Notes on Female Vaiṣṇava Gurus

Abstract

The article Notes on Female Vaiṣṇava Gurus by Karen Pechilis addresses the underrepresented topic of female spiritual leadership in Vaiṣṇava traditions. Pechilis engages multiple devotional movements—including Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, Śrīvaiṣṇavism, and selected Śaiva currents—to examine how women function as gurus in both institutional and vernacular contexts. Through historical and ethnographic cases, the article interrogates gendered dynamics of spiritual authority, initiation rights, and public recognition. Pechilis calls attention to how the concept of guru intersects with gender ideologies, arguing that female gurus often disrupt, yet sometimes reinforce, traditional paradigms of lineage and transmission. Her nuanced analysis foregrounds female agency in devotional spaces, particularly where bhakti permits expansive roles for women.