After Prabhupada’s funeral was properly taken care of the eleven "chosen" successors assumed the position of acharya, had vyasasana’s built for themselves and arranged for themselves to be worshiped exactly as Prabhupada had been worshipped. They had the audacity to allow, even demand, that their godbrothers and godsisters should bow down to them as they would have to Prabhupada himself. For many or most of Prabhupada’s disciples this was too much and many left the movement shortly after Prabhupada’s disappearance.The junior devotees, those who had not yet been initiated or were new to ISKCON had little choice in the matter. Under the new Zonal Acharya System the guru who was geographically closest to them was going to be their guru, like him or not. There was great dissension and the more articulate devotees issued paper after paper challenging the GBC that this Zonal Acharya System as it came to be known, was improper and should be reexamined. It was however to no avail, as most of these eleven were GBC members and exercised sufficient influence over that body to forestall any other consideration.
These 11 came in at a time when ISKCON was at its peak. There were many hundreds, if not thousands, of people who wanted initiation from Prabhupada but were unable to become his initiated disciples. Instead they were offered initiation by one of the new gurus and if they had any enthusiasm for Krishna Consciousness they had little choice but to accept the alternative. Some did, some didn’t, but the new gurus suddenly had many disciples who were willing to serve them without reservation—just as we had been serving Srila Prabhupada. Tamal’s plan seemed to have succeeded: "They’ll follow when we’re through with it." Although Prabhupada’s followers steadily drained from the temples, either in protest, or despair and resignation, the others followed unquestioningly for some time, and for a while it seemed as though ISKCON would continue to grow as it had been.
Things changed all too quickly however as over the next 8 years these "pure devotees" revealed themselves for what they were: fallen souls who without the support of Prabhupada's grace were given to the demands of the flesh and other indiscretions. They were not in fact self-realized souls who through their devotion became free from the demands of the body, but were mostly just ordinary people who by the grace of their guru had been able to render some service to the Society. As they fell from grace it became apparent that it was not themselves who were powerful spiritual personalities who had come to save the world, and that it was simply the blessings of Srila Prabhupada which allowed them to accomplished whatever they did. By themselves, they were nothing, or less, and as time went on the most base qualities began to be observed in most of them.
Their lust, avarice, and greed were very plain to their more experienced godbrothers, although the innocent followers who were still wearing rose-colored glasses were unable to properly discern what was going on. Godbrothers and godsisters who attempted to point out the inconsistencies were criticized that due to their envy they were unable to appreciate the glory of these eleven who stood head and shoulders above the rest. One of them even suggested to me that these initial 11 should always hold some special status amongst all of Prabhupada’s disciples. (Indeed I think they will, but it will not be a club to be proud of). Thus a situation developed where the new gurus and their innocent and naïve followers held the political power in ISKCON and the more experienced and well-meaning devotees were one-by-one pushed out of the Society, labeled as envious of their "more advanced" guru godbrothers.
Some of the initiating gurus themselves also recognized and understood what was going on and how they were discouraging the devotees and destroying the society, but despite that fact little changed (See the Topanga Canyon Pyramid House Talks). In this way ISKCON changed from being a united Spiritual Movement into eleven separate fiefdoms, all of which had the characteristics of personality cults.
"My guru’s the best, he’s better than your guru." Seemingly in an effort to support their own position as secure, the new disciples would promote their guru as the best. It was kind of like being in a college where everyone got behind their team. There was that same camaraderie, and enthusiasm which people in general like to participate in. The only problem was that by their activities they were trying making an ordinary person into something that he was not, as though they could actually make their candidate into a pure devotee if enough votes were garnered, enough mantras chanted and praises sung. However much they would have liked that to have been the case, that is not the way pure devotees are made.
In fact, it made things worse as this praise went straight to their heads. They could now do anything at all and it would be viewed as their pastime or lila and the praise would go on. Bhavananda began going out on the town when the others devotees were retiring in order to get up at 4 a.m. when Bhavananda would just be returning from his "lila." When in India he would molest the children sent to the gurukula in Mayapura. Hansadutta who had a penchant for guns began shooting things up and totally blasted to smithereens a new Winnabego to demonstrate his "renunciation." He would drive around Berkeley, California drinking and shooting, and in a power-hungry mood held up a liquor store. Kirtanananda was having money raised through the sale of drugs and other racketeering ventures in order to build his empire, and no means was too extreme because it was justified by the ends. His followers considered him the best because they thought he was the one fulfilling Prabhupada’s vision. Gradually one-by-one the reality was setting in that these were no saints and that the energy that was supposed to be going into the Spiritual Revolution was being usurped, and misdirected to feed the egos of these by now obviously not-so-pure devotees.
The situation came to a clear revolt in 1985-6, and in a series of meetings in the U.S. with all of Prabhupada’s disciples, several of the offending gurus were put on probation, but the situation was cleverly diffused by widening the circle of gurus, first to include the more powerful opponents of the system, and later to include any of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples who thought themselves suitable at the time. Although diffused, the situation was not properly dealt with as all it did was suddenly increase the number of "pure devotees" on the planet. This would only mean that more of the innocent people who were attracted to Krishna Consciousness on the basis of Srila Prabhupada’s writing and purity would be sacrificed on the altar of the "pure devotee syndrome."
ISKCON now has the Multiple Acharya Successor System whereby any of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, with either first or second initiations may be presented as a prospective guru and become "authorized" by the ISKCON GBC. But even though these steps have been taken the institution continues to be dysfunctional, and this is recognized by the grand-disciples of Srila Prabhupada. In July of 1998, the senior devotees of India gathered to express their concerns with the guru system as well as the manner in which ISKCON functions. These senior men were devotees of 8-15 years experience and service in ISKCON, and most are initiated disciples of Prabhupada's disciples. It comes as no surprise that these now senior men simply echo the cries of the other more senior men who have come before them, now as long as 20-25 years ago. Will the leaders ever learn? Will things ever change? The facts clearly tell us that something is terribly wrong. Even the "junior-senior" devotees, second generation disciples, can recognize the problems, but the GBC and gurus somehow or other cannot. Nor are they listening. They continue to offer weak attempts to shore up their position which anyone who has any ability of discrimination can see through.
In speaking Prabhupada frequently gave an analogy that a house built on a crooked foundation will never be straight, and it has become the most appropriate example for ISKCON itself. Although Prabhupada built a solid foundation and framework for ISKCON, after his passing away those who controlled the Movement altered what he established and have been working at altering the foundation, changing his instructions and his books. The house is now decidedly crooked. Dissension and discord have stolen the energies which could be going into preaching. And the Movement has not grown due to the energies focused inward on ISKCON rather than outward on the field of preaching. After all, what is the sense of bringing someone to "The Movement" if you are firmly convinced that their spiritual life will be seriously compromised and misdirected by those in charge of the institution? Frustrated in this way, many sincere and able men and women have given up the fight, being defeated by the GBC and so-called gurus, not by the material energy. Does this not tell us that maya is inside of the institution iteself? And if the situation is not soon corrected there may not be any of Prabhupada's disciples around to again set it straight.
It is only common sense that people always serve their perceived best interest. People join ISKCON for that reason, and they also leave ISKCON for that reason. Therefore, ISKCON will never function correctly as long as the individuals that join are sacrificed to or made to serve the institution at the expense of their own interest. Their service to the Society must at the same time be of service to themselves. That is, the institution itself must be oriented to serve the spiritual purposes of the individuals who make it up. This is what servant of the servant means. It means that I serve those who are my juniors as well as my seniors, not that I serve my seniors and my juniors serve me. The institution is not in service to its members when new people are brought in simply to be fodder for the aggrandizement of the elite. Only when those at the top fully understand that they are the servant of the all the servants, and not the master of any servants, can the institution get back on track, be a satisfying experience to its members, and again begin to attract more followers.