A Response to devotee’s Query to ISKCON Bureau Resolution on FDG

A Response to devotee’s Query to ISKCON Bureau Resolution on FDG

My humble pranams to all the devotees.

Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah.

Following is the first para of devotee’s query email after which he ended quoting CC Madhya 23.105 with purport:

In light of Srila Prabhupada’s purport, below, can you kindly explain why the learned devotees in the Indian Bureau are insisting on trying to override the GBC and ram down the throats of North American preachers approaches to preaching that do not work in this part of the world?

Ys, 

Practical Point: Either Bureau is Ramming down the throats of North American preachers or GBC is ramming down the throats of Indian preachers, it’s one and the same thing. World today is not big and isolated. Thus, the regional isolation of some ISKCON law that is related to persons who travel globally is not possible. If we would have ISKCON follow the policy of gurus not allowed to travel around and devotees not allowed to have gurus from regions other than their residence, then regional isolation would have been somewhat possible. Thus, if ISKCON wants to be not divided then, in this issue, the resolution has to be global and not with regional allowances.

Back to the main issue and discussion

I would like to first request all the readers to carefully read CC Madhya 23.105 (click here) that devotee has quoted in his email, and then read on with this explanation.

My first query would be: Does Srila Prabhupada want to say here that whatever approach works for “preaching” in a particular part of the world can be or should be adopted in order to expand?

If your opinion is “Yes, Srila Prabhupada wants to say this,” then I would question:

• Why Srila Prabhupada did not compromise on the four regulative principles, especially the fourth one?
• Why did he say so many times that he has never compromised and his Guru Maharaja also did not ever compromise?
• Why did he openly speak against women’s liberation which was not at all flying in the West?
• Why did he speak against homosexual marriages that churches started accepting? After all, church was influenced to do so because of contemporary culture being favorable to homosexual marriages.
• Would Srila Prabhupada now want Gay,  Lesbians etc. priests and gurus in ISKCON because that is what will be favorable for “preaching”[1] in some Western cultures, because if you do not give “equal rights” to them then people get turn off and not come to ISKCON? Would he allow Gay Monogamy (or why just monogamy just say gay partnerships, as marriage is just a forgotten idea in the West)? Why speak only about gay, there are now more than 50 genders, transgenders, etc.[2] would they all be allowed in ISKCON?

 

You may want to answer that Srila Prabhupada said we can adjust details for preaching but not principles. Then this brings us to the famous “Principle Detail Argument.”

My question would be “Who will decide what is principle (that cannot be adjusted), what is detail (that can be adjusted), and to what extent can a detail be adjusted?” Let us analyze this crucial issue based on guru-sadhu-sastra. (For the detailed exposition to the science of identifying principles and details based on sastras dealing with Vedic Hermeneutics, please visit https://tinyurl.com/principle-detail )

In the purport (as quoted by devotee) Srila Prabhupada says (emphasis mine):

The teacher (acarya) has to consider time, candidate and country. He must avoid the principle of niyamagraha —that is, he should not try to perform the impossible. What is possible in one country may not be possible in another. The acarya’s duty is to accept the essence of devotional service. There may be a little change here and there as far as yukta-vairagya (proper renunciation) is concerned.

What is that “little change” that Srila Prabhupada is talking about? How are we going to decide whether our change is little or more than little? What devotee considers “little” may be considered “very big” by others. Thus, these are some of the fundamental questions we need to answer based on bona fide sources of guru-sadhu-sastra.

Srila Prabhupada continues (emphasis mine):

A Vaisnava is immediately purified, provided he follows the rules and regulations of his bona fide spiritual master. It is not necessary that the rules and regulations followed in India be exactly the same as those in Europe, America and other Western countries. Simply imitating without effect is called niyamagraha. Not following the regulative principles but instead living extravagantly is also called niyamagraha. The word niyama means “regulative principles,” and agraha means “eagerness.” The word agraha means “not to accept.” We should not follow regulative principles without an effect, nor should we fail to accept the regulative principles.

Why some people fail to read “nor should we fail to accept the regulative principles?”

So how to understand that we are not falling into the trap of “failing to accept the regulative principles” by adjusting a particular principle? On the other hand, how to understand that we are not following “regulative principles without an effect” if we are not adjusting?

Srila Prabhupada continues (emphasis mine):

What is required is a special technique according to country, time and candidate. Without the sanction of the spiritual master, we should not try to imitate. This principle is recommended here: suska-vairagya-jñana saba nisedhila. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s liberal demonstration of the bhakti cult. We should not introduce anything whimsically, without the sanction of the bona fide spiritual master.

Please note the following in the above excerpt:

• Srila Prabhupada calls TPC adjustment a “special technique.”
• He qualifies speciality by saying that it should be judged by the sanction of the bonafide spiritual master
• And he warns twice to “not introduce anything whimsically wihtout  the sanction of the bona fide spiritual master.”
• He also says that one “should not try to imitate” the spiritual master; which means that we should not try to adjust things imitating what Srila Prabhupada adjusted. He adjusted women’s roles in society to some extent so we go on adjusting their roles and make them TPs, GBCs, and now Diksa-gurus, none of which SP did himself, but we just imitate his adjustment.

Instituting Female Diksa-gurus is not sanctioned by the spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, sadhus, and sastra. I am not going to discuss about its details here as that is not the question asked by devotee. Anyone who wants to know more can visit https://tinyurl.com/FDG-ICC-2019 where a lot of researched material is available for study.

Some words are required here in order to clarify why we use the word “female” and not “vaisnavi.” Srila Prabhupada freely used the word female and women to address or mention devotee women; he did not desist nor did he forbid anyone to use word “women” or “female” for female devotees. Similarly he freely used the word “man” for male devotees. He uses word “women” for great purest devotees like Suniti, Devahuti, Devaki, etc. (see SB 3.22.15 purport, 3.22.25, purport—here SP even applies Manu-samhita teachings on Devahuti, SB 3.23.1, etc). Similarly sastras freely describe women devotees as “women.” Thus, using this convention is not at all a fault. However, to be against the usage of such a convention is like saying that the acaryas and sastras “are seeing Vaishnavi’s as women, not devotees.”[3] 

One may argue: 

GBC’s sanction is Srila Prabhupada’s sanction, because he authorized GBC

Srila Prabhupada says (SB 1.13.15, Geneva, June 4, 1974), emphasis mine:

Therefore we have created these GBC. So they should be very responsible men. Otherwise, they will be punished. They will be punished to become a sudra. Although Yamaraja is a GBC, but he made a little mistake. He was punished to become a sudra. So those who are GBC’s, they should be very, very careful to administer the business of ISKCON. Otherwise they will be punished. As the post is very great, similarly, the punishment is also very great. That is the difficulty. You can see from this example, Vidura. He was immediately punished. He did little mistake at Manduka… Because of the rsis, the munis, they will curse. Dealing is very… Even Yamaraja is not taking.

Srila Prabhupada’s authorization to GBC is only as long as they follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, instructions of the sadhus and the sastras (as also emphasized by Srila Prabhupada in Cc Madhya 20.352 purport).

Now, what does Srila Prabhupada instruct GBC about position of women in ISKCON?

Therefore I am instructing our GBC’s that “Let our little girls be educated to become faithful and chaste.” That is their qualification. No education required. (SB 6.1.31, San Francisco, July 16, 1975)

Did Srila Prabhupada not want women in ISKCON to be preachers etc.?

Everything will be satisfied. Just like our women, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are working. They don’t want equal rights with men. It is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are cleansing the temple, they are cooking very nicely. They are satisfied. They never say that “I have to go to Japan for preaching like Prabhupāda.” They never say. This is artificial. (MW, May 27, 1974, Rome)

But then why did Prabhupada engage ISKCON women in preaching activities?

Srila Prabhupada said that in the beginning, because of the great difficulties he had to sometimes do things he should not have done just to get things started.

They must be all ideal acarya-like. In the beginning we have done for working. Now we should be very cautious. Anyone who is deviating, he can be replaced.  (GBC Meets with Srila Prabhupada–May 28, 1977, Vrindavana)

And:

Prabhupada: In a, in the Western countries, I had to sometimes do something which I should not have done. But I’ve done it to bring so many souls to Krsna.

Brahmananda: The preaching necessitates that.

Prabhupada: Yes. . . .

Rules and regulations can be violated when there is urgent necessity of service, not whimsically or for one’s sense gratification. And that is, of course, in our present…,with the permission of the spiritual master, not one should think, “Oh, I have become so much great devotee, I can violate all the rules and regulations.” No, you cannot. If there is need of violating rules and regulations, you must take permission.   (Morning Walk — March 9, 1974, Mayapura)

This is totally understandable and this is what happens in many pioneering or startup venture, that because of lack of resources or trained personnel corners have to be cut and sacrifices are made to just get the job done so that they get to the point where proper standards can be followed.

Thus, Srila Prabhupada wanted traditional roles for women in ISKCON but he had to engage them in non-traditional roles and also tolerate men-women mixing in ISKCON.

In our society the girls and boys mix, intermingle together and this is practically impossible to stop because you Western people are accustomed to the habit. Sometimes my Godbrothers criticize me for intermingling of girls and boys. But there is no way out of it—you girls and boys will mix even if I say so they cannot avoid it. They sit separately in the temple and then outside mix again. So this was not possible from the beginning. Therefore I get the boys and girls married. But nature is so strong that in spite of being married they are attracted to the opposite sex. (Letter to Govinda, Bombay, 30 Apr 1974)

And:

Not knowing that boys and girls in countries like Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and rascals criticize the boys and girls in Krsna consciousness for intermingling. But these rascals should consider that one cannot suddenly change a community’s social customs. (Cc Adi, 7.31-32, purport)

Of course this is a famous quote for those who try to establish that we have to change ISKCON with changing times, and thus allow women’s liberation. However, they forget to see the word “suddenly change.” Prabhupada did not say “cannot change” or “should not change.” This means that he wanted to change social customs back to the Vedic Varnasrama norms but that he could not do it overnight. It required a step by step plan. Srila Prabhupada had the plan of re-establishing varnasrama in order to do this.

…if the process of varnasrama-dharma is introduced, even in this age of Kali, the situation of Satya-yuga can be invoked. The Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna consciousness movement, is meant for this purpose. (SB 9.10.51, purport)

SP did This	SP Wanted This
Established Brahmacarini Ashramas	All women disciples to get married and live KC life[4]
Awarded Sannyasa diksa liberally to very young men	Wanted to be strict in awarding sannyasa
Awarded Brahminical diksa liberally	Wanted that only strict brahmanas passing Bhakti-sastri be awarded Brahmin diksa
Engaged Female disciples in going out and preaching	Wanted that his female disciples follow traditional women roles of not going out
Managed ISKCON himself	Wanted that his disciples take up all management to free up his time for writing books
Even though a sannyasi, he performed marriages of his disciples himself	Wanted that Grihastha disciples take responsibility of marriages etc
Himself taught women to wear Saree etc.	Wanted that women teach to women
Started deity worship of Jagannath with just candles, making Him sit on floor	Wanted to have full fledged traditional type deity worship based on pancaratras
And Many more could be listed . . .

A few verses after the famous purport to Cc Adi 7.31-32, Srila Prabhupada clarifies the meaning of finding “the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread”:

An ācārya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First they should become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and all the prescribed rules and regulations may later gradually be introduced. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in the the Western countries freely intermingle, special concessions regarding their customs and habits are necessary to bring them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The ācārya must devise a means to bring them to devotional service. (Cc Adi 7.37, purport)

Prabhupada doesn’t say that rules and regulations should never be introduced, but that they be introduced later. This shows that adjustments made according to TPC are to be gradually reverted back to normal.

This also means that in the beginning in the Western countries boys and girls may not be told to separate themselves but be given Krsna consciousness, the most important thing. But as they make some advancement they should be introduced to Vedic culture and be convinced to follow it. For instance Srila Prabhupada did introduce them to marriage, which is a Vedic Institution, to wearing Vedic dress like dhoti and saree, etc.

Now, in case of becoming diksa-gurus, whose work is it of becoming diksa-guru? Of a neophyte devotee who is just introduced to Krsna Consciousness or an advanced devotee? Of course it is a work of an advanced devotee. So if an advanced devotee woman cannot understand that women are not allowed to become diksa-guru in Krishna’s Vedic culture then what kind of preaching we have done in the name of finding “the ways and means by which Krsna consciousness may be spread”. It shows that we have failed to either understand or implement the process of adjustment as taught by Srila Prabhupada in the above quote, that of introducing the detailed rules and regulations later.

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