The Free Mixing of Men and Women in Temple Life

The Free Mixing of Men and Women in Temple Life

It is well known that Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja permitted women to stay in the temple:

“Regarding your question whether grhastha couples can live together in the temple, no, they may not, that is a strict regulation. They can live in the temple, that's all right, but they must live separately men and women.”

(720220 - Letter to Mangalamaya and Madhupuri written from Calcutta)

***

“Regarding householders living in the temple; in India no woman is allowed to stay in the temple at night. But for our preaching work I have permitted women to stay in the temple. But, in the temple, husband and wife should live separately.”

(720125 - Letter to Ravindra Svarupa written from Nairobi)

***

Our comment

This practice stands in clear contrast to the tradition of temple life in Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha. The attraction between men and women is a natural phenomenon, and for this reason monks are not meant to share the same living environment with women.

Richard Shaw Brown, a hari-nāma disciple of Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja and a dīkṣā disciple of Śrīla Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja, stated in one of his last interviews that Śrīla Vana Mahārāja advised him not to return to ISKCON, as living in a temple with women residents would not be conducive to his spiritual life. Richard did return to ISKCON. Later he admitted:

“The reason I left Vana Maharaj was because I became polluted by the mundane association of ISKCON devotees, who convinced me that Vana Maharaj (and all Gaudiya Matha devotees) were no good. It was my bad karma, but also the greatest spiritual mistake of my life leaving the sweet shelter of my Shiksha & Diksha Guru Srila Bhakti Hrdaya Vana Maharaj; and since returning to ISKCON I found everything different from the bona fide Gaudiya Math system of Srila Param-Gurudev. The whole taste is completely different.” 

He also stated in one of his articles:

“I lived with him [Vana Mahārāja] in Vraja. In fact, he never ever criticized any of his Godbrothers.” 

But the conclusion of Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja was that Śrīla Vana Mahārāja was envious… Richard Shaw Brown shared his opinion about it in one of his last interviews:

“Vana Mahārāja never criticized Prabhupāda [Swāmī Mahārāja]. He never said anything. He could see what was going on with girls and guys (everybody mixed together). [...] 'this is absolutely not suitable for your advancement' and he was right; he was absolutely right. I am sorry to say, he was absolutely right. [...] So it was never any put down on Prabhupāda [Swāmī Mahārāja], but Prabhupāda [Swāmī Mahārāja] had this huge put down on Vana Mahārāja — he kept saying that Vana Mahārāja is jealous and envious. It almost seemed like Prabhupāda [Swāmī Mahārāja] had been jealous and envious of Vana Mahārāja his whole life.”

Gaura Hari Haribol!