Religious restrictions around the world often target women, who in many countries face censure because their clothing is considered too religious – or not religious enough.
Regional ministers serve as the liaisons for the Vaishnavi Ministry and develop programs for the care of Vaishnavis in their areas.
We are members of an institution meant for giving compassion to others, but are we each individually acting with compassion in our personal dealings?
A historic new anthology entitled “The Emergence of Women’s Voices in ISKCON: A Collection of Letters, Articles, Papers, and Conference Reports from 1988 to 2020” is set to be released with a special online book launch event on August 22nd and 23rd.
In a new book A Bond of Love published by Bookwrights Press Srila Prabhupada’s daughters remember their time with their spiritual master.
The matajis of ISKCON Amravati walked for 8km and participated in dramas, sankirtana and other activities along the way.
ISKCON Vaishnavi Ministry has recently announced the appointment of several new regional co-ministers.
"Opinions are evenly split between the east and west, with disciples in India representing the conservative arm of ISKCON and those in the western temples having a liberal bent."
“Sadly, our ISKCON society is not immune to domestic abuse. Sometimes devotees believe that domestic abuse is tolerated within our society. Thus, the NA GBC determined it necessary to make a clear, strong statement that domestic abuse is never acceptable.”
Domestic abuse is defined as a pattern of emotional, mental, or physical abuse that is used by one person in a relationship/marriage to control an intimate partner.
Domestic abuse (sometimes referred to as domestic violence) is a serious global problem within society-at-large. Most domestic abuse (about 85%) is perpetrated by men against women, in the role of a husband or intimate partner. In America, 1 in 4 women will be victims of domestic abuse in their lives.
Draupadi’s admirable character is revealed in the most humiliating incident of her life: her attempted disrobing by the wicked Dushasana. Though victimized in body, she refuses to be victimized in heart.
There always have been, and always will be great teachers who are women. There have always been all different kinds of people. And this is not only a function of modernity.
In a holistic and visionary way, what are the deepest needs and hungers of family, of community, of society, of the world? We know when women’s voices are silenced a door opens for children and women themselves to become abused.
“What’s a Woman to Do?” a new 32-page booklet written by Srila Prabhupada disciple and author Visakha Dasi, and released on Gita Jayanti day, reflects on women’s services in Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna Movement.
Seventy-two women, ranging in age all the way from 12 to 76, attended the Vaishnavi Retreat in Lake County, California from October 5thto 7th. Amongst them were 23 Srila Prabhupada disciples, and many second generation devotees and new bhaktins.
It all began when Anasuya Rico, 18, grew out of Kishori Yatra, a tour which takes girls aged 11 to 16 around North America for service opportunities and bonding fun.
The yearly International Vaisnavi Retreat was established in 2011 to give the ladies of ISKCON special educational opportunities and to strengthen networking connections between junior and senior vaisnavis.
SanctuaryAlachua is owned and managed by people from the Krishna community, however the house, services and classes are open to everyone in the Alachua community.
A new book is being released this summer featuring the individual voices of 108 women in the Bhakti tradition. Over the last three years, Krishna Kanta Dasi—founder of the Vaishnavi Voices Poetry Project—has been collecting the poetry of vaishnavis, or female practitioners of bhakti, from all over the world to produce Bhakti Blossoms: A Collection of Contemporary Vaishnavi Poetry.
The 7thannual VIHE International Vaishnavi Retreat at Govardhana (India) concluded on March 26. The 6-day program, dedicated to celebrating Srila Prabhupada’s mercy upon womankind, had as its special theme “Windows to the Spiritual World”. The Bal Krsna Bhawan hall in the village of Jatipura, home of the original Gopala Temple of Srila Madhavendra Puri, was duly transformed to host an exhibition of over 60 reproductions of paintings and drawings by various vaishnavi artists from the world over, ranging from well-known BBT artists to young devotees from the St. Petersburg Art University.
Many of the wrongs done to women for so many years have now been corrected and ISKCON women have recovered some of their rights. Unfortunately, they have been rehabilitated only to higher or lesser degrees according to the different leaders in different places. Much is still to be done for men to fully recognize women’s dignity.
Often pushed by his male disciples to minimize ISKCON women’s spiritual position, Srila Prabhupada reacted, for example, in the following way: Srila Prabhupada: ‘”You dance, she dances. You sing, she sings, you cook, she cooks, there is no difference. You are the same in Krishna’s eyes.”
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata prove the above statement true, as Draupadi and Mother Sita had the whole dynasties destroyed, when men of those dynasties dared to dishonor temple like bodies of these women.
After the first six years of the movement, at the beginning of the 1970’s, a first change took place, which of course was not contested by anyone. As those new decisions were adopted, and instead of the simple separation between men and women that Prabhupada wanted, a real segregation was taking place.
When Prabhupada decided to accept women in the movement, he did so according to the reasoning he himself quotes in a purport: “To broadcast the cult of Krishna Consciousness, one has to learn the possibility of renunciation in terms of country, time and candidate… What is possible in one country may not be possible in another."
Relish photographs of Srila Prabhupada interacting with his disciples throughout the world, along with excerpts from his letters in which he encourages his disciples to be all they can be and do all they can do for Krishna's pleasure. An empowering and enlivening 12-minute film meant to reawaken Prabhupada's mood and mission, especially regarding his female disciples. A video by Visakha Dasi
The release of India’s Daughter, a documentary on the rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, has brought the issue back again into a limelight that most prefer switched off: so much so that the documentary is banned in this country.
Many women have perceived ideals of a perfect male romantic match. Having experienced them through the movies, fairy tales, such males often handsome and romantic, rescuing the "damsel in distress" from all her woes.
Book trailer for our new book, 'Journey of The Heart: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry by Women', edited by Catherine Ghosh and published by Balboa Press, 2014. Available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Balboa Press. Click this link for procuring a copy of the book: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Heart-Anthology-Spiritual-Poetry/dp/1452517827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407700803&sr=8-1&keywords=Catherine+Ghosh
After 20 years of turmoil and angry debate, on Monday (July 14) the General Synod of the Church of England said “yes” to women bishops.
http://www.womenofbhakti.com/
ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission have added a new member to their ranks. Dina Sarana Dasi joined the GBC by unanimous vote on February 21 -- day 10 of the ISKCON management entity’s Annual General Meetings in Mayapur, India.
March is Women's History Month. A new analysis of data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.
Every year, scores of women from all over the U.S., Canada and other parts of the globe travel to the hills of West Virginia to attend the annual Vaisnavi Retreat in New Vrndavan. The ladies come, young and old, to participate in an exciting weekend of activities beseeching the mercy of Srimati Radharani, the feminine counterpart of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN A SATSANG HIGHLIGHTING THE HEART Especially for followers and well-wishers of Srila Prabhupada Dates: Fri. Oct. 10,t,h Sat. Oct. 11,th Sun. Oct. 12th Place: New Vrindaban Community , West Virginia (Located in the Appalachian foothills - nearest airport: Pittsburgh )
Today we live in a world that is full of war, strife, hatred and exploitation between people. It is a world based on a bodily conception of life that categorizes and then mistreats living beings on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, etc. The Krishna consciousness movement teaches a higher guiding principle based upon the soul.