The generally-accepted etiquette in most current ISKCON circles is that it is improper for Vaishnavis, i.e., female Krishna devotees, to offer full dandavats to the Supreme Lord and His representatives. Some popular ISKCON etiquette manuals also claim it is inappropriate although they cite no reference for that view. Did the restriction arise from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, shastra, or has it just become a cultural norm without valid basis? Let’s explore the issue.
Srimad Bhagavatam describes how Aditi, mother of the demigods, offered respect to Lord Vishnu when He appeared to her after she completed the payo-vrata.
ŚB 8.17.5
taṁ netra-gocaraṁ vīkṣya sahasotthāya sādaram
nanāma bhuvi kāyena daṇḍavat-prīti-vihvalā
tam — Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); netra-gocaram — visible by her eyes; vīkṣya — after seeing; sahasā — all of a sudden; utthāya — getting up; sa-ādaram — with great respect; nanāma — offered respectful obeisances; bhuvi — on the ground; kāyena — by the whole body; daṇḍa-vat — falling like a rod; prīti-vihvalā — almost puzzled because of transcendental bliss.
Translation: When the Supreme Personality of Godhead became visible to Aditi’s eyes, Aditi was so overwhelmed by transcendental bliss that she at once stood up and then fell to the ground like a rod to offer the Lord her respectful obeisances.
So Aditi, mother of the demigods, offered dandavats.
In the sixth canto Srimad Bhagavatam chapter entitled “Performing the Pumsavana Ritualistic Ceremony”, The great sage Kashyapa instructs his wife, Diti, how to carry out the ceremony: “One should offer obeisances unto the Lord with a mind humbled through devotion. While offering daṇḍavats by falling on the ground like a rod...”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s English translation and commentary to Caitanya Bhagavata Madhya Lila Chapter 23 verse 73 reads: "Wherever the Lord went in the course of the procession [on his way to Chand Kazi's house], everyone, including women, children, and elders left their respective household duties and fell flat at the lotus feet of the Lord." The word in the Bengali verse for falling flat is "dandavat".
The Caitanya Caritamrita contains a number of verses that describe women offering dandavats. For example, the descriptions of both the installation of the Gopal Deity on Govardhan and the arrival of the Sakshi Gopal Deity in South India mention all the townspeople offering dandavats to these Deities. Notably there were women among the townspeople on both occasions. (CC Madhya 4.66 and Madhya 5.109). Also when the prostitute who had been attempting to allure Srila Haridas Thakura became purified by hearing his chanting, she offered dandavats to his lotus feet. (See CC Antya 3.131)
Apart from scriptural evidence, is there a history of women devotees of ISKCON offering dandavats?
Malati Prabhu, GBC member, ISKCON trailblazer, and illustrious early disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has often asserted that in the early days of ISKCON, Vaishnavis routinely offered dandavats. That is evident if one watches the first ISKCON Hare Krishna People film (circa 1974). In the film, a Vaishnavi can be seen paying dandavats as she makes an offering to the Deities.
In the book, Srila Prabhupada and his Disciples in Germany (p.275), Nikunjavasini Dasi recalls receiving initiation from Srila Prabhupada in 1974. She elaborated: “The devotees were called forward by country, and Prabhupada was very strict about the procedure. He explained: ‘First you offer dandavats (even the women), not straight from the front, but a little from the side, then, you sit up and say the principles and also ‘at least 16 good rounds every day.”
In the same book describing Srila Prabhupada’s arrival for a program at Upsalla University in Sweden (p. 237), Hrimati Dasi remembered: “Along with Hamsaduta, Avinascandra, Vedavyasa, Krsna-premi, and I formed part of a group onstage. When Prabhupada arrived, all of us prostrated ourselves to offer dandavats, and somehow or other I was lying right in front of the vyasasana. Srila Prabhupada unintentionally stepped on my hands, but it was as if they were touched by rose petals – his feet were so soft.”
Nanda Kumara prabhu, Srila Prabhupada’s servant at the time, described Srila Prabhupada’s visit to Tokyo in 1972: “At the Sunday feast there were about thirty Japanese people, mostly young, and every single one brought Prabhupāda a flower, put it at his feet, and paid full daṇḍavats. They were so respectful. Prabhupāda said that it was a good sign that ‘these boys and girls are able to honor a saintly person.’” (Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita Chapter 40).
Beyond remembrances however, in the ISKCON Disciple Course Handbook chapter entitled “Behaving Appropriately in the Presence of the Guru,” guidance on the issue is given. The very first recommendation is: “He should fall down like an uprooted tree (dandavat) on seeing the spiritual master.” There is no indication that this applies only to male disciples.
Srila Prabhupada emphasized the very same point during a Srimad Bhagavatam discussion on August 19th 1975, in Bombay: “We must offer our prostrated obeisances on seeing the spiritual master, Dandavat.” Srila Prabhupada also notes in Srimad Bhagavatam 5.1.36 purport: “Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says; daṇḍavat-praṇāmās tān anupatitaḥ. By immediately offering obeisances (daṇḍavat) unto the spiritual master and by strictly following his directions, the student becomes advanced.”
At the Jagannath Puri temple in India, there is a Deity of Lord Jagannatha, Patita Pavana Jagannatha, that gives darshan even to devotees in the walkway just outside one of the temple entrances. Hundreds of men and women come to pay respects to Him there daily. Most of both the men and women do so by offering dandavats. I asked a Jagannatha pujari about the practice and he said that women have been offering dandavats to Lord Jagannatha for generations.
Based on the above evidence, it seems the practice of Vaishnavis offering dandavats existed eons ago, prior to the appearance of Lord Vamanadeva. It was prevalent during Lord Caitanya’s time, has been a regular practice at the Jagannatha temple in Puri, and was common during ISKCON’s earlier days in Srila Prabhupada’s presence.
But does it make any difference whether a devotee offers dandavats or not? One might say: “So what if Vaishnava women are discouraged from performing dandavats? Is there any loss?” To answer that question, it might be helpful to consider the meaning and purpose of offering dandavats.
Daṇḍavats, full obeisances, are described in the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.7 as follows:
dorbhyāṁ padābhyāṁ jānubhyām urasā śirasā dṛśā
manasā vacasā ceti praṇāmo ’ṣṭāṅga īritaḥ
“The obeisances offered with eight limbs are made with the two arms, the two legs, the two knees, the chest, the head, the eyes, the mind and the power of speech.”
Srila Prabhupada elaborated on the importance of offering dandavats in his comments on Srimad-Bhagavatam, January 11th 1975, in Bombay: “If you simply come in this temple and offer little obeisances, daṇḍavat... Daṇḍa, daṇḍa means ‘rod’; vat means ‘like.’ Just like one stick falls straight on the ground, similarly, if we fall straight before the Deity, that is called daṇḍavat, ‘like the stick.’ Daṇḍavat-praṇāma. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa namratā. Namratā is required. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Namanta: be submissive. So this daṇḍavat is the symbolic presentation of submission. And Kṛṣṇa wants that. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], submission. The bhakti process is simply submission.”
As Srila Prabhupada indicates above, dandavats are the symbolic presentation of submission. He also says they are required. A similar definition of dandavats is given in The Wisdom Library: “The external expression of inner spiritual surrender in Vaishnavism is through dandavat pranam.” Srila Prabhupada then mentioned: “They bow down like stick. This is called daṇḍavat. Daṇḍa means "stick"; vat means "like." When you fall down, just like a stick falls, before superior, that is called daṇḍavat. Not by simply saying daṇḍavat...One must fall down...” (Srila Prabhupada dictation Srimad-Bhagavatam, October 27th, 1977 Vṛndāvana).
So apparently just saying “dandavat pranam” isn’t sufficient. Then if it is accepted that dandavats are the external expression of full submission and are required (at least some of the time), why shouldn’t Vaishnavis pay dandavats? Being restricted from doing so by unsubstantiated social norms, in spite of the evidence, doesn’t seem to make much sense.
In speaking with ISKCON devotees to gather possible grounds for the prohibiting of Vaishnavi dandavats, the most common reason offered was that it was somehow disrespectful for women to put their chests on mother Bhumi, even though their bodies are covered. This explanation seems inadequate, since sitting with one’s rear end on the Earth has no such stigma attached.
One devotee suggested that this verse, contained in a purport to Caitanya Caritamrta, might be a factor:
vastreṇāvṛta-dehas tu yo naraḥ praṇamed dharim śvitrī bhavati mūḍhātmā sapta janmāni bhāvini
“Anyone who offers respects and obeisances to the Deity while wearing garments on the upper portion of his body is condemned to be a leper for seven births.” (CC Antya 12.37)
While it’s true that Vaishnavis wear garments on the upper portions of their bodies, male devotees usually do too. Yet, that fact hasn’t been cited to curtail men from offering dandavats. And besides, in the pastime where this verse is cited, Lord Caitanya did not give it much importance. He allowed Srikanta, Sivananda Sena’s son, to offer Him dandavats and see Him despite his wearing an upper garment.
In summary, the proposition of this essay is that there is nothing inappropriate in Vaishnavis offering dandavats to their spiritual master, Lord Caitanya, Lord Jagannatha, or Sri Sri Radha-Krishna some of the time if they so desire. That is particularly the case if they want to practice an attitude of full surrender. This remains true even if it is not a commonly accepted cultural norm in ISKCON today.
Still, an interesting unanswered question is how Vaishnavis not offering dandavats became such a widely-accepted ISKCON norm affecting about half of ISKCON’s population? And further, one might wonder if there are any other ISKCON cultural norms without substantiation?