Mar 06, 2016 — INDIA (SUN) — A serialized response.
Introduction
In January 2016, the GBC North American Executive Committee (NA EC) banned the sale of Women: Masters or Mothers? (WMM) by H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami. The book in question is largely made up of quotes of Srila Prabhupada on varnasrama, the need to establish it and the role and duties of women in society according to the sastra and Srila Prabhupada.
Many direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada are of the opinion that the modern leaders of ISKCON have deviated in their role of guiding this society according to how Srila Prabhupada wanted it to be. Some detailed explanations have been published on public forums on the Internet detailing the nature of the deviations and how to correct them. Some of them can be found here:
In the above articles we can see how the current leaders of ISKCON and the GBC members are leading ISKCON on a path that is completely different to what Srila Prabhupada intended. The leaders make excuses about the inability of Srila Prabhupada's instructions being fulfilled or cite the present time as inappropriate to carry them out. The question then is that if you cannot carry out the role, why not give up the position to someone else to do so? Or why not admit it and ask for help in doing so? Now in the present situation we have the whole body of the ISKCON society following, assisting and contributing funds and other items to the GBC with the idea that the GBC is representing Srila Prabhupada. Unfortunately, it can be shown in detail how this is not the case. The GBC and the leaders take contributions, worship and respect due for a person in their position, but they do not carry out the duty of propagating the mission, the way Srila Prabhupada wanted it to be. The GBC and leadership of ISKCON is currently largely but not entirely being led by persons (devotees?) who:
Are not representing Srila Prabhupada in their position as leaders of ISKCON in terms of their outlook, especially on major issues like women's liberation, gender roles, homosexuality, mundane welfare work, education systems, demigod worship, etc. Rather they have decided to go with the karmi society on these points.
Are not only ignoring but are actually averse to implementing Srila Prabhupada's directions on how to change society, and in some cases oppose persons and projects which are inclined to implementing Srila Prabhupada's instructions and directions.
Can very well even change Srila Prabhupada's books and teachings to suit their agenda as was attempted by the GBC a few years ago, when they wanted to insert footnotes in Srila Prabhupada's books to interpret and explain certain points that they deemed controversial or 'needing an explanation', but were stopped by the BBT.
No longer accept Srila Prabhupada as a perfect and pure representative of Krishna, free from inebriety and therefore worth taking full shelter of. They see Srila Prabhupada as a normal jiva under the laws of nature and capable of mistakes and therefore have started discounting sections of his teachings. A case in point here is Srila Prabhupada's teachings on the position of women in society which is repeated so many times in his purports, letters and conversations. They have explained these opinions as products of an Indian upbringing in the previous century. This amounts to guror avajna, the third offense to the Holy Name, considering the Guru as an ordinary person and disobeying him. The GBC have also established a ministry for working towards the equalization of male and female genders, in other words; women's liberation movement which Srila Prabhupada was against. A paper produced by a concerned ISKCON devotee shows a case where Srila Prabhupada and Sastra was blasphemed by senior members of what is known as the 'Vaisnavi Ministry', and how members of the GBC including the then chairman protected them from any disciplinary action. This can be found here.
Other GBC members have opened schools (with mundane syllabus) and hospitals named after our ISKCON Founder-Acarya, even though he expressly told them not to teach mundane syllabus and to NEVER open any hospitals.
We find that those sannyasis or members of ISKCON who support the above mindset:
Tend to have things easier for them in terms of maybe booking accommodation, travelling between ISKCON centers, etc.
They are welcomed around major temples to give class, especially Mayapur and Vrindavan.
Their disciples also get things done easier.
Their articles appear and are accepted on the official GBC website, Dandavats.com, and any book they write will be promoted whether it is in line with Gaudiya Siddhanta or not.
They are invited to become part of strategic planning committees and working groups.
Their projects are promoted even if it is something not in line Srila Prabhupada, such as hospitals, mundane schools, etc.
The opposite holds for those who try to challenge the deviant status quo within ISKCON:
They would not be so welcome to give class at any public ISKCON forum or at any of the major temples (where the GBC members are in control).
Articles submitted by them or their disciples will usually be denied publication on the official ISKCON site, Dandavats.com. In fact, the author of WMM also had an open letter 'chastising' him for being anti-mundane welfare oriented ( a stance that even Srila Prabhupada took) right on the official GBC website, even though he is a sannyasi and dutifully serving his spiritual master for approximately forty years as a renunciate, and the writer, was on the level of a disciple of his god-brother. In contrast to that almost every article that he sent before that incident and after it was rejected by the same website as being too controversial.
Even books they write will be stifled, denied coverage or in extreme cases where the book is successful and creating awareness and change from the status quo, the book may be banned (very rare case). When the book Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami was released and the announcement sent to the Dandavats website it was placed in an obscure section which was largely not accessed frequently by the mass of readers. If this was a controversial book such an action may be understandable, but this was the life and teachings of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada.
We are facing such a case with the banning of the book WMM. This books is a direct challenge to introducing gender parity and women's so-called liberation in ISKCON and advocates taking up Srila Prabhupada's written guidelines on establishing varnasrama. The author has already made his stand quite clear in terms of being an uncompromised follower of Srila Prabhupada and his teachings, and is therefore not one of the favorite sannyasis of the GBC.
Why are these modern adjustments being introduced in ISKCON? To liberalize ISKCON and make it more acceptable in the eyes of the general public. Why on earth would someone want to pander to the dog-like and cat-like public? This is the result of not reading Srila Prabhupada's books and instead taking shelter of mundane academics, mundane psychologists and other similar karmis. Anyone regularly reading Srila Prabhupada's books, hearing his lectures and taking shelter of him will easily be made out by his lectures and his opinions on issues.
Therefore WMM was not banned because it offended the mass of devotees (otherwise how was it that the first edition was sold out, the second edition now almost finished, and numerous letters of appreciation have been sent?), or because it was misrepresenting Srila Prabhupada, or any other such concocted reason. The reason it was banned was because it was not in-line with the liberalistic direction and ideas of the general mood of our present leaders, who want to move away from what they see as extremist ideas even though they are Srila Prabhupada's ideas. Also, they could not just ban the book but had to give some reasons why they had to ban it, and this is where the problem comes in. This book is 101% in-line with Srila Prabhupada's teachings and is actually 90% constituted of Srila Prabhupada's quotes on varnasrama society and gender roles and as such, anyone claiming to be against the book can actually be termed as anti-Srila Prabhupada and anti-Srila Prabhupada's teachings. So the reasons that they gave to ban the book can only be labeled as ridiculous at best.
Banning a book is a very drastic action to take for a publication which someone may not agree with. The correct procedure in brahminical circles is to either write a response or rebuttal and thus refute the publication or meet with the author and discuss with him about the disagreements and THEN, if he is being unreasonable, to ban the publication. This unprecedented action taken does not bode well for the leaders of our movement, especially in the eyes of those who saw the book as completely bona fide. It brings into question whether our leaders indeed want to promote Srila Prabhupada's teachings or have some other goal.
We propose to periodically publish a series of articles which respond to each reason that NA EC Resolution published in order to ban WMM. These articles will appear on this website. Specifically we want to show the following points:
How opposition to the book is actually opposition to Srila Prabhupada and his teachings. This will be proved by showing how the passages or ideas they are against are actually in Srila Prabhupada's books, letters or conversations or even those of the past acharyas, thus making them bona fide.
The ban is unjustified and the result of political maneuvering, especially by feminists who were aghast at its success and who had this book banned because they felt their mission of keeping ISKCON on the path of liberalization and away from varnasrama implementation and also their mission of trying to introduce Female Diksha Gurus, under threat.
