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xx Introduction
Clearly, modern society is very different from the Vedic
civilization as Śrīla Prabhupāda has described it, and to follow
Vedic culture is easier said than done. Life is often more
complex than can be governed by a simple set of rules; and
furthermore, to perform devotional service according to the
manner taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda inevitably necessitates
defying conventional norms. As stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the
Bhagavad-gītā:
What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the
self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is
night for the introspective sage. 1
Notwithstanding the inevitable dif f iculties that will arise in
attempting to adopt the values described herein, my hope is that
many devotees will, as far as possible, try to gravitate toward
them, according to each individual’s degree of conviction and
specif ic circumstances.
Part one of this book is based on and developed from a
lecture titled “The Basic Mistake of All Reformers” (given on
15 January 2013 in Vellore, India);* part two is from a three-
session seminar titled “Women: Masters or Mothers?” (held on
13–14 June 2009 in Secunderabad, India). Part three mostly
†
consists of previously published articles – five on topics related
to gender issues within ISKCON, including one by Phalinī Devī
Dāsī and a newly published essay by Revatī Devī Dāsī, and
also three more of mine that are apposite to the direction of
the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, including the previously
unpublished “Playing the Hindu Card.” These articles are
reproduced herein almost exactly as they first appeared,
without editorial corrections or addition of diacritical marks.
* www.bvks.com/10309
† www.bvks.com/1244
1. Bg 2.69.