Women and Sudras

In General there is always the criticism that Vedic Hindu religion
discriminates against women and shudras.

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 it is true that Vedic education is not given to women and

shudras and it is available only to traivarnika males. In order to correctly 
understand the reason behind it one needs to take an impartial look at 
the vedic world view.

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 only to

enable them to engage in their prescribed duty.

Does it mean that Sudras have to always engage in the service of others?

Absolutely No. These duties are not air tight and depending on one's

capability Sudras can engage in the trades of others when need arises.

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. So they are

encouraged to co-operate and work with their husbands in the performance

of their prescribed dharma. They are thus called saha-dharmacharini.

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 duties 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.

Vedic study and service to a Guru removes the ego and gives the adhikara

for traivarnika males to engage in Bhakti towards Brahman.

On the other hand Women and Sudras can directly engage in Bhakti towards

Brahman, in the form of their ishta devata. 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 may be one of the 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

One Brahman, may be born as a women where they get an opportunity

to serve their own husbands as 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.

So this refutes the idea that Vedic Hindu religion discriminates

against Women and Sudras.

Namaste

Suresh