Women's intelligence
There’s a new fashion that is to say that women are less intelligent then man. Here I’d like to show what the scriptures say about it. In a certain way, it is indeed said that most part of women usually have a very soft heart. That might be aproblem because many times they can put their heart and feelings before theirintelligence or sense of discrimination. This is not exactly a lack ofintelligence, but a purity of heart that is dangerous for the person in adegraded world like the one we live in. In this way, pure creatures like womenand brahmanas should always be taken care of, so that they can be protected fromevil persons. There’s no question that the brahminical class is the mostintelligent class of the society (we are not speaking here of people who arebrahmanas because were born in family of brahmanas, but we are talking aboutreal brahmanas, with the brahminical qualifications). Similarly, the fact thatwomen are pure or, many times, innocent, or that they have to be protected, hasabsolutely nothing to do with a lack of intelligence. Sarasvati, the goddess ofintelligence is a woman!
“Agnihthram Tatachar swamy points out a specialVedic term : Purandhi, and explains its significance . According to the VedAs ,women are more intelligent than men (i.e) she is a purandhi. (…) By that term ,Women's superior intelligence is indicated.”*
Being aware of the capacity ofthe girls, the families and teachers used to train them just as they used totrain the boys. That was according to the Atharva Veda, which says that girlsshould be trained as students before entering marriage life. “Girls should trainthemselves to become complete scholars and youthful through Brahmcharya and thenenter married life.” **
The Atharva Veda also says: “Oh woman! You are thekeeper of knowledge of all types of actions (karma).” “Oh woman! You knoweverything. Please provide us strength of prosperity and wealth.” and “Oh woman!Utilize your vedic intellect in all directions of our home!”.
In the sameVeda it is also stated: “Women should take part in the legislative chambers andput their views on forefront.” And from the Rg Veda we have: “O men and women! Ascholarly woman who has practiced or teaches one, two or three Vedas or fourVedas and four upavedas, along with grammar, etymology etc and spreads knowledgeto whole world and removes ignorance of people is source of happiness for entireworld. A woman who studies and teaches all parts of Vedas brings progress to allhuman beings.” So, the idea that women can’t study the Vedas is just a modernnon-sense. Actually, they should not only study it, but also teach it, althoughwe see that in many spiritual societies nowadays women are not allowed to preachor teach.
According to The Rg Veda, women can say: “My destiny is as gloriousas the rising sun. I am the flag of my home and society. I am also their head. Ican give impressive discourses. My sons conquer enemies. My daughter illuminatesthe whole world.”
So, as we see, women from vedic age don’t think ofthemselves as poor non-intelligent creatures. They know their importance notonly for their family but also for their society. They are the had. So, theyhave intelligence and give directions. Their importance is not only to staybehind men obeying their orders. They say they can give impressive discourses.Of course they are not locked at home just cooking and cleaning, otherwise, thatstatement would make no sense. They are free to speak for many people and theyare impressive, so they have knowledge to cause that impression. Their sonsconquer enemies, but their daughter illuminates the whole world. Their daughtersare not burdens that are killed in the womb or who are less important then theirsons. No! They illuminate the whole world!
*SriPedia - http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/cgi-bin/kbase/Vedas/Women’
** Agniveer – Womenin Vedas - http://agniveer.com/vedas/women-in-vedas/
http://deviwoman.blogspot.com/
www.iskconbr.multiply.com
“Agnihthram Tatachar swamy points out a specialVedic term : Purandhi, and explains its significance . According to the VedAs ,women are more intelligent than men (i.e) she is a purandhi. (…) By that term ,Women's superior intelligence is indicated.”*
Being aware of the capacity ofthe girls, the families and teachers used to train them just as they used totrain the boys. That was according to the Atharva Veda, which says that girlsshould be trained as students before entering marriage life. “Girls should trainthemselves to become complete scholars and youthful through Brahmcharya and thenenter married life.” **
The Atharva Veda also says: “Oh woman! You are thekeeper of knowledge of all types of actions (karma).” “Oh woman! You knoweverything. Please provide us strength of prosperity and wealth.” and “Oh woman!Utilize your vedic intellect in all directions of our home!”.
In the sameVeda it is also stated: “Women should take part in the legislative chambers andput their views on forefront.” And from the Rg Veda we have: “O men and women! Ascholarly woman who has practiced or teaches one, two or three Vedas or fourVedas and four upavedas, along with grammar, etymology etc and spreads knowledgeto whole world and removes ignorance of people is source of happiness for entireworld. A woman who studies and teaches all parts of Vedas brings progress to allhuman beings.” So, the idea that women can’t study the Vedas is just a modernnon-sense. Actually, they should not only study it, but also teach it, althoughwe see that in many spiritual societies nowadays women are not allowed to preachor teach.
According to The Rg Veda, women can say: “My destiny is as gloriousas the rising sun. I am the flag of my home and society. I am also their head. Ican give impressive discourses. My sons conquer enemies. My daughter illuminatesthe whole world.”
So, as we see, women from vedic age don’t think ofthemselves as poor non-intelligent creatures. They know their importance notonly for their family but also for their society. They are the had. So, theyhave intelligence and give directions. Their importance is not only to staybehind men obeying their orders. They say they can give impressive discourses.Of course they are not locked at home just cooking and cleaning, otherwise, thatstatement would make no sense. They are free to speak for many people and theyare impressive, so they have knowledge to cause that impression. Their sonsconquer enemies, but their daughter illuminates the whole world. Their daughtersare not burdens that are killed in the womb or who are less important then theirsons. No! They illuminate the whole world!
*SriPedia - http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/cgi-bin/kbase/Vedas/Women’
** Agniveer – Womenin Vedas - http://agniveer.com/vedas/women-in-vedas/
http://deviwoman.blogspot.com/
www.iskconbr.multiply.com
Replies
Jai Shri Krishna..
My mother who raised me, she is very intelligent she is the embodiment of Krishna's love for me. My sister who is older than me, she helped look after me, taught me many words and thank Krishna she still is looking out for me. She is the love that Krishna inspires. I had a Dadi(grandmother) she was my playground my well-wisher, she told me stories of Krishna. She was the Vedas that Krishna gave. Of all females that I have come across, all showed signs of great intelligence and love, love without which I would not have attained love for Krishna easily.
Hare Krishna Mataji ! Please excuse me if I might have offended you in the least.
Hare Krishna
No one can answer your question here better than Srila Prabhupada. Keep listening to Him over and over and one day it will come all clear.
I agree with Kusha Das, we must put less attention on our bodily consciousness and more on the instructions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Ceto Darpana.... Vijayate Srikrishna Sankirtanam
If you can see the importance of following the instructions of Prabhupada, Perform Sankirtana everyday, I will accept you to be more intelligent, than many devotee men, who fail to see it, much less perform Sankirtana.
I challenge you, if you are intelligent prove to yourself. Both women and men.
Matajis, kindly stop keeping your Prabhu from performing Sankirtana. Show us you are intelligent, encourage us and even join us.
Prabhus, just because a general statement that women are less intelligent, does not make all of us more intelligent. We must prove it by following the Acharyas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and accept His instructions starting from the 1st Instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to perform Sankirtana.
Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam.