WOMEN WITH KRISHNA
Toronto, Ontario
Nitai Priya, one of our female devotees, was invited to speak at the University of Toronto at on of the student clubs on “The Role of Women in Krishna Consciousness”. It has not been her fist time to present this topic to a group of people. Before going she asked if I had any remarks to make that could possibly add to her presentation. She did say that on former occasions the audience primarily women, would ride on the wave of saying that women are better than men.
So I got started, “First of all, we are not men nor women, but spirits with a body that has a particular type of function that is complementary. And while male bashing has become popular in recent years, do think twice about appreciating both genders. After all the chairs we sit on, the microphone you use, the room and building in which you sit with its heating or air conditioning system have all likely been manufactured, assembled and delivered by men and is repaired by men. Let’s appreciate and develop a balanced view.
In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna lists good memory, fine speech and intelligence as feminine traits. Naturally there are qualities found on both sides of the gender table that are worth taking note of. In Vedic culture, many goddesses are adored right next to their male counterparts. In the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, women share the same responsibilities in their service to the public. Many women are administrators and many take up priestly duties.
Some members carry views that are discriminatory and have personally formed attitudes, but our guru, Srila Prabhupada, on the whole, demonstrated fairness if ever there was provocation. The point he repeatedly made was – “WE ARE NOT THESE BODIES!”
We went for a short afternoon walk with a small traveling party, and passed by Toronto’s famous Casa Loma, possibly the largest castle in Canada. It was built by a man for his wife. Certainly, women have inspired great endeavors throughout the ages.
3 Km
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