The irony is that although Hindus have many goddesses to be worshipped, they have failed to show proper respect to women. Religion itself has severely discriminated against women in the Hindu societies. Manusamhita written by one great ancient sage (not by a priest) is one example of how Hindu society has reduced a Hindu woman to the subhuman level. It will not be wrong to term Sage Manu a male chauvinist of the highest order. Indian constitution is great as it has not indulged such sacred religious edicts and indirectly has defied all the inhuman edicts (caste-ism) thanks to the founding fathers.
On Saturday, August 9, 2014 10:48 AM, "Jiten Roy jnrsr53@yahoo.com [mukto-mona]" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
I know rituals have meanings, but how many Hindus know those meanings.
It's a palpable fact that power of men comes from women, and whatever men do revolve around women. This truth got its respectable position only in Hindu scriptures, but most people cannot fathom it. They see only the image of the idol, and the whole event turns into some sort of entertainment, not spiritual enlightenment.
I attribute this mostly to the failure of priesthood. Priests themselves either are ignorant of these facts or they deliberately control the knowledge to themselves. The result is - worshipping has been an event of social gathering and entertainment. That's unfortunate.
Jiten Roy
On Friday, August 8, 2014 5:53 PM, "Sudhir-Architect ar_sudhirkumar@yahoo.com [mukto-mona]" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Varalakshmi Vratham is a popular ritual observed by married women in South India and Maharashtra. In 2014, the date of Varalakshmi Vratham is August 8. Goddess Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity – is worshipped on this day.
Varalakshmi literally means the boon granting goddess. Worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshipping Ashtalaksmi – the eight goddesses of Wealth, Earth, Learning, Love, Fame, Peace, Pleasure, and Strength.
Varalakshmi Vratham History:
According to Hindu history, once Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva about a vratha that will be beneficial to women. Lord Shiva then mentioned the importance of Varalakshmi Vratha. The conversation on Varalakshmi Vratha between Parvati and Shiva takes place in the Skanda Purana.
To illustrate the importance of the Vratha, Lord Shiva narrates the story of Charumati. Pleased with Charumati's devotion to her husband and family, Goddess Lakshmi appeared in her dream and asked her to perform the Varalakshmi Vratha. The pious Charumati invited all her neighbors, friends and relatives and performed the Varalakshmi puja as directed by Goddess Lakshmi. Soon after the puja, all the people who participated in the puja where blessed with wealth and prosperity.
In ancient India, women occupied a very important position, in fact a superior position to, men. It is a culture whose only words for strength and power are feminine -"Shakti'' means "power'' and "strength.'' All male power comes from the feminine. Literary evidence suggests that kings and towns were destroyed because a single woman was wronged by the state. For example, Valmiki's Ramayana teaches us that Ravana and his entire clan was wiped out because he abducted Sita. Veda Vyasa's Mahabharatha teaches us that all the Kauravas were killed because they humiliated Draupadi in public. Elango Adigal's Sillapathigaram teaches us Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas was burnt because Pandyan Nedunchezhiyan mistakenly killed her husband on theft charges.
In Vedic times women and men were equal as far as education and religion was concerned. Women participated in the public sacrifices alongside men. One text mentions a female rishi Visvara. Some Vedic hymns, are attributed to women such as Apala, the daughter of Atri, Ghosa, the daughter of Kaksivant or Indrani, the wife of Indra. Apparently in early Vedic times women also received the sacred thread and could study the Vedas. The Haritasmrti mentions a class of women called brahmavadinis who remained unmarried and spent their lives in study and ritual. Panini's distinction between arcarya (a lady teacher) and acaryani (a teacher's wife), and upadhyaya (a woman preceptor) and upadhyayani ( a preceptor's wife) indicates that women at that time could not only be students but also teachers of sacred lore. He mentions the names of several noteworthy women scholars of the past such as Kathi, Kalapi, and Bahvici. The Upanishads refer to several women philosophers, who disputed with their male colleagues such as Vacaknavi, who challenged Yajnavalkya. The Rig Veda also refers to women engaged in warfare. One queen Bispala is mentioned, and even as late a witness as Megasthenes (fifth century B.C. E.) mentions heavily armed women guards protecting Chandragupta's palace.
Hindu Wisdom - Women in Hinduism
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Posted by: subimal chakrabarty <subimal@yahoo.com>
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