“Did Śrīla Prabhupāda Want Women Dīkṣā-gurus? Eye of the storm,” a book by Kaunteya Dāsa (project coordinator) has indeed created a storm in the Vaiṣṇava community ever since it was published back in 2013. This book claims to be the first of its kind to compile all the viewpoints on this topic presented in balanced manner. It is accepted as “authentic” book by some of the esteemed members of the ISKCON GBC, some of whom heavily quoted from it in the MGM 2019 at Tirupati, which contributed to the current FDG resolution GBC passed with a slender majority. However, there are many devotees who are skeptical about this book and thus, after a span of seven years, better late than never, it is important for the devotee community of ISKCON to review the contents of this book from the eye of “śāstra, sādhu, and guru” instead of looking at it from the “eye of the storm.” (pun intended) This book, first of many parts of refutations to follow, is our humble attempt in this direction.
2020-10-18