women and ritual

[sm78]

I will take this opportunity. The female form is spiritually Surya -- the Son of Dayus. It is the finest paradox of Rig Veda. Similarly while talking of Adityas -- the rays of Sun, Rishi dirghAtmA reminds that the rays are males but actually females. The entering and being entered; pervading and being pervaded both act at many levels.

Usually, it is considered that the Moon is female and the Sun is male but not so in Rig Veda. The following verse will show that how Soma is the husband of Surya at four levels. (Elsewhere Surya is also called son of heaven).

RV Book 10, HYMN LXXXV. Surya's Bridal.



1. TRUTH is the base that bears the earth; by Surya are the heavens sustained. By Law the Adityas stand secure, and Soma holds his place in heaven.

2 By Soma are the Adityas strong, by Soma mighty is the earth. Thus Soma in the midst of all these hath his place.
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5 When they begin to drink thee then, O God, thou swellest out again. Vayu is Soma's guardian God. The Moon is that which shapes the years.

6 Raibhi was her dear bridal friend, and Narasamsi led her home.
Lovely was Surya's robe: she came to that which Gatha had adorned.

7 Thought was the pillow of her couch, sight was the unguent for her eyes:Her treasury was earth and heaven..when Surya went unto her Lord.
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9 Soma was he who wooed the maid: the groomsmen were both Asvins, when The Sun-God Savitar bestowed his willing Surya on her Lord.
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27 Happy be thou and prosper witlh thy children here: be vigilant to rule thy household in this home. Closely unite thy body with this; man, thy lord. So shall ye, full of years, address your company.
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34 Pungent is this, and bitter this, filled, as it were, with arrow-barbs, Empoisoned and.not fit for use. The Brahmana who knows Surya well deserves the garment of the bride.
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39 Agni hath given the bride again with splendour and with ample life. Long lived he who is her lord; a hundred autumns let him live.

40 Soma obtained her first of all; next the Gandharva was her lord.
Agni was thy third husband: now one born of woman is thy fourth.

41 Soma to the Gandharva, and to Agni the Gandharva gave:
And Agni hath bestowed on me riches and sons and this my spouse.

42 Be ye not parted; dwell ye here reach the full time of human life.
With sons and grandsons sport and play, rejoicing in your own abode.

43 So may Prajapati bring children forth to us; may Aryaman adorn us till old age come nigh. Not inauspicious enter thou thy husband's house: bring blessing to our bipeds and our quadrupeds.

44 Not evil-eyed, no slayer of thy husband, bring weal to cattle, radiant, gentlehearted; Loving the Gods, delightful, bearing heroes, bring blessing to our quadrupeds and bipeds.

45 O Bounteous Indra, make this bride blest in her sons and fortunate.
Vouchsafe to her ten sons, and make her husband the eleventh man.

46 Over thy husband's father and thy husband's mother bear full sway.
Over the sister of thy lord, over his brothers rule supreme.

47 So may the Universal Gods, so may the Waters join our hearts.
May Matarisvan, Dhatar, and Destri together bind us close.



Om Namah Shivaya.

In Mahanarayana Upanishad the worship of Durga and Agni is same.

Om

Thanks. Shakti-kundalini-durga-agni are same in my simplefied understanding as well.

[rcscwc]

Namaste,

Are women entitled to learn rudram,chamakam,gayatri mantra at all ?

During the menstrual cycle,can women say their daily prayers ?

I would like to know the basis for these as some disciples do this,while some say that women should not do it during their menstruation.

Please give your inputs.

Women are not prohibited at all. There have been woman thinkers and philosophers. Yanavalkya's dialogs with his wife Gargi are well know. Mandan Mishra's wife acted as judge in debate with him and Shankaracharya.

A woman law giver declared the mother as the naturasl custodian of children.

Prayers and rituals presuppose bodily impurity.A woman during those three days cannot be pure. Anyone, man or woman, suffering from diahorrea, vomiting or any other diaseas etc too are exempted.

Some scriptures say that it is enough if women work for the welfare of their husbands.

There is another provision too. Half of punyas of husband are credited to the wife, but sins are not. In fact half of her sins accrue to the husband.

Think of this. Man WAS the sole bread winner and had to go out for. Wife had to take the burden of running the home.

[chandu_69]

Namaste,

Are women entitled to learn rudram,chamakam,gayatri mantra at all ?

Actually women are better than men in worshipping god says Rigveda.

RV 5.61.6 –“Many-a-times woman is more firm and better than the man who shuns away from Gods and does not offer sacrifices (yajna).”

During the menstrual cycle,can women say their daily prayers ?
I would like to know the basis for these as some disciples do this,while some say that women should not do it during their menstruation.
Please give your inputs.

Yes,Women are prohibited BY SASTRAS from RITUAL prayers during Menstrual cycle.Normal prayer is not prohibited.

[rcscwc]

Quote:
During the menstrual cycle,can women say their daily prayers ?
I would like to know the basis for these as some disciples do this,while some say that women should not do it during their menstruation.
Please give your inputs.
Yes,Women are prohibited from offerings prayers during Menstrual cycle.

But why pick on Hindus? Menstruating muslim women are excluded from haj, fasting etc. Even otherwise, women are not allowed to be mullah, maulvi, kazi, mufti etc etc.

What about Judaism and xianity? They don't permit menstruating women in their temples. No women rabbis, priests etc.

What salvation? Judaism. Only men are saved.

Xianity and islam have no defined place of women in heaven. In islam it is wprse. They are supposed to be the sex playthings of devout muslims.

[Eastern Mind]

But why pick on Hindus? Menstruating muslim women are excluded from haj, fasting etc. Even otherwise, women are not allowed to be mullah, maulvi, kazi, mufti etc etc.

What about Judaism and xianity? They don't permit menstruating women in their temples. No women rabbis, priests etc.

What salvation? Judaism. Only men are saved.

Xianity and islam have no defined place of women in heaven. In islam it is wprse. They are supposed to be the sex playthings of devout muslims.

Is this like saying: I can be a thief because my neighbours are bigger thieves? I don't get why the seemingly need to compare. Look at an individual. He appears tall beside a short person and short beside a tall person. One country is great because only 20% of its citizens are starving, while its neighbour has 50%starving?

My take on the treatment of women in any society is the attitude. If a man says condescendingly "Ha ha, I can go to the temple and you can't " during his wife's menses, then yes, Houston, we have a problem. And most of it boils down to what happens in the home on a day to day basis.

Aum Namasivaya

[rcscwc]

Jedi, looks like you do not want to even listen.

Can't you understand one thing? Menses can be messy. Many sportswomen artifically stop them during their games. Why?

Why can't a woman be exempted from certain obligations for 3 days in a month? What are her human rights violated by this sabath? Many woman feel quite hellish during their periods. Why not let them have a break from escapable activities?

Otherwisewho cares if a woman does enter a temple during her periods. They are not checked, nor are they asked to bring a clearance certificate from their doctors.

Are you ever going to see that their is some advice to Hindu women, not only in religious but matters during those 3 days. Not sticking to that advice will not send her hell fires.

What stops you, at this juncture, from gross violations of human rights of women by the abrahmic religions?

[Eastern Mind]

Who is Jedi, if you don't mind me asking?

[chandu_69]

Otherwisewho cares if a woman does enter a temple during her periods. They are not checked, nor are they asked to bring a clearance certificate from their doctors.

That is right.Nobody is going to check and enforce these recommendations.

[Eastern Mind]

There is a deeply mystical reason for this, and it has to do with blood and certain types of disembodied souls being attracted to it. War begets war. How do fishermen attract more fish, especially sharks? They throw out a lot of bleeding specimens of fish. The sharks can smell and arrive. Here in our natural parks there are bear warnings about going camping while menstruating or with open wounds.

This is all physical scientific stuff. But similarities arise on the inner planes. We burn incense and light lamps to attract devonic forces. With dirt, negative auras, sexual attraction and ogling, being hung over from alcohol, not bathing, bleeding etc., the less devonic or odic forces are attracted. That is why we bathe also. We keep our minds pure at temples, and in shrine rooms.

This type of mystical knowledge have been lost over time, due to intellectualisation of our deeply mystical faith by the British, and others. There just aren't many mystics out there who can feel these things. A temple's vibration drops when blood enters. What most people have forgotten is that it applies to ALL BLOOD, not just menstrual blood. When I see someone bleeding at our temple, I simply get up and go home.

Of course some people might say this is all silly superstition, but let us recognise that our planet's ancient people's ideas have often been tossed aside only later to be 'rediscovered'.

Of course nobody is going to check. But this does not mean we don't need to provide education on these matters.

Aum Namasivaya

[rcscwc]

Not only bleeding, but with bleeding wounds, vomiting, etc are excluded, as are drunks.

How many menstruating women enter a public swimming pool?