When Women are Honored

“Asthiram Jivanam loke” Life in this phenomenal world is impermanent. “Yad drisyam tadnasyam” Whatever is perceived is bound to pass away some time or other. “Asthiram yavvanam dhanam” Youth and wealth are transient. “Asthiram daara­putraadihi” Wife and children will pass away. “Sathyam keerthi dwayam sthiram” Only Truth and Fame endure.

Embodiments of Love! In this infinite universe, among the myriads of living beings, humanity is eminent. Among human beings, it is a privilege to be born as a woman. There are many examples to demonstrate the preeminence of women.

Was not Rama born as a Divine incarnation in Kausalya’s womb?
Did not Lava and Kusa (the twins) become great because they were born to Sita?
Was it not Jijabai’s loving care that made Shivaji great?
Was it not Putlibai’s piety that made Gandhi a Mahatma?

All the great sages and saints, heroes and warriors were born to women who made them great. Woman is the goddess of nature. Gayatri, which enshrines the essence of the Vedas, is a Goddess, venerated as Veda Mata (the mother of the Vedas).

It is obvious that feminine birth is estimable, adorable, and sublime. The Vedas also adore the feminine principle in various ways. Vedic rituals and practices accord a high place to women.

Feminine aspect of Divinity

The woman is adored under different names as Sathyavati, Anyavati, Angavati, and Nidhanavati. Sathyavati proclaims the truth that the Divine pervades the cosmos. God is not separate from nature (prakriti). Nature is a form of the Divine. The Vedas testify to the omnipresence of the Divine like the presence of butter in every drop of milk.

Next is Angavati. The five elements are present everywhere in the universe: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. These elements vary in subtlety in a progressive order. The Vedas declare that even the five elements are manifestations of the Divine. This aspect of nature is called Angavati.

The Anyavati principle points out the functions that the deity is responsible for and describes the deity’s special characteristics. [For e.g.] Eashwara is described as Trishuladhari (the bearer of the trident) and Trinetradhari (the deity with three eyes). Vishnu is described as the bearer of the conch, the discus, and the mace. Krishna is described as one having the peacock’s feather (on his head). Rama is described as the wielder of the bow. The Anyavati ritual worships the different deities with their distinctive features.

The Nidhanavati ritual lays down nine different ways in which the Divine can be worshipped, such as listening, chanting the name, etc.

All forms of worship are presided over by these four feminine deities. Though the names are different, the goal is one.

Reverence for women

From ancient times the feminine as­pect of the Divine has been worshipped in vari­ous ways. The Vedas declare that where women are honored and esteemed, there Divinity is present with all its potency. Unfortunately, to­day men consider it demeaning to honor women. This is utterly wrong and is a sign of ignorance.

“Stree” (woman) is “Grihalakshmi” (the Goddess of prosperity for the home). She is hailed as “dharmapatni” (the virtuous spouse). She is called “illaalu” (the mistress of the home) and “ardhangi” (the better half). People gloat over petty titles conferred on them. But women have been conferred the highest titles that are valid for all time. A home without a woman is a jungle.

Men should realize the high status of women and honor and respect them accord­ingly. They should not make women weep and shed tears. A home where the woman sheds tears will be ruined. Men should give an honorable place for women and lead a respectable life.

The archetypal woman is described as “Aadishakti” (the primal source of all energy) having a whole array of powers. She is hailed as the mother of the children of immortality (“Amritasyaputraha“).

The trigunas [three qualities]

The word “stree” is made up of three consonants, “sa”, “ta” and “ra”. “Sa” signifies the satwic [pure] nature of women. It also represents the triple aspects of experiencing divinity—saalokyam (vision of the Divine), saameepyam (proximity), saayujyam (mergence). “Ta” signifies the tamasic [inertia] quality. But this tamasicquality is not indolence and slothfulness. It includes qualifies like humility, kindness, and modesty. This means that women begin with qualities like meekness and modesty so that they may serve the family and society in the right spirit. There is a saying in Andhra Pradesh: Judge a house by its mistress.

“Ra” represents the rajoguna [passion, motion]. This does not mean pugnacity and querulousness. This quality signifies the preparedness of women, where necessary, even to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their honor and the honor of their family. Bharat’s history is full of ex­amples of women who fought valiantly and gave up their lives to protect their husbands and their honor.

“Stree” thus represents the combina­tion of the three gunas [qualities]. Woman, who should be highly honored for these qualities, is being treated as a weaker vessel (abala) and assigned an inferior status.

Women as rulers

It will not be out of place to mention here that women who have wielded power in Bharat or other countries have proved them­selves to be exceptionally able and successful. There have been many kings in Britain, but no one ruled the country so well as Queen Victoria. Her rule was marked by righteousness, pros­perity, and efficiency. There was no discontent during her reign. In more recent times, Indira Gandhi ran the Government [of India] with courage and consummate skill. She was prepared for any sacrifice in the interests of the country. Among prime ministers, she headed the Government for over 12 years. Many others had only brief tenures.

There are several organizations that are being run by women with great dedication and zeal for the benefit of the people. Valmiki [who wrote the Ramayana] extolled the sweetness of womanhood. What is the cause of this sweetness? The spirit of sac­rifice is the cause, according to Valmiki.

The spirit of sacrifice

A mother is ready to sacrifice every­thing, even her life, for the sake of her child. Such a spirit is to be found only among women. If a child is grievously ill, the father may say that the child may as well die. But the mother will try to save the child at any cost. It is for this reason that woman is described as “tyagamurti“, the embodiment of sacrifice. Men do not have the same spirit of sacrifice as women. Men may present a heroic pose, but they do not have the determination and perseverance to carry on the struggle to the end. Valmiki described woman as the embodiment of devo­tion (bhaktiswaroopini). Man was described as jnanaswaroopa [embodiment of knowledge]. The jnani has limited access to the divine mansion. But the woman devotee has access to the innermost apartments (cheers). The preeminent status accorded to women will be evident from all the ancient scriptures.

In this context, the role of women as mothers should be understood. The great hero, Shivaji, was molded entirely by the teachings of his mother. Rama was taught by his mother Kaushalya to follow the sacred path of dharma [righteousness]. The lives of the great show to what extent they were the products of their mothers.

Gandhiji became a staunch adherent of truth after a lesson he learnt from his mother, who could not bear her son telling a lie even to make her break her fast. It is the mothers who make their children take to the right path, not so much the fathers. Today we find the fathers teaching the children to utter lies. For instance, when the telephone rings in the house, the father, who is in the house, tells his son to inform the caller that the father is not at home.

The practice of fathers allowing the sons to go astray has a long ancestry. It started in the Dwapara Yuga with Dhritarashtra, fa­ther of Duryodhana [from the epic Mahabharata]. Whatever evil deeds his son did, Dhritarashtra used to say he was a good man. Fathers who allow their sons to go astray are not real fathers at all. Prahlada observed, “Only he is a father who advises the son to seek God. Only he is a true guru who instructs the pupil about God.”

The mother as teacher

Mothers in ancient days used to teach the children about right conduct, morality, and devotion. The first preceptor for a child is the mother. For this reason, Bharatiya [Indian] culture gave the first place to the mother among the four persons to be revered as divine: mother, father, guru, and guest. The mother gets the first place because she bears the child in the womb for nine months and nourishes him with her own blood.

Even in mentioning the names of dei­ties, the first place is given to the goddess; as in Sita‑Rama, Parvati‑Parameshwara, and Lakshmi‑Narayana; and the reason for the feminine name getting priority is she is “prakritiswaroopini“—the embodiment of prakriti (nature). The implication in this usage is that you should realize God through the propitiation of prakriti.

In this world all things are transient. Only righteousness and good name endure. How is one to acquire a good name? By rever­ing the mother. Never go against the wishes of the mother. The son who causes pain to the mother can never be happy. Hence, earn the blessings of the mother.

In this context, it should be noted that Russians observe December 8 as Ladies’ Day. On that day the women have free time. The men must do the cooking. The women go out to do service in hospitals and other places.

Parents’ duty

Men and women must understand each other so that they can live in harmony in the family. Today people want to live happily but not to lead ideal lives. Parents, for instance, do not set a good example to the children. In the modern age, the father does not instruct the children properly and the children do not pay heed to the words of the mother. The vast majority of fathers today behave like Dhritarashtra. Where there are some good children leading a pious life, the fathers re­buke them, saying: “Have you gone crazy? Don’t take part in bhajans [religious music] or social service.” Parents who behave in this manner are like Hiranyakasipu, who could not tolerate his son worshipping Hari. Today we have many par­ents like Dhritarashtra and Hiranyakasipu, but there are a few who encourage their children to adhere to righteousness.

Children today do not relish edifying works like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavata. They waste their time on reading trash. Parents should see that children do not read bad books.

Avoid gossip

Now for a few words of advice to women. It is found that women are given to excessive talking. From today you must take a pledge not to indulge in talking. Women are found talking not only in the auditorium but even in the bhajan mandir. Men are fond of strolling around as they please. They observe no restraints as to where they should not go and what places they should avoid.

If women observe restraint in speech and men control their movements, it will be good for both.

Ladies’ Day

If the nation has to prosper, improve­ment must start with the parents. Without peace and harmony at home, there can be no peace in the nation. This message should be propa­gated throughout the country on every Novem­ber 19th, by observing it as Ladies’ Day. You should teach people how to run their homes well and how to bring up children on the right lines. You must deal calmly and tactfully with the men if they are not cooperating. Though Ravana [King of Lanka] was evil‑minded, his noble wife Mandodari tried to correct him as much as possible. She advised him strongly not to keep Sita in Lanka but to restore her to Rama.

From today learn to see the good in others and examine your own defects. Thereby you will benefit both ways. These who go about finding faults in others are like dogs that go after cast off shoes.

Call to women

Embodiments of love! Mistakes may sometimes be committed in the organization. See that they do not recur. Buddha learnt the proper lesson through a single experience of seeing an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. He understood the entire nature of human existence from this. People today have similar experiences over and over again. But their minds remain unchanged. Every experi­ence should bring about a change. For years you listen to Swami’s discourses. How many have changed? How many have developed good qualities? Very few indeed.

Develop pure thoughts wherever you may be. Only then your visit to Prasanthi Nilayam at great expense would have served a purpose.

As today is a sacred day dedicated to women, they should change themselves and help to change the men and the children. They should develop the qualities of sympathy, compassion, love, and sacrifice. Study the lives of our great women who were models of patience, fortitude, compassion, and sacrifice. I desire that you should take up the reins of leadership and bring peace and prosperity to the nation by leading ideal lives.

Bhagavan concluded His discourse with the bhajan, “Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantam Brahma“.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Nov./Dec. 1995