Holy Name Retreat
  • Retreat at Ekachakra
  • Registration
  • Ekachakra
  • Devaki dd
  • Diary
  • Recordings
  • Photos
  • Testimonials

Goloka Dham/Germany

10/13/2015

 
On my return to Goloka Dham we were busy making all the necessary arrangements to receive a nice group of male devotees who came from far and wide to attend the course "Men in Spiritual Culture - What Men Always Wanted to Know About Women". The group was mixed: some young devotees were there, and also some senior devotees from other yatras had made the effort to come. We had the good fortune to welcome the TP from Zurich/Swizzerland who also serves in the Euro RGB, one of the senior managers from Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, and others from various parts of Germany.
Picture
We spent a wonderful, thought-provoking and enlightening time churning deep topics of Krsna consciousness, receiving insights into Krsna's system and culture. The course is certainly not aimed at my humble self telling the men what to do and what not to do. No - we discuss exactly the same topics like in the course "Women in Spiritual Culture", and as the sub-title reveals: the course is indeed all about women! And naturally, only a woman in the mood of a mother can really teach this.
The participants presented the discussed topics in the most hilarious role-plays, which made us all burst into laughter, and at the same time they perfectly drove home the points of the discussions.​
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Unless men understand very deeply the important role women are playing within human society - how they are meant to be the auspicious source of energy and inspiration to men, how the feminine energy is so powerful - they will not feel inspired to play their role as protectors, care givers and providers. Nowadays, women are not receiving the care and respect they should be given. Spiritual culture has been pushed aside by a culture centered around sense gratification, and people at large become more and more ignorant of the important role women are meant to play. Thus women have been reduced to objects for sense enjoyment. The understanding of women being the Laxmi Devi in the family, and the very backbone to humanity is lost and forgotten.

I remember how HH Bhaktivaibhava Swami was once asked by a brahmacari in a lecture in Ukraine how he should behave towards women, seeing them as mothers. And he exclaimed: "You better respect them! Women are very powerful. They can finish you off! So you better show respect!"

A man likes to protect a woman and be her hero - it is built into his very nature, and it gives him a higher purpose in life. Whenever I travel by train in Germany, I never lift my luggage into the train myself, but I always ask a young fellow to help me. And I can clearly perceive how much pleasure and encouragement he receives from such service. It gives him a sense of accomplishment, which is indeed empowering him to be active and responsible.
However, he can only play this role of being the protector if we women accept an inferior position. As soon as we want to be equal, men cannot protect women any longer. One can only protect somebody when situated on a higher position. Therefore women are considered to be of a lower birth - because they are meant to be protected. Within Krsna's system, higher and lower simply indicate the flow of protection - who protects whom. In materila life higher means 'more fun' and lower means 'less fun'. Everybody wants to be 'higher', nobody wants to be 'lower'. But in Krsna's system, higher and lower have an entirely different meaning.

Since in these modern days we strongly propagate equality of men and women, men are losing this heroic task of protecting women. And thus they become careless towards women. Infact, their male nature and energy can even be misdirected into violence towards women.

When once giving the ladies' course in Chandigarh, one mataji was relating how she was on a bus when she was pregnant, and nobody was getting up to give her a seat. When she was requesting some young fellows to get up and let her sit, one of them replied: "You women want to be equal - so why should I get up?"

Men tend to become more and more reluctant and even afraid to get married. Even though they might not have the clear understanding of Krsna's system, nevertheless they intuitively can sense that something is wrong - that women are not so easily agreeable to play the role of being the auspicious source of energy and inspiration any longer. Please take a few minutes to watch this little video, as food for thought:
Even materialistic people can perceive that we are heading into the wrong direction. And sometimes it has a special impact on us devotees if they are sharing those same realizations and convictions which we should be having.

People in these modern days are frustrated - life is becoming more and more crazy and absurd. People are searching for alternatives. We do have access to Krsna's system, which brings harmony and stability into this material world. When will the day come when ISKCON can serve as an example of the perfect society, where the ladies are true Laxmi Devis, with beautiful feminine qualities, playing their role perfectly of being the auspicious source of energy and inspiration to the men, and where the men are chivalrous and heroic leaders - taking charge, protecting and providing. Then Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan Movement will become very powerful, and we can actually show the world how human life is meant to be lived. But as long as we are facing the same problems as the general society - what do we actually have to show?

On the 13th of October I flew off to Delhi and traveled out to Vrindavan....

Your servant, Devaki dd

Comments are closed.

    Devaki Devi Dasi's Travel Diary

    Devaki Devi Dasi is sharing her realizations and adventures in her Traveling Diary.Welcome to relish this nectar!

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.