Have ancient Vedic Authors played a 'dirty scam' on women?

Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

WOMEN: Is anything done in the name of Religion accepted as right? The modern free-thinking woman who is battling to get equal rights from men makes no bones about it and says 'if man can justify every thing he does in the name of religion and custom, then it is a tragedy that there is a thing called Religion at all!'.

Perhaps the controversial writer Taslima Nasreen who, once criticised and fought against Muslim spiritual barriers, for the sake of socially suppressed women's rights in Bangladesh and, had to flee the country to escape death from threats to seek refuge in the West will endorse this.

In modern times that we live in, no doubt, it is the woman's prerogative to defend herself in anything that affects her in society. With this as a backdrop, certain groups of women in Western societies have come out fighting for equal rights with men by burning or discarding their bras!

Taking a closer look at the issue of religion from a rational point of view, it is apparent that from the moment children are born, parents steadily condition their religious faiths and thoughts on their progeny. Therefore, whether one likes it or not, one is not precisely free and/or able to think and liberate oneself out of this parental celestial throttlehold until such time one is able to broaden the outlook independently, perhaps until one becomes an adult.

Religion, whatever the label one wears, certainly has an impact or a persuasive effect on mankind. Religion, therefore, becomes a repository of all traditional thinking because it embodies a stereotype system peculiar to each faith, in which the quest for the ideal life becomes codified.

At this point of the argument, the 'liberated women' may pose the catch twenty-two question - Codified for whom? .....Only for women! And.... Why? Is it for the convenience of men? It then unfortunately transforms into an unfortunate verity, that in search of righteousness, truth and beauty, women have been given a raw deal for a long time.

From another view point of the male dialogue the question would arise as to whether women have been given a raw deal any more..? To substantiate their argument, a few living examples of women at the top from all over the world will be highlighted.

More closer to home it would then become Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, as the first woman Prime Minister in the world, followed by her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga who succeeded as President.

There are several Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, Corporate Heads of Government Institutions and blue chip companies in Sri Lanka and the list goes on. Equally, women have played an important political role in Israel, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Britain was ruled for eleven years by the iron fist of Margaret Thatcher. The position of Speaker of the House of Commons in the UK was held by a woman and the ceremonial head of Britain is still the Queen Elizabeth II.

Raja Yogis would explain, according to predictions in the Vedas, the '5,000 year cycle of the world' has now entered the Diamond Age, since 1939, as such this present era would be dominated seemingly by women until the Golden Age dawns'.

So much so for the achievement of women on the one hand, yet taking a glimpse at the Church of England on the other, what did we see in the immediate past? When the synod approved the ordination of women priests, rejoicing took place in mass scale and women's rights campaigners were jubilant.

They felt they achieved an immense victory after fighting an old long battle for centuries. However when some men and male priests vowed at the time to leave the Church and join the Catholic faith it was clearly seen as a misdemeanour act on the part of holy men.

Modern day women do still put forward a fierce argument and stress that - it does not take any mental genius or gymnastics to make a woman pregnant, it is the poor woman who has to go through the mental and the physical agony of bearing and rearing of children.

If one were to analyse women's place over the centuries from various religious viewpoints, nothing else is so prominent as in the Hindu faith. The ancient scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Dharmashastras and the great epics have always been derogatory to a woman's development as an individual.

If she has individuality, it was made out to be villainous like that of Kaikeyee's or Shrupankha's. If she was submissive and subjugating like Seeta, she was hailed and praised and put on a pedestal. Thirty Second Verse in the Ninth Chapter, of The Bhagavad-Gita, which is regarded as the ideal treatise of virtuous living, emphasises the fact that 'a female foetus is inferior'.

A woman's birth is referred to as Papayoni' or inferior/imperfect birth. Some women critics maintain that the reason behind all this is very clear and men to retain their superiority in the society have introduced these statements into the scriptures. They claim that all the authors, from Veda Vyasa to Manu and Ikshvaku, have been written by men and not women; it was only natural that men whose intentions have always been to subordinate women, have played this 'dirty trick' on womankind.

The liberated women dispute the Christian theory of projecting God as a man and severely criticise Christian men's version or interpretation of 'the voice of Moses coming from the burning bush was a baritone' - meaning a voice of a man!

Women also point a finger at men arguing that Eve has been unnecessarily held responsible for Adam's expulsion from the Garden of Eden and say, in fact, it was all because of a man's (Adam) weakness for a woman! 'Isn't it a clever ploy'? They ask, to describe 'Eve's very existence as just a derivative, 'a form grown out of man's rib!

The modern liberated women argue that even today man conveniently blames the woman for impinging on his self-sufficiency and resists acknowledging their mutual need even when the man is not the sole provider in a modern high pressurised society. 'Instead he enjoys putting the blame purely on the woman whenever things start to go wrong', they maintain.

Do men see their women only as their daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, daughters-in-law, whores, concubines and illegal mistresses in hiding? Modern liberated women maintain that man is not prepared to accept the latter category in public because it is not convenient for him!

When it comes to Asian man in particular, they maintain that he is unable or unprepared to accept a woman as an independent, intelligent individual. A Hindu custom of placing importance on nudity in temple carvings is also being focused into the subject as another aspect of religion interfering with the daily life.

Here the argument is based on the fact that while on the one hand, the nude paintings are hailed and venerated in temple carvings and on the other, a number of women activists are fighting against obscenity in poster and hoardings.

Here it tends to give rise to a complete confusion as one becomes lost as to where to draw the line! For example, although many protests are staged against kissing in Hindi films, yet blind eyes are turned towards intricate carvings of men and women in Khajuraho and Konark and are being appreciated! During funeral rights, Asian Hindu women are said to be placed in a derogatory position in the name of religion.

Daughters do not have the right of cremating their parents, never mind how much loving and caring they have been than their sons. Women are not allowed into the precincts of the crematorium either.

Therefore, the modern Asian woman tends to ask man whether he thinks he could gain importance and stature by relegating woman to the background.

Over 4,000 years ago Aristotle said, 'Woman made equal to man will always try to be the superior but it is reasonable to assume the modern woman's fight to freedom and equal status not because they are being made equal but perhaps so far down the line of history of mankind woman has been made unequal!