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“Neither local custom nor examples set by Srila Prabhupada obligates ISKCON managers to enforce a rule that women cannot take darsana in the front.” — VRINDAVAN CONTROVERSY Women deserve this? |
CHAKRA
(Vrindavan, India) - Kartik festival: Tension between men and women escalated at the
Krishna-Balarama ISKCON temple here until one morning at mangala-arati women
were manhandled away from the front of the Deities’ altar, according to
numerous reports from senior devotees. "Unfortunately the Deities had to
witness the behavior," reported one devotee.
For over a year women have taken darsana by standing
in front of half of Radha-Syamasundara’s altar for mangala-arati. Two weeks
ago, as the influx of women started for Kartika, Kusa dasi and others requested
Mahaman dasa, the temple president, to increase the allotted facility to the
full altar to accommodate the increased number of lady pilgrims to the dhama.
Instead, the temple management decided it was necessary to restrict the women
coming forward to the front of the altar at all until after the ghee lamp was
offered to allow men to pay dandavats at each altar without women present. As
part of a tradition Srila Prabhupada started, sannyasis and others pay
obeisances at the front of each altar when the doors open.
In a recent letter explaining the situation, Mahaman
dasa, stated that temple managers, sannyasis and brahmacaris have grown
increasingly disturbed that women take darsana of the Deities at the front of
one of the three altars at various festival times. Mahaman also went on to say
that temple management does not approve of women being at Radha-Syamasundara’s
altar when it is not festival time. Certain men feel it is not Vedic for women
to be in the front, and that it is more appropriate to facilitate sannyasis’
and brahmacaris’ darsana.
Neither local custom nor examples set by Srila
Prabhupada obligates ISKCON managers to enforce a rule that women cannot take
darsana in the front. Temples all over the Indian continent allow women darsana
up front. Anyone visiting any number of temples in India will find that women
have access to darsana at the front of the altar. Take for example,
Nathdvara’s temple in Dvaraka, Radha-Damodara’s temple in Jaipur,
Venkatesvara’s temple in Tirupati, the temples of the Gosvamis in Vrndavana
and many more.
Why then do certain ISKCON temples in India insist on
this unwritten rule? It has been claimed that Prabhupada did not allow women
darsana up front. However several senior women disciples, namely Sitala dasi,
Moksa Laksmi dasi, Bala Gopala dasi, Kusa dasi, Parvati dasi, Aditya dasi and
Srutirupa dasi, to name a few, recollect being in front in Vrndavana when
Prabhupada was present.
On the morning of the mangala-arati in question,
evidently women advanced toward Radha-Syama’s altar before the ghee lamp was
offered, thus “blocking the sannyasis from offering their obeisances.”
Mahaman goes on to report, .” . . thus forcing the management to take strict
disciplinary action which precipitated the present situation.” [italics added]
Mahaman Prabhu ends his letter explaining his further intentions: “severe
disciplinary action will be taken against the unruly elements who are outraging
the senior men and women of the community.”
The day after this mangala-arati men organized
themselves shoulder-to-shoulder the length of the altar to prohibit any women
coming forward to the altar at any time during the arati. By several accounts
from devotees in India, the shoulder-to-shoulder chain and other activities
during mangala-aratis over several days to prohibit ladies’ darsana were
pre-planned by management. This claim needs to be confirmed. Until Gopala Krsna
Maharaja, GBC for Vrndavana, arrived in Vrndavana a week later, women were
denied darsana up front and made to stand in the back quarter of the temple,
though hundreds of women were in Vrndavana from all over the world.
Gopala Krsna Maharaja, upon his arrival in Vrndavana,
called a meeting and granted women half of the temple room during mangala-arati
for the rest of this Karttika festival. After the festival, Maharaja will have
further discussion with senior men and women to address the concerns. Exactly
what concerns Maharaja is willing to address are unclear at this time. Is
Maharaja willing to consider (1) the requests issued by the Women’s Ministry
which he has received (see below), (2) rectification of the prevailing
mentality/attitudes that have caused this outbreak, or (3) simply whether women
can have up front darsana at one altar during mangala-arati?
Parvati dasi’s letter of November first, addressed
to devotees worldwide was emotional and some devotees claim she has
misrepresented some facts. How much the events have been exaggerated has not yet
been determined. Besides claims in Parvati’s letter, though, there are
unconfirmed reports from other women of men kicking and pushing them. To be
sure, at least, other senior men and women have confirmed the events as
described herewith in this article.
Reports from some of the men have portrayed a
situation where women instigated the incidents by pushing forward through the
men. Reports from men and women portray unruly behavior by the men. Since there
are conflicting reports coming from Vrndavana about some of the details, a few
GBC men have arranged a fact-finding investigation by third parties to document
eyewitness testimonies before everyone leaves Vrndavana.
Some sources tell me they suspect women visiting
Vrndavana misunderstood the standing arrangements and maybe a few of the local
residents were over insistent on getting darsana. The combination of these
elements so angered the temple management they chose “strict disciplinary
action” over discussion.
To my knowledge, no apology from the men or temple
management has been made, though several written requests sent to temple
authorities have solicited an apology. There has been no response to these
requests. Some women have already apologized for any fault they may have had.
Gopala Krsna Maharaja has written, “Please be
assured that we respect all the matajis and we want to do everything we can to
facilitate their service to Srila Prabhupada.”
Maharaja himself has begun to deal with the situation
with respect. However, the recent events themselves speak for the respect other
men have for the Vaisnavis.
The international community of devotees is anxiously
watching how this situation will be rectified and are especially looking to
Gopala Krsna Maharaja to “do everything we can to facilitate their [women’s]
service to Srila Prabhupada.”
Progress of this situation will be posted on Chakra
in the coming days.
The ISKCON Women’s Ministry has issued the
statement that follows and requests devotees worldwide to take the action
described. The Ministry has been requested by numerous senior devotees in
Vrndavana, and devotees worldwide, to make sure there is resolve of this issue.
In fact, the outpouring of outrage and dismay from the international community
has been constant.
© CHAKRA 12-Nov-1999
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