Analysis of Institutional Capture by the GBC in ISKCON

⚖️ 1. Centralization of Authority and Decision-Making

• Constitutional Ambiguity: Despite Srila Prabhupada's 1971 directive to create a constitution¹, the GBC has not finalized this document after 50+ years.
• Regional Autonomy Erosion: GBC retains veto power over local decisions despite claims of decentralization³.
• Resource Control: Global asset oversight creates dependency structures requiring GBC approval⁴.

👥 2. Elite Perpetuation and Exclusionary Practices

• Succession Mechanisms: Leadership selection favors senior disciples, marginalizing women despite 1970 proposal⁵.
• Guru Privileges: Conflation of managerial and sacerdotal roles⁶.
• Accountability Gaps: Self-regulated misconduct investigations with minimal transparency⁷.

🔄 3. Cultural and Ideological Control

• Narrative Appropriation: Positions as sole arbiter of Prabhupada's legacy⁸.
• Discourse Policing: Critical discussions framed as "divisive" or "Kali's influence"⁹.
• Performance Metrics: Quantitative success measures sidelining devotee well-being¹⁰.

🔗 4. Structural Reinforcement Mechanisms

• Financial Leverage: Centralized fundraising directing resources toward monuments¹¹.
• Reform Co-option: Leadership seminars avoiding power redistribution¹².
• Historical Revisionism: Sanitizing institutional history¹³.

Key Evidence of Capture Dynamics

• 1970 Women's GBC Proposal: Active endorsement vetoed by male leaders¹⁴
• Deathbed Directives (1977): Selective interpretation of "The institution depends on the GBC"
• Zonal Configuration: 30-year random zoning enabling fiefdoms¹⁶

Conclusion: Capture as Bureaucratic Entrenchment

Institutional capture arises through procedural evolution: Transition from "departmental assistants" to self-perpetuating oligarchy. Legitimacy maintained via ritual invocations of fidelity while hollowing participatory governance.

"The GBC cannot operate in a vacuum." – Srila Prabhupada, 1973¹⁸
Yet vacuum creation—between rhetoric and practice—enables capture.

Reform requirements: Constitutional enforcement, gender-inclusive leadership, and devolved resource control—measures avoided in current initiatives¹⁷.

^1-18 Source references from historical documents, GBC resolutions, and internal communications (per search results)