Hello everybody!
For my first post, I would like to discuss one passage in Black’s The Character of The Self in Ancient India that caught my attention. In the passage, Black details an early Vedic notion about immortality. According to Upanishadic teachers, male offspring are the key to immortality, as they inherit ritual knowledge and can be mechanisms of rebirth for their fathers.
In fact, according to the Aitareya Upanisad, atman is a “specifically male body,” and the purpose of sexual encounters is for the male to pass atman to the female. The female body, according to these teachings, is merely a vessel to carry the man’s atman.
Now I’m no feminist, but I can’t help but feel that women are getting the short end of the stick.
More importantly, after reading this passage, I began to wonder what role women play in the Vedas, if at all. According to the Vedas, can women establish a divine level of thought or reach an active realization of truth? Can women become brahmins or participate in rituals?
Thoughts?
You're not alone in thinking that women are getting the short end of the stick in the Vedas. They are. However, it's important to remember that at this period in history (or, frankly, even today), the Vedas are far from unique.
ReplyDeleteWomen have the same caste affiliation as men do, so the wife and daughters of a brahmin would also be brahmins. Men and women still have very different roles and rights even within the same caste.
The question of whether or not women can become liberated is also an interesting one. In short, it depends on who you ask. As we move toward talking about goddess traditions, Mahāyāna Buddhism, and tantra, we'll look at these issues more.