You have surely heard about one being from Mars and the other from Venus! True as it is; women can do everything men can and then some! Like giving birth. You knew I was going to say that! Didn't you?
They used to need men full time for that ; but then technology for creating test tube babies became so advanced that they can now bring a child into the world without ever coming 100 miles from any man!
Much as this is a big blow to the male chauvinist ego and established traditional social hierarchy, the fact is that gender equations of the human society are evolving surely to be more equitable.
The famous US poster above, designed by artist J. Howard Miller, ' Rosie the Riveter', marked a clear turning point in modern history. This became an iconic image of feminism in the modern era. There are a few historical ladies; some even named a derivative of Rose, like Rosalinda ; that are said to be the model for this poster. Evidence for exactly who it was is hazy. Name actually is not that important anyway!
Things changed during the second world war. Males of working age went off to fight & that left a huge human resource hole in the manufacturing and industrial sector. Women bravely stepped into this breach and society had no choice but to accept them. Well, they became machinists; construction workers and ran the shop floor. They worked hard jobs in the shipyards. Of course there were women actually riveting air frames together for the planes critical to the war campaign in Europe. Women have not looked back since then. They are here to take their rightful place and not a day too soon!
Hopefully nobody is offended but listen if there is no jesus ; there is no Christianity! Islam collapses entirely without mohamed too. You have to believe in immaculate conception in one case and allah's postman in the other. Raise a question and you are out of the fold instantly in one case and a heretic apostate punishable by death in the other!
In a sharp contrast Hindu way of life is structured on ethics of Dharma; not on personalities. Dharma means 'the right thing' and it is always informed by the era and the geography you are in. You do not have to believe in deity X or Y. Or a ritual A or B. You can believe in some, not the other, or none for that matter. It has zero effect on your inclusion in the faith ; your understanding of the religious principles of Dharma or your ritual practice. Nobody can question your personal way and your direct equation with the Supreme is beyond reproach !
Of course there are deities , avatars , celestial beings and Demi Gods. There are structured worship rituals; copious religious texts; innumerable chants; multitude of prayers; temple traditions and detailed iconography. All of them exist to point to one or the other Dharmic principle. They guide and help you along your spiritual journey. You can believe the whole story or go far a selection. You can ignore it entirely. "Dharma the truth" is never in danger. Although I can not say the same for an individual that is more than likely to stray in absence of a guide.
Sanatan Dharma is the most Catholic of all faiths! Funny how we can say that! Catholic of course is meant in its literal meaning, not religious. You know that surely!
Few years ago, during the Ram Mandir agitation, some politician wanted proof that Ram existed, ever! They approached the court to secure a judgment against people's belief in Ram! It is just a story; a lot of Nay Sayers maintain. They are all missing the whole point! No one is here to proselytize! You can believe whatever you will!
It does not matter!
What matters is what this 'fiction' actually teaches us and how it defines the contours of an ethical Hindu way of life.
Let me take you back by about 10,000 years; to the era of the great epic Ramayana. Maybe you have heard about Shabri. She is an important character in the epic. She was a strong tribal woman who had the courage to leave behind a marriage she did not want and join Sage Matang's ashram in the forest. It was not easy. A tribal; a women; a runaway bride; penniless.... She had one crushing handicap on top of another. She had to work super hard for it but eventually she broke into the male bastion of discipleship. Her Guru sage Matang was pleased with her spirituality and predicted her salvation from his own death bed. Shabri carried on with her karma for long and one blessed day Lord Shri Ram arrived at her door!
It was a pivotal day; a test of her devotion and purity of her heart. In her innocence she offered her celestial guest berries she had collected from the forest. She bit into each one of them before offering it . Just to ensure that her entire offering was sweet and to keep the bitter one's aside.
Traditionally it would amount to sacrilege! You would not feed defiled food even to a regular guest; forget about offering it to God! It would be extremely insulting and against all hosting etiquette. Lord's younger brother objected to it right away! Shri Ram however brushed all objections aside and gracefully accepted the half eaten food from a poor old women! God only saw the honest offerings in her golden, innocent , pure heart and never needed to see what is being offered in 3D!
It is told that Shri Ram also followed Shabri's advice to band together an army from the animal kingdom. We all know that the epic goes on to tell us how this monkey army guided by Lord Mahabali Hanuman himself; won the battle for truth; for justice and for light! Shabri had total faith in her Guru's word and guidance. True to it she found salvation at the feet of Shri Rama entirely due to her devoted; innocent; pure heart!
As I said you do not need to believe in Shri Ram being an avatar of Vishnu. Or him being a God for that matter ! You do not need to believe that there was ever such a person ever born in Ayodhya in the unrecorded past . You can label this a fictional story even. Understand however that Indian Philosophy puts the onus on you to take whatever you will ; leave whatever you will and act according to your understanding. It however makes an individual responsible for his own refinement and fully accountable for his own actions. You are what you do or do not do! Like it or not you will have to take ownership. Your karma will come calling and it always delivers exactly what you earned!
Why did Lord Ram do the things he did and what can we get from this epic? There are several things here to learn. Firstly purity of thought and unflinching devotion is more important than norms; rites and rituals. Before you can journey towards God , you need to travel inside your heart and purify it.
Secondly God expects you to transcend all gender; age ; caste and societal biases. As you transcend your limitations that your biases have put upon you; purity of the resultant actions will spiritually elevate you towards the Supreme.
Thirdly compassion and empathy speeds your journey towards ultimate salvation. Your honesty will always illuminate the way forward for you.
Fourthly a women can and does contribute equally in making informed monumental decisions that help shape an optimum outcome. Both Sage Matang; Shabri's teacher and then Lord Shri Ram, her deliverer; acted as noble enablers and showed us the correct way forward.
And it also reveals a secret ! How can you reach God? Do you need to go somewhere? Do you need pilgrimages or special rituals? Does your caste, creed or gender make a difference? Do you need to offer God gold, silk and diamonds?
No, no and no! All you have to do is your karma. Do it with compassion. Do it with empathy. Do it with dedication. Do it with purity of thought, speech and action. Be responsible, be accountable, be honest. Is it too much of an ask?
That's it. God will himself knock at your door!
A modern day life coach will charge you $ 250/30 minute session to tell you the same thing for achieving a fulfilling and content life. Only they market this as the 'Sunflower Theory'. Be a sunflower for someone! During the day it will face the sun and reflect its brightness to light up the receiver's life. In the dark however sunflowers will turn towards each other to become each other's Sun; each other's hope and each other's enabler. You can get this guidance for free by spending a little time with your own traditions.
This Diwali may we recall the story of Shabri. May God grant us thoughtful innocence; purity of heart and an unshakable devotion to our purpose; just like her. May we all be a bit of a feminist!
The famous Sanskrit prayer to the divine on the left says," (O, Lord) Lead me from untruth to truth. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality."
Many blessings of the Diwali group of auspicious festivals to you ; your family and your friends. May you all be healthy , prosperous and successful. Let Divine light show you the right path and may peace prevail in the world.
OM Shanti , Shanti Shanti !!
