Women and Sudras

There exists a criticism that Vedic Hindu religion discriminates against women and sudras.

The reason is Vedic education, which is very much essential for liberation, is denied for them. That means women and sudras have to be reborn as traivarnika male and then undergo vedic study to attain moksha.

Answer:

Apparently this is true that direct Vedic education is not given to women and shudras and it is available only to traivarnika males. But the results of Vedic nityakarma performed by the traivarnika males is reaped by all. Also all other scriptures like ithihasas and puranas that expose the meanings of Vedas are available for all.

But still why should Vedas be restricted? In order to correctly understand the reason behind it one needs to take an impartial look at the Vedic world view.

Vedas are not just prayers. They consist of mantras that need to be chanted with proper pronunciation and intonation in order to obtain the desired good results. If the mantras are chanted incorrectly or at inappropriate times with impure mind, then undesired bad results will result affecting both the individual as well as the world at large. Hence Vedic education is not freely given for all. 

According to Vedas, the entire universe and human society in particular is looked upon as the body of God. It is an organic whole, exactly similar to the human body. The four varnas of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra form the face, arms, thighs and feet, respectively. It is very obvious that all these four parts of the body have their specific duty or function and they have to engage in their respective duties with co-operation and unison as a service to the indwelling being.

Similarly the four varnas have to engage in their respective duties or dharma as a service to God who is indwelling in all.So the purpose of teaching Veda to only traivarnika males is  to enable them to engage in their prescribed duty of performance of nitya karma for the benefit of all.

Does it mean that Sudras have to live always by serving others? Absolutely No. These duties are not air tight and depending on one's capability Sudras can engage in the trades of others when the need arises. Vidura was a sudra and he worked as a prime minister of Kouravas. Dharma vyadha was a meat seller but he provided spiritual education to koushika who was a brahmana. Sabari was a tribal women but was a student of Rishi Kanva and attained moksha after directly serving Lord Sri Rama. The only that is not recommended is formal learning and dissemination of Vedas, which is considered the main duty of Brahmanas as it involves living by begging and rigorous austerity.

Women stand for the reality of mind. No service would be fruitful unless it is attended by the mind. Similarly no vedic ritual or dharma would be fruitful if women does not provide her consent and co-operate with their husbands.

Women is also considered as an integral part of Man. "Ardho va Antama yat patnee" - Wife is the better half of man - says Veda. They both form one single whole. So women are encouraged to co-operate and work with their husbands in the performance of their prescribed dharma. They are thus called saha-dharmacharini. 

So even though women and sudras are not directly involved in learning Veda, they reap the benefit of Vedic yagya by simply engaging in their respective dharma. 

Ultimately all individuals from all Varnas including brahmanas have to engage in the service of a Vedically learned spiritual acharya in order to get eligibility to meditate on Brahman and engage in bhakti for liberation.

No Varna and their respective duty is high or low as all of them culminate in the service of the supreme God or Brahman indwelling in all.

After Vedic study, traivarnikas have to study Itihasas like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and other scriptures for engaging in true Bhakti. Women and Shudras can directly study these scriptures and engage in Bhakti which is always of the nature of loving service for the Lord manifesting as this very universe.

Vedic study and service to a Guru removes ego and gives the adhikara for traivarnika males to engage in Bhakti towards Brahman.

On the other hand Women and Sudras are considered naturally devoid of ego and so can directly engage in Bhakti towards Ishwara or Brahman. So not studying Veda is not a discrimination but an exemption so that women and sudra can directly engage in Bhakti.

Moreover Traivarnikas while undergoing vedic study have to live by begging. Brahmanas have to live by begging all through their lives. 

Women is a manifestation of Lakshmi and Shudras are manifestation of a Bhakta. So they should always be taken care so that they never have to live by begging. Probably this is one of the main reason why traditional Vedic knowledge is not prescribed for them.

Traivarnikas incur pratyavaya papa for incorrect or non-performance of their vedic duties. While women and sudras have no chance to incur pratyavaya papa. On the other hand women and sudras inherit the merit or punya of performance of vedic duties by traivarnika males.

It is also said that in order to attain moksha one has to render service to Brahman in all the four varnas and also as a women. So there is a need for traivarnikas to be born as a shudra and also as a women to complete their eligibility to attain moksha.

Traivarnikas who have not served devatas properly as part of their pravrutti dharma may be born as Shudras where they have the opportunity to serve other devotees who are in the form of devatas.

Traivarnikas who have not properly engaged in nivrutti or bhakti towards the indwelling Brahman or Ishwara may be born as a women where they get an opportunity to serve their own husbands as Ishwara or Brahman.

So there is no discrimination but differences in duties or dharma with regard to Traivarnikas, women and shudras. But when it comes to engaging in Bhakti towards Brahman, all of them have the same privilege and status.

The fact that there are many women and sudra saints and spiritual personalities and people from other varnas including brahmanas adore them, is the proof against the so called discrimination.

The Lord in the Bhagavad Gita has explicitly stated that anyone who engages in their respective duty as a service to Him will attain moksha. Vedas explicitly teach - Mother is God, Father is God and so on - and this obviously is applicable to all including women and sudras.

To summarize:

1. Women and Sudras are exempted from the performance of Vedic nitya karma and so they will not incur the pratyavaya papa or the sins of not performing such karma.

2. The benefits of Vedic nitya karma performed by the traivarnika males is reaped by all.

3. All other scriptures - like Ithihasas and Puranas that expose Vedic knowledge is available for them.

4. They can directly engage in Ishwara bhakti - Yagya, daana and tapasya. 

5. They need not engage in begging for their living.

So this refutes the idea that Vedic Hindu religion discriminates against Women and Sudras. Instead it protects the weaker section by exempting them from the compulsory Vedic duties which comes with the risk of pratyavAya papa or sin for incorrect or non-performance.

 

Namaste

Suresh