Ladies in the back

[Guest guest]

>From "Glimpses of Traditional Indian Life," by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami

 

[Ramanujam Ranganathan tells of his boyhood in Tamil Nadu...and daily rites

in the brahmana quarters of his village's Visnu temple.]

 

RR: Around 6:30 [AM] the temple bell would ring loudly, resounding

throughout the village, and everyone--men, women, and children--would at

once hurry to the temple. The bell meant that the *bhoga* was being offered.

After that the curtain would open and it would be time for *darshan.* The

elder men would stand at the front, the younger men and boys behind them,

and the ladies at the back. Altogether the devotees would recite prayers

from the *Divya Prabandham* for about 15 minutes.

 

BVS: Women would chant with the men?

 

RR: The women in restrained voices, not loudly.

 

BVS: Also you mentioned how women stood at the back. Wouldn't they get the

chance to come close to the Lord?

 

RR: They would. After the chanting, the group would disperse and everyone

would come forward individually and take close *darshan.* They would be

given in the hand three drops of water that had bathed the body of the Lord,

and would drink that with great veneration and pleasure. They would have the

helmet representing the Lord's lotus feet placed on their heads and take His

*prasadam* in their hands. So at that time the women would have close

*darshan.* (GOTIL, p128-9)

 

--gkd