Second Plenary Session in Mayapur

[Guest guest]

By Vipramukhya Swami

 

CHAKRA (Jagannath Puri, India) - February 18, 2001: The GBC Meetings went

into the second of three final plenary sessions in Mayapur, India, today as

GBC members considered and gave their final votes on a multitude of

proposals before the Body. The meetings will conclude tomorrow.

 

Yesterday GBC members met to start the process of final voting in plenary

session following two days of GBC Subcommittee meetings. The subcommittees

were considering the results of preliminary straw voting of GBCs, Deputies

and guests.

 

The big item on the agenda this year seems to be shaping up to be GBC

restructuring. The restructuring model being considered is not likely to

affect rank and file devotees in ISKCON very much, but GBC members are

hopeful the expected increased efficiency will enable them to spend more

time with devotees at festival times by delegating more secreatrial jobes to

an expanded GBC secretariat.

 

The Vaisnava Calendar is being reviewed. Bhaktimarga Swami, a new GBC

member, has proposed that there should be one Vaisnava Calendar for all of

ISKCON, calculated from Mayapur. The Philosophy subcommittee carefully

reviewed past GBC resolutions to understand why the GBC body adopted the

present system which employs the VCAL computer program developed by ISKCON

astrologer Syamasundara dasa and later modifed by BBT devotee Markendeya

Risi Prabhu. The final conclusion is likely to suggest that ISKCON continue

to follow the VCAL program calculations for another year while further

research is done.

 

One problems ISKCON faces regarding the calendar that they use is that often

Ekadasis are observed on different days than in the Gaudia Math and among

the Hindu community. The VCAL program was developed taking into

consideration modern observable astronomical phenomena, such as the phases

of the moon and correct rising and setting of the sun, etc. Based on these

calculations it appears the calculations made by the VCAL computer program

are more accurate, and so the subcommittee has suggested to the GBC that a

dialogue should be opened with Gaudia Math Pandits to see if they can be

convinced to come onboard with the more modern computerized calculations.

 

At the same time, the bija seeds which make up the core of the VCAL program

were calculated for the 20th Century, and as we move further into the 21st

Century the accuracy of the calculations will gradually drift off. The BBT,

who own the copyrights of the VCAL program, no longer wish to maintain it as

they wish to concentrate on their core business of printing and selling

books. They have offered to give full rights of the program to ISKCON. The

committee recommended that the GBC alot a budget for updating the bija seeds

and rewriting the program to ensure it's ongoing accuracy. The proposal to

scrap the whole project may or may not come up again next year.

 

Breeding of cows in Mayapur and Vrindavan was questioned. There is an

imbalance of cow to bull ration in both Mayapur and Vrindavan and not enough

land alotted for grazing. Balabhadra, the ISKCON Minister of Cow Protection

and Agriculture, has requested that the breeding program in both places be

stopped. The subcommittee dealing with the proposal has suggested to the GBC

that there be a minor amendment to ISKCON law, and that the quarterly

reporting to the Ministry of Cow Protection begin no later than April 30,

2001 or else the breeding program should be stopped.

 

The final outcome of these and other proposals is not known yet.