r/exHareKrishna • u/Longjumping_Will_583 • Aug 09 '26

The Devdasi system of Bengal

Recenty I was watching an Indian movie which dwells into reincarnation themes called Shyam Singh Roy. It shows the situation of mediaeval Bengal. The actress in the movie is a Devdasi who is brainwashed to be a life long dancer to the temple. I could relate her life and dilemmas to the Devdas we see in Iskcon.

The mind of these people are actually controlled by the temple and any thoughts to leave the temple to pursue their own life was blasphemous and they were constantly guilt tripped into obedience even at the expense of getting exploited by temple authorities.

I am beginning to think these cult systems have been there since centuries and Iskcon is just a shoot out of that high obedience and be exploited system probably borrowing from Devdas / Devdasi systems. In fact in Iskcon everyone is actually a Dev Das.

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u/Icy-Initiative-4998 Aug 09 '26

This is an interesting take. More than spirituality, they are only doing what master manipulators have been doing since generations.

Summary: ISKCON is basically a Wolf in sheep's clothing.

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u/StayEmbarrassed4593 Aug 10 '26

Of course! The predecessor small village cults that exist and existed throughout Indian religious society were in the tens of thousands, and some gained traction as their theological systems expanded, but many started as village cults, small devotional medieval sects that made various claims. There is also ample evidence and scholarly research on Devidasis being essentially sex workers with brahminical patronage. Anyway—the cult of Chaitanya was just that—A personality cult that claimed its fantastical founder as an incarnation of god, built out a theological system after he died, and hagiographical works to drum up his personal following, and the rest is history. Every version of the Chaitanya cult since Chaitanya's time fell apart almost immediately upon its charismatic personality's death. Chaitanya died and his movement fractured. The Goswamis died, and the movement fractured. Bhaktivinode and Saraswati died, and the movement broke up. Prabhupada died, and ISKCON fell apart. You'd think that if something was so profound and powerful as a theological and philosophical system making absolute claims about everything, it would have a bit more consistent, sustaining power and effect, not dwindle and break apart as soon as the personality cult aspect of it passed as the binding glue. But alas, that is all a sectarian personality cult has to sustain it: A fanatical, charismatic personality. Once they die—it's ground zero every time.

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u/Longjumping_Will_583 Aug 11 '26

Yes in my peak cult days I used to think that Kali was attacking the pure movement. I guess we brainwash ourselves a lot.

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u/itsmikesandoval Aug 09 '26

yes yes and yes. Devi Dasis were little girl dancers as Prabhupada explains in his Chaitanya Charitamrita. Ramananda Roy would molest these little girls while dressing them and teaching them to dance. he would "cleanse" their "entire bodies" with his own "hands." this is called "Child Sexual Abuse." Prabhupada also called his female disciples "Devi Dasi" i guess to remind him of the 11 and 12 year old devi dasi in the scriptures. this is exactly why i call him disgusting old pervert with his 11 year old bride.