reply to Basu Ghosh Prabhu re:engaing Matajis

[Guest guest]

Dear Basu Ghosh Prabhu,

 

Please accept my obeisances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

In your cordial reply to Kusha Prabhu on Nov.20th you say a number of things

which interest me. For the sake of brevity, however I will adress only one.

You say:

 

>"However, the occupation of "flotilla commander" would not exactly fall

under the vedic conception of how an elderly woman ought to pass her time."<

and:

 

>"Here in India grandmothers usually are the ones who narrate the stories of

the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas to the young children... in order to

teach them a sense of vedic morality and culture."<

 

Abhirama Prabhu very eloquently showed in one article that various systems

were simultaneously occuring in different parts of India during Vedic times.

Somes areas had monarchy, others matriarchy, others had forms of democracy.

There is no one set of customs that describe Vedic. Details vary and the

main determination of Vedic is whether it is for Krsna's pleasure. Even

today the customs of the vaisnava Manipuri state vary from the vaisnava

customs in the Gujarati province. Therefore we must be careful not to define

'Vedic' too narrowly. Draupadi ran the treasury of the Pandavas. Rukmini

drove the chariot when Krsna kidnapped her. Srila Prabhupada engaged his

female disciples in distributing books, translating, editing, giving classes

to assemblies of vaisnavas, cooking, caring for children etc. Engaging women

devotees will depend on their nature and circumstances. I agree that many

ladies will be active in teaching granchildren. I certainly hope that I am.

There may be other engagements too, in addition to this, and some ladies will

not have children or grandchildren to live with. According to their

abilities, tendencies and what keeps them enlivened and productive, ladies

may be engaged in many activities; artisan work, tending gardens and animals,

running schools and medical facilities, counselling, arbitrating and

mediating, administrating finances, comanding flotillas (if they are living

adjacent to water),or sankirtan activites, distributing books, public

relations, journalism, photography etc. etc.etc.

 

Thankyou Basu Ghosh Prabhu for your comment to Kusha

".. you have made a valuable point here and let's hope that after

dealing with the several "crisises" facing ISKCON at the moment, the GBC

would find the time to consider your appeal."

Please Prabhu, add whatever support you can to indeed having this issue

discussed and acted upon at the earliest possible time.

 

your servant and mother

Lola devi dasi