Revitalisation Yatra.

A Letter to the Reader

Srila Prabhupada built a house in which the whole world can live. That was always the vision — not a house for some of the world, or for those whose cultural contexts made certain arrangements feel comfortable, but a house spacious enough for every soul, from every background, in every corner of the globe.

This guide is about one of the most consequential questions the movement faces in our time: whether the women of ISKCON — the Vaisnavis who have dedicated their lives to Prabhupada's mission, who have led kirtans, established temples, raised communities, distributed books, and brought thousands to the feet of Krishna — are truly welcome in the fullness that Prabhupada intended.

The honest answer, for much of the movement's history, has been: not entirely. Not everywhere. Not in the ways that their gifts and qualifications warrant. And in some quarters, not at all.

This guide is not a polemic. It is a comprehensive examination of what Prabhupada actually taught, what the tradition actually contains, what the historical and institutional record actually shows, and what the practical consequences of the movement's current approach to Vaisnavis actually are. It is addressed to ISKCON's leaders — to those who have the institutional power to create environments where the full range of devotional talent in this tradition can actually flourish.

The stakes are high. At a time when the movement needs every capable voice, every experienced leader, every seasoned siksa relationship it can find, it is actively suppressing the contribution of more than half its membership. This is not merely unjust. It is strategically self-defeating. And it is a departure from what Prabhupada actually wanted.

What Prabhupada offered, who are we to rescind?

It's almost embarrassing that we haven't heeded everything that Vaisnavis have been telling us for years – perfectly sufficiently. So here is a bloke simply lending his voice to the chorus. This is an expression of allyship/kinship – honouring my fellow comrades in Lord Caitanya's movement.

Your servant,

Damodara dasa