women and brahma gayatri

[mrs.moore]

my friend's guru wrote to her about why women aren't given brahma gayatri mantra, and her guru tole her:

 

"The nature and constitution of ladies is most favourable to render loving, sweet services, but if they engage in unfavourable practices, the effect will be reversed and they will develop opposite qualities. They will become filled with false ego and the desire to control others, and moreover, they will want to demand respect. If you want to develop all these qualities you may chant brahma gayatri."

 

qu: why can't women chant brahma gayatri?

a: because it makes them heard-hearted if they chant it during menstruation!

qu: but what about women who don't menstruate (like elderly vaisnavis)?

a:

 

qu: when is a human body ever really pure then? what if a man has a sticky plaster on his finger? can he chant brahma gayatri?

 

qu: um. what about prabhupada....?

[Redsox]

who is this guru? Tell her to ask him these other questions (the ones you wrote here). I am sure he has good answers.

 

Also,

can you tell her to ask some other questions from me (i am a neophyte)?

 

1. Nature of ladies is most favourable to render loving, sweet services. Then, what is the nature of Men. Shouldn't a man offer sweet and loving services?

If it is the nature of man to offer sweet and loving services, then wouldn't he also develop opposite qualities and be filled with false ego and demand respect (once he starts chanting Brahma gayatri)?

Please make sure he knows that you are not being disrespectful when asking this, its a matter of clearing up what he said.

[Guest guest]

Vrindavana, May, 1992

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

[Devotee:] We were wondering if you could teach us how to utter the gayatri mantras, or tell us more of its meaning in order to help us chant it from the heart – because when we say it it seems so dry. The mantra simply begins on our tongue and then after a few minutes it’s over, and in that time nothing seems to happen.

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Why are you thinking that you are dry?

 

[Devotee:] It’s because I don't have any love or any emotion when I chant the maha-mantra or gayatri-mantra.

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] The brahma-gayatri, the first of the gayatri mantras, will dry your heart.

 

[Devotee:] What do you mean?

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Ladies don't utter this first mantra.

 

[Devotee:] But our Srila Prabhupada gave it to us.

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] He did not wish that you continue it for all time. The acaryas in the Gaudiya-sampradaya, like Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada – acaryas from the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu – say that only male persons can receive that mantra. All other gayatri-mantras can be uttered by ladies as well.

 

[Devotee:] But he gave it to ladies and men.

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] He had a special reason to do this at that time, but he did not want this to continue perpetually. Because you believe he still wants you to chant that first mantra you should do so, but give more emphasis on the other mantras – like guru-gayatri and guru-mantra.

 

[Devotee:] The brahma-gayatri is just the first mantra, but I don't say the others well either.

 

[Devotee:] She says that she does not know how to say any of them with the proper consciousness.

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Your spiritual master has given some hints on how to meditate on them, so you will have to improve. He has given you a seed, and if that seed sprouts then some very green leaves will appear, and later on flowers will begin to bloom. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come here only to give the goal of these mantras:

 

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam

harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah

sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah

 

["May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love". (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.4)]

 

Have you heard this sloka? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to donate this gift to the world – unnatojjvala rasa. What is the meaning of unnatojjvala rasa? Sriman Mahaprabhu has come to teach us how to love Krsna. He has not come especially to teach how Yasoda loves Krsna. This has been given before. Srila Vallabhacarya and all others have given this. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has not come to give the love of the cowherd boys for Lord Krsna, nor has He come to teach how Rukmini and Satyabhauma love Him. That has been given by Sri Ramacandra and also by Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came only to distribute unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti sriyam.

 

Actually, He has come to give sriyam – not ujjvalla-rasa. He has come to taste unnatojjvala-rasa, the bhava of Srimati Radhika. Do you understand? This unnatojjvala-rasa cannot be given because that kind of mahabhava is the topmost point of love – but its sriyam can be given. What is the meaning of sriyam? Sri means beauty. Srimati Radhika is likened to a creeper, and its beauty is its leaves and flowers. When the leaves and flowers of the creeper move gently in the breeze, we can then see how beautiful the creeper is. If there are no flowers or leaves on that creeper, there is no beauty. We don't want to be Srimati Radhika – the creeper. We want to be the leaves and flowers of the creeper. We want to be palya-dasis (unpaid maidservants) of Srimati Radhika and nothing more.

 

Are you understanding something in this regard? I have given you a hint. You should gradually read about this topic, and that will help you so much. You can study Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura's Madhurya-Kadambini, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Jaiva Dharma, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, and Srimad Bhagavatam. All of these books will give you so much fruit.

[Redsox]

Re: Ladies don't utter this first mantra from guest:

Can you dumb this down for me, I didn't understand your point here.

[mrs.moore]

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] The brahma-gayatri, the first of the gayatri mantras, will dry your heart.

[Devotee:] What do you mean?

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Ladies don't utter this first mantra.

how can any mantra meaning savitur as mahaprabhu (CC Mad 8.226p) dry a heart?

 

what exactly causes these women's hearts to dry up??

what does dry up mean?

 

 

[Devotee:] But our Srila Prabhupada gave it to us.

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] He did not wish that you continue it for all time.

does this suggest that the other gayatri mantras are to be continued for all time? are they? the maha mantra is, isn't it.

 

 

The acaryas in the Gaudiya-sampradaya... from the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu say that only male persons can receive that mantra.

why do they say that?

 

 

[Devotee:] But [bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada] gave it to ladies and men.

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] He had a special reason to do this at that time, but he did not want this to continue perpetually. Because you believe he still wants you to chant that first mantra you should do so, but give more emphasis on the other mantras – like guru-gayatri and guru-mantra.

 

maharaja said this in 1992. do his women followers still chant their brahma gayatri mantras 15 years on?

 

redsox: i believe this was a reply to those questions... it was the conclusion of an exchange in which she had previously been instructed about this heart-hardening/drying effect.

[mrs.moore]

and you, redsox, will have to find your own guru for your questoins

[Guest guest]

None of Srila Saraswati Thakur's disciples or grand-disciples, except Srila Swami Maharaja gave or presently give the brahma gayatri to women for this reason. Their hearts are already soft, so the sun aspect of savitur, which is the direct meaning will dry up their hearts.

[Kulapavana]

Srila Narayana Maharaja expressed his opinion on the Brahma Gayayatri mantra in connection with women. His disciples should pay attention and accept his views as pertinent to their spiritual life.

 

Historically, that mantra was hardly ever given to women but I doubt that had anything to do with the softness of their hearts. Why did Srila Prabhupada give it to his female discoples? Probably because he did not want to raise artificial barriers and his disregard for the Vedic rituals was actually quite profound.

[mrs.moore]

some women have very hard and even cruel hearts. can they chant brahma gayatri mantra to help make their hearts soft?

some men have very soft hearts. some men are are effminate, and some are weak. should they then not chant brahma gayatri?

 

is it to do with anatomy? then what about intersexuals (hermaphrodites)?

 

and again: how can any mantra meaning savitur as mahaprabhu (CC Mad 8.226p) dry a heart?

 

what was prabhupada's reason for giving the mantra?

[Guruvani]

 

None of Srila Saraswati Thakur's disciples or grand-disciples, except Srila Swami Maharaja gave or presently give the brahma gayatri to women for this reason. Their hearts are already soft, so the sun aspect of savitur, which is the direct meaning will dry up their hearts.

 

 

but all this kind of thought is making false assertions that the soul of a "woman" is more soft than the soul of a man.

 

When you are dealing with spirituality, then to differentiate between male and female is wrong because all jivas are prakriti by nature.

 

Judging who can chant gayatri and who can't on the basis of bodily considerations is based on a bodily concept of life.

 

Actually, in many ways women have harder hearts than men.

The whole hypothesis of Narayana Maharaja seems to be based on a very poor understanding of the real nature and mentality of women.

 

I think the idea that women are more soft-hearted than men is a myth.

 

Many women are as tough as nails, especially the women that have been raised up in western countries without all the sheltered lives that rigid Hindu and Moslem familes impose upon their daughters and wives.

[mrs.moore]

thankyou guruvani.