Women's role and intelligence

[Guest guest]

On 5 Jul 2002, Mrgerald (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote:

 

> In summary, the assumption that women have independent varna and duty in the

 

> same sense that men do leads to unacceptable logical inconsistencies.

> Furthermore, there is no lacuna in the Bhagavad-gita regarding women's

> duties. It has been obvious right from the very outset (1.40).

>

> ys

> Gerald Surya

 

Krishna is crystal clear in Bg about the qualities of brahmana, kastriya....

Whether man or woman who ever has those qualities by definition is a brahmana.

Just as irrespective of whether father is truthful or not, son/daughter may be

truthful. Similarly whether husband is truthful or not wife may be truthful.

And whether son is truthful or not mother may be truthful etc,. (Note: I have

picked for example truthfulness as it is one of the qualities of a brahmana by

definition of Bg)

 

That is the point. Everyone is evaluated according to one's guna and karma

according to Vaisnavas, guru and Krishna. If woman's varna simply

depended *only* on father's, husband's or son's varna then there is no meaning

for 'varna sankara' and no meaning for 'anuloma' and 'pratiloma'. What I mean

is these terms would not exist.

 

Also there are two established systems of VAD. Social VAD and DVAD. Ours is

Daivi VAD.

 

YHS

Bhadra Govinda Dasa.

[Guest guest]

> "WWW: Urmila (Devi Dasi) ACBSP (Padma Academy NC - USA)"

> <urmila (AT) com (DOT) org>

> Fri, 05 Jul 2002 20:35:42 EDT

 

> "PURPORT

> The men of the higher classes -- the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas -- do

> not beget children in the wombs of lower-class women. Therefore the custom in

> Vedic society is to examine the horoscopes of a girl and boy being considered

> for marriage to see whether their combination is suitable. Vedic astrology

> reveals whether one has been born in the vipra-varna, ksatriya-varna,

> vaisya-varna or sudra-varna, according to the three qualities of material

> nature. This must be examined because a marriage between a boy of the

> vipra-varna and a girl of the sudra-varna is incompatible; married life would

> be miserable for both husband and wife. Consequently a boy should marry a

girl

> of the same category."

>

>>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 6.2.26

 

The end of the above purport has been omitted and is very significant:

 

"Of course, this is trai-gunya, a material calculation according to the

Vedas, but if the boy and girl are devotees there need be no such

considerations. A devotee is transcendental, and therefore in a marriage

between devotees, the boy and girl form a very happy combination." SB 6.2.26

 

This jyotish calculation becomes insignificant when a husband and wife are

both devotees. *That* consideration is a more significant compatibility

factor in a happy marriage than a single varna calculation imho.

 

The word "varna" in the above instance clearly refers to a calculation in

Vedic astrology. The word "varna" in the above context, is synonymous with

"guna", not with "caste" or real varna. This and other similar statements

about inter-varna marriage can thus be reconciled by not equating guna with

varna. Shyamasundara Prabhu has already suggested exchanging the term varna

with guna in such instances, to avoid confusion with real varna which is

guna + karma. A woman has her own guna-type varna but shares her husband's

class-type varna. When we consider these differences amongst terms, there is

no disharmony.

 

Your servant,

 

Sita dd

[Guest guest]

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Although marriage is not really my field, I have just a couple of possibly

relevant comments below.

 

> > "WWW: Urmila (Devi Dasi) ACBSP (Padma Academy NC - USA)"

> > <urmila (AT) com (DOT) org>

> > Fri, 05 Jul 2002 20:35:42 EDT

>

> > "PURPORT

> > The men of the higher classes -- the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas --

> > do not beget children in the wombs of lower-class women. Therefore the

> > custom in Vedic society is to examine the horoscopes of a girl and boy

> > being considered for marriage to see whether their combination is

> > suitable. Vedic astrology reveals whether one has been born in the

> > vipra-varna, ksatriya-varna, vaisya-varna or sudra-varna, according to

> > the three qualities of material nature. This must be examined because a

> > marriage between a boy of the vipra-varna and a girl of the sudra-varna

> > is incompatible; married life would be miserable for both husband and

> > wife. Consequently a boy should marry a

> girl

> > of the same category."

> >

> >>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 6.2.26

>

> The end of the above purport has been omitted and is very significant:

>

> "Of course, this is trai-gunya, a material calculation according to the

> Vedas, but if the boy and girl are devotees there need be no such

> considerations. A devotee is transcendental, and therefore in a marriage

> between devotees, the boy and girl form a very happy combination." SB

> 6.2.26

 

Of course, there have been so many marriages in ISKCON between devotee boys

and girls which have not proved to "form a very happy combination". Does

this mean at least one of the pair was not advanced enough to be on the

'transcendental" platform? In view of that, perhaps the varna consideration

might be helpful in those cases.

 

> This jyotish calculation becomes insignificant when a husband and wife are

> both devotees. *That* consideration is a more significant compatibility

> factor in a happy marriage than a single varna calculation imho.

 

But if both are not only devotees but are also in the same varna category

perhaps the marriages would be more stable as the participants have more in

common.

 

your servant,

Krishna-kripa das