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

Question:      Sripada Tripurari Maharaja's comments on women being given sannyasa were interesting.

His writings have always struck a chord in the heart of many readers. However, I read the following quote from Srila Prabhupada: "A woman is not supposed to take sannyasa. So-called spiritual societies concocted in modern times give sannyasa even to women, although there is no sanction in the Vedic literature for a woman's accepting sannyasa. Otherwise, if it were sanctioned, Kardama Muni could have taken his wife and given her sannyasa." (S-B 3.24.40 Purport)

Perhaps Swami can throw light on the above quote vis a vis his comments. I for one feel a bit confused.

Answer:     In modern times one would be hard pressed to offer considerable logic as to why women cannot take sannyasa, rather than just quoting the Vedas, which say many other things about women that Srila Prabhupada ignored or even transgressed.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura did not give sannyasa to those not born in brahmana families because in the traditional Vedic system only those born as brahmanas are encouraged to take sannyasa. This is the Vedic system, instituted by Sankara and followed by Madhva and Ramanuja. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura took the details for his Gaudiya sannyasa concept from the Ramanuja sect, and established the idea of daiva varnasrama for Gaudiya Vaisnavas, or Vedic considerations of dharma sastra in relation to those on the bhakti marg.

However, his disciples extended the formal Vedic standard for sannyasa with insightful adjustments for spreading Gaudiya Vaisnavism in modern times. In particular they gave sannyasa to qualified devotees not born as brahmanas and Srila Prabhupada went even further by giving sannyasa to those born outside of the varnasrama system. He did this in consideration of time and circumstances, which have changed considerably since he wrote the comment cited. I have suggested that in spite of what Srila Prabhupada has written, time and circumstances may warrant reconsideration. Interestingly, Srila Prabhupada made insightful adjustments in many instances with regard to the involvement of women in the mission.

The prime example of this was Srila Prabhupada’s practice of engaging women in the seva puja of the deity. In the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura women were not allowed to do seva puja or even cook for the Deity in the temple. When Srila Sridhara Dev Goswami adjusted this standard by allowing women to cook for the deity in his temple he was criticized by some of his godbrothers for deviating from the standard set by Bhaktisiddhanta. Again Srila Prabhupada went even further by giving women full access to deity worship except in some of his India temples where he felt criticism by the established orthodoxy might pose a problem for his missions there.

Of course these decisions are not for any and every devotee to make, instituting changes as they like. They are time and place determinations for empowered preachers, the likes of which Srila Prabhupada made even when his determinations went against standards established by his own guru.