Gayatri Mantra

[Ashish Chandra]

On Thu, 16 May 2002 13:25:03 -0400, Vishal Agarwal
<vishalagarwal at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

>Your reasoning implies that the Vedas refer to Puranas, Itihasas, Smritis
or
>assume their presence. This is not true.
>There is no explicit authoritative Sruti that debars women from reciting
the
>Vedas.
>

Almost every single community that follows the Vedas subscribes to the
view that they should not be chanted by women. This view could not have
been sustainable if it had been introduced, as against it having always
existed. If it was introduced, then it surely must have been challenged.
Is there any mention of women ever having challenged this injunction?
Moreover, the Acharyas of every single Sampradaya have upheld this view.
Brahmanishthas have no reason to bar anyone from what is beneficial for
him/her. Then why have they always upheld this practice? Moreover, the
ceremony of Upanayan is not prescribed for girls. Is that not suffecient
to prove that they cannot chant the Veda because without a janeu, no Guru
would accept you.

I don't know how far it is believed - at least I believe it for my own
reasons - that chanting the Gayatri kills the motherhood in women. This
was told to me by a Gujarati Vaishnava Pushtimargi who are, I think,
converts from Jainism to Vaishnavism. For anyone chanting the Gayatri for
some years, this should be fairly self evident from a personal experience.

ashish