Trivikrama Maharaja's question

[Guest guest]

>>Meanwhile, the GBC say they will not tolerate preferential treatment given

>>to male devotees in any form. Period. Equal rights or not - that is

>> another issue for now - preferential treatment is the issue.

 

>What if an Iskcon TP's wife serves him prasadam before she takes any

>herself, will Vipramukhya Maharaja and the EC issue a directive condemning

>him for accepting such "preferential treatment"???

>Ys TS

Dear Trivikrama Maharaja,

 

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

 

Do you really think that a devotee lovingly serving prasad to a family

member, male or female, is the same as being forcibly barred from being near

the Deity. The wife's service would be voluntary, not forced. I suppose if

the wife was faint with hunger, requesting to eat, and the husband refused to

allow it before he was finished, that could be considered harmful.

 

When I spent 10 weeks in Vrndavana, I, along with another female devotee and

our daughters were served prasad by an Indian bodied male devotee. He would

not eat until we were finished. He, a respected vaisnava, did not feel

threatened or diminished in any way by according respect to us. Why would

anyone be threatened by giving respect to all, (including female devotees)?

There should be a competition to be respectful to each other. It won't work

though if it almost always goes only one way.

 

The international devotees are guests and vedic culture is that they should

be recived nicely.

 

Maharaja, I remember some dealings with yourself when we both were in

Berkeley many years ago. I remember you to be most gentlemanly, considerate

and even kind. Do you feel the need to change that? I'm sure that some

ladies make mistakes just as some men do. What do you think of Braja

Bihari's suggestion that this would have been better worked out by

communicating and discussing how to meet everyones needs? Surely voluntary

compliance with a standard that is agreed upon by everyone (and reflects

Srila Prabhupada's mood and actions )would be preferable? Both sides may

have to compromise.

 

 

The main point I took from Viprmukhya Maharaja's statement is that

'preferential treatment' and equal rights are not the same. Guru Krsna dasa

is using a technique I heard Jayadwaita Swami teach in his course years ago.

(Was it called 'Clear Thinking and Strong Speaking'?) An unfair trick some

use when they want to defeat another is to twist the original statement into

something else that is much easier to defeat. Guru Krsna's letter is

irrelevant to the issue as it doesn't address the original 'preferential

treatment', but equal rights, which are not the same.

 

your servant,

Lola devi dasi