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Gaytri mantras of all gods

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i have a question for everyone to ponder and give their opinion.
a very learned iyengar had told me recently that females should not recite the Gayatri mantra nor study the Vedas.
i found that rather hard to accept as I always was under the impression that GOD is the only Purusha and the rest of us whether male(XY, XXY,XYY Genetic Pattern) or Female(XX , XO Genetic Pattern) are Prakriti .
i thought that one of the main schools of thought in Sanathana Dharma is to get rid of the False Identification with Ones body along with the feeling of Doership(Ahamkara)and to realize the TRUE SELF(ATMA) hence the Mahavakya Aham Brahmaasmi, Tat Tvam Asi .therefore gender of the physical body would be immaterial.

even the word Gayatri means GAAYANTAM TRAAYATE ITI GAAYATRI(gayatri is that which redeems the chanter)
no gender is in the above line.

i did ask him about women not being allowed to study the vedas.
i told him that Ubhaya Bharati was the judge in the debate of Madana Misra and Adi Shankarcharya and she would definetly been well versed in the Vedas in order to be a judge.
his reply was: they were debating on Vedanta( which is the essence of the Vedas and not the Vedas per se )
he told me that Vedanta is only part of the Vedas and i asked him if he considers Vedanta only a part and not full then how do we apply the Mantra OM Purnam ada Purnam idam.....
that is we take out a portion of the vedas and call it vedanta but it is not Poornam and what remains is not Poornam too?

i cant see the logic in not allowing women to recite gayatri and to learn the vedas.

i am not asking this because i am a female but just that i want clearer explanation because it would be beneficial for women to know religion inside out as to teach the children and guide them.
 
I agree with renuka not because I am a female or I am into an argument. Recently we had a Laksharchanai function in our samajam. In the end of the programme suddenly the vadiyar got up an announced SHRI SUKTAM which will be chanted now should not be chanted by Ladies. I fail to understand this move. No explanation was asked or given. Can anybody justify this move
 
i personally feel that gayathri is a universal chant.

my wife goes for yoga classes in toronto. the yoga teacher, a white lady, plays the chant softly, and the members repeat it.

ramanuja shouted it from the top of a building, so that the whole world hears it.

i am some amused and angered, when i see the poonul invitation with the kudumi father whispering the chant to his son, under the cover of an angavastram.

i had my vadhiar tell me that gayathri was not to be heard by non brahmins.

after hearing so much rot about gayathri from these what i call neanderthal bastions of the faith, i am convinced that hinduism is better off without the benefit of their 'intelligence'.

in north india, gayathri is chanted by both sexes.

the best gayathri chant is by jesudass, i think. he is not even a hindu.

thank you.
 
During the Vedic times the women who excelled in Vedas were known as Rishikas or Brahmavadinis as said by the Rig Veda. They were called brahmavadinis as they had learned the secret of Brahman. Of all the seers to whom the Rig Veda was revealed, 17 were women. They are Romasa, Lopamudra, Apata, Kadru, Vishvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Jarita, Shraddha-Kamayani, Urvashi, Sharnga, Yami, Indrani, Savitri and Devayani. Gargi, the wife of Yagnavalkya was learned in Vedas. Similarly the Sama Veda was revealed to 4 Rishikas among all.

The present day discrimination against women chanting Vedas or Gayatri probably has to do more with male chauvinism than the Vedas
 
During Vedic period, ladies were Not only allowed to recite Vedham like Sarva sri.Gaargi(Gargasya putri),Aatreyi(Atreya's daughter),but there were Arshinis (Brahmavaadhinis),to whom Veda Mantras were "Revealed"(Dharsanam)as in the case of sri.Vaagambruni(Vaag--Ambruni's daughter),whose Mantras are recited even today in Rg Vedham--Sri.Atreyi was supposed to have lived in South india and Males are said to have clarified their doubts in Vedam from sri.Atreyi.Even during sri.Acharya Sankara's period,(2>>8 th century A.D.) sri.Bharathi wife of sri.Mandan mishra was appointed as Judge in the discussion(Tarkam) between sarva sri.Acharya Sankara and Mandan Mishra.They would NOT have agreed to nominate sri.Bharathi as Judge,if she was Not well versed in Vedam,Saastram,Puraanam,Agamam,kalpam,Sooktham,Sutram,Tarkam etc.--- I do not know when this retrograde started!!!
 
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I have been reading a tamil book "Vaidigamum panbadum" by sri sarma sastrigal and He does mention that gayatri mantra should not be chanted by women.May be the sasthras restricted it considering women's "theetu" days.
 
For "Saastrigals" this is always a pet subject.In North India Women were reciting Gayatri Mantram for the past 43 years (to my knowledge from 1966)-they are "Very Well off"--In USA even European Origin Women are reciting "Gayatri Mantram" in Hindu temples.Sri.Ayodhya Pande(Kasi Pandit),my best friend,told me women may avoid reciting "those"(3+2=5) days in a month.Sri.Anuradha Podhuval has given an "Album"(C.D.) where she contnuously recite Gayatri mantram,which is now used in every household.
 
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i have a question for everyone to ponder and give their opinion.
a very learned iyengar had told me recently that females should not recite the Gayatri mantra nor study the Vedas.
i found that rather hard to accept as I always was under the impression that GOD is the only Purusha and the rest of us whether male(XY, XXY,XYY Genetic Pattern) or Female(XX , XO Genetic Pattern) are Prakriti .
i thought that one of the main schools of thought in Sanathana Dharma is to get rid of the False Identification with Ones body along with the feeling of Doership(Ahamkara)and to realize the TRUE SELF(ATMA) hence the Mahavakya Aham Brahmaasmi, Tat Tvam Asi .therefore gender of the physical body would be immaterial.

even the word Gayatri means GAAYANTAM TRAAYATE ITI GAAYATRI(gayatri is that which redeems the chanter)
no gender is in the above line.

i did ask him about women not being allowed to study the vedas.
i told him that Ubhaya Bharati was the judge in the debate of Madana Misra and Adi Shankarcharya and she would definetly been well versed in the Vedas in order to be a judge.
his reply was: they were debating on Vedanta( which is the essence of the Vedas and not the Vedas per se )
he told me that Vedanta is only part of the Vedas and i asked him if he considers Vedanta only a part and not full then how do we apply the Mantra OM Purnam ada Purnam idam.....
that is we take out a portion of the vedas and call it vedanta but it is not Poornam and what remains is not Poornam too?

i cant see the logic in not allowing women to recite gayatri and to learn the vedas.

i am not asking this because i am a female but just that i want clearer explanation because it would be beneficial for women to know religion inside out as to teach the children and guide them.
Nowhere in Puranams and Shastras that Gayatri not tobe chanted by famales. It can be recited by females but not on theetudays.

Raghavan
 
Myself and all my family members recite gayathri manthra daily. I checked with one of the sastrigal who is conducting veda and sanskrit class for children and according to him there is no bar on women/any caste from chanting the manthra
 
(Quote)"his reply was: they were debating on Vedanta( which is the essence of the Vedas and not the Vedas per se )
he told me that Vedanta is only part of the Vedas "(en-quote)

It is very funny---How can persons discuss/judge Vedhanta without knowing Vedham?

In Brahma Sutram one aphorism is "Saastra Yonivat"=(Knowledge on Brahmam=Brahma Gjinjasa--) emnates from vedham only.All the 564 (according to Acharya sri.SANKARA,which I take as "Pramanam")Sutrams(Aphorisms) are in conjuncton with Vedham only.According to sri.Bhadharaayana,anything that does NOT synchronise with Vedham does NOT belong to Sanathana Dharmam(a.k.a Hinduism) just as Buddhism.All the 3 Primary stalwarts of Vedhanta(sarva sri.Acharyas SANKARA,Ramanuja,Madwa are Vedic Scholars of gargantuan/humongous/collosal Dimensions--How can they formulate Vedhantic codes without suporting Evidences from Vedham?

"Gayas Traayathethi Gayatri"--Gayas=5 Panca Praanas(Vital Energy=Parana,Apana,Vyaana,Udhaana & Samaana--Prof.R.P Rai gives a beautiful interpretation of Panca Praanas>Ayurveda also corroborates this view.
 
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