Vedic Training:
How To Become 
A Krishna Conscious Wife
For ISKCON Brahmacarinis

"Basic Principles" chapter of the Brahmacarini Training Manual.  >Contents Page

 
The Basic Principles Of This Book:

Let us get to the real tough part right now. Not all (modern Western minded) women are going to like this book. If you find yourself one of them, do yourself and your future family a big favor. Don’t reject it prematurely. Read it from cover to cover. It is based entirely on Srila Prabhupad’s teachings. You will find at least something here that will help in your married life. If just a few can really understand it properly and this book saves even just one marriage on account of it (along with all the children, grandchildren and on that may come from that marriage) than our efforts will be more than fully rewarded. 

In presenting this science I take a hard-core stand on the issues from the Vedic perspective. I present the ideal and strict standards taken from Prabhupad’s teachings, based on Vedic scripture. I argue only on from that perspective. I make no or very little concession or leniency for modern times or Western places. Srila Prabhupad is Krishna Authorized Representative for his followers, now and for many thousands of years to come. He has made all of the concessions and all the adjustments that Krishna is allowing. We are not authorized to make any further concessions. It is now our duty to understand, implement and follow his teachings. Therefore the basis of this book is to present only what he has given. 

Srila Prabhupad may have got frustrated with all the failures in ISKCON marriages, but he did not compromise the standard that he wanted us to follow. 

To understand these principles we must also understand why they should be followed. This can be best done only when we see it all put together in one package. What will be the likely results if we don’t follow and what can be the results if we do follow? 

What is presented (to the best of my ability to do so) is what Prabhupad taught and desired on these matters. We call ourselves the followers of Srila Prabhupad. To follow means to follow his instructions. We criticize modern Christians for not following the teachings of Christ. Therefore we must be most careful in our own life. Before we can be critical of others, first we must be following Prabhupad’s instructions. 

What I am presenting (assembling what Prabhupad presented over the years) are the injunctions of marriage based on Varnasram-Dharma. Varnasram means that although we philosophically accept the spiritual equality of all souls, Vedic culture also recognizes the physical, mental and intellectual differences of the different classes and of the male and female genders. The Vedic sages recommend different roles and duties for men and women. Men are to be the providers, the women are to be fully taken care of as mothers and housewives. Men are dominators, women the dominated. We see this so often in Vedic literatures. Men are the enjoyers, women the enjoyed. Purusha and prakrti. Srila Prabhupad instructed that men should take the superior position of master (prabhu), the woman must take the subordinate position as submissive servant of their husband-master (prabhu). Husband is to be the protector, provider, instructor husband-guru, the leader, the guide, and wife is to be the dependent submissive follower, the devotee of her husband (we will present scriptural references to this as we go along). 

The ideas listed above are why many modern minded woman may want to prematurely reject these things and not want to hear anything further after this point. But you must read further because these 'controversial' ideas cannot be understood out of context. You have to see and unederstand the whole ideology to understand why these things are practical and essential to a peaceful and successful Krishna Consciousn marriages. 


  Next   Contents