Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Woman: Is she really to be kept away from?
Lot is said about the (supposedly) evil role of woman in influencing a man to lose his dharma and turn away from the righteous path and thus, spiritual path of liberation. Naturally, all the women of the modern world will despise Sanatana dharma, without ever thinking even for a moment about the truth in this aspect.
Sanatana dharma always recognized the need to have different paths for people at different degrees of spiritual progress. For the ordinary, the path of dharma was in four stages: Bachelorhood (Brahmacharya), Householder life of marriage & raising family (Gruhastha), retiring from the secular activities (Vaanaprastha - literally means heading towards forest) and renounciation (Sanyasa).
In the first stage the man is too young anyway and the emphasis is on learning.
In the second stage onwards, the woman is given significant position of partner in dharma, artha, kama. In the last stage, the spiritual progress would be such that the sex of the person is least important.
However, not everyone is ordinary. Some might go to renounciation stage quite early. These are the people who are going against the very fabric of body and its essential funtions. Naturally it is very essential to take care of the spiritual goals at all costs. Now, it is very well known that men are much more vulnerable to carnal attraction; they are 'visual' as against 'emotional' women. This can be easily seen by the differences in the reactions. If you are a man, just think of a woman in bikini and gauge your reactions. Just check with a frank female friend or relative about their reactions when they see a man clad in nothing but a loin-cloth.
In this regard, women are far more capable of spiritual progress than man. However, for them the regression occurs typically by emotional attachment. The scriptures warn amply against "Moha" (attachment), which is a significant danger in the path of sadhana.
There is a story about sage vyasa & his son Suka. Once young suka who used to roam about naked, as he was totally devoid of this worldly consciousness, passed by a river where some women were taking bath. The women were unperturbed and continued bathing. Vyasa came the same way a little later and immediately, the women rushed behind the bushes and clad themselves with clothes. Surprised by this, Vyasa asked the women why they felt embarassed when they saw a clothed old man but did not feel so when a naked young man passed by them. They replied "O great one! your son is beyond genders. He is only conscious of the all pervading Brahman, where as you have still not lost your feeling of man".
After this story, it is very apparent that women need not get upset when they see some sanyasins not talking to them or meeting them. They should feel compassion for them, for they are far away from Suka Maharshi!
Sanatana dharma always recognized the need to have different paths for people at different degrees of spiritual progress. For the ordinary, the path of dharma was in four stages: Bachelorhood (Brahmacharya), Householder life of marriage & raising family (Gruhastha), retiring from the secular activities (Vaanaprastha - literally means heading towards forest) and renounciation (Sanyasa).
In the first stage the man is too young anyway and the emphasis is on learning.
In the second stage onwards, the woman is given significant position of partner in dharma, artha, kama. In the last stage, the spiritual progress would be such that the sex of the person is least important.
However, not everyone is ordinary. Some might go to renounciation stage quite early. These are the people who are going against the very fabric of body and its essential funtions. Naturally it is very essential to take care of the spiritual goals at all costs. Now, it is very well known that men are much more vulnerable to carnal attraction; they are 'visual' as against 'emotional' women. This can be easily seen by the differences in the reactions. If you are a man, just think of a woman in bikini and gauge your reactions. Just check with a frank female friend or relative about their reactions when they see a man clad in nothing but a loin-cloth.
In this regard, women are far more capable of spiritual progress than man. However, for them the regression occurs typically by emotional attachment. The scriptures warn amply against "Moha" (attachment), which is a significant danger in the path of sadhana.
There is a story about sage vyasa & his son Suka. Once young suka who used to roam about naked, as he was totally devoid of this worldly consciousness, passed by a river where some women were taking bath. The women were unperturbed and continued bathing. Vyasa came the same way a little later and immediately, the women rushed behind the bushes and clad themselves with clothes. Surprised by this, Vyasa asked the women why they felt embarassed when they saw a clothed old man but did not feel so when a naked young man passed by them. They replied "O great one! your son is beyond genders. He is only conscious of the all pervading Brahman, where as you have still not lost your feeling of man".
After this story, it is very apparent that women need not get upset when they see some sanyasins not talking to them or meeting them. They should feel compassion for them, for they are far away from Suka Maharshi!
# posted by M P Keshava @ 8:47 AM 
