[Advaita-l] Pancha Kanya Questions

[Sudhakar Kabra]

--- On Fri, 6/8/12, rajaramvenk at gmail.com <rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

From: rajaramvenk at gmail.com <rajaramvenk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Pancha Kanya Questions
To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Date: Friday, June 8, 2012, 9:56 PM

All these five women are not of normal birth from the womb of a woman. They are technically in the supernatural category. We should not judge them through mundane dharma because they transcend it by virtue of their birth. We are used to egalitarian laws but Vedas rightly propose laws based on one's birth. Even from mundane perspective, they are  epitomes of pativrata dharma providing guidance to women of all times.  

The first is Ahalya who represents a woman who is unable to bear the torment of kama but she is free from her sin and pure because she underwent punishment and atonement. 

>A pious woman has to control her kama. Knowing fully well that the person in disguise was Indra, she succumbed. A sin was definitely committed but it is a different matter that she did prayaschita after that. Or else the question of prayaschita wouldn't have arisen.

The second is Tara who had to follow the dharma of living with Vali and Sugriva. By doing this, she protected her son Angadha and the vanara race. She remained truthful to both Sugriva and Vali advising on dharma as a patni should.

> Tara, wife of sugriva did sacrifice herself for the benefit of a bigger welfare. Did she mentally accept Vali is the question because being pativrata the rule is to accept only one person in life (exceptions granted). Between the two choices of bigger welfare and accepting one person, she selected the one which she thought was appropriate.

The third is Draupadi who accepted five brothers as husbands as no one individual can match her qualities and this was the result of the boon of Lord Siva. There is no sin as it is the will of God and the dharma of those times allowed brothers marrying one lady. It is present even today in Nepal. 

>The boon draupadi asked was out of her ignorance with a chanchal mana. Karma has to give its effect and the result followed accordingly.

The fourth is Mandodhari who was loyal to Ravana. Like the sages, who later appeared as gopis, she desired the Lord as her husband. It is her right as a devotee. So, she is not sinful.

>If Mandodari desired lord as her husband as a devotee, why did she accept Vibhishana after the war and killing of Ravana? She could have offered herself in fire as satipratha and get united with the lord. May be balance of bhoga was still left for her to complete.

The fifth is Seetha who by the power of Her pativrata dharma was inviolable mentally or physically by the most powerful Ravana. She is the highest ideal. 

> It is stated that when lord appears as avatara, all the susidiary devata/associates  etc also come to earth. Examples are found in various purana stories like samudra manthan, Narsimhan avatara etc.Sita was avatara of Lakshmi and like lord she also did her part of leela.
Lakshmi is ever with Narayana and no power can seperate these. How the name got associated with pancha kanya may be to show her as ideal which woman should adopt and follow.
I am happy to be corrected.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Best regardsSudhakar kabra

-----Original Message-----
From: Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com>
Sender: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 17:51:18 
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Reply-To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
    <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Pancha Kanya Questions

The five famous Pativratas are Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari, Draupadi and
Seeta. Remembering them great sins will get wiped out.

 But there are questions.

1 Why are these five Kanyas? Are they Virgins?

praNAms Sri Venkatesh Murthy prabhuji
Hare Krishna

It seems you have innumerable ir/relevant  questions on women, sex etc. in 
this exclusively dedicated  advaita forum :-))  Anyway, since you are 
getting answer to your doubts irrespective of subject from the scholars of 
this list, I look forward to the better explanation/interpretation to this 
shlOka from Sri Vidya prabhuji, Sri Jaldhar prabhuji,  Sri Anand Hudli 
prabhuji, Sri Sriram prabhuji,  etc. No need to mention, after reading 
your explanation, I am also getting the doubt, how can these women be 
kanya-s & pativrata-s!!!

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar
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