Thread by @Iyerpatriot

“ardho vA eSha Atmano yatpatnI” TBH- 20-138-2 – “a wife is the half of oneself”

“AtmA hi dArAH sarveShAM dArasaMgrahavartinAM| Atmeyamiti rAmasya pAlayiShyati medinIM”
Wife is the soul of married men- hence sItA being rAma’s self will govern the earth”(vasiShTha in rAmAyaNa)1/n

‘na shivena vinA devi na ca devyA vinA shivaH| nAnayorantaraM kiMcit candracandrikayoriva||

Shiva is never without the shakti and similarly shakti is also never without shiva. There is no difference between them and they are like the moon & moon light”2/n

“striyo devAH striyaH prANAH striya eva hi bhUShaNam |striyaH sRShTiḥ striyaH sargaH sarvaM tasyAṃ pratiShThitaM |strIdveSho naiva kartavyo visheShAtpUjanaM striyaH”

Women are deities women are breath of life women alone are adornment, women are the creation and created 3/n

and everything is dependent on women. Ever show hatred for women. Women are to be worshipped. (tantra)

yatra nAryastu pUjyante ramante tatra devatAH | yatraitAstu na pUjyante sarvAstatrAphalAH kriyAH – where women are worshipped the gods reside there. Where they are 4/n

not worshipped, all rituals are futile & yield no result (manu)

paramAdevatA patnI saMpUjyA gRhamedhinA
sadA patnyAH sharIre tu vartante sarvadevatAH

tathaivAgnirgArhapatyo brahmarUpaM ca vartate
tasmAt patyA sadA pUjyA seti vedeShu nishcayaH
5/n

yastu patnIM susaMpUjya gArhapatyamupAsate
sabhuktvA sakalAn kAmAn brahmaloke mahIyate

Wife is the supreme deity fit to be worshipped by the husband who is a gRhamedhin i.e. worshipper of the gArhapatyAgni. In the body of the wife reside all the devatA-s.
6/n

Similarly, the Vedas declare that the gArhapatyAgni which is verily brahmarUpa also resides in her body. Therefore she should always be worshipped by the husband.
The one who worships his wife & and does upAsanA of gArhapatya gets all his desires fulfilled and is worshipped 7/n

in brahmaloka after his death.

The above are but a few quotes from various sources just to show the prime position women occupied in bhAratIya vedic religion which bestows a high status to woman because the vedas themselves do so. The woman's creation contains more 8/n

divine and other qualities than man's. Our religion also bestows equal rights, freedom and power in matters of house, land, distribution of wealth, remarriage, divorce etc. and in certain matters it endows women with more rights. The unlimited special superior dignity and 9/n

reverence to be given to women is clear from many of the mantras recited during marriage ceremony and on other religious occasions.
However, with the advent of heretic religions and thereafter the abrahamic religions in this country, for many centuries the rights of women 10/n

with regard to vedic education and vedic practices were denied to them. Similar was the case in respect of marriage, remarriage and property. They were reduced to naught, treated as an appendage with no status. In other words, so much indignity and cruelty was heaped 11/n

on them in the name of sastras that they believed themselves to be inferior. The comments on a recent viral video of a lady officiating as a purohit indicate that our people are either ignorant of the spiritual rights of women with regard to upanayana, gAyatri, veda 12/n

adhyayana & adhyApana or the misogynistic mentality among certain sections of the male population is still prevalent. This thread is an attempt to highlight references from dharmashAstras & sUtras and the epics which clearly establish the fact our women enjoyed equal rights 13/n

if not more when it came to vedic studies, rituals & practices.

People said women are prohibited from chanting the oM mantra and by extension of the ban they are prohibited from receiving the upanayana saMskAra & gAyatri & thereby not entitled to vedic studies. 14/n

It’s an indisputable undeniable fact that as many as 27 riShika-s are identified as vedic women seers who not only chanted vedic Rcas but also composed hymns!
Citing an English translation of AshvalAyana gRhyasUtra with regard to upanayana (janeu/sacred thread) people posted 15/n

saying there is absolutely no sUtra found anywhere which specifies upanayana for woman! The relevant gRhyasUtra merely specifies the age at which the brAhmaNa, kShatriya & vaishya should be initiated. Thus when the sUtra says “aShTame varShe brAhmaNam upanayet” the word 16/n

“brAhmaNa” here indicates the caste and not the gender. In the statement “brAhmaNo na hantavyaH” (brahmana should not be killed) does it mean a Brahmin lady can be killed just because it says brAhmaNa? So in words specifying caste in the absence of gender & number, the word 17/n

will automatically apply to both the genders. Or in the verse “brAhmaNo madirAM pItvA brAhmaNyAdeva hIyate” “brahmana falls from his caste by drinking liquor” since the verse doesn’t specify brAhmaNI can we take it that a Brahmin lady can drink liquor and yet won’t fall 18/n

from her caste? Hence gender is specified only where gender specific rites are prescribed. The entitlement should be understood from other sUtras therein – like the maintenance of the grhyAgni in the absence of the householder, his wife or son or daughter or disciple can do 19/n

“pANigrahaNAdi gRhyaM paricared svayaM patnyapi vA putraH kumAryantevAsyapi vA”gobhila says that the bride should have her yaJjopavIta while being led by the groom by her hand to the sacrificial altar:“prAvRtAM yaJjopavItinImabhyudAnayan japet somodadadgandharvAyeti” 2:1:19 20/n

. He also confirms the right of the wife to perform agnihotra when the husband is not in a position to do or is away “kAmaM gRhyegnau patnI juhuyAt sAyaM prAtarhomau gRhAH patnI gRhya eShognirbhavatIti”. It would be naïve to believe women can do the agni rites without 21/n

upanayana saMskAra or gAyatri as these are sine-qua-non for any vedic rites. This is further strengthened by hArIta DS which says “dvividhA striyo brahmavAdinyaH sadyovadhvashcha| tatra brahmavAdinInAm upanayanaM agnIndhanaM vedAdhyayanaM svagRhe bhikShAcharyA iti |22/n

(vadhUnAM tUpasthite vivAhe thaMcidupanayanamAtraM vivAhaH kartavyaH iti mAdhavAchAryaH) Further, several vedic mantras are specifically for recital by women for eg mAdhyandina yajurveda 5.17; 3.44-45
A daughter who has undergone upanayana saMskAra is also entitled to do 23/n

the ekoddhiShTa shrAddha for her parents, very much like the son “दुहिता पुत्रवत् कुर्यात् माता-पित्रोस्तु संस्कृता। अशौचमुदकं पिण्डमेकोद्दिष्टम् सदा तयोः” if chanting of “oM” itself is prohibited how then can women perform vedic rites with attendant vedic mantras? 24/n

Did not kausalya in rAmAyaNa & sAvitrI & ambA in mahAbhArata offer oblations in agni with attendant vedic mantras?
“sA kShauma vasanA hRShTA nityaM vrata parAyaNA
agnim juhoti sma tadA mantravat kRta mangalA” (rAmAyaNa- 2-20-15)

The mahAbhArata is replete with instances of 25/n

women excelling in the Vedas & performing vedic rites

adya taddivasaM cheti hutvA dIptaM hutAshanam .
yugamAtrodite sUryekRtvA paurvAhnikIH kriyAH
vrataM samApyasAvitrI snAtvA shuddhA yashasvinI
tataH sarvAndvijAnvRddhAn shvashrUM shvashurameva cha
26/n

abhivAdyAnupUrvyeNa prAJjalirniyatA sthitA (mbh 3-297)

bharadvAjasya duhitA rUpeNApratimA bhuvi shrutAvatI nAma vibho kumArI brahmacAriNI (mbh/sp/54/6)

babhUva shrImatI rAjan shANDilyasya mahAtmanaH
sutA dhRtavratA sAdhvI niyatA brahmacAriNI(mbh/sp/54/9) etc
27/n

there are many more references that can be quoted here from purANa/itihAsa/veda/sUtra-s and even from shankara digvijaya – on ubhayabhArati : सर्वाणि शास्त्राणि षडंग वेदान् काव्यादिकान् वेत्ति, परञ्च सर्वम् ।तन्नास्ति नोवेत्ति यदत्र बाला तस्मादभूच्चित्र पदं जनानाम् ॥ 28/n

this means, there are no yuga restrictions – that kaliyuga imposes restrictions etc.
A woman's heart is filled with limitless love. This love expects nothing in return and is undiminishing and everlasting towards brothers, children, parents etc. It is priceless, 29/n

incomparable and self sacrificing towards her husband and child. The vedas say that the feminine creation is in the nature of unshakeable firm love, gentleness, forbearance and sacrifice. One must understand that whatever rights or independence are given to women, they would 30/n

continue to be humble and soft because of their inborn loving and sacrificing nature. They would continue to be supportive to their husband, children, parents and siblings. Further, amongst creation, woman is the personification of sacrifice. She would go hungry giving 31/n

her portion of food to her husband and children quietly. With all the inherent qualities above, it is not very difficult to guess which of the two genders is more qualified and entitled to the study of Vedas! Atleast now, we should realise the real purpose of creation 32/n

shed ignorance and enable the women of our house to study the Vedas after proper initiation and saMskAra. The alone will cause the rise of womanhood and thereby total emancipation of mankind.
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