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EDITORIAL September 30, 1999 VNN4829 Comment on this story Aiming For A Life Of Upliftment BY GOVINDA DASI EDITORIAL, Sep 30 (VNN) — Aiming for a life of upliftment, the women of the Krsna Consciousness movement would be striking just that if it wasn't for a disturbing question growing in their minds for the last decade or two: "Why, in an environment that should make our lives sublime, we find persistent humiliation and pain?" The humiliation, as they claim, is due to gender discrimination within the movement, which narrows women's opportunities for dedication. The daily routine of positioning themselves in the back of the temple room (behind men) during worship, being served after men at the time prasadam is distributed, or being addressed as "mataji" instead of "prabhu" (as men are addressed and which translates as "master"), are some of the society's disfiguring staples women now wish to change. Originally the use of the word "mataji" (mother) to address women was as a reminder that ladies should be seen as the object of one's highest respect and affection - a mother. Women feel that the meaning of the word along with the purpose of its application has not been made clear to members of the movement in general, a lack that has left empty spaces gradually filled up by prejudiced misconceptions. Blame it on the "West" where the performance of a mother is incomplete if "mother" does not take, when needed or when desiring, independent roles in the family or society, (western woman who contemplate a lifestyle which parallels with the vedic mold will eventually run into feelings of inadequacy and guilt), or in the troubled times the devotee community traverses today, women devotees feel that the vedic mold is not quite working for them. As an instance, they argue that even if desirable to most, to many breaking the vedic mold is a matter of necessity. Without a father, husband, or grown son by their side acting in the strict vedic style, many women often find themselves to be the suppliers of their own protection. If they must take up roles meant for men, they reason, these roles may as well be regulated in and by the society. In this scenario women are voicing a crescent demand for reform - the humiliations should be rectified by executive action such as corrective resolutions, lectures on the subject, in one word, change! Top action on the list, they believe, should be women's placement side by side with men in administrative and leading roles. Ironically, men and women sharing social roles are a concept traditionally disputed by vedic commandments - for a simple reason. From sastra one verifies that men and women are not encouraged to share equal functions in society because naturally they differ in body and mind. According to vedic tradition, equality between the sexes is unnatural, artificial, just as it is foolish to expect women to be happy and secure without proper protection. In an instructive occasion Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada told his male disciples to regularly inquire from their female dependents of their necessities, and then provide for their needs. This, he explained, because women, of their own initiative, will not ask for their basics. Well, they are now asking for reform, and the demand in itself should be unmistakable indication to the society that we have fallen short of the mark established by the founder acarya in supplying the basics and undoubtedly more. By this demand for equality women are actually sounding the alarm in a society which neglected to protect itself, and at this point the debate over the authenticity of women's expression is beside the point. As members of secular society just a few decades ago we experienced a life where women are not properly looked after but, nevertheless, act in accordance with what that society wants of them. We may have not rejected that society exclusively because of the way it views women, but we certainly chose to leave all of its misconceptions behindÉ didn't we? Having separated itself from godliness, secular society is unable to accommodate the reality of inequality between genders. Viewing the concept of self-sacrifice from the materialistic perspective, it has distanced itself from Truth and is consequently devoid of purity, beauty, and even reason, and so dismisses the quest for the honoring of women's natural virtue by calling it bad names. To show reverence for the shy, submissive feminine nature is politically incorrect these days, and even devotees will be caught labeling the quest for female submission as chauvinism, exploitation, underdevelopment, etc. Without real knowledge of the nature of the body and the nature of the spiritual entity who occupies it, secular society has created the misleading concept of equality as synonymous of justice. This misconception, even where good-intentionally applied, has led among other things to the exploitation and degradation of women and the consequent degradation of the whole society. Among devotees, the different social function of man and women is a concept accepted on the basis that it is one recommended by vedic standards. However, being perhaps one of the least considered subjects for articulated study within the society, the position of women in the tradition is still unclear to most members and an absolute oddity to the outside world. Secular society, on the other hand, with the purpose of political manipulation, has systematically promoted artificial equality, escalating it to such proportions that it has become the religion of modern life. (To attempt establish differences between genders, social classes, etc. is, in modern life, an act against human rights perhaps equivalent to sin in vaisnava tradition.) Even so, the sastras point out that differentiation in the material world is not a human misperception (about to be corrected by modern activists) but a conditioning. And as such, it is repairable only through divine favor. If desirous of equality, recommend the sastras, individuals are to gradually come to the level of equal opportunity by the scientific process of daiva-varnasram-dharma. When first heard the news of women being naturally the submissive party and men the leading, western vaisnavas reacted with, if not shock, at least surprise. Having to step back and accept only the background roles, women have become confused of their priorities with some taking to contemplate equal rights with men rather than inquire into the meaning of submissiveness. Men, having a 'comfortable' status already secured, neglected to duly acquaint themselves with the process of varnasram dharma, particularly in regard of protection of women, with some mistaking this need for protection for weakness, inferiority, unworthiness. From both mistakes, the fact that virtuous women and qualified men are complementary allies has been a spiritual asset almost entirely missed. In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.11.25. Srila Prabhupada wrote "the ladies did not mix with the crowd on the street, and thus their respectability was perfectly preserved more elegantly by keeping the woman separate from the man. The sexes should not mix unrestrictedly." Mixing the sexes with any purpose other than genuine spiritual activities would certainly level down a spiritual society to a kind of "crowd on the street". But should male and female devotees take their high aspirations as a license to innovatively mix? Our high tradition is one of aesthetics; subtlenesses of the spirit, where the activities of the material world have no consequence other than temporarily cover the eternal beauty of the spiritual realm. It is there, in the world of infallible purity where submission is queen, modesty and reservation her ornaments. That concept is Who we humbly hope to serve and Whose elegant model should be the more inspiration for our ladies to wish to keep their dignifying, respectable distances from the male section. For the men there is the opportunity to honor ladies' natural submissiveness in this world as a self- remainder of its transcendental counterpart in the spiritual sphere. Furthermore, as a movement of acaryas we should be setting a restoring example in a decadent world, rather than being influenced by its flaws... Indeed, women of our movement are more victims of the environment when, stepping outside temple rooms, side with cries for false equality, than inside where they queue for the back rows. To the effect of shedding light where secular misconception may obscure even the obvious, sastra and sadhus offer ample evidence of the differences between genders and, further, differences between all conditioned living entities. Differentiation cannot be done away with. Opportunity for surrender, however, is equal to all but how much of the opportunity will be made into achievement is up to each individual. Srila Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati wrote, "humility implies perfect submission to the Truth and no sympathy for untruth. Any clinging to untruth is opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute submission to Truth." Being falsely identified with one's material body, male or female, is certainly an instance of "clinging for untruth", however, women may more easily take advantage of their present condition by replacing humiliation for humility, and from there exercise submission to Truth to their hearts delight. To be dominated is the Gaudyia aim, it is desirable; it is in fact the ideal itself. Humiliation in this world will be anyone's friend in that it will wear out one's clinging for the false truth of our present identity, and help us to begin notice the center. Then serve Them. On keeping looking into this principle of humility (and its relation to Truth) one is inevitably reminded of Lord Caitanya's gold instruction that one be as humble as the straw on the street, and that one does not expect recognition but offer full respect to others. It is understood by most that humility is related to character; that if we make, as we want, the decision of being humble this will improve our character. We may even take inspiration from different "styles" of humility set throughout the scriptures, and by taking up to "being humble" we will be entitle to the final reward of Truth. Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati, by stating that "humility implies perfect submission to Truth", leaves us a highway of hints as to the position of humility as one's character in contrast to the notion of humility as an addition to it. As the outcome of dedication of the highest order, humility belongs to pure souls and so is evidence of one's having attained the Supreme Lord's utmost glance of grace. Independent as it is, humility may or may not come to our hearts, but we will fervently pray for its descent. Indeed prayer, submission, trusting mercy over justice are resources of those in a dependent position. In the drama of shedding off false egos, the subaltern position is a role played with enthusiasm by those who have understood the advantages of back stage position. Someone recently told me that once, at receiving a group of A. C. Bhaktivedhanta Swami Prabhupada's disciples in a visit to his ashram in Navadvip, Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja inquired of the western devotees, "What brought you to this Krsna Consciousness movement? If you trace exactly that which first attracted you to Krsna Consciousness, then by taking that thread and keeping following it, it will take you all the way back to Godhead. So kindly tell me what brought you to Krsna Consciousness?" Of the replies offered by different devotees, Srila Sridhara Maharaja liked the answer of a woman who said, "I came to this movement because I was invited to join Krsna's family." There is, among the devotees today, a great deal of longing for the sweet mood of the beginning years. HomeÉ In the field of familial affection and trust, everyone likes the scents and sounds of home, but only the pure vaisnava knows exactly where home is. The pure vaisnava also knows that home is always good, positive, never a place of doubt and suspicion but a place of rest of one's otherwise forever unfulfilled heart. "No amount of ignorance can produce Truth", said Srila Sridhara Maharaja once, and if we were to parody him today we could say, "No amount of nostalgia will restore our society". Because the substance that made it home once is lost in the irresponsible neglect of its women, children, youth, assets, inquisitive members and discriminating minds, but most than anything else, in the persistent viciousness with which its related well wishers were and are viewed, and which was the reason "home" began to collapse in the first place. If no one else will, at least the women of our movement may want to consider that the lack in their spiritual lives at the moment is not of cooperation from the environment, but of access to the inner universe of our benefactors. If all conflicts are resolved in love, it is in love, too, where differentiation actually produces harmony, beauty, and charm; we can never be to cautious in our attempt to approach the arena of dedication, least in the name of "love" we remove ourselves further and further away from...love. For thousands of years vedic culture managed to keep women peaceful and happy. Sure, exceptions will always exist but there is nothing to improve in Vedic system. Do the women who are now putting their hopes of spiritual "opportunities" in the reform movement really believe they will be more Krsna Conscious if they can live externally as men do? Does anyone doubt that the male mind can be just as constraining as that of any malicious being if he doesn't recognize the elevated position of his superiors? Are the men, who are now given posts of protectors, honestly wishing to go to the bottom of this difficulty and face the real cause of women's discontentment, and then take appropriate action? Actually, women and everyone else in our society will be properly guarded (and so happy again) only when the society, wishing to truly help its insiders, learns how to trust and welcome the love of its benefactors who may be positioned on the outside of its formal boundaries. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way. Govinda dasi. Danista@sover.net Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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