FEMINISM 1 Vedic invocation to the feminine power, Saraswati. *“O, the ablest of mothers, the best of rivers and the noblest of deities, Goddess Saraswati, make us noble because we have become a bit ignoble.”* *** This is the famous hymn to the River Saraswati. Vedic feminism transcends the concerns of contemporary feminism seen in other parts of the world. Vedic feminism is in sharp contrast with the current manifestation of aggressive movement that originated in the west on behalf of women’s rights to equality. The Vedic view of feminism is characterized by an inherent spiritual outlook which projects perfect parity between women and men in every aspect of life and existence. The Vedic form of feminism is neither exclusive nor radical in its approach. Furthermore, she elucidated that Vedic feminism reflects a positive and participatory, constructive and complimentary, and healthy and holistic viewpoint for the needs and aspirations of a gender-just egalitarian society.
*** अम्बितमे । नदीतमे । देवितमे । सरस्वति । अप्रशस्ताःइव । स्मसि । प्रशस्तिम् । अम्ब । नः । कृधि ॥ ambi-tame | nadī-tame | devi-tame | sarasvati | apraśastāḥ-iva | smasi | pra-śastim | amba | naḥ | kṛdhi “Sarasvatī <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/sarasvati#hinduism>, best of mothers, best of rivers, best of goddesses, we are, as it were, of no repute; grant us, mother, distinction.” Ambitame, nadītame, devitame: the superlatives of ambikā <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/ambika#hinduism>, a mother, nadī <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/nadi#hinduism>, a river and devī <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/devi#hinduism>, a goddess 2 Vedic feminism is quite unique in the sense that women are portrayed in the most distinguished and dignified ways in the Vedas. She emphasized that this portrayal of women makes them unparalleled in world literature from this respect. Women are seers in the Vedas, who have realized the mantras. These women are referred to as Rishikas. There are more than 28 Rishikas in the Vedic hymns. Some of the Rishikas mentioned are *Suryaa, Apala, Atreyi, Vishvavara, Shachi, and Indrani*. In addition to that, there are several female deities in the Vedas such as *Saraswati, Usha, Aditi,Kuhu*, etc. Various forms of feminine roles of respect are enunciated in the epithets; epithets have been used as adjectives to denote a woman as follows: Subhaga, Sumangali, Susheva, Shiva, etc. In addition to that, other respectful and dignified enunciations have been made to describe women in the Vedic literature. That words like Shuddha (pure), Puta (pious) and Yajya (religiously accomplished) have been used to address a woman. Moving further, that at one stage, the creative force of woman has been regarded as highly as the position of creator. Stri or woman has been given the position of Brahma or the creator in the Vedic view. The veda, explained that just as Brahma is ever expanding and growing, woman is also ever growing as she gives birth to the progeny. Woman is extolled in the form of divine or dawn, often called Usha. The word used to denote Usha is worth considering, which is Purani Yuvati, meaning “the old one but ever new and fresh”. ShachiIndrani, the wife of Indra, the Vedic deity, proclaims in Vedas, *“This devil thinks I am weak. The devil thinks I am not brave. I am the wife of Indra and the lord of air is my friend.”* . Vedas never mention woman as Abala. Instead, women have been addressed as Aditi which etymologically means independent or the one not dependent on anyone. When we invoke the deity Aditi, we invoke the form of woman which is independent. In Vedic literature a complete complementary pattern is projected and propagated. Additionally, in the Vedic ceremonies, women had the right to choose their husbands. 3 In the West, the women are standing on the pedestal of competition and confrontation. When we promote this competitive and aggressive form of feminism, it will lead to the end of world. Vedic feminism stems from the system of family. The woman’s role as a wife is the most significant one in the Vedic view. According to the Vedic view the woman has to be respected since birth. Woman must be respected because she is the source of creation and gives birth to society. This viewpoint of Vedic feminism is similar to the concept of contemporary eco-feminism wherein woman is seen as nature itself. Feminism we usually understand is a set of aspirations of women to be given equal opportunities and equal rights. The current form of Western feminism only talks of women as bodies at the physical level, while Vedic feminism talks about women at the spiritual level as well as the social, empirical and familial levels. Vedic view of feminism venerates women not only from the spiritual point of view but also from the familial aspect. On the contrary, the Western model of feminism objectifies women in the consumerist model of living, as we are in today. Western feminism objectifies women to such as extent that it becomes impossible to talk about the dignified persona of women portrayed in the Vedic literature. Vedic view is inclusive and holistic while the modern view is exclusive and fragmented. Vedic view inherently motivated complementarities and coordination between both genders. The Vedic view of feminism is family oriented while the current view of feminism is individualistic. The Vedic view is duty-oriented while the modern view of feminism is rights-oriented. 4 Vedic feminism reflects a positive, participative, constructive, complementary, and healthy and holistic perspective on the demands and ambitions of a gender-just equitable society. On a spiritual level, there is no difference between men and women, according to Vedic philosophy. KR IRS 14 9 23 On Thu, 14 Sept 2023 at 07:18, Markendeya Yeddanapudi < [email protected]> wrote: > > > -- > *Mar*Feminism-The Abode of Jnana > > > > After the father contributes his 23 chromosomes and the mother her 23 > chromosomes, creating the zygote, it is the mother that takes over the > gigantic task of the creation of the baby. Every nano second the mother > breathes the smell messages of the troposphere, changes them into hormones > that build the baby, starting with the splicing of the zygote into two, > after the Autopoiesis of all systems of the mini-universe the first cell. > The perceptions of the mother become the hormonal messages, enabling the > division of every cell into two, two into four on and on and on, each cell > undergoing Autopoiesis or total check and audit of all systems of the > mini-universe, the cell, before splicing. Wonder of wonders there will be > the bacteria the mitochondria inside each cell, converting the cell into an > electromagnetic or cosmic field. The DNA of the Mitochondrion has to > coordinate with the master DNA of the cell, in each splicing. The flow of > electricity in the cell cannot be wayward. > > The very presence of the separate life form, the mitochondrion giving life > to the cell by creating electricity in the cell, indicates the vital > participation of nature in the making of the baby in the womb. The > paradigmatic connecting bases of perception and understanding of the baby > are created in the mother’s womb on the basis of the hormonal messages > based on the conversion of the breathing by the mother into emotions which > change into hormonal messages. The mother continuously breathes and feels > which become the hormones that educate the developing baby, cell by cell. > > And education starts as the flow of emotions. > > The paradigmatic bases of perception of the baby are built by the mother > with her feelings. We all live emotionally based on emotional intelligence > and not on the basis of Cartesian mechanics. A mother cannot simply become > mechanical in outlook. She cannot be unfeelingly mechanical. > > Real education is in nature. We learn by breathing, smelling, sensing, > perceiving, understanding and new and new paradigm building. We team up > with nature, the ultimate college to do collegial learning. > > Now we are under the thrall of mechanics or the Cartesian mechanical > approach for Jnana, the waves and waves of emotions. > > I feel like quoting from the book, ‘The Devil’s Chaplain’ by Richard > Dawkins, where he debunks all feminism. For him intelligence is only > Cartesian and mechanical. > > I feel like writing a book,’ Men are Mechanical and Women are Emotional’. > It can be a continuation of the book.’ Men are from Mars, Women are from > Venus’. The sum and substance of that book is that women want to tell their > problems and share them emotionally, while men try to solve the problems. > Women do not expect solutions from the man, but only hearing or listening. > It means that they want to share emotionally. They have no use for the > Cartesian and mechanical fixations. They want emotional symbiosis based on > feelings. > > I do not know whether there is a faculty of Feminism, in any University, > where emotional cognition and emotional intelligence based on breathing, > smelling and sensing are subjects. We need those subjects. > > The baby in the womb is threatened by the poisoned air of economics, > creating the emotion based genetic diseases. But thanks to the frenzy for > Technology, Feminism and emotional intelligence are under extinction. > > Theism itself is a sprout of nature, the sprout of feelings. No feeling > and emotion can be quantified and mechanized. > > YM > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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