Guest guest Posted June 27, 2002 Report Share Posted June 27, 2002 PUNE/VARANASI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The pantheon of the Hindu deities may have grown in numbers over the centuries, electric lamps may have replaced oil lamps and Vedic chants may have given way to filmi bhajans, but one element has weathered the changing times — the male priest. Not anymore. Because women priests are turning the age-old tradition on its head. In the very heartland of Maharashtra's orthodox brahminical order, Pune-based Shankar Seva Samiti (SSS), since its inception in 1976, has trained, through its one-year course, over 7,000 women priests from all castes. Another Pune-based organisation, the Jnana Prabodhini (JP), has blended tradition with modernity in its three-month course, which was started in 1990. So far, over 800 people, half of whom are women, have completed the course. Apart from giving training, Prabodhini's core team of 17 male and eight female priests also regularly performs all rituals. In Kerala — God's own country — till a few years ago, anything related to Vedic hymns and sacred ceremonies was considered the domain of the Namboodiris and the Pottis — the two classes of the brahminical order. But, over the past few years, 37 non-brahmin women have become priests, thanks to the efforts of Gurupadam Institute of Kodungallur in Thrissur district. The revolution is taking roots in Varanasi as well, where students of the Panini Kanya Mahavidyalaya are being trained in priesthood. Dressed in yellow and wearing janeu (sacred thread), a group of young girls are performing havan and chanting mantras in chaste Sanskrit. The atmosphere is charged with spiritual fervour, reminiscent of the ashrams of yore. This unique centre of learning has produced a number of Sanskrit scholars and karmakandi women pundits. Presently, 70 students from different parts of the country are on its rolls, preparing for degrees from prathama to acharya. And all the efforts seem to bearing fruit as a perceptible change in attitude is visible. In Pune, for example, no eyebrows are raised when a woman priest conducts marriages, pujas or even a shradh. In fact, there is a growing preference for women priests for conducting these ceremonies. As a client put it, "Women priests do not take short cuts while performing rituals." Suniti Gadgil, a JP team member, performs around 15 shradh ceremonies every month besides puja and sacred thread ceremonies. Says she, "Earlier, I used to do only other rituals. But I decided to do the shradh ceremony only after no priest was available to do the shradh of my mother." Not only are women being trained in priesthood in large numbers, the long-lost tradition of performing the sacred thread ceremony for girls to give them the right to perform all religious rituals in the family has also been evolved. Source: TIMES OF INDIA [sUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2002 5:25:11 AM] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp? art_id=13804983&sType=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2002 Report Share Posted June 27, 2002 OM Devi Bhakta "Dressed in yellow and wearing janeu (sacred thread), a group of young girls are performing havan and chanting mantras inchaste Sanskrit. The atmosphere is charged with spiritual fervour, reminiscent of the ashrams of yore." Most of this is not an unusual sight in any legitimate ashram today. Wearing yellow, whether male or female, is the sign of a Brahmachari, a sexual renunciant, a celebate. The next step for a Brahmacharyi is to enter the holy order of Sannyasa and live as a Swami. To quote from the preface of 'Necessity for Sannyasa' by Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati, "Sannyasa is the formal acceptance of the life of complete non-attachment to the things of the world as a result of the dawn of the knowledge that nothing in the world is of any real worth, the world being an effect and relative in the nature of its make-up" Swami Sivananda was one of the first Gurus to initiate women as Sannyasins - in the first half of the 20th century. He was not too popular with other Gurus and Acharyas over that but eventually won most of them over. The first female Sannyasins too had a difficult time overcoming the prejudice against them, even from their own Gurubais, who, of course, in resisting the idea of female Swamis, violated their Guru's (Swami Sivananda's) teaching of equality of all. As a result of that prejudice and, again, against the teachings of Swami Sivananda on the equality of all, some these female Swamis set up ashrams that exalted the feminine and relegated the masculine to a second-class status. Swami Sivananda Radha and her Yasodhara Ashram in British Columbia, Canada was the most famous (or infamous) of these. Incidentally, Swami Radha was inducted by Swami Sivananda into the Saraswati Order in 1956 and was the first western woman to become a Swami. Swami Vishnu-devananda, a devoted disciple of Swami Sivananda, also inducted many men and women into the Saraswati Order. OM Namah Sivaya Omprem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2002 Report Share Posted June 29, 2002 Some of the most renowned Devi upasakas were women viz Lopamudra, Vak Ambrini etc... But something changed over the years, I don't know what which prevented women from reading the Vedas, what could it be? Is not knowledge the only thing which increases by sharing? why would anyone want to put fetters around it? -Vishy --- omprem <omprem wrote: > OM Devi Bhakta > > "Dressed in yellow and wearing janeu (sacred > thread), a group > of young girls are performing havan and chanting > mantras > inchaste Sanskrit. The atmosphere is charged with > spiritual > fervour, reminiscent of the ashrams of yore." > > > Most of this is not an unusual sight in any > legitimate ashram > today. Wearing yellow, whether male or female, is > the sign of a > Brahmachari, a sexual renunciant, a celebate. The > next step for > a Brahmacharyi is to enter the holy order of > Sannyasa and live > as a Swami. > > To quote from the preface of 'Necessity for > Sannyasa' by Sri > Swami Sivananda Saraswati, "Sannyasa is the formal > acceptance of the life of complete non-attachment to > the things > of the world as a result of the dawn of the > knowledge that nothing > in the world is of any real worth, the world being > an effect and > relative in the nature of its make-up" > > Swami Sivananda was one of the first Gurus to > initiate women > as Sannyasins - in the first half of the 20th > century. He was not > too popular with other Gurus and Acharyas over that > but > eventually won most of them over. The first female > Sannyasins > too had a difficult time overcoming the prejudice > against them, > even from their own Gurubais, who, of course, in > resisting the > idea of female Swamis, violated their Guru's (Swami > Sivananda's) teaching of equality of all. > > As a result of that prejudice and, again, against > the teachings of > Swami Sivananda on the equality of all, some these > female > Swamis set up ashrams that exalted the feminine and > relegated > the masculine to a second-class status. Swami > Sivananda > Radha and her Yasodhara Ashram in British Columbia, > Canada > was the most famous (or infamous) of these. > Incidentally, > Swami Radha was inducted by Swami Sivananda into the > > Saraswati Order in 1956 and was the first western > woman to > become a Swami. > > Swami Vishnu-devananda, a devoted disciple of Swami > Sivananda, also inducted many men and women into the > > Saraswati Order. > > OM Namah Sivaya > > Omprem > > > > > > - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2002 Report Share Posted June 29, 2002 OM Vishy "Is not knowledge the only thing which increases by sharing? why would anyone want to put fetters around it?" You are certainly correct. Someone who puts fetters on anyone or anything is only indicating that they have put fetters on themselves. This is difficult for the one who is having the fetters put on them, but if they stay focussed on God, then they will be free and the only one who is truly fettered is the perpetrator of the act. OM Namah Sivaya (Let's get rid of our negative qualities and replace them with positive qualities.) Omprem , vishwanthan Krishnamoorthy <krishvishy> wrote: > Some of the most renowned Devi upasakas were women > viz Lopamudra, Vak Ambrini etc... > > But something changed over the years, I don't know > what which prevented women from reading the Vedas, > what could it be? Is not knowledge the only thing > which increases by sharing? why would anyone want to > put fetters around it? > > -Vishy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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