GHQ: Do women get a varna on their own?

[Guest guest]

>

> SP himself said that woman's varna is determined by the husband's.

 

Hmm... And Ameyatma recently wrote how the first wife of a

brahmana is a brahmana, his second wife would be a ksatriya,

his third a vaisya and the fourth a sudra.

 

Then, outside of this instance of polygamy, there are so

called mixed marriages.

 

Perhaps the word "determined" is the problematic word. Someone's

varna is determined according to the particular combination of

the three modes of the material nature. Women are also human

beings, just like men, they have their particular natures just

like men. However, for the sake of some social customs and functions,

a woman may be said to be of her husband's varna.

 

Srila Prabhupada does not support the cast system where the individual

qualities of a person are not taken into consideration, but rather

birth and/or marriage. Indeed, in the Vedic tradition (there is

the description in the Srimad Bhagavatam), the competent astrologers

would study the astrological charts of *both* boy and girl, in

order to find out their *individual* qualities and then match

these together. Compatible or not. Otherwise, you got a problem,

inspite of this "a woman's varna is determined by the husband".

 

Krsna told to Arjuna that he's nature was of a ksatriya and

therefore he cpuld not possibly act otherwise. That's almost

impossible, to change a nature. But here you have the idea of

expecting women to be swithing from one varna to another, overnight.

Yesterday she was a ksatriya or a sudra (according to her father's

varna) and tofay she is all of sudden a brahmana (according to

her newly married husband)!

 

 

In the scientific Vedic culture there would not be the

problem, since boy's and girl's actual varna would be generally

matching. But this attempt in applying only social customs

from the Vedic times, without having the actual scientific

base on which these customs were resting, like in this case

with *determining* girl's *actual* varna first, may lead to

rather some great disturbance in the society.

 

 

Interesting is that Prabhupada also said "First varna then

asrama", what in the minds of some our "Vedics" would mean

"Yes, but not for women. This for men only. For women, 'First

asrama then varna'".

 

 

- Mahanidhi das