The Hare Krishnas in India

This entertaining and sensitive book deepens our knowledge by tracing the

paths of those WEstern Hare Krishnas who eventually travelled to or lived

in India. Charls Brooks describes in full detail the work of the ‘reverse

missionaries’ in the town of Vrindaban–which, since it is traditionally

considered to be identical with Krishna’s spiritual world, is one of the

holiest places in India and the site of some of its most engaging rituals.

Have the Western Hare Krishnas really become part of Indian culture? Can it

be that Indians accept these foreigners as essentially Hindu and even

brahman? Brooks answers in a way that radically challenges our accepted

images of Indian social dynamics. Analyzing the remarkable success of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness and their temple complex in

Vrindaban, Brooks describes the intricate social, economic and religious

relationships between Westerners and Indians. He demonstrates that social

rank in the town is based not only on caste but also on religious

competence: many Indians of Vrindaban believe, in Bhakti-vedanta’s words,

that “Krishna is for all.”

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