WOMAN IN HINDUISM
For those who say we worship woman as devi the goddess
For Sikhs we recently posted an update on Facebook quoting Guru Nanak where the Guru says that how can you condemn the woman who gave births to kings (and prophets and avatars.)
SHE GAVE BIRTH TO YOUR PROPHETS AND AVATARS, HOW CAN YOU CONDEMN WOMAN
We also quoted Tulsi Ramayana where the Acharya writes that a beast, a pet a shudra and the woman deserve to be reprimanded. At this some of our Hindu friends protested and said that the statement was an isolated case and that woman are fairly treated in Hinduism. "On the contrary they said "woman is worshipped in Hindu society as a devi the goddess". We request such friends to please see this article to see pitiable condition of woman and thus shed prejudice. It is our bias of Indian society which in fact is responsible for highest number of rapes in India. Thus we believe that actually it is these adamant people who are responsible for injustices to woman.
(please click to enlarge this photo)
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| Baroda Gujrat Devdasis photographed a century ago |
On the contrary we believe that Hindu scriptures have promoted rape. We believe this could be the reason for high incidence of rape in Indian society. While we admit that certain mythological women characters are worshipped but over all the condition of woman in Hindu society is far from being equal to man. We believe such writings as the following send a positive message among the masses and bring awareness of the modern values for creating humanitarian society. Look here where woman stands in Hindu society and think twice to blame others;-
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| Last surviving Devdasi of Jagan Nath puri |
• Hindu scriptures treat women as a commodity, and equates them to animals.
• In Hinduism only the wife has to fast during Karvachauth but not the husband.
• The wife has to wear Mangulsutra and apply Sindoor to signify that ‘She is the property of others’ just like a board is set up in an open land stating it’s owner but the husband has no such thing to wear.
• If the girl is born in inauspicious months then she is termed as Manglik, and per this superstition the husband of such girl dies soon so she is made to marry a peepul tree or a dog but on the other hand there is no such thing for a man.
• As per Hindu scripture the wife either has to lead a life of celibacy after the death of her husband or mount husband’s pyre on the other hand there is no such rule for husbands. The husband is free to marry another wife after the death of his wife and can marry many wives even when the wife is alive.
• Only the son can light the funeral pyre of his parents while the daughter is barred from it.
• Sexuality was not a secret thing in Vedic period as it is evident from Hindu places of worship like Khajuraho, Ajanta, Ellora temples and scriptures like Kama Sutra and various other Hindu texts which openly spoke or showed pornography.
• Ashvamedha Yajna is a ritual performed by Queens (particularly by chief queen) for fertility and also to gain power in the kingdom. The Ashvamedha Yajna includes slaughtering the horse, then follows the Queen’s intercourse with the horse, then the horse is cut into pieces and cooked.
Scriptures promoting Rape:
• Lord Krishna stole the clothes of women while they were bathing in the Yamuna river. He did so to tease them and for the pleasure of watching the beauty of their naked bodies. We hang miniature paintings of the same act in our homes proudly. The young men who grow up seeing this, or listening to the story told in an amused tone are bound to not find such an act abhorrent.
• Lord Shiva, who insisted on entering the bathing arena of Goddess Parvati and did so by killing a child who was keeping guard at the open door.
• We have gods who, for instance, have cut the nose and ear lobes of a woman who approached them professing her love (Lakshman is depicted as having done this to Shurpanakha), and yet we adore him and see him as a symbol of loyalty, sacrifice and righteous indignation.
• Sita became suspect in the eyes of Lord Rama and she was forced to commit suicide.
• Dropadi treated as commodity.
• That husband is her God of a wife.- Mahabharata Chapter 146 Anushasan Parv – Also Manusimrati has the same regulation for woman.
• Manu Smriti says: Never trust a woman. Never sit alone with a woman even if it may be your mother, she may tempt you. Do not sit alone with your daughter, she may tempt you. Do not sit alone with your sister, she may tempt you.
• Manu Smriti: “Na stree swadantriya marhathi”. “No liberty for women in society”.
• (Satapatha Brahmana 14:1:1:31) "but woman, the Sûdra, the dog, and the black bird (the crow), are untruth: he should not look at these, lest he should mingle excellence and sin, light and darkness, truth and untruth.”
• “Indra himself hath said, The mind of woman brooks not discipline, her intellect hath little weight.” -Rig Veda 8:33:17
• A wife which can't bear son be discarded - Satapatha Brahmana 5:3:1:13
• Don’t give liberty to women. They are not fit for independence -Manusmrti 9:2-4
• Commentary by Swami Shivananda, Rishikesh: "........Women and Sudras are debarred by social rules from the study of the Vedas. ...."
• From Tulsi Ramayana- Aranya Kanda, 5 A-B: Ansuya (Rishi Atri's wife) said to Sita: "A woman is impure by her very birth; but she attains a happy state by serving her lord (husband)".
• Valmiki Ramayana treats woman as slave to his husband.- various entries.
• "A woman who is separated from her husband cannot sustain her life." Ayodhaaya Kand - Valmiki Ramayana
• Devdasi Pratha – where the young girls were dedicated to temple lords and used by the powerful persons or kings who controlled the respective temple.
• Swami Dayanand in his book Satyarath Parkash on page 318 – Brahmin considered sex with shudra women equal to pilgrimage. Sex by Brahmin with a prostitute was also considered as pious.
• In Malabar Kerala when the king would marry a girl he would depute her to the priest's house for some nights. This practice was also witnessed by a European traveller (Voyages of Walthuma vol. 1, page14) as quoted by Sant Ram Visheshvaranand Hoshiarpur.
• In olden days the kings would present young women to the temple priests. See the dialogue between the great dramatist Kalidas with his pupil Sampuran Aushapi. Here Kaladasa says that he eulogized the greek king Chandra Gupta and said that he belonged to the family of Raja Ram Chander of Ayudhia. The king was so pleased that he presented Kalidasa a girl with golden hair (obviously a european girl) (This is quoted by Rahul Sanskritayan in his book Volga to Ganga at page 232.
• A woman who has delivered baby is considered as impure by Hindus. Interestingly the span of impurity varies from caste to caste.
• A Hindu woman is supposed to fast during certain days of year for the benefit of her husband while there are no such fasts for husband to observe.
• Only the male Brahmin can be pujari at the temple. What to talk of doing the ritual the woman is not allowed to read the scripture.
