RE: Treatment of widows in Vedic Tradition

[Guest guest]

Adiyen Dasanudasan

My dear Sudha Madhuri

 

The questions that you have posed are extremely relevant

and need to be addressed with the utmost sincerity. Widows

are indeed treated most disgracefully in Hindu society,

being in fact outcaste as you have described.

 

This is based on the teachings of the Smritis not the Vedas.

 

The Vedas declare that the widow should remarry. This

argument I cannot support in such a short email but let it

be accepted.

 

The Vedas also declare that a man and women are equal halves

of one whole. This establishes the complete and total equality

of women and men.

 

Unfortunately this logic has a negative consequence in that

if a man dies then his other half is equal to be dead as well

and therefore becomes inauspicious. But the same logic is not

applied to the husband when his wife dies! So this treatment

of the widow is totally unjustified by Veda and results from

kutarkam.

 

The other aspect of the Smriti teaching is that a woman should

become a sanyasini after the death of her husband. She should

leave society and enter an ashram to spend the rest of her days

in contemplation of the Supreme. (Male sanyasis are also

considered as inauspicious from the Smriti point of view and

are forbidden from attending marriages and other auspicious

functions).

 

The Tengalai Srivaishnava acharyas have broken with this wicked

tradition, which had crept into the society, and in view of the

teaching given below from the Lakshmi Tantra do not remove the

saubhagyatvam from widows.

 

The Vadagalais follow the smarta tradition in this matter and

their widows are required to shave their heads and wear white

clothes. The Tengalais do not follow these customs and all women

are nitya sumangalis.

 

The source of Dharma is said to be

(a) Vedas,

(b) Smritis

© teaching and conduct of saintly teachers

(d) one¹s own conscience.

 

So in my personal teaching and practice I refuse to accept any

inauspiciousness in women whatsoever.

 

Women in Pancaratra Agama

A Discourse by the Divine Mother Lakshmi

Lakshmi Tantra Chap 43.

 

"A man of piety free from sin, consistently adhering to the

precepts of the sacred scriptures, performs those deeds that

are not condemned by women and that please them .

Lakshmi Tantra 27.47

 

If he observes an excellent man and an excellent woman, he

should worship (in them) the divine couple, thinking of me

(Lakshmi) and without relinquishing thought of their separably

coupled existence.

Lakshmi Tantra 27.42

 

A yogin (dharma practitioner) should never abuse a woman,

either in deed, speech or thought. Wherever I am the realities

are, wherever I am the gods too are.

 

Wherever I exist, merits too exist, wherever I exist Krsna too

exists. I am the womanhood pervading the entire universe and

inherent in all women .

 

He who abuses women, abuses lakshmi herself,

He who abuses lakshmi abuses the entire three worlds.

 

He who bears ill-will against any woman, is ill-disposed towards

Laksmi herself.

 

He who is ill-disposed towards Lakshmi is ill-disposed towards

the entire universe.

 

He whose heart is gladdened by the sight of women - like moonlight,

and who never entertains evil thoughts about them, he is most

dear to me.

 

Just as there is no sin whatsoever in Narayana or myself , O Indra,

Neither in a cow, a brahmin nor a scholar of Vedanta.

 

In the same manner no evil whatsoever exists in women O Indra.

Just as the Ganga and Sarasvati (rivers) are free of impurity

& sin.

 

As also the Aruna river, so too are all women revered as being

sinless. The fact that I, the Mother of the three Worlds, am

the basis of womanhood, makes my power manifest in women. Thus

a woman is the mother of the three worlds, a goddess full of

abundance.

 

Knowing women as my direct manifestation, how can a yogi refrain

from revering them? One should never hurt women, and should never

even think of wronging women.

 

A yogin who wishes to atain the fulfilment of yoga, should always

act to please women. He should regard all women as mothers, as

goddesses as my very self"

 

Women in Saiva Agama

Discourse by Lord Siva from Maha Nirvana Tantra

 

"The householder should never punish his wife, but should cherish

her like a mother". M.N.T 8:39

 

By riches, clothes, love, respect and pleasing words should

one¹s wife be satisfied. The husband should never do anything

displeasing to her. M.N.T. 8:42

 

In the same manner (as a son) a daughter should be cherished and

educated with great care, and then given away with money and

jewels to a wise husband. M.N.T. 8:47

 

O Kuleshani (Uma), a wife should not be burnt with her dead

husband. Every woman is your image ­ you reside concealed in

the forms of all women in this world. That woman who, in

delusion ascends her husband¹s funeral pyre shall go to hell.

M.N.T. 10:79-80

 

Adiyen dasanudasan

Srirama Ramanuja Acharya