Women's role and intelligence

[Guest guest]

On 16 May 2002, Shyamasundara das wrote:

 

> A woman by performance of her prescribed duty as described in SB 7.11.25-29

> (not some other's duty) as a sacrifice to Lord Visnu will get the exact same

> result that Arjuna did by performance of his prescribed duty as a Kshatriya.

>

> "Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One

> cannot even maintain one's physical body without work. Work done as a

> sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in

> this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed

> duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free

> from bondage." BG 3.8-9

>

> Some may suggest that you can do what ever you want to do as a service to

> Lord Krsna but that is not the opinion of the Lord. He says that yajna is

> born from prescribed duties not whim:

>

> "All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains.

> Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of

> prescribed duties. Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the

> Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

> Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts

> of sacrifice." BG 3.14-15

>

> Here Lord Krsna says that the prescribed duties that a woman performs as a

> sacrifice is His abode and not different from Him.

>

> "Kings such as Janaka attained perfection solely by performance of

> prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in

> general, you should perform your work." BG 3.20

>

> Here the Lord gives the example of previous persons who solely by

> performance of their prescribed duty went back to Godhead. He also points

> out the importance of showing others the proper example. Thus, even a fully

> liberated soul encased in a female form would show other souls in female

> forms the proper example by continuing to do the prescribed duties

> associated with female forms. Krsna emphasizes the importance of performing

> prescribed duties in the next three verses:

>

> "Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever

> standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues. O son of Prtha,

> there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems.

> Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain anything-and yet I

> am engaged in prescribed duties. For if I ever failed to engage in carefully

> performing prescribed duties, O Partha, certainly all men would follow My

> path." BG 3.21-23

>

> Here the Lord emphasizes that He considers the performance of prescribed

> duty so important that even though He is above prescribed duties He still

> performs them just for the sake of setting the example for others lest they

> go to ruination by following His example. So if this is true for the Lord

> Who is actually above all the rules how much more true is it for us who must

> actually follow our prescribed duties or even those who are liberated---we

> must all perform our prescribed duties to please Lord Krsna and to set an

> example for the benefit of others.

 

 

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

The above is one of the best explanations of prescribed duties and their

relationship to transcendence that I have read. Bravo!

 

I would say from personal experience that when one does one's best to live

this way, Krsna bestows great blessings.

 

I'd like to add a few things---

 

There are several categories of prescribed duties. There are spiritual duties

which encompass practical ways of engaging in the nine processes and which are

given by the spiritual master for upliftment. These duties can be done by

anyone, regardless of the body. In this category, and in the category of

duties prescribed according to the psychophysical nature, there are three

subcategories each--ordinary, emergency, and desired. While our ordinary

duties take precedence, desired activities that are not sinful and are for the

Lord's service can certainly be offered to Him and are not whimsical. And,

emergency means anyone can do anything. Of course, emergencies should be rare

and brief, not constant and on-going.

 

Additionally, it is crystal clear in the sastra that women have varna.

Therefore, women have duties in their varna as well as in their ashrama. You

have quoted the duties of women in the grhastha ashrama only. But there are

duties while under the father and duties while under the sons, that are

different from what you have quoted. And the duties of a sudra woman will be

different from those of a brahmana woman, though varna duties will be in

addtion to ashrama duties.

 

Finally, it is still the case that people come to the Krsna Consciousness

Movement who are so attached and fixed in a particular way of life that one

has to engage them in service in a non-standard way without disturbing their

minds. Surely, such persons can make full spiritual advancement as long as

they follow the basic instructions Srila Prabhupada gave us, and they can

offer to Krsna their work, however much it may deviate from sastric prescribed

duties. For example, there's a divorced woman with two children and a job as a

lawyer. How will she follow sastric presribed duties? Does it mean that her

legal services for ISKCON aren't accepted by Krsna?

 

In this regard, we need to consider that there are *many* women in ISKCON who

have neither father, husband, nor son to protect them. Some of these women are

older, many are not eligible for marriage for one reason or another, and their

external situation is most unlikely to lead to a sastrically prescribed duty.

What to do? Is everything they do "whimsical?" Is it the prescribed duty of a

thrice divorced woman with children from several marriages to again marry so

she can serve her "husband" according to Bhagavatam? Unfortuantely such

situations are often more common than the ideal.

 

Your servant, Urmila devi dasi