Dedicated to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
ISKCON Vaishnavi Ministry
Our mission is “To promote a culture of open-hearted empowerment for Vaishnavis through association, education, representation, support, and service.”
“We have to protect all Vaishnavis
By engaging them in devotional service and creating environments in which they can use their talents and abilities.”
Radha Devi Dasi
Srila Prabhupada:
“When we talk of women, we do not talk about those of our movement because by associating with these women, if they are Krishna conscious, you will be liberated.”
– Jyotirmayi Devi Dasi
“What is really good for a boy or a girl is what is really good for all beings: understanding and experiencing their spiritual condition, different from the material body, and serving Krishna instead of serving the temporal world. When we educate in this lifestyle we represent the love of Krishna.”
Urmila Devi Dasi (ACBSP)
Seeing the way Srila Prabhupada dealt and acted with women
Clearly showed me that Srila Prabhupada did not make distinctions on the basis of the body, but rather on the sincerity of the soul that came to him. He employed and encouraged and loved his disciples in a real and powerful way. With us Westerners Srila Prabhupada related to all kinds of strangeness, however, he did it with poise, compassion, and care. He longed for us to adopt the culture of Vaishnavism so that by living morally within the framework of the varna and the ashram, we would be relieved of the difficulties of this chaotic world and learn what it meant to be a devotee.
Dinatarine devi dasi
Prabhupada really loved his daughters.
One time Prabhupada had a cold, and Hari Sauri had given me a little scrap of orange silk to make into a handkerchief for Prabhupada. I was a neophyte devotee sewing for Radha-Madhava, and I thought, “Oh, I have to sew this quickly.” But I didn’t sew it very well, and I gave it to Hari Sauri anyway to give to Prabhupada. After many years I saw Hari Sauri again and asked him, “Prabhu, do you remember that little orange handkerchief you gave me to sew for Prabhupada? That little scrap of silk?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Did Srila Prabhupada actually ever use it?” He said, “Oh, yeah. Prabhupada used it and he loved that handkerchief.” I said, “Really? It was so horribly sewn. I’ve lamented for forty-three years that I sewed it so poorly.” He said, “Look, I’ll tell you what happened.” He said, “There was a lot of sannyasis in the room, and I came in with that handkerchief to give to Prabhupada as one of the sannyasis was telling Srila Prabhupada what an excellent sannyasi he was. He told Prabhupada, ‘I don’t talk to women, I don’t look at women, and I’m very fixed in my sannyasa vows.’ Srila Prabhupada was just looking down quietly listening, not commenting. I handed the handkerchief to Prabhupada and he beamed. He picked up the handkerchief and he addressed the sannyasis in the room. He said, ‘I will always accept service from my daughters.”
Krsnarupa devi dasi
If a woman is qualified, she can be a master
– Professor O’Conell: Swamiji, in the line of disciplic succession can a woman be a guru?
– Srila Prabhupada: “Yes. Jahnava devi, Lord Nityananda’s wife was a guru. She became a guru. [Jahnava devi was a beginning spiritual teacher and had male disciples]. If she can reach the highest perfection of life, why couldn’t she be a guru? But there are not many. Actually, a person who has reached that perfection can become a guru. It does not matter whether he is male or female, unless that perfection has been achieved… Yei-krishna tattva-vetta sei guru haya. The quality of the guru is that he must fully know Krishna consciousness. Then that person can be a guru. Yei-krishna tattva-vetta, sei guru haya. Is there in the material world any prohibition for women to be teachers? If a woman is qualified she can be a teacher. Where is the problem? If she is qualified she can become a teacher. What would be wrong with it? She must be qualified. That is the position. Similarly, if the woman understands Krishna consciousness perfectly, she can be a guru.
(June 18, 1976, Toronto)
“Mukunda Maharaja, Bir Krishna Maharaja, and Bhaktitirtha Maharaja were willing to help Sudharma bring the discussion into the GBC meeting rooms and Bhaktitirtha Swami suggested that we establish a Ministry, not a council, for women. Thus in 1994, the North American Women’s Ministry was formed with a voting seat and Sudharma became the Minister.”
– Excerpt from ‘Emergence of Women’s Voices in ISKCON ’
“Regarding your questions about the examination to be given
The girls will also be able to take these. In Krishna Consciousness there is no distinction between girls and boys. The girls also may become preachers if they are able.”
AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada letter to Himavati, 1969
“We can embrace different social roles for Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis, understanding that those roles are complementary and both are essential. But within these roles, which can vary around the world, we must permit devotees to use their personal natures and talents in service.”
-Radha Devi Dasi, Excerpt from the Introduction to ‘Emergence of Women’s Voices’ in ISKCON
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