Page 40 - Defending Prabhupada Words - By Harivlas Das

Srila Prabhupada came to the USA today, he would alter
his preaching due to a new set of social circumstances.

Brahma das writes after making a short historical
perspective on the way woman were influenced by the
social, political and religious practices of the 1960s and
1970s, “These examples illustrate that Srila Prabhupada
faced a different preaching field than we do today. Woman
at that time were not as emancipated and the ideal of
equal rights for women had not yet been embraced by the
American society to the extent that it is today. Although
there was opposition to Srila Prabhupada’s statements that
women were less intelligent, there was at the same time
an underlying social acceptance that women were to be
subservient to men. Acceptance of this today is radically
less than it was in the sixties and early seventies. Even
Srila Prabhupada’s own disciples and grand disciples
are reconsidering this contention and its relevance to
practicing Krishna consciousness in modern times. The
fact that Srila Prabhupada made practical adjustments
in consideration of social norms demonstrates that his
mission was not based on establishing ancient Vedic rules
in Western society. Rather his emphasis was the practice of
essential Krishna consciousness, which transcends social
rules and norms. Srila Prabhupada said, ‘The acarya knows
how to adjust things’ The real purpose is how one will
take to spiritual consciousness, or Krishna consciousness.
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