Can a Woman be Brahmana without a Brahmana husband?

[Guest guest]

> Hare Krsna dasi comments:

 

> However, Srila Prabhupada did give some of his unmarried women disciples

> brahmana initiation. And, he gave them the service of going on the altar

> to worship the Deities.

>

> This can only mean one of two things:

 

 

I do not know if this can mean ONLY one of two things. Surely we must admit

we do not always know everything nor the ONLY way something can be

understood. I have many times found myself completely convinced of something

only to find my young 9 year old son make me realize I had it completely

wrong. We Kali yuga people have many weaknesses of mind and body.

 

 

 

> 1. A woman can be a brahmana without having a brahman father or a brahman

> husband. (Because she has her own nature, she also has her own

> appropriate varna even before becoming married.)

 

 

This is something that should be thoroughly thought out and discussed

because I personally do not think we are considering things correctly. I do

not want to lend too much creedence to the GHQ mode of (mis)understanding

about these subjects but I cannot deny some basic Vedic truths as I now see

them until I am convinced I am seeing them incorrectly.

 

A woman has her own nature according to the modes like any human being, but

that does not mean she has a varna as in brahmana, ksatriya, etc., at least

as I see it right now. She may be of the modes of goodness, passion or

ignorance but varna is created from training by a guru.

 

I may be wrong, but I do not believe I have ever read or heard of a woman

referred to as a "great brahmana" and certainly not as a "great ksatriya" in

the history of the Vedic culture. I hope no one will label me as a "GHQer"

for this because most know my past position on these issues as different

than theirs. But I want to know the accurate perspective of this important

issue. In my study of Srila Prabhupadas books I do not see the

varnasarma-dharma social occupations and designations of brahmana, ksatriya,

vaisya or sudra attributed to women.

 

A woman on the altar does not necessarily mean to me that she is designated

a VAD "brahmana" but that she has received instruction on how to be

brahminical in her practices. There is a difference, albeit subtle, in the

cultural, social and traditional varna role considerations, I think.

 

I have happily read several times the book, The Prayers of Queen Kunti by

Srila Prabhupada, but nowhere in that book have I read Srila Prabhupada call

her a "great brahmana" or "great ksatriya" or even a regular brahmana or

ksatriya. He does refer to her in what I consider more important titles; a

great Vaisnava woman; highly intelligent Vaisnava; pure devotee of the Lord.

 

This is Queen Kuntis great glory. She is a mother of the greatest devotees

on earth. She was a great wife of a glorious devotee and ksatriya. She is

the daughter of a great devotee. I do not believe she ever went to a

gurukula to learn varna occupational skills.

 

I do not remember reading of any of the great vaisnava women to whom I offer

obeisances everyday in my morning devotional program being referred to as

brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas in accordance with the varnasrama-dharma

institution. Nor did any of them attend a gurukula to receive this type of

training as far as I know.

 

Even the great and divine Srimati Sarasvati Devi is not referred to as a

"great brahmana" to the best of my knowledge. Is she?

 

To me a Vaisnava woman like those aforementioned are far, far greater than

any non-Vaisnava brahmana no matter how great of a non-Vaisnava brahmana he

may be.

 

"An impersonalist can become a qualified brahmana, but he cannot become a

spiritual master unless and until he is promoted to the stage of a Vaisnava,

or a devotee of the Personality of Godhead. The qualification, then, of a

spiritual master is not to be a qualified brahmana, but to be well versed in

the science of Krsna." SB 3.6.30

 

Thus I fully accept Mother Kunti as a siksa guru of mine but it does not at

all depend upon her being a brahmana.

 

 

"...to acquire the qualifications of a brahmana is not everything. Merely

to be twice-born is not perfection. Perfection is attained when one hears

the pastimes and activities of the Lord from a bonafide source." S.B.

3.19.33.

 

Anyone of any class or varna can hear the pastimes and activities of the

Lord from Srila Prabhupada and attain perfection though never becoming a

"brahmana" by varna title.

 

"Even if one is a brahmana and is qualified with all the brahminical

qualifications, he is considered degraded if he is averse to worshiping the

SPG. But if a person is attached to the service of the lord, he becomes

glorified even if he is born in a candala family. ...To substantiate this

there are many quotations from Bhagavatama, Mahabharata, Bharadvaja-samhita

and the Pancaratra, as well as many other scriptures." 4.31.10.

 

This means that someone can be a fully qualified brahmana with all the

brahminical qualifications AND STILL BE AVERSE to worship of the Lord! What

good is that?

And yet a lowborn, untrained, simple person can be attached to the service

of the Lord and he or she is FAR greater than the brahmana.

 

 

All of this should only be considered important in respect to the training

curriculum and direction in which we want to go in our efforts to introduce

Vedic culture and varnasrama-dharma within our society. Our women certainly

need training just like our men.

 

Are we accurately and intelligently applying careful discrimination without

sentiment and material egotistic attachment in these considerations?

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Janesvara dasa