To read Part 1<\/a> click on the link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s decision to grant the brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> mantra to female disciples remains one of the most discussed topics in ISKCON\u2019s history. Was this a doctrinal shift or a response to a pressing circumstance? This paper examines historical records and firsthand testimonies, demonstrating that Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s decision arose from a moral dilemma\u2014dharma-sa\u1e45ka\u1e6da<\/em>\u2014rather than establishing a groundbreaking precedent. Contrary to the \u015a\u0101stric Advisory Council\u2019s (SAC) claim that the decision was rooted in spiritual benefit for women, the evidence suggests it was a reluctant concession to specific challenges in ISKCON\u2019s early years. The study further critiques SAC\u2019s reliance on selective testimonies and historical reinterpretation, highlighting inconsistencies in its conclusions. By advocating a return to \u015b\u0101stric<\/em> orthodoxy, this paper underscores the need to preserve doctrinal integrity while addressing contemporary challenges. It offers critical insights into ISKCON\u2019s ongoing engagement with tradition, adaptation, and institutional continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SAC predicates its thesis on the principle that \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da gave females brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> because it was beneficial for their spiritual life. We will show that \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da gave it for a different reason thus nullifying their thesis. In the early days, \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da, to pacify a few irate female disciples who had revolted because of not getting second initiation, started the practice of granting brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> to his female disciples but without the sacred thread, implying they were not genuine br\u0101hma\u1e47as<\/em>. Knowing this history to be fatal to their argument SAC falsified the history of the first second initiation in the USA by \u201cmassaging the data\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>\u2014to create a feminist mythology. They disregarded earlier records and testimonies, instead favoring recent contradictory statements by Govinda and Jadur\u0101\u1e47\u012b D\u0101s\u012bs that align with SAC\u2019s political ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Govinda D\u0101s\u012b\u2019s revised narrative falsely accuses male devotees of pressuring<\/strong> \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da, while he was ill, to grant the men brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b against his will. We present firsthand recorded testimony of devotees who were present at the functions as well as written documentation which demonstrate that there was a feminist agitation which led \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da to reconsider his initial decision of not giving the females brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b \u2014<\/em>not because giving it was a \u201cprinciple\u201d beneficial to their spiritual life but that he saw \u201cno harm\u201d if they got it. Hardly a ringing endorsement for continuing the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, we examine examples of SAC\u2019s reliance on unreliable narrators and their strategic use of falsehoods to advance a feminist agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also discuss the \u201cdharma-sa\u1e45ka\u1e6da<\/em><\/a>\u201d\u2014moral dilemma\u2014\u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da faced in the early days leading him to, \u201cSometimes do something which I should not have done.\u201d Finally, we argue why the practice of giving brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> to female disciples should cease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dear Mah\u0101r\u0101jas, Prabhus and M\u0101t\u0101j\u012bs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u015a\u0101stric Advisory Council has engaged in illicit historical revisionism that serves their ideological objectives, distorting facts to justify their stance. This document serves as Part 2 of my response to SAC\u2019s paper, \u201cBrahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> mantra in ISKCON<\/a>\u201d (download it from the link). While Part 1<\/a> of my response provided a philosophical critique, this segment delves into historical and factual inaccuracies, exposing instances of manipulation and deception. It is crucial to confront these distortions to uphold truth and preserve the integrity of \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Movements that rely on deception to further their aims are fundamentally flawed, as they sacrifice honesty and integrity for power or influence. This leads to long-term damage, not only to the movement itself but also to the people it claims to represent or help. The stakes are high, as these falsehoods not only distort historical records but also impact the spiritual lives of devotees. The following analysis meticulously examines SAC\u2019s claims, presenting evidence that challenges their narrative and highlights the dangers of promoting ideologically driven distortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d\u0101sa d\u0101s\u0101nud\u0101sa Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. Earlier this year I observed an exchange between two devotees on social media, regarding the first time \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da gave brahma-g\u0101yatr\u012b<\/em> to female disciples. \u201cDevotee 1\u201d gives the previously universally accepted history as recorded in various documented sources. Whereas \u201cDevotee 2\u201d vehemently responds based on the rewritten \u201chistory\u201d in SAC\u2019s paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Devotee 1: He [\u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da] observed those symptoms as part of a revolt by the two m\u0101t\u0101j\u012bs<\/em> at that first br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/em>–d\u012bk\u1e63\u0101<\/em> ceremony. Hence, he chose to give the mantra alone without the sacred thread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Devotee 2: This is so disingenuous that I have little doubt it is an apar\u0101dha<\/em>. I can only say that I will muster whatever genuine empathy I have to say a prayer for you and others who peddle such nonsense. There isn\u2019t a scintilla of evidence for what you state. In addition, everyone involved at the time has confirmed such a claim is completely false. Also to even think for a moment that these young devotees would have had the desire and gumption to try to put \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da under pressure, what to speak of succeeding to do so, is fanciful in the extreme. The plain truth is you are grasping at straws that don\u2019t exist and in the process clocking up offences. I would urge you (for your own wellbeing) to stop right here, right now.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n How did the standard historical depiction get turned upside down and is now considered an apar\u0101dha<\/em>? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A favorite Marxist and feminist tactic of dissimulation is to control the past3<\/sup><\/a> by rewriting history through a feminist lens and then weaponizing that history to achieve their goals. (See also Appendix<\/a> \u201cDeception is a Feminist Tactic.\u201d) And that is exactly what SAC has done. In the section of SAC\u2019s paper entitled, \u201cThe first times \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da gave g\u0101yatr\u012b-d\u012bk\u1e63\u0101<\/em> to his disciples: the real history\u201d (pages 103\u2013109) SAC distorts events to fabricate a feminist mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SAC\u2019s claims hinge on demonstrably false premises. They assert that Govinda D\u0101s\u012b\u2019s absence from the initiation ceremony stemmed from her objection to \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da being pressured<\/strong> into initiating while ill. SAC\u2019s reliance on this altered account highlights their disregard for historical accuracy (emphasis mine):<\/p>\n\n\n\n On May 6th, \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da was giving g\u0101yatr\u012b mantra to some men disciples. Govinda d\u0101s\u012b had initially stayed away as she was upset that the men had asked \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da for g\u0101yatr\u012b-mantra when he was in ill health<\/strong>. And then later repeating the same falsehood on page 107,<\/p>\n\n\n\n He [Satsvar\u016bpa Mah\u0101r\u0101ja] says that Govinda d\u0101s\u012b was late because she was upset that she was not included in the initiation and feigned illness, but Govinda d\u0101s\u012b says she was late because she was upset that some devotees had pressured<\/strong> Prabhup\u0101da to have an initiation when he had been ill<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n There is nothing more sinful than untruthfulness. Because of this, mother earth once said, \u201cI can bear any heavy thing except a person who is a liar.\u201d But SAC\u2019s ruse unravels in this recorded YouTube interview wherein, Govinda D\u0101s\u012b herself tells us what happened. There is no mention of \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da being pressured by men to initiate while he was ill as the cause of her absence but rather of her great anger for being excluded from the initiation\u2014a portrayal consistent across multiple testimonies (emphasis mine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Govinda D\u0101s\u012b: Goursundar really wanted this Gayatri mantra, so he talked to Prabhup\u0101da about it. He was reading all kinds of things. So Prabhup\u0101da agreed to give him Gayatri mantra and give him second initiation. So I met him on the street and he had his hair all shaved off, that really bothered me.<\/strong> But that night he had the Gayatri mantra initiation, and I was upset because he was going to give Goursundar a mantra but he wasn\u2019t going to give it to me.<\/strong> So I felt very left out. So when it came time to go for the initiation ceremony, I said, \u201cWell, I\u2019m not feeling very well so I\u2019m not going to go.\u201d I was pouting. And then after they left, I thought to myself, \u201cWhat am I doing? I don\u2019t want to be not there!\u201d So I ran out the door and ran the 10 blocks all the way to the temple and burst into the temple, and Prabhup\u0101da was sitting there giving the initiation and he looked up and he said, \u201cAh, Govinda dasi, I was wondering how you could stay away. You love to hear me speak so much.\u201d Because he wanted me to come, but I was mad. I was very upset about this. And so because I was a little upset, he decided that the girls also should have Gayatri mantra. Jadur\u0101\u1e47\u012b was more upset.<\/strong> And so he gave us initiation the next evening with the Gayatri mantra because he knew that in this country the girls and the boys are educated in the same way.Abstract<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Executive Summary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Srila](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sastra-caksuh-parisat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/noon_gayatri__radha_damodara_res.png?resize=982%2C774&ssl=1\")
quarters at the R\u0101dh\u0101-D\u0101modara temple.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPreface<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Shyamasundara D\u0101sa ACBSP, Jyoti\u1e63\u012b
K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47e matir astu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
George Orwell \u2014 1984<\/mark>2<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntroduction<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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When Feminists Control the Past<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Page 103<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
\u015ar\u012bmad-Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> 8.20.4<\/mark><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Following \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da \u2014 DVD 1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n