Women & vedas

Courtesy : Sri.S.S.Rao

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I keep getting inquiries on this subject and think that it would be useful for the others also.
>>
>>
>>My dear young enquirers,
>>
>>There is nothing in the scriptures which bars women from studying vedas.
>>
>>Gulab
>>bai Tripati who started conducting death rites at her age of 11 years
>>(after her father passed away) died at the age of 86 years in 2005. Since she questioned the Brahmin gurus at such a conservative era, she was forced to leave the traditional ghat in Allahabad. She built her own ghat called Rasulabad ghat with her hard earned money.
>>She has been compared to Gargi who questioned Yagnavalkya as she had questioned the traditional gurus of her age.
>>
>>Sandhyavandanam was the first woman in Andhra Pradesh to obtain a doctorate in Vedic studies. She
>>forayed into the male dominated profession and performs all the sixteen
>>samskaaras not only in Andhra, but even in Pune and Tamilnadu. She has been conducting Upanayanam for boys and girls also.
>>
>>There are others like Suneeti, Vasudhasastry, Oruganti Lakshmidevi (miryalaguda) ,
>>Sulochana, Saraswathamma (Kamareddy), Swarooparani (east Godavari), Kalyani (Tenali).
>>
>>Shashi
>>Tandon has conducted countless samskaaras in the USA (Illinois,
>>Michigan, Wisconsin etc.,) and has become very popular there.
>>
>>Purohits
>>from Choutpally, Nizamabad-Pranavesw ari, Rajeswari, Bhuvaneswari,
>>Gnaneswari etc., not only conduct pourohityam but run Vedic schools for
>>girls. All these ladies are married and they have children too.
>>
>>In Kendra Para (Orissa) - Maa Kharakiya temple on the banks of Brahmani River, men are not allowed!!
>>Sandhya Kulkarni conducted the shraadh of actor Mohan Agashe's mother.
>>
>>When
>>most men are abandoning the traditional professions for considerations
>>of economy and status and women doing such works efficiently, why not
>>think of encouraging them further?
>>
>>
>>
________________________________
A FEW AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT
>> 1. The "Brahma" in a yajna is the best trained purohit who can correct the others involved in the yajna.BRAHMAA VAA RITVIJAABHMISHAKTAM AHA - Shatapatha brahmana 1.7.4.19.
>>"Thasyaadyo brahmanishtaha syaath tham brahmaanam kurveeth"
>>"Atha kena brahmtvam kreeyathe iti trayyaa vidyayethi, trayya vidyayeti ha brooyaath" (Aithareya 5.33)
>> Now, an woman can be a brahma as mentioned in Rigveda ( 8.33.-19)
>>"......sthree hi brahmaa vibhoovidhaha"
>> 2."AachaaryadaNatvam"... Ashtaadhyaayi 4.3.2.49
>>"ACHHARYASYA STREE AACHAARYAANEE PUM YOGA ITHYEVA AACHAARYA SVAYAM VYAAKHYAATREE"
>>-Siddhaanta koumudi
>>( the woman who conducts the veda pravachana is called an Achaarya)
>> 3.Aachaarya lakshana :-
>> "UPANEEYA TUM YAHA SHISHYA VEDAMADHYAAPAYED DWIJAHA, SAKALPA SARAHASYAM CHA THAMAACHAARYA PRACHAKSHATHE"
>>( The one who can conduct the upanayana samskaara and teaches the Vedas is called the Aachaarya)
>>Siddhaanta Koumudi edited by Mahamahopaadhyaaya pandit Shivadatta sarma says,
>>"ITI VACHANENAAPI STREENAM VEDAADHYANAADIKAARO DHVANITHAHA"
>>(THIS MAKES IT CLEAR THAT WOMEN HAS VEDAADHIKAARA)
>> 4.Rigveda 10.159-2.3
>>"THADVIDAHA.......UTAAHAMASMI SAM JAYAA...UTTAMAM"
>>( May I get
>>a good husband.....Because of Vedas, I will become tejasvi and a powerful
>>spokes person...May my daughter shine well because of her good character)
>>
>> 5.Taandya brahmana (5-6-8) advises that women have to chant saamaved along with veena when a yajna is being conducted. The Mantra 5.5.29 ordains that the women have to circumambulate the yajna kunda chanting the veda mantras.
>> 6..The kumari Gandharva grahathaa story in Eithareya proves that the women had all rights for Vedas. Laatyayana shrouthasootra, Shaankaayana shroutha sootra etc., also confirms the rights of women for Vedas.
>>
>> There are several other authorities advising women to chant veda mantras. Please see Yajurveda23- 23, 25-27, 29; Shatapatha brahmana 1-9-2-2-1, 1.9.2.22.23; Taittareeya samhitha 1.1.10, Aaswalaayana grihya sootra 1.1.9, Kaataka grihyasootra 3.1.30, 27-3, Paaraskara grihyasootra 1.5.1,2. ,
>>Yajurveda 36-24 "tacchakshurdeva sahitam..." is to chanted only by a woman.
>>Rigveda 10-85.48 has to be chanted by husband and wife together.
>>
>>
>>
>>Some more Authorities for women chanting veda mantras:-
>>
>>Examples
>>of women mantradrashtaaras: Ghoshaa, godhaa, vishvavaraa, Apaalaa,
>>Upanishad, Jahu, Indraani, saramaa, Romashaa, Oorvashi, Lopaamudraa,
>>Yamee, Shaashvathee, Sooryaasavithree, ......etc.,
>>>>
>>
>>Rigveda 10-134, 10-39, 10-40, 8-91, 10-95, 10-109, 10-154, 10-159, 10-189, 5-28, 8-91 ..etc., are from women.
>>
>>Taittareeya
>>brahmana 2-3-10.."..Tam trayee vedaa anya srijantha... .vedan pradadow"
>>(Three vedas were given to the woman Seetaa-savitri through Soma)
>>>>
>>
>>Manu's
>>daughter Idaa is described in Taittareeya Brahmana( 1-1-4) as
>>Yajnaprakaashinee meaning Yajna tatva prakaashana samarthaa.
>>(This can be continued... )
>>
>>To cite examples of mention in Mahaakavyas:
>>>>
>>
>>Mahabharata: - Udyogaparva 190-18:
>>"Atra siddhaa shivaa naama braahmNee veda paaragaahaa. ."
>>( A brahmin lady by name Shivaa was a scholar of vedas and she got Moksha)
>>
>>A
>>non brahmin lady Droupadi was a scholar of vedas. Achaarya Madhva in
>>his Mahabharata tatparya nirnaya says, "Vedaaschapyuttama streebhihi
>>krishnaattaabhiriha akhilaaha ( Good women should learn Vedas like
>>Droupadi)
>>>>
>>
>>Valmiki Ramayana:-
>>Sundarakaanda53- 23: Vaidehi shokasantaptaa hutaashanmupaagatam ( The sad Seeta did havan )
>>VR 5-15-48:- "Sandhyaakaale .....Sandhyaartham varavarninee"
>>(Seetha would certainly come to the river to perform sandhya with pure water)
>>>>
>>
>>Valmikiramayana
>>4-16-12, 2-20-15 indicate that Kousalya and Kaikeyi also were doing
>>agnihotra etc., Vaali's wife tara chanted swastimantras.
>>
>>Puranas :-
>>Vishnupurana (1-10) and (18-19); Markandeyapurana (52); Brahma vaivarta purana (14-65) etc., may be seen.
>>>>
>>
>>We can go on like this, but enough to give some indication of the position.
knr

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