Wednesday 17 June 2020

Can Women Learn the Vedas ?



Barring women from Vedas is somehow regarded as an act that resembles a sense of being orthodox at its highest order.


Butthurt mania feels hurt because I teach women Vedas.

Absence of Vedic Reference 

No part of the Vedas actually specify as to who should or should not learn the Vedas.



Female Rishis ( Rishika-s ) downloaded the Vedas

The Vedas were never authored.They are apaurusHeya ( of non-human origin ).They are the very truths of the cosmos,vibrating as sound energy in akasha ( ether )

Highly advanced beings - whom we refer to as Rishis through their penance,activated the non-mechanical parts of their brain.Through this,they were able to download the Universal knowledge as a series of sounds which they heard.

This is why the entire Vedas are in the form of mantra-s with specific intonations and metres.

Interestingly,there are many Rishikas who downloaded the Vedas.The list above exhibits the names of the women who downloaded the mantras which are part of the today's Rig Veda.


For instance,the verses of Rig Veda recited as Devi Suktam was received by the Rishika VaagambhriNii.She was the daughter of Rishi AmbhrNaa.

Devi suktam speaks about the absolute consciousness in the form of Shakti Who empowers the multiverse,planets and all beings = which would be rendered lifeless without Her.


Devi Suktam,Rig Veda by Whatsapp Veda Learner Shravanthi.

Vedic text that encourages women to recite Vedas

The Rig Vidhaana is a Vedic scripture which describes the application of Rig Veda.Here,you find the application of Medha Suktam and Shraddha Suktam.

The text advises a nursing mother to recite the verses of Medha Suktam and Shraddha Suktam.Medha Suktam is a portion that finds place in the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajur Veda ( the portion of the Vedas traditionally learnt in the forest region in secrecy ) confers the power of memory retention.It describes and manifests all forms of intellect in the cosmos in the form of Medha Devi.

Video : My Whatsapp Veda Learner Smt Kavita reciting the Medha Suktam.

Video : My Whatsapp Veda Learner Shravanthi reciting the Shraddha Suktam.

Shraddha suktam empowers faith and valour.It finds place in the Taittiriya Brahmana of the Krishna Yajur Veda.The Brahmana portion of the Vedas serve as a commentary on the samhita portion.

The cocktail of these two sukta-s will have the child grow into a bright individual.This is also why the Vedic civilisation proved to be so advanced.



The Secrecy of Vedas

The Vedas had their secrecy and not all portions were openly learnt and recited.This is something we cannot deny.

For example,the AraNyaka is the portion of the Vedas traditionally learnt in the forest region ( Indicating discipline and secrecy of knowledge).The Upanishads were also not taught openly.They are the equivalent to the PhD of Veda learning in ancient days.


The germ killing verses of Yajur Veda which are getting into the limelight during this pandemic is actually part of the AraNyaka ; recited above by Whatsapp Veda Learner

The GaNapati Upanishad of Atharva Veda which expounds on GaNesha vidya speaks on how a teacher is bound to paapam ( sin ) should he teach the Upanishad to an undeserving student.


Nandi Kovil,Sungai Petani : GaNapati Upanishad recitation by Veda Class kids

The 13th chapter of Aruna Prashna - the first part of the Taittiriya AraNyaka of Yajur Veda is not recited in the presence of a pregnant lady.

This chapter describes the birth of Aditi - the mother of Gods in the Vedic culture.The vibrations produced from the recitation of this chapter will cause miscarriage.Even today,this chapter is omitted at all cause in public recitation.

Even Youtube recordings are devoid of this chapter.One who wishes to recite should strictly due it in isolation,in low volume.


Brickfields,Kuala Lumpur : Recitation of the 31 chapters of Aruna Prashna - first portion of Taittiriya Aranyaka

Nevertheless,the secrecy of the Vedas are not in parallel to gender bias.We do note some do's and don'ts in regards to learning the Vedas,but they do not involve gender partiality.

Secrecy here never meant androcentrism.

Male Biased Vedic Gurukulas 

You may have noticed certain lineages and Vedic schools that only allow males to learn Vedas.They have specific reasons to it.

Nevertheless,these restrictions are not universal.Let us say,you want to learn Physics.You enroll yourself in a campus.In order to learn the subject,you are required to adhere to a certain discipline in the form of punctuality,dress-code,assignment deadlines etc

The fact remains that Physics as crude knowledge is universal.The method used to learn Physics is limitless.A campus may have certain protocols but they are independent to the very knowledge.Someone else may learn the same knowledge by sitting at home shirtless through video conference.

The AraNyaka were learnt in the forests traditionally.This is not the case on contemporary.Things change with time.

The Vedas are beyond space and time.They are beyond boundary.Some portions were downloaded more than 100 000 years back,when the globe itself was different.The societal regulations back then would have been very different than the present.



Apparent adverse effects of reciting Vedas

Bizzare claims include hyperandrogenism,hyperthyroidism and uterine disorders that arise from the crude pronunciations of Vedic sounds.However,these are only subjected to females,so as they say.

These claims,as lunatic as they sound,are not backed by any medical evidence.Dot ! 

Preserve the Vedas before dictating !

More than 99 % of the shaakhas ( branches ) of the Vedas are extinct.What we have today is but a fraction of the whole.Even this tiny fraction is on the verge of extinction..

To the group which deny women from learning Vedas ; when you cannot preserve your dharma in preserving the Vedas,don't dictate on who should and shouldn't learn the Vedas.


I was called a 'dharma virodhi' for teaching Vedas to women.According to them ,women who recite Vedas will exhibit hirsutism.I am yet to find a reciter who resembles the image shown.



2 comments:

  1. Hello Vinnith, am extremely happy to see your noble work. Please do let me know if I can join the whatsapp group to learn our veda suktas and mantras? Is there an email id I can reach you at? Thank you

    ReplyDelete