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Comments Posted By Bhaktilata dasi

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Response to Bhaktarupa and Madhavananda prabhus recent post on “Education and Guruship of Vaishnavis”

Re 7

In this life you are human, in next life you may be a dog. As a human you are qualified to do so many things but as a dog you are not. Soul is the same but body is not. Please try to understand.

As Krsna explains in the Gita 18th chapter this material body is a “yantra” vehicle.

An airplane and bicycle are both vehicles. The same person can pilot the plane and ride the bicycle. But you can not do the same thing with a bicycle as you can with a plane. Driver is the same but vehicle is not.

So in male body there are certain duties and for female others even though the soul may be the same. I hope this is clear.

Those who want to use female body to do the same duties as the male body will be like someone who wants to use bicycle for plane’s work just because driver is the same.

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 19.01.2013 @ 11:35

I got this quote forwarded to me from Dharmapatnis.

“We give Krishna consciousness both to the man and to the woman equally. We do not make any such distinction. But to protect them from exploitation by man, we teach something that ‘You do like this. You do like that. You be married. Be settled up. Don’t wander independently.’

We teach them like that. But so far KC is concerned, we equally distribute. There is no such thing that ‘Oh you are woman less intelligent or more intelligent therefore you cannot come.’ we don’t say that. We welcome women, men, poor, rich, everyone, because in that platform equality. We don’t refuse anyone. That is equality.

We do not say that because you are less intelligent women that you cannot come and engage in devotional service. But, we do have separate roles for the men and the women. Both are engaged in service, but different duties in society are still there.“

Srila Prabhupada Room conversation Philadelphia, July 1975

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 19.01.2013 @ 11:17

A sober reply to Mother Govinda Dasi ACBSP

Re: #9

Chaturatma Prabhu wrote:

2) Does anyone bother to look at our sampradaya? Chaitanya literature shows repeated examples of female gurus.

These would seem to end the debate.

Could you please provide with some examples Prabhu. When Srila Prabhupada was asked about female gurus he was hard pressed to even think of one, Jahnavamata. So I am wondering who all these female diksa gurus are that you are referring to.

Bhaktilata dd

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 06.12.2012 @ 08:31

My Brief Against Feminism

re #13

Well mother Phalini that is a surprise but whoever posted this article has done a great service. It seems to be very popular and at last count has generated 41 “FaceBook likes”

And Bhakta Mike that was a great comment. You are right

“And we reserve the right to retain practices and beliefs that make us distinct, especially where it is a kind of requirement.”

And in this way we will standout from the crowd. In marketing this is called “Branding”. Companies pay millions even billions of $ to have distinctive branding.

But here in ISKCON some people want to destroy what makes us unique and attractive so that we can be “main stream.” I don’t don’t know about you but did anyone ever notice just how polluted that stream is?

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 16.04.2011 @ 10:18

Dear Mataji,

Hare Krsna.

This is an excellent article. You should write more. There are so many good points I don’t even know where to start. The following one is so true:

Meanwhile, while thousands of women from other faiths are waking up from the madness, back in ISKCON, several male leaders have been falsely accused of “conspiracy” against women or they’ve been offensively labeled as “misogynists”, because they support Prabhupada’s teachings about a woman’s position according to varnasrama dharma. More amazingly, Srila Prabhupada himself has become an object of ridicule by certain women as well as their male supporters who consider it their duty to correct the founder acarya on these matters, assuming that he didn’t know what he was talking about, was “old-fashioned”, etc.

It seems that we in ISKCON are so far behind the curve in understanding the pernicious effect of feminism. I hope that our leaders wake up before it is too late. Unfortunatley it is obvious to many that a group of entrenched ISKCON leaders actually support this madness of feminism.

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 10.04.2011 @ 01:27

Juhu temple story from past

Very nice history. However, I don’t see any of the photos mentioned in this article? Not seen Madri dd in a long time.

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 08.04.2011 @ 05:57

Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir! HG Urmila Mataji

part 2

So you would like it that we should all shut up and listen to you because you are “senior.” I remember an instance in the Brooklyn temple when Balimardana Dasa and his wife Taittariya dd were in charge. She was in complete maya and also influenced him. Things were in such a state that she was having chicken offered to Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Many devotees didn’t speak up because they were afraid to offend the “seniors.” While it is very important to obey rules of etiquette in vaisnava dealings lest we fall from spiritual life, but sometimes we should care more about the welfare of Lord Caitanya’s movement than for our own selves and strongly speak out when errors and apasiddhantic teachings are propagated. At that time it is better to adopt the mood of gopis who would prefer to give the dust from their feet if it would cure Krsna’s headache even knowing that it would lead them to hell. We have to care more about Krsna’s wellbeing than our own and do whatever it takes. As Srila Bhakti Siddhanta said “true humility is to adhere to the truth, not the false show of feigned humility cultivated by sahajiyas.”

Also as pointed out in #189-190 http://www.dandavats.com/?p=9349#comment-14290 you are not following Stri-dharma and are currently disobeying the instructions of Srila Prabhupada regarding the behavior of a wife whose husband is a vanaprastha. So how you can say you are senior and try to brow beat others that they must agree with your opinion otherwise they are offenders.

Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada
Bhaktilata dd

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 12.07.2011 @ 20:43

In #303 Urmila devi dasi wrote:

“I continue to be confused as to why some of the women unconditionally opposed to women “imparting instructions” in the presence of superiors are writing comments here, even if their husbands are dictating every word. Or even if someone has requested to (since they seem to feel such requests should be disregarded). By age, time in Krishna consciousness, position of the person’s guru, and ashrama status, the seniors of these women *and their husbands* are writing here.”

Dear Urmila dd,

I can understand why you are confused, you think that you are “senior” as soon as one does that they no longer are. According to Manu seniority is determined by different factors according to different varnas. The senior most brahmana is the one with the most knowledge. The senior most kshatriya is the one with the most power. The senior most vaisya is the one with the most wealth. And the senior most sudra is the oldest in years.

So it seems to me that you claim that you are senior not because of wisdom, but because of age. It is certainly not because of wisdom because you have presented “arguments” that are full of holes and easily shot down by those who have studied Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. So now you try to hide behind the “seniority” by age factor as a substitute for actual knowledge and wisdom and that we should not challenge or oppose you because you are senior by age. And anyone who does challenge you is an offender because you are “senior” and they are not. I have not seen anyone be offensive (the moderator wont allow that) only people who disagree with you and present solid arguments that you cannot defeat. This, then is their offense. Srila Prabhupada wanted ISKCON to be a Brahminical not sudrinical movement so seniority is by wisdom and knowledge not just which date you joined ISKCON.

cont..

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 12.07.2011 @ 20:38

part 2

And as previously quoted:

King Nimi said: O great sages, please speak to us about the process of karma-yoga. Purified by this process of dedicating one’s practical work to the Supreme, a person can very quickly free himself from all material activities, even in this life, and thus enjoy pure life on the transcendental platform. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.41

[check Sanskrit for yourself.]

So what we are calling Daiva Varnashrama, that is, doing Varnashrama to please the Lord, is in this verse called Karma Yoga. By definition Karma Yoga and Varnashrama are not synonymous. According SB 1.1.2 if it is not performed as Karma Yoga then it is kaitava dharma—cheating dharma, and to be rejected.

So while the term Daiva Varnashrama may or may not be a neologism, but its synonym, Karma Yoga is not and is well established in the sastras. By definition Karma Yoga and Varnashrama (Karma) are not equal to each other.

I have said pretty much all that I want to on this topic, for more in-depth detail please listen to the lectures by HH Bhaktividya Purna Svami that can be found by following the links on comment #24 that I posted.

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 21.05.2011 @ 00:58

Bhakti-lata to KK

In #204 Krsna-kirti said:

Varnashram and Daivi-Varnashram are interchangeable terms. The word “Daivi” is added to distinguish it from what have become corrupt norms within what is popularly indentified as varnashram. And in that sense the prefix “daivi” is useful in reform efforts–it reminds us of varnashram’s spiritual purpose. But throughout the shastras varnashram is used without that qualifier of “daivi”. It’s like Srila Prabhupada’s use of guru: “guru” means “bona fide guru”, there is no meaning to guru unless he is bona fide. Similarly, “varnashram” means “daivi varnashram”.

There is perverted asurik Varnashrama that is based on birth, then there is Varnashrama based on guna and karma as explained by Krsna in the Gita 4.13 and 18.42-44, and then Daiva Varnashrama explained in 3rd chapter of the Gita and also Gita 18.45-46 wherein Krsna explains it as doing Varnashrama to please Him.

Varnashram and Daiva-Varnashram are not interchangeable terms because they are not synonymous. They yield different results. The synonym for Daivi-varnashrama that it is more commonly known by in the sastras is Karma-yoga.

The 3rd chapter of the Gita is called Karma Yoga because that is where Krsna explains how to do your one’s prescribed duties (Varnashrama) as a sacrifice to Visnu. Otherwise Varnashrama is material and one gets material results (Artha) from following it. Jarasandha was a perfect follower of Varnasrama, but he was not a Karma Yogi. He did it for attaining artha. As described in SB 7.11.29 if a woman follows her prescribed Stri-dharma to please the Lord she goes to Vaikuntha. But if she just does her Stri-dharma out of duty then according to Manu she goes to svarga.

cont..

Comment Posted By Bhaktilata dasi On 21.05.2011 @ 00:56