Women's role and intelligence

[Guest guest]

> Srila Prabhupada once told Jadurani mataji that "If you keep thinking that

> you are a woman, where is the question of making spiritual advancement?"

>

> So we are here to forget that we are the bodies and we associate with

> devotees to help us forget that we are these bodies.

>

> It will be very encouraging to all if everyone was reminded of their

> spiritual potential rather than the plus and minuses of their bodies.

 

This is so true. There are several reasons why I got myself into this

conversation.

 

One is that some devotees, especially in the west, think that we are all

transcendental and we need not very strictly follow Sastric injunctions and

Vedic culture. But the reality is that until we are very firmly situated on

the transcendental plane, in order to be successful, we must follow. Sastra

all the time makes difference between sexes, casts, ashrams and so on, and

as long as we are not truly transcendental we should follow the instructions

and execute our responsibilities according to our material designation. We

have seen in the past many "big" devotees falling down because of not being

careful enough. Srila Prabhupada writes in one purport that: "no one should

think of himself as a liberated person immune to the influence of maya.

Everyone should very cautiously execute devotional service by rigidly

following regulative principles". Please very carefully read the quote

produced below. He also says that due to inattentiveness in the

transcendental position one gets captivated by maya and therefore one

should, even when liberated, rigidly follow regulative principles.

 

Not only does the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead act

on the conditioned soul within this material world, but sometimes it also

acts on the most advanced learned scholars, who factually know the

constitutional position of this material world through realization. As soon

as someone thinks, "I am this material body (aham mameti [sB 5.5.8]) and

everything in relationship with this material body is mine," he is in

illusion (moha). This illusion caused by the material energy acts especially

on the conditioned souls, but it sometimes also acts on liberated souls as

well. A liberated soul is a person who has sufficient knowledge of this

material world and is therefore unattached to the bodily conception of life.

But because of association with the modes of material nature for a very long

time, even liberated souls sometimes become captivated by the illusory

energy due to inattentiveness in the transcendental position. Therefore Lord

Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.14), mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam

taranti te: "Only those who surrender unto Me can overcome the influence of

the material energy." Therefore no one should think of himself as a

liberated person immune to the influence of maya. Everyone should very

cautiously execute devotional service by rigidly following regulative

principles.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 5.18.4

 

 

We have seen in the past how many imitated Srila Prabhupada, but after some

time they got influenced by the material energy and fell down.

 

Conclusion: If Sastra makes differences between sexes better we accept that

and perform our duty with great care and attention. This is a common

misconception in the West that we can make it without developing Vedic

culture in or society.

 

 

Your servant,

Mahat-tattva dasa

 

>

> Your humble servant,

> Prema Padmini dd