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Re: HSC and women
Giri wrote:
>
> I wrote :
>
> >>Does Shankara anywhere say that women should not recite the vedas
> >>or take up sanyasa?
> >Again, based on my knowledge Shankara does say non-twice-born
> >people should not recite the vedas. I will try to find the exact reference
> >for you. Maybe other netters can remember it in a flash. The only
> >reference I can think of now is that Shankara condemns Shudra listening
> >to, reciting etc any part of the Vedas is I.3.9 of brahma suutra bhasya
As far as women are concerned, Sankara says that the word paNDitA, used
in the br.hadAraNyaka upanishad, (or is it the chAndogya?), to describe
a girl child, only means a girl skilled in household activities
(gr.ha-tantra). He further clarifies this by saying "because of lack of
vedAdhikAra for women". This is pretty much an accurate representation
of the orthodox brAhmaNa's view on this issue.
>
> Since I have the book, I can quote from I.3.38 of brahma sutra
> bhashya of Shankara translated by Swami Gambhirananda page 233.
>
> 'By the smriti he is debarred from hearing, studying and acquiring the
> meaning of the vedas. The smriti mentions that a sudra has no right to
> hear the vedas, no right to study the vedas, and no right to acquire the
> meaning of the vedas and perform the rites. As for probhition of hearing
> we have the text 'Then should he happen to hear the vedas, the expiation
> consists in his ears being filled with lead and lac [Gau. Dharma sutra 52].'
> 'He who is a Sudra is a walking crematorium. Hence one should not read in
> the neighbourhood [sic] of a Sudra [Vasistha, 18]. ..... Then there is
> the chopping off of his tongue if he should utter the vedas and the
> cutting of the body to pieces if he should commit it to memory [Gau.
> dharma sutras, 12.4]........'
>
Interestingly, the prohibition on SUdras comes from smr.ti only and not
from Sruti itself. One weak argument that we may offer against this is
that this is not in keeping with the spirit of the Sruti. However,
Sankara does allow that SUdras can gain AtmajnAna through other smr.tis.
On the other hand, there is also the famous cANDAla episode in Sankara's
life, when he composed the manIshA pancakam. Here he says that the true
AtmajnAnI, be he cANDAla or brAhmaNa, is to be revered as a guru.
Although the story may be apocryphal, it represents the true spirit of
advaita vedAnta, and is found in all the major Sankara vijayam texts.
It is indeed troublesome, in this day and age, to accept these smr.tis
at face value. However, we must recognize that a large portion of what
we call Hindu religion was in fact dictated by smr.tis like this. We can
talk all we want about who is a real brAhmaNa and who is a real SUdra.
In real life, such laws were used to deny rights to SUdras.
> It is also my understanding that Shankara says that only Brahmins
> can become sanyasis in his bhashya of brh. up. 3:5.1 and 4:5.15
>
Yes. And his disciple, sureSvara, points out in his vArttikA to this
bhAshya that sannyAsa is open to all dvijas, and not just to brAhmaNas.
That is the purpose of a vArttikA - to expand on what has been said
already and also to correct minor errors.
As of today, the daSanAmI sannyasis, who trace their lineage to Sankara,
accept both women and non-brahmins into sannyasa. There is also one
woman mahAmaNDaleSvarI, a post of considerable importance in the
daSanAmI AkhADa system. Also, to my knowledge, one women sannyasi has
sought and received instruction from the previous Sankaracharya of
Sringeri. My father asked him about it. His reply was that as a
jagadguru, he would teach any student who approached him, provided the
student was sincere and competent. His successor, the present
Sankaracharya, has also said in an interview that the old smr.tis were
made for a patriarchical society, with a view to protecting women, and
that they may not be applicable in modern society. He also allows that
women can be and have been AtmajnAnIs. So, in practical terms, the
attitudes are slowly changing, I suppose.
> Giri
> --
S. Vidyasankar
