im·pu·ni·ty - noun : Exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm. Immunity from detrimental effects, as of an action.

At this point in time, it's my personal opinion that the GBC have been rendered impotent by the impunity with which the powerful global Zonal Acarya/maha-diksa gurus have acted and operated in their institutional roles. But there is a ray of hope, which became evident during the Mayapur GBC meetings this year, and which seems to suggest that the dark tide of impunity may be ebbing. Time will tell. These possible developments, as presented by the GBC standing committees, are a ray of hope, but they do not herald what I would consider a Golden Age of Justice for the followers of Srila Prabhupada. We can only hope that Krsna will direct ISKCON into an enlightened era. Meanwhile, our 30-year struggle against the impunity exercised by maha-diksas continues, as evidenced by the now-admitted "parallel system".

'Enlightenment' historically refers to the struggle of the masses in dealing with the impunity of their powerful rulers, and their efforts to bring these rulers under the rule of law. Even Jayapataka Swami admitted in the GBC meetings that this is what Srila Prabhupada wanted. While the principle is laudable, the question is, does this law apply to everyone? Are we all equal under the law, or do the powerful have immunity from having to follow the rules of law?

I have personally been ostracized and have had to suffer a great deal of strife on account of pointing out the GBC/gurus who have flagrantly disobeyed GBC rules and regulations. This is considered "offensive" by not only their own disciples, but by other members of ISKCON as well. I pointed out, for example, that Jayapataka Swami has continuously ignored GBC rules against accepting Zonal Acarya-level worship. More recently, I've written about the fact that Radhanatha Swami has been associating with Kirtanananda, and that Bhakti Tirtha Swami had invited Kirtanananda and Vakresvara Pandit to visit Gita Nagari. For the crime of pointing this out and telling people that I disagree, I'm considered a great offender by some. But who is the real offender? The person who disobeys the law, or the person who points out that a big leader is acting with impunity -- in other words, breaking ISKCON laws?

This brings to the forefront the whole question of "parallel systems". Who is supreme: the rich diksa guru with many followers, or the GBC, our 'ultimate managing authority'? Until the GBC can successfully answer this question, I'm sure we'll continue to see like-minded individuals like myself throughout the global Vaisnava community, who point out the lack of ethical behaviour on the part of our leaders. Whether we're eventually labeled as Vaisnava rights activists or "Varnasrama Development Specialists", history will show that there are thousands of individuals who live by the motto, "Ask not what Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON can do for you, but what you can do for spreading Krsna consciousness throughout the world."

I can honestly say that those who act with impunity in a leadership position in ISKCON do not live by the above-mentioned motto. Those who are sincerely and seriously practicing Krsna consciousness under the direction and guidance of the current Sampradaya Acarya are, by definition, entitled to live in a peaceful state of social contract in an international society. Those individuals who chose to take on the role of being GBC members put themselves in a position similar to kings of the Vedic system, where they're accountable to the citizens. And if the citizens are not enjoying a peaceful situation, they'll blame the king. In our case, it's Srila Prabhupada's design and direction that ISKCON should stand as an integral unit, serving as a bulwark against the barbarous, uncivilized life of animals disguised as humans.

A Krsna conscious society, by its very nature, is inexorably tied to the notion of rules and regulations set down in our sastra, and presented according to circumstance by the bona fide Sampradaya Acaryas. Rules set down to organize such a society, and rules to protect vulnerable Vaisnavas, ultimately from the three-fold miseries, are presented in sastra. This also includes protecting the unwitting from being cheated by powerful imitators who can function with impunity.

It's obvious by studying the circumstances today that the present governing system in ISKCON is unbonafide because it does not contain any method for accountability, and there's no checks and balances. This leaves the door of impunity open to anyone who has enough power to step through it, which many of our GBC members feel free to do. In fact, it's become a revolving door.

In the following purport, Srila Prabhupada makes it extremely clear that the only one who has impunity is the Supreme Controller, Lord Sri Krsna:

"Even after Sukadeva Gosvami had explained the spiritual nature of the love that Krsna and the gopis exchanged during the rasa dance, Maharaja Pariksit questioned Sukadeva as to why Krsna would act in a way that would make ordinary people see Him as immoral. Sukadeva replied that because Lord Krsna is the supreme isvara, or controller, He is independent of all social and religious principles. This is simply more evidence of His greatness. As the supreme isvara, or controller, He is independent of all social and religious principles. This is, Lord Krsna may sometimes violate His own instructions with impunity, but that is possible only for the supreme controller, not for us. Since no one can imitate such astounding activities of Lord Krsna's."

Narada-bhakta-sutra verse 23 Purport

In all honesty, impunity has become an institutional norm in ISKCON. This means that the violators of individual devotee rights have to be brought to book or else there's no justice, no peace. Almost all the devotees I've met who have left ISKCON have done so because they've felt violated when some injustice was imposed upon them, and they had no recourse other than to leave.

Impunity undermines the efforts of the sincere members of ISKCON who seek to create a civilized society. How the GBC and leaders are going to deal with this impunity problem, I don't know. As the GBC meeting reports show, it's something they're avoiding dealing with.