March 8 marked the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. Wow! The world has certainly changed from 1911 to 2011.
The observance started as a way to recognize women's working rights in a growing industrialized western world, a time when voting rights were limited. Now, on this day, women in all countries benchmark the change in their societies.
And all will agree change has occurred to the role of a woman. I wonder if this change has only been "an upward progressive trajectory" or a winding spiral?
As a woman, an Indian American woman, a Hindu woman, an Asian American, I see the glass is more full than empty.
The many "hats" we wear are a reflection of our multiple identities.
The Indian identity recognizes a hundred years ago my ancestors were struggling for freedom. Today, India is an independent country. But still dealing with the impact of colonization at many levels. In the societal front they were working to reform customs which had shackled society. Institutionalized affirmative action is closing many of the gaps. Over time, the lingering vestiges should reduce further.
And, under the Asian American Exclusion Act our freedom was limited. We were Strangers from a Different Shore. Today gaps still exist, but there is hope for more acceptance to fulfill our potential.
In the professional arena, the doors have certainly opened, more in some industries than others. There is a general expectation of gender equity to bridge the existing gaps.
The role of both men and women is changing. Work-life balance issues are beginning to be shared responsibilities. Societies around the globe are in flux. Boundaries of acceptance are expanding (and sometimes contracting). What is "duty" and what are "rights"? Can this churning bring a new optimal balance? The new norm!
New paths are forged as individuals and families face myriad issues and make different, often difficult, choices without the comfort of known outcomes that traditional paths allowed. But then change is the only constant.
The Hindu identity is changing too. I started my adult journey somewhat believing the negative portrayal of the Hindu / Indian woman. This seemed to be the primary model. Yes, I did find some such examples, each one a painful experience. But, by and large, over time I have found they represent a small number relative to the whole population. The norm that I found values women with women often taking the lead role in families.
So, now I focus on the strength of the woman. Our traditions, from the beginning of time, has exemplified such strength in the Vedas and puranas, our allegorical stories. And, it has been a journey of discovery for me!
Often the societal wrong doings have been pegged to Hindu religion causing it to be maligned. Religion as exemplified by the Vedantic teachings shows the path of of self realization accessible equally to all. I see a need to retain the good in our ancient Hindu culture, to understand the essence and the value of the teachings, while reforming societal practices to reflect the contemporary ethos.
Many Hindu American temples are expanding beyond worship and creating community centers which have the potential of turning into seva centers. Perhaps someday in India, major Hindu temples will have autonomy from state control and will become learning centers as they once were before independence.
I just hope, as we make progress and change the way women, Indian American women, Hindu women, define themselves, we don't throw the metaphorical "baby" out with the bathwater. From the beginning, religion gave a Hindu woman an equal status in all aspects. Shouldn't the contemporary changing societal reforms reflect a balance too?
As I see it, in reality, a woman is a powerhouse of Shakti, and those qualities are brought to life through many, many stories in our tradition. In my opinion, wars of all kind are fought on the woman's body. Yes, she can be and is victimized. Physically, she may be weak, but she more than makes it up through the inner strength. She can be and is a warrior. She represents the true qualities as an agent of change.
Starting from the Vedantic trinity of God, equal importance was given to male and female. Feminine deities represent knowledge, wealth and are the energy for any change, such as Siva's transformative constructive destruction.
Lalitasahasranama eloquently describes 1,000 divine expressions of womanhood. And women like Gargi contributed to the Vedic literature. If Draupadi in Mahabharata represented a vocal woman of strength, Sita in Ramayan represented endurance and forbearance.
Somewhere along the way, impacted by the changing political governance and regimes, in the thousands-of-years-old culture, the equal rights diminished. But the inner strength remained.
As the liberated Indian American Hindu woman ventures into the world I hope she will be inspired by the best of the culture, balance her perspective and grow from strength to strength to strength. I know I have!
Follow Anju Bhargava on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hindusevausa
Rev. Anne Howard: Mary Magdalene: A Heroine Of Biblical Proportions
Shakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Women in Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2011
The 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8 2011
Anju Bhargava: The Importance of Seva and Social Justice for Inner ...
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Hi William... thanks for your link.
I am from the same city as you are, and share your love for the Goddesses, the Sun, and especially for the garden!
As a fellow community member I hope you will be joining us on the southside for MayDay ... its one of my favorite things about living here! Its just such a great way to welcome the Spring.
Also, i hope you dont mind me clarifying a few things about Goddess Kali and KaliYuga.
In Hindu belief, the spirit of KaliYuga is not same as the Goddess Devi Kali.
Kaliyuga is believed by Hindus to be a male spirit who represents confusion and conflict. He brings bad luck and causes war.
He is particularly associated with bad luck in gambling (actually, all the spirits of the four yugas are said to be the same spirits which determine ones fortunes in gambling... they are quite distinct from the greater deities of Hinduism, among whom Kali Amman stands.)
Goddess Kali is different from him.
She is a representation of Visvarupini, the cosmic processes of birth and death, nutrition and feeding, etc.. all envisioned as an entire holistic being.
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Her fierce form was believed to scare off these troublesome spirits, while her gentle form nourished and sustained the community (she is also called Shakambari and Annapoorneswari... which speaks to her as a nourishing, healing being.).
Structurally speaking, her role as a warrior is similar to that of Vishnu in the legends and the Puranas.
While visually she might seem opposite to Vishnu, the scriptures claim her to be his sister, and in a prelude to the KrishnaAvatara, Vishnu praises Kali as being his exact equivalent as both cosmic deity and as beneficent protector of the worlds.
In Kerala, where my family comes from, and where BhadraKali is pretty much the principal deity, She is seen as the cosmic mother. Her temples are more numerous than any other deity, even Vishnu and Shiva, and she is the principle deity first acknowledged in almost every ritual. .
She is believed to be the very body of the Earth and the cosmos as a living spirit, and her manifestations are wild spaces, underground waters, forest-covered mountain tops, ant hills, trees, etc....
She is the Shakthi of trees, mountains, wells, wild animals etc.
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oh and she rides a tiger. and what could be cooler than that?
Attukal Pongala is a festival held in honor of the Goddess Attukal Bhagavathy (Durga in the Snakalpa of BhadraKaali, and incarnated as kannagiAmman.) The ritual action occurs in Tirvanathapooram (formoerly Trivandrum), and is celebrated by Malayalis (those of us from Kerala) everywhere.
This festival is the Guiness Record holder for the Largest Annual Gathering of Women in the World, and at this time, we believe that Devi walks among them as an everyday person.
The festival prioritizes egalitarianism as a pivotal value (quite a contrast to the ManuSmriti), and women from every sort of economic, caste or even religious backgrounds all have pride of place at the event. (More recently, I have even seen Western women attending the celebration, and offering Pongala to Devi.)
Here is a link to a wonderful monograph about the festival by Anthropologist Dianne Jenett.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_feminist_studies_in_religion/v021/21.1jenett.pdf
happy Pongala and (a belated but very Happy) International Womens Day to one and all!!!
I am a IndianAmerican, and one of the few openly gay Hindus who I know.
I am a Devi bhaktha, and feel that many of our goddesses/shakthis offer both positive models for feminist agency, and (through their legends) an explicit critique of the more patriarchal/hierarchical elements of our society (eg, Mariyamman, Kurathi Amman, Muchilodu Amman, etc.)
But then there’s Charming Lady Meenakshi, whose heroic adventures are celebrated at Madurai, or LalitaAmbika, the omniscient inner guru who reveals transcendent truth as shimmering waves of florescent beauty (to quote the SundaryaLahari.) Ours is one of the few cultures where the Goddess continues to be worshiped undisturbed and unabated as for millennia.
India has given us so many amazing and inspiring women (Deepa Mehta, Arundhati Roy Ammachi etc...) And I take great pride that one of the first democratically elected female Heads of State in the whole World was our own Indira Gandhi.
My own community in South India is Nair, in which women have traditionally owned primary authority and freedom of movement. As a feminist man, I am very proud of that heritage. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to address the terrible gender-based injustices which we know do afflict many parts of the country.
I think our own history and culture offers many models and templates for changing those misogynist conditions, and ameliorating that unbalance. Who would dare have our Bhagavathys and Nayagis ever walk behind a man?
Chapter V.154 though destitute of virtue, or seeking pleasure (elsewhere), or devoid of good qualities, (yet) a husband must be constantly worshipped as a god by a faithful wife.
Chapter V.165 She who, controlling her thoughts, words, and deeds, never slights her lord, resides (after death) with her husband (in heaven), and is called a virtuous (wife).
Chapter V.166 In reward of such conduct, a female who controls her thoughts, speech, and actions, gains in this (life) highest renown, and in the next (world) a place near her husband.
So much for woman's liberation!
As you well know there is no ONE Hindu text which defines a culture nor a religion. There is diversity in thought and there is freedom to choose, certainly in today's India. In the ancient times, just as a woman was encouraged to see the better qualities in her husband so was the husband expected to treat the wife like a goddess - a veritable Laxmi.
I believe in the ancient times women authors certainly contributed to the Vedic literature. So there were NO restriction to education. And today, we see many girls also going through a female version of the sacred thread ceremony.
Human behavior distorts that which was intended to keep a balance in a society. Power and control are seen in all societies and they bring an imbalance which all societies are struggling to bridge the gap.
So much for women's liberation!!!! HOORAY
1. Manu is not some guy. His writings derive its authority directly from Vedas. For example the bit about Upanayana is stated in Brahma Sutra, interpreted by none other than Sankara. It says (1.3.36) “only the twice-born who has gone through the purification ceremony of Upanayana is allowed to study the Vedas – thus effectively prohibiting Sudras and Women from any such attemptsâ€.
2. Many of you are talking about Lakshmi, Sakthi etc., Please remember these are not gods, but just mythical figures, equivalent to Greek Zeus. What is unfortunate about Hindu religion is while everyone is well versed in mythology and the ceremonial aspects, no one understands the philosophy. According to Vedas, there is only one god, and that is Brahman. And you don’t pray to Brahman to get wealth or valor, (like you pray to Lakshmi and Sakthi) but to reach Nirvana. If you are praying to Lakshmi for Wealth you might as well pray to CEO of Goldman Sachs. It will have the same effect. Nothing.
3. Someone said I am being pedantic. By pedantic if you mean I am quoting actual scriptures and not stating opinions and wishful thinking. Like “I believe in the ancient times women authors certainly contribute¬d to the Vedic literature¬â€. You believe! Is that the best you can come up with?
Deities given by the Hindu mystic-poets are both male and female, and neither can claim a superiority over the other in the deeds, qualities and powers they possess.
In the Kama Sutra, women are not objectified for the sake of men.
In your pithy list above, only V.154 is offensive, but Manu Smriti never held sway, being one of a thousand+ texts on the subject of life and how to live it.
Please note that Dharmic traditions ( Hindu, Budh, Jain and Sikh) are not patriarchal at all at their core. In all these traditions we are born as man or woman across several births.In all these traditions, Moksha is independent of sex. More specifically, in the Hindu tradition, woman is epitome of Sakhti, and by worshipping this Shakthi, Mokhsa is attainable.
Blessed Be to you as well sister! And I agree with the wise Celtic saying which you quote one hundred percent!
Also, the sacred time of MAYDAY is on its way!!!! (Even as now, our own celebrations for Goddess Attukal Bhagavathy are at their peak!)
So a very happy MayDay and Springtime to you and yours, and blessings on us all!