers and Resources

  • Honoring the Law of Disciplic Succession: A Pāñcarātrika perspective on the appointment of dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON while their guru is physically present
    Date: 14 October 2018
    Author: Kṛṣṇa Kīrti Dāsa, Dāmodara Dāsa, Dāmodara Caitanya Dāsa, Kamala Caraṇa Dāsa
    Link to paper: click here.
    Executive Summary: click here.
    Synopsis: click here.
    BibTex: click here.
    Abstract: This paper explores the tension between the “Law of Disciplic Succession” (TLODS), which restricts disciples from initiating during their guru’s lifetime, and pāñcarātrika-vidhi, which permits qualified disciples to initiate on their guru’s order. Drawing on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Nārada Pañcarātra, and Gauḍīya precedents, the authors argue that both qualification and authorization are essential. The majority opinion holds that ISKCON must continue following TLODS until candidates meet the dual standard of pāñcarātrika uttama-adhikārī and bhāgavata madhyama-adhikārī, with procedures aligned to śāstric injunctions. The minority opinion advocates a shift toward guru-appointed disciples initiating with limited numbers, emphasizing personal oversight, reduced pomp, and stronger paramparā continuity.