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.

 

> 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.

 

There are several ways to understand the term "varna."

 

One meaning is "occupation" or "vocation".

One is "descent" or "origin".

Another meaning is "nature", "spirit" or "temperament".

 

The last one is the meaning Sraddha dasi was writing about in her texts. In

that sense, a woman may have a varna of her own, independent of her

husband´s. For instance, a woman may have the spirit of a kshatriya even if

her husband is a businessman or an intellectual. Or the wife of a

businessman or a soldier may be brahminical in nature, that is she may like

to study and worship even though the husband is into making money or

fighting wars.

 

This is pretty much common sense and it is particularly clear to those who

know astrology: Every woman has a chart of her own describing her individual

quality and this does not change even after marriage. If Mars or the Sun are

very strong she will be fearless, domineering, confident, and she will like

to order others around. If the Moon is dominant she will be submissive,

timid, caring and motherly. If Jupiter is dominant she will be brahminical

and wise. If Mercury is dominant she will be witty and a good talker etc.

 

However, if we take varna to mean "vocation" then a woman usually adopts the

varna of her husband after marriage, at least in vedic culture. When

Devayani, a Brahmani by descent, married Yayati, she became queen and thus a

kshatriya. In Vedic culture, the wife always assists the husband in his

occupational duties and in that sense she generally adopts the varna of the

husband.

 

That does not mean that her inborn spirit will change and as Sraddha dasi

pointed out if members of two different varnas get married it can create

serious problems in the marriage, particularly if the wife is of a higher

varna than he husband. The worst combination is Brahmana wife and shudra

husband and therefore this type of marriage is strictly prohibited in

the veda.

 

So a woman does generally adopt the varna or occupation of her husband after

marriage but will not lose her own individual temperament or guna. In that

sense she could remain a brahmana even after marrying a kshatriya.

Yudhishtira was a kshatriya by occupation but was sometimes attacked for

displaying the spirit of a brahmana.

 

ys Anantarupa das