An Analysis of the Paper "Some Evidence Regarding
Education and Guruship for Vaishnavis", Part 5

BY: GOLOKA-RANJANA DASA

Feb 27, 2015 — USA (SUN) —

OTHER EXAMPLES OF WOMEN IN THE VEDIC AGE The time depicted in Rāmāyaṇa is considered to be when the Vedic Age was at its highest point. In the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, we find the following evidence regarding ladies, sā kṣauma-vasanā hṛṣṭā nityaṁ vrata-parāyaṇā agniṁ juhoti sma tadā mantravat kṛta-maṅgalā (2.17.10) And cheerful Kauśalyā, who was dressed in fine silk and was dedicated to her vows, offered a fire sacrifice by uttering mantras to make everything very auspicious.

Commentary to this verse by Govindarāja[28] from the Śrī-sampradāya, written on Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara's order:

juhoti hāvayati. ata eva hāvayantīm iti vakṣyati. brāhmaṇair iti śeṣaḥ.

Translation: “Offered oblations” means that she had others to offer them [on her behalf]. That is why [in the next verse] it is said “hāvayantīm” [Rāma saw her mother as] “offering sacrifice through others.” It means “through the brāhmaṇas” . [End of the translation]

Here is the next verse (2.17.8) where the causative verb hāvayantīm is used:

praviśya ca tadā rāmo mātur antaḥ-puraṃ śubham dadarśa mātaraṃ tatra hāvayantīṃ hutāśanam

“Then, having entered the auspicious inner chambers of His mother, Rāma saw her there having oblations offered in the sacrifice on her behalf.”

Another commentary by Satya Tīrtha (Madhva-sampradāya):

juhoti sma svayam evājuhot. nanu strīṇāṁ vedādhikārābhāvāt kathaṁ juhotīty uktam iti cen na. daśarathasya vaivasvata manutvena tat-patnyāḥ kausalyāyā mānavītvenottama-strītvād vedādhikāra sambhavāt. “āhur apy uttama-strīṇām adhikāraṁ tu vaidike” ity ādi-smṛteḥ. tad uktam vāmane:

bhaviṣyad antare bhūtvā manur vaivasvato bhavān tava vaṁśe bhavāmy aṅga rāmo dāśarathiḥ svayam

punar daśaratho bhūtvā tvam evāsi pitā mama mad-datta piṇḍa-dānena muktis te bhavitā dhruvam iti na kevalaṁ svayaṁ juhoti api tu brāhmaṇair apīty āha -hāvayantīti.

Translation: “Juhoti” means that she indeed personally offered oblations. If you say “But women are not qualified to study the Vedas, so how it is said that she offered oblations?” we reply no, it is not so. Because Daśaratha was Vaivasvata Manu, his wife was the wife of Manu, therefore she was in the category of highest ranked women (uttama-strī) and therefore it was possible for her to study the Vedas. The primeval smṛti says: “But it is said that women of the highest rank have the eligibility to study the Vedas.” It is described in the Vāmana-purāṇa:

“You were Vaivasvata Manu. I belong to your dynasty, my dear, as Rāma, son of Daśaratha. Again, having become Daśaratha, you are my father. By my offering of piṇḍa you will surely attain liberation.”

She did not only offer oblations herself, but also through the brāhmaṇas, that is why the causative word “hāvayantī” is used.

And even Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, which is a vaiṣṇava-smṛti, does not seem to endorse women uttering mantras in lāja-homa during vivāha—when a bride offers lāja, the priest (or husband) chants mantras:

oṁ iyaṁ nāry-upabrute agnau lājān āvapatnī dīrghayur astu me patiḥ śataṁ varṣāṇi jīvatvedhantāṁ nau hari bhaktiḥ svāhā -idam kṛṣṇāya idam na mama

“This woman speaks, while offering lāja to the fire: May my husband be long lived, may he live a hundred years. May our devotion to the Lord flourish.”[29]

Even if we accept that Kauśalya directly offered oblations into the fire, we can safely conclude that this is just another instance of a rule that is not applicable in Kali-yuga (as confirmed by Apastamba above) since we do not find so many examples of this in the śāstra.

THE PATH OF THE TANTRAS However, the path of the Tantras and Āgamas was open to women and śūdras. The endorsement of this path by Sri Caitanya and his associates is evident from the stark contrast that the following statement shows in its attitude towards the śūdras: kībā vipra kibā nyāsi śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.128) Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsīor a śūdra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krishna. Śrīla Prabhupāda makes it evident in his purport on this verse of Caitanya-caritāmṛta that the term 'guru‘ can be applied equally to vartma-pradarśaka, śikṣā and dīkṣā gurus.

However, neither Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu nor Śrīla Prabhupāda in his purport say anything about women-gurus—men are mentioned three times - 'vipra', 'nyāsi', 'śūdra', but not 'strī', 'nārī' or 'yoṣit'. So we see this as another extrapolation.

THE TANTRAS ARE A BONAFIDE WAY OF WORSHIPING THE LORD Some vaiṣṇavas cringe upon hearing the word 'tantra‘, associating the term with ritualistic drinking of alcohol and performance of ritualistic sex.

The statement “The Tantras are a bonafide way of worshiping the Lord” is a very general and hence a very bold one, since the word 'tantra' historically is a term usually denoting non-othodox practices like drinking alcohol or performance of ritualistic sex. That's precisely why some vaiṣṇavas cringe upon hearing this word. So without explanation of exactly which tantras are bonafide (Vaiṣṇava-tantras (Sātvata-tantras) as opposed to Śākta-tantras or Śaiva-tantras), the authors risk an unpleasant confusion. This is another example of extrapolating the “allowed” tantras to mean “all” tantras.

In the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam, however, Krishna clarifies the situation: vaidikas tāntriko miśra iti me tri-vidho makhaḥ trayāṇām īpsitenaiva vidhinā māṁ samarcaret (11.27.7) One should carefully worship me by selecting one of the three methods by which I receive sacrifice: Vedic, tāntric, or mixed.

In their commentaries on this verse our ācāryas explain the word 'tāntric' as follows: Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura:

evaṁ tāntrikaḥ gautamīya-tantrādy-uktaḥ
“Tāntrika means procedures described in works such as Gautamīya-tantra”.

[Gautamīya-tantra is a bonafide Vaiṣṇava-tantra; other tantras may be not]

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

“vaidika, pāñcarātrika o miśra-vidhi-sakala bhajanīya vastuke samyag-rūpe pūjā karite samartha haya”

“The Vedic, Pāñcarātrika, and a combination of both, are the three methods to properly worship the Supreme Lord.”

So, the 'tāntric' means “pāñcarātrika” method.

THE PATH OF THE TANTRAS IS MORE PROMINENT IN KALI YUGA The Śrīmad-bhāgavatam also says: taṁ tadā puruṣaṁ martyā mahā-rājopalakṣaṇam yajanti veda-tantrābhyāṁ paraṁ jijñāsavo nṛpa iti dvāpara urv īśa stuvanti jagad-īśvaram nānā-tantra-vidhānena kalāv api tathā śṛṇu (11.5.28, 30) My dear King, in Dvāpara-yuga, men who desire to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme enjoyer, worship him in the mood of honoring a great king, following the prescriptions of both the Vedas and tantras. O King, in this way people in Dvāpara-yuga glorified the Lord of the universe. In Kali-yuga also, people worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead by following various regulations of the tantras (revealed scriptures). Srila Sridhara Swami says in his commentary on this verse: nānā-tantra-vidhāneneti kalau tantra-mārgasya prādhānyaṁ darśayati By the word nānā-tantra-vidhānena in the verse, the predominance of the path of tantras [over the Vedic Path] is shown in Kali-yuga.

Again, in his commentary on the verse 11.5.28 Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that the “tantra” here means specifically the “Pañcarātra” :

'veda-tantra' – śabde vaidika o tāntrika arthāt āgama vā sātvata pāñcarātra-vihita mārge

“The word veda-tantra means the path of the Vedas and the Tantras, or Āgamas – the Sātvata Pañcarātras” .

This is perfectly confirmed by the verses following directly after 11.5.28 quoted above:

namas te vāsudevāya namaḥ saṅkarṣaṇāya ca pradyumnāyāniruddhāya tubhyaṁ bhagavate namaḥ

nārāyaṇāya ṛṣaye puruṣāya mahātmane viśveśvarāya viśvāya sarva-bhūtātmane namaḥ (11.5.29-30)

“Obeisances to You, O Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, and to Your forms of Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all obeisances unto You. O Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, O creator of the universe, best of personalities, master of this cosmos and original form of the universe, O Supersoul of all created entities, all homage unto You.”

This catur-vyūha concept described here is a prominent feature of the Pañcarātra literature, but not of the Śākta-tantras.

Thus the word 'tantra' in a title doesn't automatically make a book bonafide.

THE TANTRAS ALLOW FEMALE GURUS

Śākta-tantras (like Rudra-yāmala) surely do, but, again, are they authoritative for the vaiṣṇavas?

An interesting logic—the authors want us to presume that all tantras are bonafide and since some of them (Śākta-tantras) allow female gurus—we have accept the conclusion as bonafide.

The Rūdra-yāmala-tantra (2.32) says in regard to female gurus:

sādhvī caiva sadācārā guru-bhaktā jitendriyā sarva-mantrārtha-sarvajñā sadhavā pūjane ratā guru-yogyā bhaved eṣā vidhavāṁ parivarjayet A saintly and righteous lady who is dedicated to her guru, a knower of all the mantras, all knowledgeable and who is constantly engaged in worship of the Lord, is eligible to become guru, except for a vidhavā, a lady whose husband has passed away. From this verse it seems that the preferred candidates for women gurus are those who are duly married. However, the same book says that even the vidhavās are allowed if the mantra is a transcendental mantra and not a material one: siddha-mantro yadi bhavet gṛhṇīyād vidhavā-mukhāt (2.113) If the mantra is a siddha-mantra or a transcendental mantra, it can be accepted from a vidhavā.

Just to give another interesting example—before the verse guru-yogyā bhaved eṣā vidhavāṁ parivarjayet quoted above there is another interesting verse:

ananta-guṇa-sampannā rudratva-dāyinī priyā
guru-rūpā mukti-dātrī śiva-jñāna-nirūpiṇi

“She [such guru] is endowed with all good qualities, she bestows the position of Rudra and is very dear. She is guru-like in appearance, she is the giver of liberation and she explains the Śiva wisdom. ” (2.109)[30] [emphasis added].

We are repeatedly told by our ācāryas that tantras acceptable for the vaiṣṇavas (sātvatas) are the pañcarātras (such as Nārada-pañcarātra, Hayaśīrṣa-pañcarātra etc*). The problem here is that Rudra-yāmala-tantra is by no means a sātvata-tantra (pañcarātra). The contents of the Rūdra-yāmala-uttara-tantra clearly shows that it is not at all a vaiṣṇava-tantra, but a śākta-tantra associated with the tantric “Kashmiri School of Kaula tradition§ ” (see Muller-Ortega, Paul (1989), The Triadic Heart of Siva, Albany: State University of New York Press, p.57-58) and hence quoting it does not prove anything. Here is what scholars have to say about Rudra-yāmala-tantra:

“The Rudrayāmala is perhaps the most mysterious of all Yāmalas. It is encountered everywhere, yet always vanishes after closer inspection. It is even uncertain if an original Rudrayāmala ever existed, despite the fact that the title figures in all old lists of Yāmalas. More than fifty texts adorn themselves with this generic designation beside their own title (type: "text X from the Rudrayāmala"), but a "Rudrayāmala" without more is not found or clearly apocryphal. The practice must have set in early; the first instance is perhaps furnished by the Parātriṃśikā and its example was followed by the Vijñāna-bhairava which calls itself "Rudrayāmalīya". Other works joined these worthy predecessors, so that the Rudrayāmala developed into the foremost locus of ascription in Hindu Tantric literature.” (T.Goudriaan and S.Gupta, Hindu Tantrik and Śākta Literature, Wiesbaden, 1981, p.47).

_______________________
* Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in his “Apasampradāyera-svarūpa”:

“There are two kinds of smṛti-śāstra:
1) spiritual, or sātvata smṛtis;
2) material, moral or fruitive work oriented smṛtis.

Satvata smrtis include: Sri Bharadvaja-samhita (included in Narada-pancaratra), Brhat-samhita, Visnu-samuccaya, Vaikhanasa-samhita, the Agama-pramanyam compiled by sage Alabandaru, the Sadacara-smrti compiled by sage Purnaprajna, the Krsnamrta-maharnava, theSmrty-artha-sagara by Chadari Nrsimhacarya, the Prameyamala by Viraraghava, the Prayoga-candrika, the Vaisnava-dharma-sura-druma-manjari by Samkarsana Saranadeva, the Smrti-ratnakara by Vitthalacarya, the Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa by Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami Prabhu, the Sri Sat-kriya-sara-dipika and the Samskara-candrika-paddhati by Sri Dhyana Candra.”
§ The Kaulas are famously described in the following verse:

antaḥ śāktа̄ḥ bahiḥ śaivа̄ḥ sabhāyāṁ vaiṣṇavo matа̄ḥ nānā-rūpa-dharāḥ kaulā

So, we leave it to the scholars of the tradition to decide:

- whether this Rudra-yāmala-Uttara-tantra is a completely different tantra from that Rūdra-yāmala which is only once quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.28) in relation to the exceptions in the time for initiation* ;
- or whether there are several different tantras with the same name (or several tantras belongling to Rudra-yāmala and Uttara-tantra being only one of them) (The most likely option in our humble opinion);
- or whether it is the same tantra which was considerably interpolated later (which is very unlikely);
- or if there is that verse quoted in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa in the modern versions of Rudra-yāmala-tantra;
- or whether this is just another example of the following consideration, that was also quoted by authors themselves: “It is Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī’s opinion, however, that to follow the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa strictly is to actually follow the Vaiṣṇava rituals in perfect order. He claims that the smārta-samāja, which is strictly followed by caste brāhmaṇas, has influenced portions that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī collected from the original Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. It is therefore very difficult to find out Vaiṣṇava directions from the book of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, 2.1.35, purport)

_______________________
vicaranti mahi-tale

“Inwardly śāktas, outwordly śaivas, and in the society nominally vaiṣṇavas, the Kaulas assuming various forms traverse the earth.” (Śyāma-rahasya-tantra and Kaulāvali-nīrṇaya 10.85).

This description is also quoted by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his purpot to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya, 3.85: “In Khaḍadaha, sometimes people misunderstood Nityānanda Prabhu to belong to the śākta-sampradāya, whose philosophy is antaḥ śāktaḥ bahiḥ śaivaḥ sabhāyāṁ vaiṣṇavo mataḥ. According to the śākta-sampradāya, a person called kaulāvadhūta thinks materially while externally appearing to be a great devotee of Lord Śiva. When such a person is in an assembly of Vaiṣṇavas, he appears like a Vaiṣṇava. Actually Nityānanda Prabhu did not belong to such a community. Nityānanda Prabhu was always a brahmacārī of a sannyāsī of the vaidika order. Actually He was a paramahaṁsa. Sometimes He is accepted to be a disciple of Lakṣmīpati Tīrtha. If He is so accepted, Nityānanda Prabhu belonged to the Mādhva-sampradāya. He did not belong to the tāntrika-sampradāya of Bengal.”

Here we also see that Śrīla Prabhupāda, following his spiritual master's commentary, uses the word “vaidika” to contrast the “tāntrika” conception that people had about Lord Nityānanda.

* A work named “Rudra-yāmala” is also quoted in: Jīva Gosvāmī's Rādhā-Kṛṣṇārcana-dīpikā, Viśvanātha Cakravartī's commentary on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī's Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī's Gaura-govindārcana-smaraṇa-paddhati, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī's Sādhana-dīpikā etc. The striking feature of all these quotations is that they all speak about pure bhakti and about the glories of Kṛṣna, Rādhā, gopīs and Vṛndāvana—but all this is conspicuously absent from the Rudra-yāmala-uttara-tantra under discussion.

Whatever it may be, but from the contents of the Rudra-yāmala-tantra that the paper refers to it is clear that it is not applicable for the vaiṣṇavas, because among many other things that Rudra-yāmala-tantra describes are:

- Three types of sādhaka's nature - paśu (animal), vīra (heroic) and divya (divine) - a concept typical to the śākta-tantras (verse 2.6 and many other places). The description of the paśu-bhāva (animal attitude) begins in the same 2nd chapter quotes from which were used in the paper.
- Kuṇḍalinī (in many places—e.g. 22.14) and 108 names of kuṇḍalinī—36th Chapter.
- The famous tantric “hamsa mantra” (reversed “so'ham” - “I am him”) 22.91-108.
- The abominable “śava-sādhana” (a particular tantric practice with a dead body)—in the 24th chapter.
- The notorious pañca-mākāra practice (with meat, wine, fish, sex and mudras)—26.129-246 (where it is also stated “māṁsāśī sa bhaved eva” —“such sādhaka should become meat-eater”)

So we would rather not rely on this suspicious quote from such a Tantra.

And besides that, the paper unfortunately does not provide a single quote from any vaiṣṇava-tantra (Pañcarātra) that allows women to become gurus. Of course, Pañcarātra allows anyone to receive dīkṣā— either woman, śūdra, mleccha etc., for example:

A part of the Nārada-pañcarātra called Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā [31] , which has been referred to by many ācāryas in their works (e.g. Śrīla Prabhupada in his purport to the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (4.31.10), Śrīla Bhaktisidhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in his commentary on Caitanya-bhāgavata (1.8.7), Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his article called “Apa-sampradāyera-svarūpa” and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī in his Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā) says:

prāptum icchan parāṁ siddhiṁ janaḥ sarvo 'py akiñcanaḥ
śraddhayā parayā yukto hariṁ śaraṇam āśrayet

All those materially bereft people who desire to attain the highest perfection of life should take shelter at Lord Hari with great faith.

na jāti-bhedaṁ na kulaṁ na liṅgaṁ na guṇa-kriyāḥ
na deśa-kālau nāvasthāṁ yogo hy ayam apekṣate

This yoga (or prapatti, self-surrender) does not depend on caste distinctions, nor on the birth in particular family, nor on the gender (or the external symbols of different aśramas), nor on the qualities or activities of the candidates. It also does not depend on the time, place and circumstances.

brahma-kṣatra-viśaḥ-śūdrāḥ striyaś cāntarajās tathā
sarva eva prapadyeran sarva-dhātāram acyutam

Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, women and even outcastes—all of them undoubtedly can attain Lord Acyuta, who is the supporter of everyone. (Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā, 1.13-15)

Bhagavad-gītā (9.32) and Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (2.7.46) make similar famous statements.

However, the same Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā prohibits women to give dīkṣā:

na jātu mantra-dā nārī na śūdro nāntarodbhavaḥ
nābhiśasto na patitaḥ kāma-kāmo 'py akāminaḥ

A woman should never become initiating guru, and also a śūdra, a person born from an improperly mixed marriage, a very sinful and defamed person, a fallen person or one who is full of material desires. (1.42)

From this list we have the apavāda (exception) for the śūdra—on the basis of Lord Caitanya's statement “kībā vipra kibā nyāsi śūdra kene naya” , so we still have to find another proof for female initiating gurus.

This concludes "An Analysis of the Paper "Some Evidence Regarding Education and Guruship for Vaishnavis'" by Goloka-ranjana dasa

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[28] Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, A Critical Edition, With the commentary of Śrī Govindarāja and Extracts from many other commentaries and readings, Nirnaya-sagar Press, Bombay, 1911, Vol.2, p.94.

[29] Sat Kriya Sara Dipika by Shrila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, The Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur, 1999.

[30] Rūdra-yāmalam Uttara-tantram, edited by Jibananda Vidyasagara, Kolkata, 1937.

[31] Nārada-pañcarātra (Bhāradvāja-saṁhitā), with the commentary of Sarayū-prasāda Miśra, Śrī Veṅkaṭeśvara Steam Press, Mumbai, 1905.

Part Four
Part Three
Part Two
Part One

| The Sun | News | Editorials | Features | Sun Blogs | Classifieds | Events | Recipes | PodCasts |

| About | Submit an Article | Contact Us | Advertise | HareKrsna.com |

Copyright 2005, 2015, HareKrsna.com. All rights reserved.