[Advaita-l] Women and Vedas

[Ram Garib]

--- "Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar at braincells.com> wrote:

> What I don't get (I'm not being glib here, I really
> don't.) is why they
> would want to do so?  Yes, I'm sure there is an
> intellectual fascination
> for some but the ones who are interested for
> religious reasons?  

It is certainly not my intention here to say that you
are being glib or making motivated statement. I am
sure you made the above observation in all sincereity.
Yet I feel that the issue demands more sensitivity
than shown here.

Consider an analogy. All our rights in this country
flow from Constitution of India. Yet how many of us
actually read it? Our knowledge of laws of the land
comes mainly through shishtachara and other incidental
sources. Now, imagine if a rule is made that all but
people born in Vyas caste are allowed to read the
originals. Not only this, if people of Vyas caste,
read it, they should be blinded etc. Do you think, you
will be able to retain your trust in Constitution or
maintain your self-esteem as a Vyas?

Similar is the case with veda-s. They are the
fountainhead of hindu dharma. It is immaterial how
many of hindu-s actually read them. The exclusion and
the inhuman penalties for certain castes or gender
serve to undermine their trust in hindu dharma and
their self esteem as a community. It is hardly any
solace for a shudra to know that such inhuman
penalties were never executed. Rather it goes on to
establish that such penalties were not required from
social context yet incorporated in the scriptures with
the sole objective of bringing humiliation on them. 

> In my
> previous conversations all I have been able to
> gather is that they somehow
> feel it will make them more "spiritual."  But
> personally when I think of
> the people I admire for their spirituality (or don't
> as the case may be) I
> have never felt that how much they new about Vedas
> was relevant.

Stretch the analogy further. Reading constitution of
India does not make anyone law abiding nor law
abidance is anyway related with knowledge of the
constitution. Does it prove anything?

With regards,
Ram Garib


		
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