Gayatri-Women chanting.

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> Pranam, Anna. I heard that women should not chant the Gayatri because they wouldn't be able to have children? Also, others say that everyone can and should chant the Gayatri. So, who is right? Pls enlighten us.> > Thanks.> > With Love> > Shankaree

 

 

 

Dear Shankaree Amma,

 

 

 

This question has been dealt by me in my old postings in various angles.

 

This is also a tricky question. If I answer "Yes"-People accuse me of being a libertine and if I answer "No" then too people accuse me of not knowing the Shastras.

 

I enquired this with my Gurunathar and much to my happy surpirse, He said , "Women can chant Gayatri mantra provided they get initiated like males and rules much the same for all other mantras"

 

My Gurunathar is a very taciturn person and always says things in telegraphic language.

 

 

He means:

 

1. Women can chant the Gayatri mantra

 

2. They have to get initiated into it from their husbands or Gurus.(Their husbands or Gurus inturn have to be properly initiated)

 

3. Rules as to soucha(the monthly menses period) have to be observed.

 

 

 

 

When women are allowed to even practice the Srividya in the Lopamudra sampradaya, then I do not see why there is a barrier for Gayatri mantra, which is needed as a foundation for further practices in Srividya.

 

 

 

However, this is an age of misquoting and perfect misunderstanding of what is being said and what the underlying intent is.

 

As a matter of fact neither do the Vedic Scripts nor the Sanatana Dharma discriminate women. On the contrary, womanhood is held in the Highest Esteem, and women are respected as Maa, (Mother) irrespective of their age and status.

 

 

 

It is however widely believed that some of the Vedic chants' vibrations are so powerful in nature that once a woman starts chanting those regularly, she is likely to lose her feminity and get masculine charecteristics in both apperance and psyche. In majority of cases, it might cause hormonal disturbances in the body's physical mechanism and disturb their menstrual cycle.

 

TRS Iyengar

 

TRS Iyengar writes thus:

"... I did ask my father & Guru who was a walking university with Vedic knowledge. He simply just explained it to me the with some practical way, by taking me to a nearby pond, where a lots of frogs were seen. We sat on a rock nearby and chanted a specific slokhas for a while, then a few frogs started disappearing from the scene one by one! (it was immediately felt after few lines of recital!). At the end, still there were many frogs left on the bank, despite his reciting a specific slokhas. Till then, all the frogs were just simply wandering on the bank of the pond. He explained to me, that the frogs that are still standing on the banks are of Male in nature and those left are opposite sex! If such a phonetic vibration cause disturbance in other creatures,

why it should not with human? "

 

 

 

 

 

Certain glands like Thyroid get affected by the repeated mantraical vibrations.Even the Vocal Chord which produces the sound effect in our body too has different functional values for male & female.

 

TRS Iyengar further writes:

 

 

 

"Apart from the above, the menstrual cycle, the more complicated one in nature, which causes some sort of discharge and with extended period of up to five days; In normal course, this cycle may be regular for every fittest woman. But when compounded with some anxiety, tension, fear and pressure, the period is disturbed with varying fluctuation. This is what the science elaborates. When the aquatic or sound vibrations causes some disturbances in the chemical composition in mind and body, then the abnormality begins. But it is not just sudden and immediate certain. Where in, the vibrations causes gradual but determined effect in one's analogies of human anatomy!

The reason quoted for women not to recite or chant the versus with stronger power vibrations are thus affects the nerve system to weaken, then the gland functional causes more abnormalities and compounded with menstrual course disturbances. This might cause frequent health set back for a women, if she chants or recites some of the slokhas like Gayatri very often. If this is the case for normal and fittest women, then you may think of the consequences for a weak person. In one specific case, I was told a mother- 32 years of age, who chanted Gayatri daily for 108 times, lost here milk producing capacity, though she had all other normal activities. The medical report confirms that she was absolutely normal wherein, breast feeding was disturbed with here recital."

 

 

 

However, all this being said and done, if a proper shakthipatha is given by a Guru, menses period avoided for chanting in the ritualistic way(mentally one can still chant),proper protective methods including the nyasas,achamanam,etc are done for shuddhi, I do not see a reason for the barrier for women to chant.

 

But most of the time, these days women out of zealousness to 'compete' with men tend to do it radically and end up the sufferers.

 

 

 

There is no sexism or discrimination involved in Vedas or the Dharma.This simply is impossible if God be one for both.

 

Some arguments by the pro-women proponents are:

 

1. Many big organizations like Gayatri Pariwar openly say women can do it freely and even without any initiation.

 

2. During the period of Ramayana Seetha Devi used to do Sandhyavandana and Gayatri mantra upasana.

 

3. Many in northindia have been doing and yet they have not developed any male charecteristics and are perfectly fine.

 

4. Gayatri Matha is a female so why these views against a woman practicing the mantra?

 

I can squash every one of such 'logically loaded emotional questions' logically, emotionally and spiritually but this would be of no help to anyone except give me an egoist feeling that I have won the argument(and lost the battle of conveying the message).I have hitherto done it before for these questions and have earned a name of being 'bitterly truthful'.

 

 

 

 

 

However, my Gurunathar is against Gayatri mantra being chanted openly 'for the welfare of the world'(purpotedly) by these organizations by both sexes.He feels this is something personal and private like any other sadhana.

 

These organizations tend to:

 

1. Capitalize on people's sentiments to 'liberalize things'

2. Claim miraculous results proved on a scientific basis using modern equipment

3. Write and publish lot of books and booklets to support their stance and subvert the truth by way of eloquent words(and people fall for them easily)

4. Emotional tones

 

Gayatri homa can be done openly but with competent and spiritually evolved priests who know what they are doing.

 

 

To sum up:

 

1. Women can practice Gayatri mantra, however, with initiation(and caution during the menses period) and as per the advice of a very comptent Guru

 

2. Public chanting of Gayatri mantra by uninitiated by people(or even initiated people unless they all belong to one Gurukula and the Guru has instructed the same) is to be avoided.

 

 

 

These are the views of my Gurunathar and they are mine too, obviously.

 

Na Guror Paramam Vaakyam!

 

 

 

Shreeram Balijepalli

Hreem Rajarajeshwari Paradevatha!

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

 

 

 

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