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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          unpublished “Playing the Hindu Card.”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.
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