WHY WOMEN SHOULD NOT ENTER SABARIMALA

Watching the recent developments in Kerala where people are protesting against the verdict of the Supreme Court permitting women of all age groups to enter the revered temple that has maintained a strict restriction of not allowing women of child-bearing age to enter the temple for several centuries I have now come to believe that it is wise to look at ways and means to resolve the issue, keeping the views of the people in mind.  Even the women of Kerala are standing together with the legal custodian of Sabarimala, Travancore Devaswom Board and the tanthri or erstwhile royal family of Pandalam who have decided to take upon themselves the authority to decide on opening or shutting down of the temple, violating the verdict of the highest court of our nation.

In the interest of peace and stability and if possible, focusing our attention on more pressing issues that the country is beset with, it is time to put an end to the impasse, through an ordinance and amendment of laws by the legislature as it happened in the case of Jallikattu where the legislature went ahead and paid heed to the wishes of the people of Tamilnadu who were hell bent on continuing  a tradition that not only subjected animals to cruelty but also led to loss of life or maiming of productive young rural youths, not to mention the wastage of  money that goes into conducting such events.

It is evident that our people do not want to change certain traditions and practices, irrespective of the fact that the context has changed temporally as well as historically leading to the evolvement of far different societies than those that existed centuries ago. People are not ready for change- to a just, fair and equal society.

No wonder that India, being the only country in the world with thousands of places of worship and religious institutions across the nation and a huge network of people deriving their livelihoods from the pursuit of religious practices and rituals associated with religious institutions or otherwise, remains in the state that we see today. One would have thought that considering the huge pantheon of deities and the countless number of temples, churches mosques, gurudwaras and other places of worship, we should have been the most advanced nation in the world, if we had indeed received the benefaction of these deities! And not rank lowest in HDI, GDP and various other economic, social and human development indices that showcase the level of advancement in the global hierarchy.

A Just and Fair Administration

We have unfortunately not created a just and fair society, with the state intervening selectively based on considerations other than equality and justice, such as not incurring the wrath of certain religions, communities or castes. Not surprisingly, the Hindus see this as discriminatory as to why the state intervenes only in the case of their religion. Religious reforms that should come from state intervention should be applicable to all religions uniformly. However, no government is going to adhere to this principle of equality for fear of losing power. In the process of appeasing certain groups of people on various considerations, the state has not been able to implement uniformity in governance ever since independence. Hence, we have a population that violates the verdict of the highest court of our country, a phenomenon we can never see happening in any other country. The sad truth is people are not fighting against discrimination, but are fighting for it!

Neither are minority religions happy nor feel secure. They too face discrimination at various levels and live in insecurity, fear and protectiveness.

More than anything else, what is benumbing to the thinking populace is the huge amounts of money being pumped into enterprises that are touted in the garb of providing employment , whipping up pride and worshipping freedom fighters who have long since departed. Even Sardar Vallabhai Patel would have been shocked and objected to the proposal of erecting his statue as the world’s largest statue pumping in Rs. 3,500 crores and more! This money could have been used to provide humble homes to millions or provide drinking water, unadulterated food to several BPL families, or provided the much- needed education to innumerable children across the nation. How important is Ram Mandir to a nation comprising a huge population languishing in poverty, illiteracy, ill health and galloping crime rates?

A nation inhabited by people whose basic needs are met and who see the government as being beneficial to their development will stay loyal and live in harmony. In a country where the meagre resources are diverted to causes that do not promote the health, monetary status as well as the standards of living of its citizens will languish in corruption, bigotry, instability, disharmony, discrimination and ignorance, which is  the case with us.  

Is Hinduism Insecure?

Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. It has continued for millenniums due to the nature of its flexibility of interpretation, freedom to practice according to personal choice and belief and its nature of universal acceptance and respect toward the world and its people. Hinduism does not preach conversion. It survives on the strength of values that serve humanity for eternity. Religions that evolved later advocated conversion because they had to develop faster. Conversion need not be viewed as obnoxious. On the other hand, if Hinduism as it is followed today is able to satisfy the intrinsic need for communion with the Supreme as being universal and treats all Hindus without discrimination, then people will not be lured by conversion to other religions. The stark reality is that we have failed to interpret and impart the true values of Hinduism and many Hindus who feel discriminated against and those who are constrained to escape from their bleak monetary circumstances are lured toward other avenues of reaching their God.  

How relevant is a Celibate God today?

Sexual orientation has long since moved away from the basic purpose of procreation to hedonism and self-indulgence. That is the reality today. We live at a time in the history of the world where people are openly discussing relationships, sexual orientations and preferences. Even in India, despite severe resistance , dating as a culture is gaining ground and though we may shut our eyes to social media sites like Tinder etc., the fact is that ‘relationships’ without any caste, religion or any other discriminatory tags are being forged among young Indians who are more accepting of global cultures. By not accepting the realities that are happening in the lives of our children and resorting to crimes such as honour killing, many young lives are lost and families are being destroyed. In this context, how relevant is celibacy today, and how relevant is a celibate deity today?

Moving from Segregation to Inclusion

Time was when men and women were segregated in all communities and religions. A woman’s place was her home and she was denied any pursuit other than that of feeding her family and producing progeny, leaving authority, career and educational pursuits to men. Are we living in such an ambience today?

Back then, it was possible to maintain the rules of the 41-day ritual to go to Sabarimala. Is it possible to do so with complete adherence and devotion today?

In office situations, it is not possible to avoid women, especially in IT and similar organizations where many women work. It is not possible to find out or ask women if they are menstruating. Yet, the Swamis have been asked to continue their work with complete devotion. Is it possible to go to work without wearing footwear? Are people uttering Swami Sharanam after every sentence in their interactions at their workplace, during meetings? There is a rule, ‘do not tell lies’ for observing the Vratham. Is it truly possible not to lie at all during these 41 days? Will lawyers be restrained from taking part in court cases as mentioned in the Pooja Kalpam?

Are devotees able to avoid watching the television, cinema or news where incidences of rape, crime against women, murders and other negative news are being reported? Are people able to avoid sitting near colleagues who consume non-veg food during lunch break at their workplaces? Is it possible to avoid taking food outside during these forty one days? Can devotees avoid women in buses, trains and other crowded public areas? Are actors, models and people in the entertainment industry banned from entering the temple because they would have to don make-up and interact with women closely?

The truth is, people have modified rituals such as these to enable them to complete the vratham to their satisfaction, by working alongside women, wearing footwear, eating out and not uttering Swami Sharanam after every sentence in the work place as mentioned in the Pooja Kalpam. 

 There is a rule which says, ‘Do not go near or touch ladies who are in monthly period. If it happens it is advised to have bath immediately and to take “PANCHAGAVYAM” if available or chant SARANAM 108 times before attending other works’. Does this not consider menstruation as impure?

According to the main principle of Ayyappa Deeksha from Shri Mahasastra Pooja Kalpam written by Shri Bala Dandayudhapani Quote “Swamigal all religions and castes are to be treated as ONE. Anybody (Whether they are Christians, Muslims or other religion) having faith in Ayyappa, can worship Him.” Unquote. It has not been mentioned whether they can enter the temple or not though interpretation would mean that entry is permitted to people of other religions. So why was there an outcry when a Muslim model and so called activist wanted to enter the temple?

Who is anybody to decide whether a person desirous of visiting the temple is a true devotee or not? Of late we are seeing debates about true devotees of Ayyappa who would follow the tradition that has come down generations. The truth is devotion is personal. God is personal. Hinduism advocates “Aham Brahmasmi”. Every human is a version of the Supreme. Every human can worship personal god in a manner he or she deems fit and he or she is capable of doing.

Menstruation is Impure

The fact of the matter is, to the ignorant men of the ancient times, it was shocking to see blood oozing out of their women’s womb periodically for a few days in a month. They resorted to fear or control to explain unknown and strange phenomena of nature. It was convenient to brand this periodic recurrence of blood flow in women that has endowed her with the responsibility of carrying forward the future of mankind as being impure and keep women in seclusion during those days. While advanced nations are acknowledging the role of women as the carrier of future generations and stepping in to offer a social set-up where women and their children are protected and safe and they are able to contribute to the nation’s economy, we are still stuck in the rut of archaic mode of branding menstruation as impure. Of course, many devotees are trying to deflect public attention away from this discriminatory aspect of worship to the deity of Sabarimala that has clearly outlined a purification ritual on encountering a menstruating woman. They are coming up with bizarre and ridiculous explanations such as women will lose the ability to bear children if they enter the temple because the ‘energy’ flow etc.

The thinking that menstruation is impure is so deeply entrenched in the Indian psyche that it does not surprise or shock anybody when a female Indian minister talks about taking a soaked sanitary pad to a temple, to express her solidarity with people who believe in continuing the age old ritual irrespective of the fact that it no longer holds good in a society that has accepted same sex marriage and other LGBT issues which were considered social taboos. She further goes on to express her acceptance of not entering a place of worship where women are banned in her husband’s religion, justifying the limiting beliefs of the vast population of women who have been indoctrinated to believe that they are lesser humans. A good reason why we need minimum qualifications to enter the portals of the legislatures as our representations. Good oratorical skills are not the only requirement to emerge as representatives of peoples. Education , such as the one prevalent in advanced countries that encourages thinking and originality is important to lead a nation where a huge population has been kept in poverty and ignorance and where the women have been indoctrinated  for centuries into believing that  their only purpose in life is the service of men.  

What kind of a Divinity have we created?

It is ironical that we have built millions of temples of innumerable deities everywhere in the country and we believe in its power to resolve our problems and grant us our wishes, but we also believe in the wrath of that Supreme power if we do not follow certain ‘man-made’ rituals and rules. We impose our limiting beliefs on the God we have created. So we believe that if men cannot control their minds viewing or interacting with women of child bearing age, then the same logic applies to our deity. We believe in the naishtika brahmacharya of an idol. I am not speaking from an atheist platform. But upon reflection, it is amusing to see people vouching for Naishtika brahmacharya roopa of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala and their insistence on observing seclusion of women of childbearing age. What is ironical is that theists believe God created man and is all powerful. If so, in the eyes of God, all his creations must be equal. Any ritual or custom associated with any deity, temple or religion is man-made, aeons ago by men like us, based on their levels of cognition, understanding of the universe and consequent beliefs. Several rituals and practices have changed as the world became more and more complex. Nations that are steeped in traditions, archaic rituals and religious practices will continue to flounder in instability, discrimination, poverty and lack of development as other nations move ahead inventing, modifying and changing for the better and creating more advanced versions of their societies.  

I do not believe that the Supreme Power considers menstruation as impure or women who visit the Ayyappa temple may lose their ability to bear children. God has created man and woman with different capabilities to work in unison complementing each other to create a wonderful world. No God will become angry if we do not follow man-made rituals constructed centuries ago by a much less enlightened populace.

What a Wonderful World!

The state has intervened in many instances over the years, compelling its citizens to stop various rituals and practices at different points in time. Social reformers put an end to socially harmful practices like Sati, caste discrimination, animal sacrifice etc. Those who believed in humanity and compassion toward fellow human’s encouraged widow remarriage, education of women, women suffragette etc. Governments stepped in to stop rituals of burning wastes and old stuff during festivals like Lodi, Bhogi and the like. Recently the government has restricted fireworks during festivals such as Diwali and Christmas.  These interventions are necessary to create a society that is more in synergy with the earth and is peopled by an equal and compassionate citizenry.

Acceptance is the key to development of a harmonious and productive society. Acceptance that all humans are equally respectable. Acceptance of natural differences. Acceptance of continuous changes that are indispensable as well as inevitable. With acceptance will come willingness to change toward a more equal, just and non-discriminatory world. The world is wonderful if we know how to be receptive to changes, if we are willing to respect natural differences and the right of every living being to live in dignity and attain its fullest potential.

Until then, Sabarimala must continue with seclusion of women of child-bearing age. Because we as a society of people are not yet enlightened enough to accept the eternal truth that the deity or the Supreme Power wants us to comprehend. Because we are not yet ready to accept a non-discriminatory, equal and just world that respects the entitlement of every human to live with dignity.