By Brahma prabhu – http://www.swami.org/sanga

Question:      Dear Brahmaji; dandavats!

Considering what he wrote, I hereby withdraw my support for Tripurari Maharaja. I can no longer encourage others to take shelter of him or become his disciple and this includes my children.

I am sorry that he had to take such a reckless and controversial position on this issue (women and sannyasa) but I do not want myself or my children to be a party to this kind of radicalism in Krishna consciousness.

Answer:      Dear ********,

Suit yourself, but no need to be so dramatic about it. There are plenty of styles of Krishna consciousness from which to choose and from all you wrote previously I had gathered that you were already otherwise affiliated

Anyway in my opinion your own misogyny has more to do with your views on this issue than anything Swami wrote. If you think his opinions are so radical, outrageous, divisive and fanatic why not tell your non-devotee co-workers that the Krishna consciousness movement teaches that women are less intelligent and untrustworthy and should not be given the same treatment as men or allowed equal rights and privileges. Then ask them whose position on the issue is radical, outrageous and fanatic.

Preaching that women are second-class citizens may receive a standing ovation from certain sections of the choir but to effectively preach to those outside the movement one has to take into consideration the culture and times (desa-kala-patra). This is what Prabhupada did when he came west and to his devotee critics he wrote: “In Europe and America boys and girls mingle unrestrictedly and have equal rights; therefore it is not possible to completely separate the men from the women." (Adi 7.38)

Times have changed since Prabhupada wrote those words and in present times it is hardly possible to present Krishna consciousness in a dignified and relevant manner by preaching that women are less intelligent and untrustworthy. Nor is it objectively true and I suspect where you work you know a number of women who are more educated and intelligent than you are. It is likely that at least one of those women is your boss.

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Of the two the spirit of the law is more important. The letter of the law is constantly changing, the letter of the law was at one time found in Sanatana Goswami’s Hari-Bhakti Vilasa but now does any Gaudiya acharya teach that we must accept the details of that book as our present day law book?

Prabhupada said there are details and there are principals and the real principal is to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. Preaching that women are second-class citizens will not help spread the Krishna consciousness movement.

Good luck and best wishes,
Brahma

Second class citizens part 2