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In: Gender roles, Ritvik, Srila Prabhupada

For some devotees within ISKCON, what counts as evidence from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statements depends on what their opinion is. If the śāstra supports what someone already believes Śrīla Prabhupāda meant, then it is acceptable. If not, then it is not accepted. Thus, what has actually happened is that by eliminating the other sources of information (direct śāstra and sādhu, other saintly persons like Rāmānuja, Madvhācārya, Jīva Gosvāmī, etc.) by saying “only Prabhupāda”, or only what he has quoted from śāstra or sādhu, and by ignoring the consistency criterion (aikya), Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings have become a grab-bag of useful statements for proving almost any idea one can think up, as Dr. Hopkins has observed. In this way, instead of us serving Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desires, we engage Śrīla Prabhupāda in serving ours.Continue Reading

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In: Philosophy

In Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 9.49, Srila Prabhupada comments on the nine truths of the Buddhists and how Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu defeated them. One of their truths is that Lord Buddha is the only source for the attainment of knowledge. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada says, According to the Buddhists’Continue Reading

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In: Devotional practice, Female Diksha Gurus ( FDG ), Video

Hare Krishna. My name is Krishna Kirti Das, and I’m going to comment on the question and answer portion of a Bhagavatam class given by His Holiness Bir Krishna das Goswami, who is responding to a devotee named Dharma Das, who himself is a highly successful book distributor from Serbia. The class took place on January 7th, 2020. And is on Srimad-Bhagavatam canto six chapter 18 text 35.

Now, why I am commenting on this portion of the class is that I feel that Maharaja’s opinions on the subject of women’s social rules and the female diksha guru issue are representative of the views and attitudes of many devotees in our movement. However there are many others in our movement who do not share these views, and I will be representing them.Continue Reading

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In: Female Diksha Gurus ( FDG ), GBC, Gender roles, Philosophy, Sanskrit

Below is the executive summary of our paper, which is a short, initial response to Sriman Madana Mohana Prabhu’s paper “Guru: The Principle, Not the Body” (2020), which is a response to our book Vaisnava-diksa according to Narada-Pancaratra (2019). Click here for our full paper. Your servants, Krishna-kirti Dasa (BVKS)Continue Reading

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