Women's Dharma

[krishnakanta]

Namaste Everyone

I wanted to start a thread to discuss the position of women in Sanatana Dharma. The laws laid out in the Manusmrti are pretty rough on females and such laws have had a great deal of influence on Hindu culture. So what do you think? Are women really lower than men? Do their periods really make them impure? Do widows really have some sort of power to contaminate? If you are a woman do you see any issues that are religious based that you disagree or agree with?

What are your thoughts??

Hari Om!

[Wannabe Yogi]

Originally Posted by krishnakanta

Namaste Everyone

I wanted to start a thread to discuss the position of women in Sanatana Dharma. The laws laid out in the Manusmrti are pretty rough on females and such laws have had a great deal of influence on Hindu culture.

I do not see the Manusmrti as scripture. I looked at a book that contained 5 different smritis all of them contradicted each other on every subject. Since it was the British that rediscovered it and pushed its place of importance. I see no reason why I need to read it or follow its advice.

Originally Posted by krishnakanta

So what do you think? Are women really lower than men?

Hinduism has a few cultures that are matriarchal in both south India and Nepal. Its the women that are the leaders not the men.

Originally Posted by krishnakanta

Do their periods really make them impure?

At least one sect of Tantra rejects this view ( I have only studied one school I am sure their are more). Remember that Tantra is the only continuous faith with a book that has both female and male Gurus from Time in memorial. It is a feminist based religion. The Ramakrishna monks also reject this view.

Jai Ma ![/quote]

[Seyorni]

Outmoded, religiously sanctioned cultural detritus.

[K.Venugopal]

Only the truths espoused in what are called shrutis have an abiding value in Hinduism. Smritis are temporal laws laid down by the hierarchy in society on the basis of its social organization at a particular point in history. Since most Hindus now live in India, we can say that the smriti relevant today is the Ambedkar Smriti or the Indian constitution. In it heretical under the Indian constitution to deny any rights to women.

[santdasji]

Manusmruti is nio for the Kaliyug.For this Yugas Smruti Yagnavalkya Smruti is held most important.

[zenzero]

Friend krishnakanta,

Good topic.
Personally have done very little reading.
Understanding is that enlightened people never differentiate between any dualities and the rest are perceptions of the human mind which perceives duality.

Religion is a personal journey towards enlightenment.
The ball is always in your court.
Love & rgds

[Don Penguinoini]

The Manusmriti is an old scripture, and it is outdated. In households (mine ) women are very powerful.

[santdasji]

Yes even in the Uddhav Sampraday AKA Swaminarayan Sampraday, women hold a huge role alongside men. The Swaminarayan Sampraday also holds the Yagnavalkya Smruti as uttam for following the dharmas for the Kaliyug. These dharmas are those which can be best practiced in this day and age.

[Wannabe Yogi]

In the Rg Veda about 30 different women are said to be the seers of Hymns. This make Hinduism the only faith that has women sages that came up with their holy books.

There are two types of women talked about in the Vedas.

Girls who were given the upanayana after going to the home of their Guru and studying the vedas (E.G. Brahmavadinis )

The Girls who went straight in to marriage ( sadyovadhus ) and then had the upanayana sacrament.

Since the Vedas trumps any other Hindu scripture. Any text that limits the place of women is wrong and should be ignored.

[Wannabe Yogi]

The rules of the samnyasin ( monks of the Sankara orders ) had to bow down to there mothers. All others even the monks father ! had to bow down to him. Why? because Mothers are raised to the staus of a Goddess and fathers are not!