Question: I am facing a dilemma about how to react to devotees preaching at my locality from other branches that have split from ISKCON.
Does their process hold any spiritual value, considering that they have knowingly violated the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, who advised devotees to “not break ISKCON and cooperate with each other”?
Is it considered an offense if I find myself unable to accept their processes even though they are identical to ours?
I have heard from your grace that ignorance is less punishable than knowingly committing a sin. So, since they have knowingly separated from Srila Prabhupada’s movement and it’s considered an offense, is Krishna going to be present in the deity that they install?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Always be respectful of any vaisnava; simultaneously we must be discriminating regarding selecting those with whom we choose to closely associate.
When Srila Prabhupada was here on the planet, he sometimes mentioned that “ISKCON is my body.” One way to understand what he meant by this statement was that all the devotees would join together and preach the message of Krsna consciousness to the world. By doing so, naturally they would not deviate or leave ISKCON to form other groups.
On the one hand we often see those who have moved away from ISKCON that they are often reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, chanting, etc. but at the same time they are neglecting this important instruction of our Founder-acarya Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada had formed and appointed GBC to be the ultimate managing authority in ISKCON; the final managerial word rests with that body in all ISKCON affairs after his departure.
For example, here is the link which highlights the GBC resolution in regards to the Gaudiya Math: gbc.iskcon.org/resolutions-
Best is to remain in the association of devotees within ISKCON. Do not worry about extensively associating with or interacting with other groups. We must not disrespect them, but at the same time we do not extensively intimately associate with them.
