What is our nature, role and responsibility as women? How can we be successful and happy? The book Women: Masters or Mothers? gives us the answers. Bhakti Vikāsa Swami presents Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings with respect to this topic in a condensed and clear way.

It is obvious that in today’s society there is a clear lack of values. Men’s and women’s roles have become mixed, resulting in chaos. As a member of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement for 23 years, and a mother of 4 children, I can see that this chaos in society is influencing devotees, including me, too.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything, and He also gave us certain roles to be performed according to our gender. According to śāstra we are required to perform our respective roles properly, or at least in the best possible way. With many quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda in this book, Bhakti Vikāsa Swami gives us guidance on how to properly carry out our duties as women while practicing spiritual life.

While playing our role in this life theatre, without proper guidance or work on ourselves, our life can turn into a tragedy or a comedy. Isn’t it laughable when in a play a woman takes on the role of a man? Isn’t it sad to see that we have been given knowledge and instructions for success, but we childishly try to be controllers and give ourselves the roles we prefer, changing these roles whimsically, chewing the chewed, all over again? The end of such a story is always a tragedy.

I sincerely recommend to all the mothers, wives, women and warriors to accept the challenge and read this book. If you have any doubts about its correctness, feel free to test it by applying something from the book in your lives. Feel free to judge the credibility of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quotes.

The aim of this book is to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness in accordance with our nature and to finally get off the theatre scene, leave all the costumes and be happy.

This book has helped me a lot by inducing me to change and encouraging me to play my role in the best possible way. The show is on, Kṛṣṇa is the creator. My ending depends on my free will, and your ending depends on your free will.