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Re: HSC and women
>Does Shankara anywhere say that women should not recite the vedas
>>or take up sanyasa?
> I can quote from I.3.38 of brahma sutra
bhashya of Shankara translated by Swami Gambhirananda page 233.
1) Since the 4 vedas and the Gita are considered the pillars of
Hinduism, let me ask again, is there any place in the 4 vedas
or the Gita where it is said that shudras or women should not
recite the vedas or take sanyasa? Does it say that
that they cannot be born twice. It is then and only then
that we can say that they are not allowed to do so by decree of
the Hindu religion.
2) Since the metaphysics of Hinduism are based on the fundamental
assumption that we are souls and that this soul (jiva atma)
does not have any attributes (no birth no death no sex no caste),
a contradiction arises if Hinduism does not allow women and
shudras to recite the vedas. Which is the more fundamental tenet?
3) If the shudras and women are
incapable of attaining salvation and not worthy of salvation
then how is it that the saivaite saints
1) kannapanayanar (hunter caste)
2) Nandanar (pariah)
3) Kaakai Padiniyar Nachellayar (woman)
4) Thirunavuku Ararcar
5) and on the vaishnavaite side Aandal (woman)
are said to have obtained salvation.
4) If the shudra is a walking
crematorum and that lower caste people cannot are not wothy of
salvation then how is it that most people worship the
low--caste God Krishna.
5) Is it not said that when shankara asked a shudra in his way
to move out of the way that the shudra (Lord Shiva) asks him
whether it is his body or soul that he wants out of the way.
At this point Shankara is said to have realized his mistake.
Is it not then an obvious error on the part of shankara?
What is more fundamental, is it the error of Shankara or the
logic of the shudra (Lord Shiva)?
If one considers the acharya to be God that is a different question.
If he is considred human then he is capable of making mistakes
(albeit very rare). If that is the case then the Brahma Sutra Bashya
is still the interpretation of "Shankara the human".
