After reading “GBC Amends and Affirms Law Allowing Vaisnavis To Initiate,” I thought to myself that you can always get to the same place from a different direction. The debate in ISKCON for the last few years has been about women gurus. But this article will show the reader that Srila Prabhupada did not approach this issue from a man vs woman perspective.
No one dared to really consider what Srila Prabhupada was saying when he was still physically with us. Some of the young men devotees in the early days of ISKCON were busy jockeying for positions in the prestigious sannyasa order. And from the start, many gurus and brahmanas in India were leery of women brahmanas, women residing in the temples, and women actively preaching and distributing books on western street corners. Shouldn’t they be at home raising families? Now 50 years later, it’s about time that Prabhupada’s vision for his movement is understood and implemented.
It’s a vision who’s time has certainly arrived. And it’s a vision that will correct other issues: that many of Prabhupada disciples are being left behind, and that by endorsing gurus the GBC has overstepped its function.
The early devotees invested great amounts of time and energy, and gallons of blood so to speak to help jump-start the Hare Krishna Movement. In the 1960s and 70s, the young men and women in ISKCON went out to distribute Prabhupada’s books. They opened temples, or supported the development and the functioning of temples. They inspired people to join or to make donations, or participate in one way or other. Their energy knew no bounds. At Prabhupada’s request, they left the word “impossible” behind. These devotees made great personal sacrifices. Many walked away from college educations and professional careers. And the families gave their children over to be educated in the gurukula system.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/expanding-the-circle-of-compassion/
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