CONCERNS FOR PRABHUPĀDA'S MOVEMENT
Presentation by representatives of the ISKCON India Leadership on the FDG/VDG controversy
February 8, 2026 — Śrīdhāma Māyāpura
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Śrīla Prabhupāda's Cultural Framework
Sītā-rāma dāsaḥ
Temple Council Member (TCM) ISKCON Juhu, ISKCON Hyderabad
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1. Śrīla Prabhupāda established this movement through harināma-saṅkīrtana, book distribution, prasāda distribution, Deity worship, and Vedic (Vaiṣṇava) culture.
2. Culture plays a very important role in all the above aspects, as it educates sādhakas about rules, values, and philosophical understanding, which are essential for every practice.
3. Vaiṣṇava etiquette naturally flows from a strong cultural foundation.
4. Similarly, the roles and responsibilities of men and women, including appropriate dress codes, are very important aspects of this culture.
5. If culture were not important, Śrīla Prabhupāda would not have introduced dhotī–kurta for men and sāṛīs for women as standard dress. These practices have a deep psychological and spiritual impact.
6. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a mahā-bhāgavata, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, who made all necessary adjustments that he felt were important during his physical presence.
7. We should not selectively take quotes from here and there to adjust present-day ideas and then present them as Śrīla Prabhupāda's words, ignoring the context of time, place, and circumstance.
8. VDG represents a major philosophical change. If Śrīla Prabhupāda had wanted this, he would have very clearly and repeatedly stated that both men and women should become gurus and give initiation. Such a significant change would have been explicitly mentioned as a future direction.
9. In India, or anywhere in the world, it is already a great challenge to preach and help women understand their roles and duties based on scripture, along with dress codes, as taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda. Adding VDG on top of this would be disastrous to Śrīla Prabhupāda's cultural framework.
We strongly believe that a woman, as a mother, plays a vital role in the life of every child. She is the carrier of culture and instils it in the child. She is, in fact, the first śikṣā-guru of every child. By faithfully following this role, she naturally commands love and respect throughout her life.
Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to establish these values among devotees so that Vedic (Vaiṣṇava) culture would preach itself through practical example, rather than overwhelming people with statements such as “Śrīla Prabhupāda said,” while introducing compromise or speculation.
We do not wish to offend anyone, but we will never accept philosophical speculation or cultural compromise. Such compromises open the gates to many future speculations, which we do not even wish to think or speak about.
Similarly, just because there are challenges in the guru system within ISKCON, and even if there is no single document addressing every aspect of initiation, it does not mean that we should adopt the ṛtvik philosophy simply as a “safe” option to avoid future fall-downs. That approach itself is speculative and unacceptable. And we similarly do not want to repeat the same error with the Vaiṣṇavī Dīkṣā Guru issue, either.