Exploring ISKCON’s Multi-Layered Polycrisis - February 6, 2026

Description

In this presentation, Swami Padmanabha addresses the ongoing conversation around women serving as diksha-gurus in ISKCON — while inviting viewers to look far beyond the surface of the debate.

Rather than treating the issue as a single institutional policy question, he frames it as part of a broader “polycrisis”: a convergence of theological, cultural, psychological, and historical tensions shaping how spiritual authority, guru-tattva, and community identity are understood today.

The talk explores deeper layers beneath the controversy — including how traditions relate to the feminine principle, how fear and institutional preservation can shape decision-making, and how unresolved trauma, cultural baggage, and power dynamics influence spiritual movements.

Drawing on cyclical models of growth — order, disorder, and reorder — Swami Padmanabha reflects on how disruption, though uncomfortable, can serve renewal when approached with honesty, courage, and compassion. He also speaks to the distinction between institutional form and spiritual essence, emphasizing that periods of crisis can become gateways for maturation rather than signs of failure.

Ultimately, this offering is not an attempt to weaponize division, but to encourage thoughtful dialogue, integrity, and a deeper alignment with truth in the collective evolution of spiritual life.

Watch on: https://youtu.be/W0MPdVb6XoQ?si=sU8_GFtYl8AZ-Er7

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