Before and after of the Gurukula phenomenon

The article’s goal is to gather informa­ tion about the general idea, principles and ways of education as practiced by the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness (ISKCON). First, the text summarizes the foundations and theoretical concepts of ISKCON’s education and compares them with the traditional Vaish­ nava education. Second, the article explores the historical development of Hare Kṛṣṇa education in the Gurukula context, explains the problem of child abuse and presents the available infor­ mation about the current state of Gurukula edu­ cation around the world. Finally, the text briefly mentions the Czech Gurukula project in Kršnův dvůr (1995–1997) and reconstructs the failed ap­ plications of the Czech devotees to include the Gurukula in the list of schools and educational institutions of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.