Rukmini Devi Dasi, an early disciple of Srila Prabhupada, spoke to global leaders at the four-day ISKCON Communications Conference held at Radhadesh in May. It was the thirtieth conference organized by ISKCON Communications Europe (ICE) and explored several relevant issues facing ISKCON today. The title of her presentation was “Srila Prabhupada and His Women Disciples in Context.”

Rukmini is the founder of the Urban Devi collective, a vibrant online platform, in addition to serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bhakti Center, the Board of Trustees of the  Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, and as a member of SABHA, an international committee advising ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission.  Her early association with Srila Prabhupada and the beginnings of ISKCON, as well as her broad-minded wisdom and insight, make her a sought-after speaker and retreat leader globally. “In my personal outreach, my inspiration is to uplift the voices of women, who have so often felt unseen and unheard in our ISKCON society,” said Rukmini in her presentation.

At the beginning of the talk, she noted, “When we examine the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, we need to include the whole body of his legacy- his books, his public lectures, his actions, his personal conversations, and his letters.”

Her paper, presented to the conference goers, briefly reviewed the history of saintly women in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, many anecdotes from Srila Prabhupada on the role of women in his innovative mission, and the indispensable service women leaders are offering the movement today. It concluded with a challenge to current leadership’s decisions regarding the role of women in ISKCON, “While some voices in ISKCON seem less concerned about being relevant to the societies in which we live, we have seen that each generation of our Gaudiya acharyas has made their teachings relevant for those who hear in each successive generation,” she concluded, “It behooves us to try to follow them, sharing these sacred teachings appropriately, in the context of time, place, and audience.”

You can watch the entire presentation here. You can also follow Rukmini Devi Dasi’s service on her website, and Facebook, and Instagram accounts. For complementary content on the issue, please see Visakha Devi Dasi’s recent article in the 2023 ISKCON Communications Journal entitled “Balanced Judgements on Women in ISKCON.” To learn more about the ICC event, see our article here. 

Rukmini noted that there is one correction to her presentation: “Bhaktivinode Thakur appeared in the diksha line of Jahnava Thakurani. Both that disciplic line, as well as the line coming down from Gadadhar Pandit, have Vaisnavis who served as gurus or acaryas.”

Rukmini greeting the next generations of devotees.