Mataji? Did Prabhupada ask women to address each other as such?

[Guest guest]

Dear Jayapataka Maharaja,

 

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

Thank you for your posting. Of course you are correct that the term 'Mataji'

is meant to show respect. And of course Srila Prabhupada instructed that all

men refer to ladies except for their wives as 'mother'. The question is ....

Did Srila Prabhupada have ladies call each other mataji, or Prabhu? Is it a

cultural tradition of thousands of years that women call each other 'mother'?

Even though there may be no great harm if a lady respectfully refers to

another lady as Mataji, is that what Srila Prabhupada had us do? Are all

women, as well as men, meant to look at all other women as mother?

 

Please allow me to share with you a little more of how this discussion came up

last Dec. The thread started when a female devotee addressed Sridhari dd as

'Prabhu'. She objected to this. She does not accept that Srila Prabhupada had

the lady devotees address each other as Prabhu, even though a few disciples of

Srila Prabhupada have told her that he did. She says that it is 'American'

even though Prabhupad himself had us do it that way, not only in North

America but in Europe as well. Sridhari dd feels ladies are wrong to address

each other as Prabhu and will not address ladies that way even if they are

senior and have requested it. Should the older female disciples have to

change what Srila Prabhupada taught them for an understanding that evolved in

ISKCON after he left?

 

I sincerely thankyou for your point on educating devotees. You are fortunate

to have never heard 'Mataji" used disrepectfully in ISKCON India. Perhaps

people are careful how they speak in your presense. If respect for 'mataji's'

is actually systematically and thoroughly taught to the common devotee (rather

than receiving just an occasional mention) we may, as a society, start to

achieve the proper vaisnava dealings that you speak of.

 

Hoping that this note finds you well, I look forward to your reply.

 

your servant and godsister,

Lola devi dasi

 

On 20 Jan 2000, Jayapataka Swami wrote :

 

>> Why do so many people believe

> > that the whole planet would need to mold Krsna conciousnees to >> AMerican

manners?

 

> I have to largely agree with Sridhari dd's points on Mataji. In India,

Bangladesh and for that matter all over Asia it is quiet common to

respectfully address a lady as Mother.

.............

> AS has been said:

> > Prabhuji, in iSCKON slang the expression "mataji" very often

> > carries quite some meaning and connotations, like: "a woman",

> > "a stupid one", "a low class one". Like that.

 

> Any word can be distorted or someone can say a perfectly innocent word in a

sarcastic manner or in a snide way. That doesn't change the definition, but

is a defect of the speaker. Change the word and I am sure the same sarcasm

and offensiveness can be applied to almost any other word you can come up

with. For that matter I have heard the same kind of sarcasm and offensiveness

used many times with the word "prabhu". "The "prabhu's" (said with sarcasm

and a smirky expression) are all sleeping in late today." or something like

that. In India I have never heard anyone say "Mataji" with that kind of

sarcasm. In the west they can say anything with sarcasm if they want to

"Guru", "GBC", "Prabhu's", "Mataji's", etc., etc. To ban a word and change a

cultural tradition of thousands of years because some demented persons use a

word improperly seems to be counter productive and unnecessary.

 

> RAther we should educate our devotees on the proper meanings of words and to

deal with each other in proper vaisnava etiquette avoiding all offenses.

 

> I hope that this finds you in good health.

>Your ever well wisher,

>Jayapataka Swami