[Advaita-l] Fw: Pancha Kanya Questions

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear friends,

Truly, mother Seeta was at the highest level of Brahman and her spiritual power saved her from becoming dvicharini. The Panchakanyas (Ahlya, Tara, Madodari, Kunti and Draupadi), however great they may be, could not save themselves from becoming dvicharini. I read a verse where Seeta said that she could have burnt Ravana instataneously but she did not do that as she waited for Lord Ram to kill Ravana and fulfill his husbandly duty. I do not want to commit the blasphemy by lowering mother Seeta to the level of the Panchakanyas.

Regards,
Sunil KB



________________________________
 From: Rajaram Venkataramani <rajaramvenk at gmail.com>
To: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>; A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> 
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2012 11:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Pancha Kanya Questions
 

We have to first reflect on their supernatural birth as kanyas, which frees them from mundane laws. Arjuna, in his visit to devaloka, considered Urvashi to be his mother as he was the son of Indra and refused her amorous advances. He did not realise that Urvashi was acting as per her apsaras dharma and it was he who rejected his purusha dharma. So, she cursed him to become an eunuch. It is a different matter that Krishna changed it to a boon. So, the importance of their supernatural birth as kanyas cannot be overemphasised. But they also teach practically for all levels of women.


For those at the lowest level, Ahalya teaches what a woman and her husband should do to protect dharma ifshe commits adultery.
 

At the next level, Tara and Mandodhati show whose protection a woman should take, without violating dharma, if her husband is killed. It seems illogical today when women are apparently free but the dharma of the winner taking possession of the loser's women is required to prevent them from becoming the object of exploitation by all and sundry. It is also easy to say that they should commit sati but it can never be forced. It was only committed in rare cases until medieval times where the practice of sati became honour killing. It is not required to die to be a pativrata. 
At the highest level, Draupadi and Sita, show how pativrata dharma acts as a protective shield against the most powerful aggressors.
 

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>>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.
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