Originally Posted by
Baobobtree
Namaste all.
In the current age of the Kali Yuga, the traditional view is that it is considered harder for mankind to comprehend the Vedas (including the Upanishads), so subsidary texts like the Puranas, Itihasas, Tantras, etc. are instead reccomended for his/her study. Generally speaking, only the acharyas, sanyasins, and a very limited number of traditional Brahmin families have continued with the study of the Upanishads. With the rise of Neo-Hindu, and "Vedic revivalist" movements, the study of the Upanishads has begun to spread to the common man, but generally speaking most Hindus do not bother with the study of the Upanishads.
Certainly at least since the time of Adi Shankaracharya, study of Sruti shastra has been limited to the twice born (dvija) varna, and often only to men. But if I'm not mistaken, this includes men of the Kshatriya, and Vaishya varna. The Brahmins were the only varna qualified to preform agnihotra, but the Kshatriya and Vaishya communities could study the Vedas under their tutelage, and employed the Brahmins to help them preform agnihotra.
Women, though generally not considered fit in medieval India to study the Vedas preform Yajnas etc. were clearly aloud to in the past. Various female rishis like Gargi, Lopamudra, etc. had mastered study of The Vedas. Likewise in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad a ritual is given for a husband and wife to preform should they wish to give birth to a daughter who is to be effecient in the Vedas. I don't have the exact verse number on hand, but if anyone would like me to dig it up for them I will gladly do so.
Now, where the discrepency lies on who can study the Vedas, is if the Sudra is entitled to study of the Vedas. Even in the Vedas themselves (Vedas here refering to the 4 Samhitas, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, and Brahma Sutras) there are contradictory statements about a Sudra's right to study the Vedas, and in the Smriti Sastra this difference of opinions is also present. In Shukla Yajur Veda 26.2 we find Which would indicate both Sudras, and those considered outside the Vedic fold were eligable for study of the Sruti. They (like the Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas) could not preform Vedic Yajna without the help of the Brahmins, this is true, and in the Mahabharata we see the sudra Paijavana, does indeed employ Brahmins in helping him preform agnihotra. Now, various other Smriti texts bar sudras from studying the Vedas, and in the Brahma Sutras there is a small group of verses declaring Sudras can not study Sruti. So, whether or not Sudras can study the Veda, is a matter of debate, based on how one interprets the various verses which seemingly either allow or disallow the Sudra from studying Sruti.
At any rate the point I'm trying to make is that both the Neo-Hindu view, and the more traditional view about who can and can't study the Vedas have their basis in shastra, and either side could be considered valid.
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