Are women ever held accountable for there actions in Vedic culture?

[krsna]

Women are like children in that they always need protection from men :fathers,husbands and sons.

 

They are never held accountable for any of their actions(but the shouldn't take advantage of this fact.)

 

But outside of Vedic culture things are very much different...What are the men to do when women act as men?

 

 

[Kulapavana]

"They are never held accountable for any of their actions"

 

Not true at all. according to Manu smriti women are to be disciplined by their guardians for their actions and not by the king, with one notable exception: a crime of infanticide must be punished with death.

[Guest guest]

please let us clarify that all these rules and sex discriminations are not valid in kali yuga where we all are lowest class, not intelligent and almost animals

[Kulapavana]

in Kali yuga some of these rules still apply. but the Vedic rules must be understood properly, and be applied to both women and men as appropriate. the original Vedic rules have nothing to do with sex discrimination. the sage Markandeya says that in Kali yuga men behave like women, and women act like men. that is not a prediction. that is how it is in ALL Kali yugas. that time is already upon us. let us all be humble and study the shastra with an open and submissive mind. only then we will understand the Vedic message. Hare Krishna!

[krsna]

http://bhagavatam.net/11/28/1

 

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi

na praśaṃsen na garhayet

viśvam ekāmakaṃ paśyan

prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca

 

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; para — anyone else's; svabhāva — nature; karmāṇi — and activities; na praśaṃset — one should not praise; na garhayet — one should not criticize; viśvam — the world; eka-ātmakam — based on one reality; paśyan — seeing; prakṛtyā — along with nature; puruṣeṇa — with the enjoying soul; ca — also.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth

 

 

http://bhagavatam.net/11/28/2

 

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi

yaḥ praśaṃsati nindati

sa āśu bhraśyate svārthād

asaty abhiniveśataḥ

 

para — another's; svabhāva — personality; karmāṇi — and work; yaḥ — who; praśaṃsati — praises; nindati — criticizes; saḥ — he; āśu — quickly; bhraśyate — falls down; sva-arthāt — from his own interest; asati — in unreality; abhiniveśataḥ — because of becoming entangled.

 

Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities and behavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own best interest by his entanglement in illusory dualities

 

http://bhagavatam.net/11/28/32

 

yadi sma paśyaty asad-indriyārthaṃ

nānānumānena viruddham anyat

na manyate vastutayā manīṣī

svāpnaṃ yathotthāya tirodadhānam

 

yadi — if; sma — ever; paśyati — he sees; asat — impure; indriya-artham — sense objects; nānā — of their being based on duality; anumānena — by the logical inference; viruddham — refuted; anyat — separate from true reality; na manyate — does not accept; vastutayā — as real; manīṣī — the intelligent man; svāpnam — of a dream; yathā — as if; utthāya — waking; tirodadhānam — which is in the process of disappearing.

 

Although a self-realized soul may sometimes see an impure object or activity, he does not accept it as real. By logically understanding impure sense objects to be based on illusory material duality, the intelligent person sees them to be contrary to and distinct from reality, in the same way that a man awakening from sleep views his fading dream

 

 

 

http://bhagavatam.net/12/11/24

 

purport: Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura recommends that we become humble by practicing the following meditation: "The earth, which is always visible to me, is the expansion of the lotus feet of my Lord, who is always to be meditated upon. All moving and nonmoving living beings have taken shelter of the earth and are thus sheltered at the lotus feet of my Lord. For this reason I should respect every living being and not envy anyone. In fact, all living entities constitute the Kaustubha gem on My Lord's chest. Therefore I should never envy or deride any living entity."

[Guest guest]

in Kali yuga some of these rules still apply

 

wich?

 

the original Vedic rules have nothing to do with sex discrimination.

 

this definition is not negative

[Kulapavana]

I'm not an expert on Manava-dharma shastra rules and their relevance in Kali-yuga but for example: Srila Prabhupada spoke about the need to protect women by fathers, husbands, sons, etc. Needless to say ISKCON failed miserably in this area (as pretty much in all other social areas) and we are now experiencing a backlash in the other direction. Male bodied devotees often speak of the need for women to be submissive in marriage while ignoring Vedic injunctions as to the social responsibilities for men. Thus both sides keep blaming each other for the same failure to act in an Aryan way (what to speak of acting like devotees?)

[Guest guest]

devotion is for everyone.. even for people who do not follow vedic sex rules.. let us chant hare krishna, mahamantra will do everything

[Kulapavana]

yes. nobody should be discouraged from pursuing Krishna Consciousness, even if they dont follow the rules. that is the main Vedic principle. but that does not mean that Vedic rules are irrelevant. as your spirituality increases, you tend to adopt habits that promote the mode of goodness. even animals follow their rules, altough that happens automaticaly and involountarily. humans have some freedom, but they should use it wisely. the belief that maha-mantra will do everything is somewhat simplistic but indicates well placed faith.. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Guest guest]

well placed faith cannot be simplicistic

[Kulapavana]

and why not? some people believe that Krishna will do everything for them. that is also a well placed simplistic faith.