By B. V. Tripurari Swami http://www.swami.org/sanga

Question:      In some of our vaishnava lineages, when receiving gayatri mantra, ladies are advised not to chant the brahma gayatri, as this is only for men. This seems to be one of those instances when men and woman are not competing, but compatibly filling in what the other lacks. However, appearently, in Iskcon, ladies do chant the brahma Gayatri as part of their gayatri meditation. Could you explain this difference and why vaishnavis usually don't chant brahma gayatri?

Answer:      The Brahma gayatri is more general in its petition that the core mantras of our sampradaya, Gopala mantra and Kama gayatri. Although one can draw the highest spiritual ideal from Brahma gayatri, this ideal is more directly represented in Kama gayatri, which is the gayatri that is to be chanted in conjunction with the eighteen syllable Krsna mantra (Gopala mantra). Thus while many Gaudiya Vaisnavas do not regularly chant the Brahma gayatri, all Gaudiya Vaisnavas chant either the ten or eighteen syllable Gopala mantra and Kama gayatri.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura widely introduced the chanting of Brahma gayatri for initiated Gaudiya Vaisnavas, which previous to his innovative policy was not customary. Although there was no prohibition, it was not the custom. Indeed, those from brahmana families who later received Vaisnava diksa would customarily stop chanting the Brahma gayatri and remove their sacred thread upon gaining Vaisnava diksa.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta introduced his policy of giving the Brhama gayatri to his male disciples in light of his efforts to establish what Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned as "daiva varnasrama." Thus even in his mission it represented more the circumference than it did the center of the samparadaya's ideal. The fact that he gave it only to men is further evidence of this, for the purely spiritual, the heart of bhakti, is open to all. Traditionally in the varnasrama socioreligious system women who were born in brahman families did not chant the Brahma gayatri. Thus in establishing daiva varnasrama, Bhaktisiddhanta followed this same principle and only gave the Brhama gayatri to his male disciples.

However, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's policy with regard to giving this mantra at all had much to do with encouraging his disciples who were coming to him from an atmosphere in which smarta brahmanism was considered by the masses to be more representative of true religion than Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Thus by giving this mantra and the corresponding sacred thread to his male disciples he made a socioreligious and spiritual statement to the society: Vaisnava diksa is more significant that brahmana diksa. The latter is included in the former.

In this way, he sought to encourage his disciples as to the significance of their status as initiated Vaisnavas,as well as to make a statement to the general religious public. He also reasoned that seeing his disciples wearing the thread, etc. others world not criticize them for worshiping the deity and thus commit Vaisnava aparadha. At that time in Hindu society it was largely thought that only brahmanas were allowed to worship the deity, and the general conception as to the significance of deity worship was less than fully transcendental, people being unfamiliar with the Vaisnava conception of arcana.

In consideration of the above, it is no surprise that in coming to the West Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's dearmost disciple, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, gave the Brahma gayatri to both his male and female disciples. Although it was not customary for Gaudiya Vaisnavas to chant Brhama gayatri, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, in consideration of time and circumstances, instituted this policy. While some Gaudiya sects objected to his policy, it did much to spread Guadiya Vaisnavism, and thus sometimes we have to defer to the time a place insights and subsequent policies of empowered preachers. Similarly, while it was not customary for initiated Gaudiya Vaisnava women in Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's line to chant Brahma gayatri, my own Guru Maharaja's innovation in this regard reprents once again the insight of an empowered devotee. However, given the relativity of this kind of policy, don't be left behind or caught offending if an empowered preacher comes along and changes it back.

Swami B.V.Tripurari