Grihastha Ashram Development Helping to build healthy marriages in ISKCON

Devotee Care An important aspect of devotee care is to help devotees to find suitable partners for marriage, when the time is right. Also to provide support during the transition from brahmacarya to household life.

Varnashram System The varnashram system promotes peace in society by situating every individual in the right varna and ashram. When people are peacefully situated in the right ashram, they become happy and productive.

Encouraging Honesty Devotees need to be encouraged to be honest when choosing their ashram, rather than giving in to peer pressure or false pride.

Protecting Devotees Many devotees have fallen down or left ISKCON because of not being happily situated in the right ashram, and not receiving enough support in this area.

What we provide We provide a website for devotees to find and contact potential partners for marriage within ISKCON.

Marriage Council The Marriage Council UK maintains a private database and makes private introductions between devotees, as well as providing support and advice.

Grihastha guidebook We have produced a book on grihastha ashram, based on years of research from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and Vedic literatures.

The European Perspective If centres in Europe appoint mature grihastha couples to provide similar services, we can work together.

Loss and gain Better to ‘lose’ a devotee to grihastha ashram than to lose him altogether. There may be a chance of losing a devotee to another centre, but there’s also a chance of gaining a devotee from another centre.

Stable marriages Healthy relationships are developed from good compatibility, not from ‘marriages of convenience’.

Unity and Co-operation Where there is unity and co-operation between leaders, devotees feel protected by the ISKCON family.