Discussing women’s issues and spirituality

The Women in Bhakti forum hosted their launch at the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Isckon) on 9 March.

Spokesperson for the organisation Brindaveni Naidoo said, “The initiative aims to inspire, motivate and develop a holistic approach for women based on the spiritual teachings of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the founder of Isckon, more popularly referred to as the Hare Krishna movement globally.”

Chairperson of the forum Yamunastakam Dasi explained that the word ‘Bhakti’ is derived from Sanskrit and means ‘devotion’.

She added, “[This is] a forum to empower women spiritually, intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. We want to create a safe, empowering, supportive and non-judgmental platform for all women based on the teachings of our most beloved Srila Prabhupada.”

The event was attended by women from different walks of life and faith who came together to discuss issues that impact women and spirituality.

Keynote speaker Nandarani Devi Dasi spoke of AC Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada’s lack of promotion of women’s liberation on a material level. She added, “Rather, he promoted women’s liberation at a spiritual level, to advance spiritually, that is real liberation.”

“There is nothing wrong in becoming a materially successful woman, but one must ensure that material success does not obstruct spiritual success. So as women, we need to understand, what the body of women gives us access to, what lessons we need to learn, how we learn these lessons and how can we best make use of our position as women to advance spiritually.”

She added that women are important in any society because they are often the first teachers of children and are sensitive to human needs. They can play a vital role in teaching the correct values as they are natural nurturers and givers who try to find solutions through dialogue.

Details: Yamunastakam Dasi

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