Women | The Hare Krishna Movement

Krishna Conscious Children and the Gṛhastha Ashram

15 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indira devi, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home, Women, Women in ISKCON, Yogi Tags: Bhaktivindode Thakura, ch, children of devotees, devotional service, family life, family life in Krsna consciousness, Indira devi dasi, Krishna conscious children, perfect yogi, sannyasa, Vamanadeva das, Vikuntha

My wife read me following letter this morning, that she saw on FaceBook. It is a letter written by Srila Prabhupada in 1971 to his female disciple Indira devi dasi, and is explaining how to practice household life (gṛhastha ashram) in Krishna consciousness.

My Dear Indira,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter. So far your son leaving you, his parents, at 5 years, that is not necessary. Especially our Krishna Conscious children; they are already living in a asrama. The children of our devotees may live with their parents perpetually because you are all living in the temple and already engaged in devotional service. Other instructions are for those not engaged in Krishna Consciousness. Any family engaged in Krishna’s service is living not in this material world. Such a home is considered as Vaikuntha. That is the verdict of Bhaktivinode Thakura.

Full Letter More

Women in ISKCON in Prabhupada’s Times

21 Jun 2014 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Jyotirmayi devi, Women, Women in ISKCON Tags: Arundhat dasi, brahmacarini status, Chakra, guru's ashrama, i, Jadurani dasi, Jamuna dasi, Janaki dasi, Jyotirmayi dasi, Kausalya dasi, Lilavati dasi, prabhupada, spiritual activities, spiritual advancement, Srila Prabhupada paroxysm, women in ISKCON, Women in Iskcon in Prabhupada's times, women in temples, women issues

This is an older article written by Jyotirmayi devi dasi that was originally posted on Chakra back in 1998. We are posting it here just to include it in the archives and history of The Hare Krishna Movement as founded by Srila Prabhupada. There is some very nice historical information, and pertinent insights by a woman practicing within the society.

…By accepting women in the temples and giving them the brahmacarini status, Prabhupada was not pretending: he gave them all the same rights and duties of the brahmacaris in the guru’s ashrama. The same thing applied when he gave them Brahman initiation. The women devotees had exactly the same spiritual activities, the same tasks, the same possibilities to progress spiritually and they were entitled to the same respect. At that time everything was done according to the abilities and the spiritual advancement of a person and not according to sex. Prabhupada did not make any distinction.

Women in ISKCON in Prabhupada’s Times
by Jyotirmayi Devi Dasi
[Originally posted on Chakra on January 22, 1998]