Asceticism For Women

‘சிறு கோடுதான்
நீ தேடியதும்
நான் வரைந்ததும்
அடையாளம் தெரியவில்லை
அவ்வளவுதான்...’
This is a small kavitha in Tamil meaning'
A small line, I drew.which you were searching for. But you cannot recognize the same'
This is stated to have been told by a woman whose husband deserted her and became a sanyasi.All along women have been drawing such lines to extend the branches of 'love' and'affection' which man is unable to understand.
Man can easily cut off and leave.
A small story to narrate.A five year old small boy is converted into a buddha bikshu.But in his youth he is dominated by desires and is sent back.He renounces the sanyasihood, gets
married, entangled in family life. Gets connected to extra marital relationship with another girl.Begets children.Suddenly there is realisation.He leaves the family and gets back to sanyasa.
The girl asks him" do you remember the name Yasodhara?Siddhartha who left his wife and son in the midst of night to attain Gnana is praised by one and all as Buddha. Had Yasodhara deserted her husband and child and vanished in search of 'Gnana', would the society accept her?
The word'Gnana' has different connotations for men and women.For 'men' it may mean deserting the family. But for women it means creating a bondage.
It is just a formality for a man to desert his family and just escape.A coward can do this.
A woman may not mind losing her man to death but may not forgive a coward.
A girl need not get out of the house in search of 'Gnaana.

Sanyasa is a form of asceticism, is marked by renunciation of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in peaceful, love-inspired, simple spiritual life
But a girl never leaves the husband and children in search of gnana.Sanyasam for a woman is just to sacrifice the food and dress she likes,sacrificing her sleep and on many occasions renunciating her career for the sake of husband and children

If obstacles confront women that abide in the Self, do the sastras sanction their renouncing the home and becoming ascetics?

Bhagavan Ramana, the great Sage, Knower of the import of all the Scriptures, has said
Since there is no such prohibition in the sastras, there is nothing wrong in women abiding in the Self and fully ripe becoming ascetics.

While we have been talking about sannyas and sannyasins, many people may not be totally aware that sannyasins means collectively, both men and women. Although once, women were excluded initiation and sannyas life they are now very much accepted. Sannyas is open to everyone - there are no exceptions or limitations- only those that are self imposed.

Throughout the ages there have been many female saints and sages although not a great deal has been heard about them. Women like Ananda Mai Ma, the Holy Mother Sarada Devi, Saint Teresa and Mirabai are well known, but there have been many others from the Moghal period, the Christian, Buddhist and Sufi traditions as well as the unsung saintly woman from the village nearby, who heals and inspires, and is revered as an incarnation of the divine mother.

There have also been many female gurus. In fact, in the tantric tradition, it is said that initiation from a female guru is very powerful and very auspicious. Nowadays women seem to be more inclined towards a spiritual life than men, and they have many valuable qualities to offer in the upliftment of humanity. There are many women who feel they have a more universal contribution to make to the world beyond bearing children. The institution of marriage and the raising of a family can be a great limitation to such women.

On a grand scale a female sannyasin can be the mother of many, preparing beings for spiritual life as she would her own children for a material, worldly life. But of course a female sannyasin does not have to possess motherly qualities. She can also be strong, ambitious, aggressive and fiery. The guru gives positive direction to all tendencies.
When a guru accepts a sannyasin, he makes of him or her a complete and independent being, awakening the inner shakti in a male and the inner shiva in a female. In the course of training, all sannyasins are placed in situations that will enable them to break away from their predetermined masculine or feminine roles to discover the true underlying self, and the many potentials that may have been suppressed all throughout life.

Theoretically, much seems to be easier.But in the practical world of advanced scientific developments, is it pragmatic to have self imposed sanyas for women ,when so much is expected of them as wives, mothers,daughters, teachers, doctors, scientists and the like-- notwithstanding the spiritual significance attached to Sanyas?

Jayasala 42

 

Thank you Kkrish

 

Dear Pushpa, Thank you.While in earlier days there was some respect for sanyasis, in today's world, all saffron robbed ones are seen with an eye of suspicion as there are more fake ones and many sanyasis have amassed wealth to an unimaginable extent.

jayasala 42

 

Dear Viswa, Excellent response, as expected from a scholar.
Unlike sankara mutts, many of the vaishnava mutts have their jeeyars who have been gruhasthas, begot children and later had taken to sanyasa Ashrama. Now adays, the word 'sanyasi' connotes men who have built a fort of wealth around them.the saffron robe has lost its sanctity. a few years back there was a special bulletin about all the so called swamijis inclusive of Mutt heads, sathya sai Group, H. H. Ravi Sankar, jaggi vasaudev and many others.There were many derogatory remarks too .

Jayasala 42