We are but at the earliest dawn of the Millennium of the Spirit
Religion and Women's Liberation
Hindu women suffer largely because of religious dogma
Religion has been the guiding force behind many
of the acts that people carry out. Ask an orthodox
Hindu woman about the significance of her acts
and she will point to the codes of her religion
without haste.
"You must not touch the male members in the
family during periods," my grandmother and
mother often warn me. Their reasoning has its
basis in the religious belief that women are
impure during that time. My reluctance wouldn't
work here because they are rigid in their beliefs.
It was after I wrote an article about honor killings
in Islam and the provision cited for it in the
religious text that I became fascinated by the
portrayal of women in religion. Also, because
studies have revealed that most acts like honor
killings are not in accordance with religious
ethics.
Lately I have concentrated on Hinduism because
Hindu women, like Islamic women, have been
suffering largely because of religious dogma.
Women, though the counterpart of males, are
portrayed as the slave. The term"Impurity"Is
synonymous with female. Women are impure
several times during menstruation and even after
childbirth.
"The religion that suppresses us must be called a
vice, there is no point of virtue," says Susmita, a
female high school student.”What wrong have
we done to God?”
Like Susmita, many blame religious beliefs for
creating favorable ground for discrimination. But
there is a clear contradiction also because
Hinduism worships the goddess with utmost
respect. Rather, say major gods in this particular
religion are female. It is even claimed that
Hinduism has the longest, continuous history of
goddess worship. Female divinities like Laxmi,
Saraswati and Kali are worshipped as mother
goddesses.
But this triumph of the divine feminine has
caused no notable difference for suffering
women. Goddess worship in general has not have
gifted females with greater authority and
independence. Even some of the ways in which
Hindus relate women to the goddess are rather
unfair.
Sita, who is taken as an example of the devoted
wife (of lord Rama), is worshipped for her
sacrifice for her husband. Bur lord Ram made her
take the fire test to prove her purity as she was
abducted by Ravana. Suspecting her purity, Lord
Ram exiled her while she was pregnant and made
her bring up their sons in the jungle. To this day,
a loyal and self-sacrificing wife is compared to
Sita. Likewise, the goddess Laxmi is always
portrayed as massaging the feet of lord Vishnu. In
every Hindu household, wives and mothers are
referred to as the Laxmi of the house, as Laxmi is
the devoted wife as well as the goddess of
fortune.
In religious texts like Swasthani, women are
portrayed as self-sacrificing and submissive for
the sake of their husbands. They are exposed as
fasting for months to get the husband they desire.
Parvati worships and fasts for a month to get
Shiva as a husband.
Twenty-year-old Aruna was in fasting for more
than a month. The fasting is called"Swasthani
brat.”There is a popular saying that the fasting is
for the well-being of the husband and for
unmarried ones. It is said that they can get the
husband they desire. For women in Hinduism, the
husband, or pati, is the spiritual lord.
In an essay in a book titled _Is the Goddess a
Feminist: The Politics of South Asian
Goddesses_, Rita Das Gupta points out that the
Smriti literature that is the foundation of Hindu
codes of conduct recognized Stri Dharma as the
proper duty of the women. Stri Dharma stipulates
that the focus of a women's entire religious
devotion should be her husband.
Most of the female divinities are portrayed as
wives of the gods, but their significance has been
overshadowed with various interpretations to
undermine their sovereignty. The tradition of
Shakti worship has dominated Hinduism. Shakti
is the female divinity who represents the power of
her divine male counterpart. In her essay, Gupta
says that though in Devi Mahatmya, or the
glorification of the goddess, the female is
portrayed as absolute, and various concepts of
feminine principles combine with the notion of
ultimate reality to create a great goddess who is
the power inherent in creation and dissolution.
This is not stressed in any Shakta tradition [!!!]
[really???], and interpreted from the male point of
view.
But an ignored fact is that Hinduism stresses the
balance between Shiva and Shakti. Shiva, a male
here, has to be accompanied by Shakti, a female.
The two beings are so inseparable that they fuse
together to create Ardhanareshowr, who takes on
a half-male and half-female form and is
considered most powerful. We celebrate many
festivals praising the Shaktis, like Kali. In
mythology, when the gods couldn't defeat the
demon called Maishashur, they worshipped the
goddess Durga, who manifested as the destroyer
Kali and killed it, saving the gods.
Interpretations of religious texts have always
been from a male point of view because
throughout religious history they have been in
power—similar to the notion that the winners
write the history. Women are always denied self-
determination. Who knows if the goddess Laxmi
sits at the feet of lord Vishnu. Whoever drew the
sketch must have been a male; or, the truth could
have been altered. None of the religious texts is
the truth; they are fictions produced and
reproduced many times as per the convenience of
those in power, or those who sought power. To
liberate women from male-dominated tradition,
we need to reinterpret everything. The liberation
of women is a huge challenge as religious
misconceptions of vice are deep rooted in society
as a whole.
Religion and Women's Liberation
Smita Poudel
OhMy News, Korea
Further reading:
Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine
Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition by
David Kinsley.
Victory to The Mother: The Hindu Goddess of
Northwest India in Myth, Ritual and Symbol by
Kathleen M. Erndl.
Is the Goddess a Feminist?: The Politics of South
Asian Goddesses edited by Alf Hiltebeitel and
Kathleen M. Erndl.
Religion and Women's Liberation
Hindu women suffer largely because of religious dogma
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Dear devotees of the Adi Shakti,
Namaskar: I bow to the Divine Mother that resides in you.
i just want to comment on the last paragraph:
"Interpretations of religious texts have always
been from a male point of view because throughout
religious history they have been in power—similar
to the notion that the winners write the history.
This is true and that is cause of the low status of women in Hinduism
and Islam. But i have heard Muslim men making comments that left me
shaking my head. In one documentary a guy from North-West Frontier
Province of Pakistan shot his wife dead just because she was seen
talking with another male relative. He spent six months in prison and
fined some cows by the panchayat (male dominated village committee).
His regret ..... losing his cows instead of the 'nimal' he shot dead.
"Women are always denied self-determination. Who knows
if the goddess Laxmi sits at the feet of lord Vishnu.
Whoever drew the sketch must have been a male; or, the
truth could have been altered.”
i know that the Goddess Laxmi does not sit at the feet of lord Vishnu but
besides Him as an equal partner, His Shakti. That is true for all the deities,
barring none. Yes, those who make Her subservient to lord Vishnu must be
obviously males.
"None of the religious texts is the truth; they are
fictions produced and reproduced many times as per
the convenience of those in power, or those who
sought power.”
This is a false statement. It is the scriptural truth of the Divine
Feminine that has been misinterpreted by those in power. That is why
we do not hear of the Adi Shakti (Holy Spirit, Ruh, Aykaa Mayee) who
is the active aspect and power of God Almighty in creation, sustenance
and destruction. It is this Divine Feminine/Mother/Shakti within
humans who grants Self-realization and liberation to all. The
Primordial Mother is again in ascendancy and revealing Her Ultimate
Reality. All the followers of the 'patriarchal religions' will only
be able to resurrect/liberate/evolve themselves into the eternal
spirit at Her Feet. The male guardians of these patriarchal religious
regimes are not going to welcome the Matriarch of All, unless they
want liberation. It is actually a simple way to compel those in power
to submit themselves unconditionally to Her, and start respecting the
feminine half of humanity.
We are but at the earliest dawn of the Millennium of the Spirit and
holding Her Truth in the palm of our hands. The Truth is that the
same Divine Feminine pervades all the Holy Scriptures and religions.
It is going to take time for it to enter human consciousness ...............
but the promise of moksa (liberation/release from mundane earthly existence)
can accelerate the process.
Jai Shri Ganapathy,
jagbir
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