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Religion Is Unfair To Women.

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by HariLakhera, Oct 15, 2018.

  1. BhumiBabe

    BhumiBabe Platinum IL'ite

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    Recently, I have been feeling the same thing, when exploring the Hinduism. All the stories that I was raised with have always had a tone that set women in "their place," and a place that is not too complimentary. Even the stories about powerful women (two that come up in my mind are Madurai Meenakshi's marriage and Madurai's Kannagi stories - my mom is from there) somehow manages to reduce their personalities to make them palatable to common people.

    For Meenakshi's story, she is raised to be quite a ruler of her people, and is undefeatable by her enemies, though it is prophesied that she becomes the feminine ideal when she meets a man who can "tame" her (Shiva). There's more to this story, but the general theme is that Meenakshi's strength and intelligence was an anomaly.

    I don't even want to start with the Kannagi story - but she burns down Madurai because the King unjustly punishes her husband (who cheated and disrespected her for years). I struggle to see why her "devoted wife" reputation is seen in such a positive light. She's a crazy person.
     
  2. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Thanks. Whatever might have been the reasons but women have not been treated equal anywhere. The quotes from epics I read and are only indicative. The truth is much horrifying. We don't have to read epics for that but then epics did pave the way.
    I however do not subscribe to the opinion that women have to prove that they are equal to men. In fact both have some exclusive strengths and some common threats. It is more important to find an equilibrium.
     
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  3. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Thanks for correction. It also proves that you read it with full attention. (hahahaha) As I said in my last post ' Spoiled by spellcheck', this is another example of automation. I am sure Ravana was not knowledgeable or caring about 'freckles' and treatment thereof.
     
  4. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Yes that is a positive sign. However miles to go.
     
  5. ratan

    ratan Gold IL'ite

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    I like the sentense" It is more important to find an equilibrium". God has created both as a complementary for each other. Bt the issue raised when man became possessive and treated her as a commodity. The repercussion is in front of us in the form of woman liberation ( sometimes, something, somewhere negative). Society become battle field to prove powerful to each other. Any way, because of ur nice post we are sharing our thoughts on IL platform.:icon_writing::banana:
     
  6. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I have spent a good portion of my career in Bengal. Bengalis are predominantly 'Shaktas' or worshipers of Goddess. There is a joke that Bengalis earn well for a whole year to spend it all on Durga Puja! This religious practice is generally seen in Bengal men's love and respect for their wives. We can see it in the life history of Paramahamsa and his wife Sarada Devi.
    "By the time his bride joined him, Ramakrishna had already embraced the monastic life of a sannyasi; as a result, the marriage was never consummated. As a priest Ramakrishna performed the ritual ceremony—the Shodashi Puja–where Sarada Devi was made to sit in the seat of goddess Kali, and worshiped as the Divine Mother. Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as the Divine Mother in person, addressing her as the Holy Mother, and it was by this name that she was known to Ramakrishna's disciples. Sarada Devi outlived Ramakrishna by 34 years and played an important role in the nascent religious movement" - Wikipedia
     
  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    In every being there exists a masculine and a feminine nature. The masculine or positive side reveals itself as the powers of discrimination, self-control, exacting judgment—qualities that express or respond to reason. The negative or feminine nature consists of feeling—love, sympathy, kindness, mercy, joy. In the ideal being, these two aspects are perfectly balanced. But if reason lacks feeling, it becomes calculating, harsh, judgmental; and if feeling lacks reason it becomes blind emotion.

    “The harmonious balance of reason and feeling leads to intuitive perception and the ability to know what is Truth. Achieving this balance, men and women become gods.”

    It seems there has always been a rivalry between man and woman. But they are equals; neither one is superior. Be proud of what you are in this life. You are a soul that has been in both male and female bodies in different past incarnations. If you are a woman now and you envy men, you will have to reincarnate as a man. And take heed: if you are a man now and feel superior to women, you may have to be born as a woman.

    Man argues that woman is emotional and cannot reason, and woman complains that man cannot feel. Both are incorrect. Woman can reason, but feeling is uppermost in her nature; and man can feel, but in him reason is predominant. The ideal is to balance reason and feeling in one’s nature. Those who are too womanish do not find soul freedom, and neither do those who are too mannish. Each sex should strive toward a balance by learning from one another through friendship and understanding.

    In the great saints we see combined the ideal masculine and feminine qualities. Jesus was like that; so were all the masters. When you have attained that perfect reason-feeling equilibrium, you will have learned one of the major lessons for which you were sent here. - Journey to Self-Realization by Paramahasa Yoganantha
     
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  8. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Geetaji,
    I totally agree with you as spouses we have to treat each other equal and that is why the institution of marriage was conceptualized. Both are complimentary and supplementary to each other. It may be sheer selfish but it is true. It is the spouse only who will care for yout ill the last moment.
    It is very clear that epics were written by men because there is no contradicting the same. I do not know why women did not write anything or if they did where is that. Yagyavalik, the Rishi with two wives is questioned by Gargi Vachaknavi about Brahmcharya and his reply that one with the knowledge of Brhama is Brahmachari or something on those lines. I am referring to Gargi as she was considered a great scholar in vedic knowledge but there is no mention of her anywhere about fighting for women's rights. We have many women spiritual leaders and none of them have done anything.
    As regards dil, sil,mil fil, I , rightly or wrongly hold the view that women are their own worst enemies. They do not need men for that. They are the one who advocate for a male child and if the dil can not deliver, find another one. dil and sil can not see eye on many issues. It is not a question of having an upper hand it is much more than that EGO. As regards Fil and sil, there too it is ego but both can live with that.
     
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  9. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Viswa,
    Thanks for your considered views.
    I agree, there is lot left to interpretation in our religious books. The reason could be that humans are logical and would not accept anything blindly. Those who do that are considered faithfuls.
    As regards Sabri the lines are self explanatory. She is comparing women among the lowest creatures and herself even lowest of them. That might have been the norm in those days. Same for Ravana. That he was a learned person makes it all the more implicit how women were treated then. Mandodari, his wife was not a commoner. She was a daughter of Kuber. Mother of his son, warrior Meghnatha. But he represented the culture of those times. I would however concede that Tulsidas, the writer of Ramcharimanas was somewhat a aggrieved soul as his wife had ridiculed him but he too represented the society of those days.
    Yes some did sacrifice their lives for protecting their women byt that was that. No one contradicted the epics.
    I have already mentioned the high profile positions given to women in our epics and there is no denying that. Yet, leave Ramamayan, even Geeta, spoken by Lord Himself puts women as of sinful birth like sudras. The epics were not only written by men but by Brahmin men.
    As a brahmin myself, and a bad brahmin at that, I have great respect for our epics but there are passages which appear objectionable and that is what I highlighted.
     
  10. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Thank God she did not insist that it must be a male child. And I am amused if you do not do that.
     

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