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EDITORIAL September 10, 1999 VNN4695 Comment on this story Feminism BY PRTHA DEVI DASI EDITORIAL, Sep 10 (VNN) — There seems to be much concern regarding where a woman should stand in the temple room and where she should sit. There is this point of view, than there is the other point of view. We can make all kinds of mental and physical adjustments to surrender if need be, even to try to view it as an opportunity for humility, but what did Prabhupada want? That is more important. Is it considered feminism to wish to stand equally in the temple room, women on one side, men on the other? It is not about our opinion where women should stand or sit, but about what Prabhupada wanted for us. It has nothing to do with feminism. It is about transcendental instructions. For those who joined the movement later, equal standing, sitting or equality in devotional service may seem like a woman's libber idea, such as doing aroti in public, women singing, book distribution, leading the Sanskrit in class and so on. We must realize, these are transcendental idea's and have absolutely nothing to do with the body, either way. Not inferiority, not superiority. * In France, when he noticed that Jyotirmayi could pronounce the Sanskrit better than others (she had been taught by Nitai, his personal Sanskrit secretary), Srila Prabhupada said that from then on, she should lead the recitation of the Sanskrit verses before class. (Jyotirmayi, 1972) * "I want to organize a women kirtan party singing the Gita-Gan. Can you help me?" (SPL to Gargamuni Maharaja, 1974) We aren't interested in Hindu tradition or India traditions. We are interested in Prabhupada's traditions: that which he taught us when he started this movement. He gave us instructions to last forever. Now we think we can do something better? Nonsense. It is the tradition of Srila Prabhupada to have women on one side, men on the other, not women in the back. The only temple where Prabhupada instructed women to stand in the back was New Dwarka (LA). That was due to the physical structure of the temple room. The vyasasana could not be in the back as it is placed in other temples but had to be put on the side. He also gave women the balcony, which is very nice! For all other temples, his instruction stands: men on one side, women on the other. Nowhere else did he say it was too small to have the women on the side. * When women were made to stand behind men in the back of the temple room instead of side by side as established formerly, women went on different occasions to Prabhupada who simply answered: "Why, the men on one side, the women on one side." I joined this movement in Brooklyn, NY, 1974 and that is exactly the way it was. I remember it. This can't be debated because I was there. Not only did I experience it, I am an eye witness. Men on one side, women on the other. Bas. This is how our founder-acarya set it up. *That* is our tradition. We are not interested in the traditions of others. It is important that we realize this movement isn't all about us and where we would *like* women to stand, what we would like them to do and so on. Prabhupada started a preaching movement. It will remain a preaching movement for all of kali-yuga, not just the beginning of this age. When the preaching stops, everything goes down the drain. Putting women in an inferior position in this age is horrible preaching and will not attract the intelligent class of ladies to our movement. It is not that the instruction to get out and preach was a temporary instruction. No. For that matter, it is an eternal instruction to men and women alike. Prabhupada sent women onto the streets to preach, which included talking to men. Is this unchaste? No. It may not fit in the mold of Vedic, but it is an important instruction of Srila Prabhupada's. Such preaching in public is purifying and helps one to become pure in order to correctly understand and advance in their Krishna Consciousness more quickly. It is especially important for authorities, or anyone who considers themselves an authority. When people come to our temples and see women in the back, they do not want to join. What kind of preaching is that? However, let us not use the excuse that preaching was the reason Prabhupada put the women on the side. No. As already mentioned, it is a transcendental instruction. This is not about Hindu Vedic or non-Vedic, feminists or lowborn stri. It is above all this. We see, even amongst Hindu ladies, they will come to the temple and push their way up to the altar. They know God is there and they want the association of Lord Krishna. It is not only that men can get close to the Lord during aroti, Guru-puja and so on. Prabhupada set it up in such a way that all spirit souls may stand close to the Deity at any time. No one has the right to change that and then blame feminism. "When the women were made to offer flowers after the men during guru-puja, instead of simultaneously, Srila Prabhupada, informed by Ekayani, gave the same answer: "Why, the men from one side, the women from one side." (Ekayani) Again, I remember that this is the way I offered flowers during Guru-puja when I joined the movement. I also recall circumambulating Tualsi together, men and women separate in two different halves of the same circle. Seems that so much has been forgotten and changed from the way Prabhupada had it set up. We were one big family once. Let us try to return ISKCON to that mood by returning to the way *Prabhupada* organized and established it for the movement. It is the tradition of Srila Prabhupada to offer equal rights to women regarding all types of devotional service, as we can see by what he personally had women doing in ISKCON. Let's take a look at the way Prabhupada had things set up: * Women, as well as men, accompanied Prabhupada when he was traveling and served him as secretaries, as did Arundhati, or served him personally as did Janaki. * Women led kirtana's: Jamuna, Kausalya, Lilavati were amongst the best. * They gave classes and public lectures. The most renowned was Jadurani who was endowed with great erudition. * Women were in charge of the Deities and performed public aratis. Jamuna, Shilavati, Rukmini and Mandakini were the most well know for this at that time. * Women paid dandavats to Prabhupada. * Women performed aratais to Prabhupada's picture on his vyasasana during Guru-puja. * Srila Prabhupada had Yamuna (one of our best singers) lead kirtans in front of crowds of guests and devotees, which included of course sanyasis and brahmacaris. * During Guru-puja, men and women offered flowers simultaneously to Prabhupada, forming two lines, and women as well as men paid their obeisance's in front of the vyasasana. * When Srila Prabhupada was personally present, women as well as men could stand next to him. * Women, as well as men, accompanied Prabhupada when he was traveling and served him as secretaries, as did Arundhati, or served him personally as did Janaki. * Women wrote articles in magazines. Prabhupada personally asked Bibhavati who had been journalist previously, to do so. * As far as the service of temple president was concerned, Srila Prabhupada included husband and wife, he recommended them to be father and mother of the devotees they were in charge of. * Women were doing things that, later on, they were forbidden to do in front of Srila Prabhupada himself; Jamuna was leading kirtans in front of him, Himavati gave public conferences, Jyotirmayi and Rukmini performed arati in front of him. * Women had access to important responsibilities: Jadurani was in charge of the BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) painting department, Jamuna or Govinda dasi were proposed as the GBC (Governing Body Commissioners) *by Prabhupada, * Kauslalya organized pandals, Varanasi was temple commander, Jyotirmayi BBT chief translator, etc. * The grhasta status was very respected. Prabhupada was very proud of his couples who were opening temples together. * Women offered garlands to Prabhupada personally or to his picture. * Men and women chanted japa together in the temple room during the morning program. The bottom line is, what were Prabhupada's instruction regarding the position of women in relationship to activities, transcendental knowledge, and what did *he* want? That should be our real concern. Again, not who is woman's libber, who is not, who is traditional Vedic who is not, who is feminist who is lowborn sudra, but what did Prabhupada tell us to do? He has made it perfectly clear. * "I do not know what these things, inventions are going on. That is our only business, to invent something new program? We have already got our Vaisnava standard. That is sufficient for Madhavacarya, Ramanujcarya, it was sufficient for Lord Chaitanya, six Goswamis, for Bhaktivinode Thakur, for my Guru Maharaja Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, for me, for all big, big saints and acaryas in our line, why it shall be inadequate for my disciples so that they must manufacture something? That is not possible. Who has introduced these things, that the women cannot have chanting japa in the temple, cannot perform the arati and so many things. That is not possible. Who has introduced these things, that women cannot have chanting? If they become agitated, then let the brahmacaris go to the forest, I have never introduced these things. If the brahmacaris cannot remain in the presence of women in the temple, then they must go to the forest for not seeing any women, if they become so easily agitated, but then no one will either see them and how our preaching work will go on?" (Letter to Ekayani, 1972) It may surprise some that Prabhupada's Vaisnava standard included equality for women. Feminism is a word some women take shelter of because they are trying to fight off certain men who are disrespecting them, name-calling them sudra, trying to take away their devotional service and disempower them. (Such men fear powerful women, assuming she will misuse her power as they themselves would.) To dispute lowborn words, ladies have taken shelter of another word: "feminism." However are devotee women really feminists? Not in the least. They are trying to practice something higher than all of this bodily designation nonsense, which doesn't apply in kali-yuga anyway. Such men do not fit the Vedic description of qualified men, therefore they should stop demanding women fit that Vedic description. For that matter, the women in the Vedic literature, these *less intelligent* ladies, were more intelligent than the men of this age. The gopis, *simple girls, * knew architecture and were expert in language. "During a conversation with Srila Prabhupada, someone commented that my son was very intelligent. Prabhupada agreed, "He is very intelligent." Someone then suggested, "Just like his father." Prabhupada shook his head and smiled, "No, like his mother." (Pradyumna) Feminism is definitely the result of some men pulling women down by use of the caste system. Therefore such men have caused women to become feminists, as I stated, ladies merely take shelter of this in order to hold on to their Krishna Consciousness and their selfhood. In reality devotee women just want equal rights to serve Lord Krishna because they are spirit souls, not their bodies, and want to be treated like a soul. That is transcendental and above any ism, caste or birth. Therefore a man who uses the word "sudra" or looks down at women in any way, thinking himself superior, should realize he is actually the cause of "feminism." * We are Vaisnavas We are not concerned with male of female position in life. That is simply bodily concept of life. It is not spiritual. Whether one is male or female, it does not matter, simply chant Hare Krishna and follow the four regulative principles and your life will be perfect." (letter to Jennifer, 1975) Do some believe Prabhupada set up our current system temporarily, only for it to be changed when we become *more pure?* Nonsense. Only Prabhupada's process is what will purify us. He gave us something we can do for life. If we try to change any of his instructions, regardless of how much *higher* the reason may sound, we will not become purified. We will become fallen. Prabhupada did not like it when we wanted to change what he set up. For example, one may believe hearing electric guitars or listening to a woman sing in the morning is not Vedic, not the proper custom or tradition, at best, temporary and something we should eventually do away with. However, what did Prabhupada say about it? * During his massage Prabhupada heard a letter from Jayasachinandana in Los Angeles written on behalf of a group of brahmacaris. In every ISKCON temple of the world the assembled devotees offer their obeisances to the Deities in the morning as the Govindam prayers loudly play, George Harrison recorded it and Yamuna sings the mantras. Disturbed by this custom, Jaysacinandana quoted Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur (as well as Srila Prabhupada) that if a brahmacari hears and is attracted to a woman singing, it is a subtle fall down. "In light of this, he wrote, many of the brahmacaris approached the temple president to see if it would be possible that when the Deities are greeted in the morning, instead of listening to Gurudasa Maharaja's former wife singing the Brahma-samhita prayers, we could listen to Your Divine Grace rather than hear a woman sing." He did not want to change the tape because it has been a standard thing in ISKCON since 1970. "So requested by many devotees, I am inquiring from Your Divine Grace if we could play a tape recording of your singing instead of a woman when the Deities of Rukmini Dvarkadhisha are greeted in the morning. I am sure that all the devotees would be enlivened to hear you instead of electric guitars, the London symphonic orchestra, etc., etc......" Prabhupada was not pleased. He said that constantly changing things is "our western disease." His reply was short and direct. "No! You have made some discovery. All along you have been hearing the recording of Yamuna dasi and now you want to change. It is not ordinary singing, it is not concert. Many people are singing, so it is not bad. Just like Sankirtana. I approve of it. Here in the Krishna-Balarama temple we are hearing the same recording every morning. So if it is good here, why not there?" (Hari Sauri, Dec 1975, Vrndavan, "A Transcendental Diary.") It is crucially important to discriminate between societal instructions and transcendental instructions of pure, unadulterated Krishna Consciousness for the initiated disciple who took vows. Such vows are there to help bring us to the transcendental position, not the societal position. For one who wants to practice societal Varnashrama-dharma religion, that is all right, only to be honest and admit they are not practicing the highest. We want nice society too, but that is secondary and lesser than Prabhupada's superior transcendental teachings. * "A devotee woman recalls that she was once in Srila Prabhupada's room for a darshan. There were hundreds of visiting devotees from neighboring temples. Before lecturing he insisted that the women (who were all at the back) come and sit up front on one side of the vyasana. At least 5 sanyasis and about 20 men had to move to make room for the women. Srila Prabhupada sat quietly for about 5 minutes while everyone was relocating themselves and getting situated." Prabhupada did not limit his description of intelligence to male or female bodies but described intelligence as one who has good memory and good discrimination (Nectar of Devotion). One must be able to discriminate between what is aham brahmasmi and what is the bodily concept of life. * When a male devotee refused to be instructed by Jaudarani, the head of the art department, because of her being a woman, Prabhupada called him in and ordered him to accept her instructions. All of the above instructions of Srila Prabhupada go beyond who is man, who is woman/ who is high birth, who is low birth/ who is black, who is white/ who has blue eyes, who has brown eyes/ who is Russian, who is American or who is Hindu. Let us stop blaming such instructions on feminism and realize they are Prabhupada's *transcendental* instructions. We need to stop limiting groups of people (spirit souls) based on gender and various bodily concepts. Only those under the bodily conception of life go out of their way to make such material discriminations, and those who want to go out of their way like this often do so because it brings some form of material pleasure. We also find that the women who believe in this way are not doing book distribution or do not really believe women should, but because it is Prabhupada who advocated the ladies to distrubitue books the topic is avoided. Thank you. Hare Krishna. Your Servant, Prtha devi dasi Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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