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Preface to the Third Edition
New in this third edition are many favorable reviews by female
devotees, an additional section (“Spiritually Beneficial Can Be
Socially Adverse”), and some other additions and alterations
to the main text. However, the most striking changes are the
new title and cover design, in response to complaints about
the former versions.
The previous cover featured a female soldier, meant to
symbolize how far, and how distastefully, modern woman has
traveled from her innate femininity – but was deemed by some
to be overly provocative. The earlier title (Women: Masters or
Mothers? ) was opined by some to present a false dichotomy,
for women can be both mothers and masters. In fact, I had
already acknowledged that in some ways women can indeed
be masters.* But their defining role is not as a master, as Śrīla
Prabhupāda explained:
Woman’s natural position is to remain dependent on man.
But if some woman artificially tries to become man, or master,
that is suffering. In India the women voluntarily surrender to
the subjugation of the husband. But there are many families,
hundreds and thousands even – they are happy. That’s a fact.
And in the Western countries they want to remain independent;
so they are not happy. This is my study, because I have seen the
Western world and the Eastern world. 1
Thus, since first being published almost a year ago, this
book has caused quite an uproar between its supporters and
detractors. However, it was not intended to stir up unnecessary
controversy, but to bring to the attention of ISKCON’s members
* See the section “The Transformation of Women’s Roles” (p. 86).
1. Lecture, 3 Aug 1974.
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