[USBrahmins] Rishipanchami/menstruation in ladies.

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One may be right when he says that "most other societies in the world do not practise this taboo". This is quite true of to-day`s society. Taboos associated with menstruation , I understand, was prevalent in most of the religions. Most cultures have some kind of "menstruation taboos"for girls and women". In many cultures a menstruating woman is considered "unclean" and taboos were imposed. To-day many people hold that they are obsolete and should not be practised as they can cause serious emotional trauma to woman. Among the ancient Greeks, I understand that one author by name Pliny wrote that menstrual blood could turn new wine sour, render crops barren,dull the gleam of ivory,drive dogs mad , and even cause very tiny creatures to turn away in disgust from a grain of corn that had suffered contact with the offending

woman. The great religions that developed with the rise of civilization tended to further these ideas in religious texts and doctorines. Zoroastrianism places purity as one of the most important tenets in the upholding of the faith. It prohibits women during their menses and priests with bleeding sores from entering the fire temple. I

remember to have read somewhere that in the biblical Book of Levictus it has been stated that a menstruating woman is considered as unclean for seven days and anyone who touched her would also be unclean. Orthodox jews relegated bleeding woman to their own secluded sphere or enjoined them to abstain from sexual contacts for seven days, followed by immersionin the mikveh or ritual bath. In early Syrian Christian texts as well as the writing of Origen, a woman undergoing menses were prohibited, like their jewish counterparts, from entering church or"mixing" reproductive blood with sacrificial blood at the Altar. Such taboos are existing in countires like Ghana, venezula etc. etc. As Hindus if we accept our Sastras as pramana(authority) we need to follow what is stated in our Sastras. If one has no faith in Scriptures, he or she is free to do what heor she thinks is right.G.Balasubramanianfourwalk <dileepanUSBrahmins Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 1:11:34 PM[uSBrahmins] Re: Rishipanchami/menstruation in

ladies.

 

 

USBrahmins@gro ups.com, shivashankara rao <shivashankararao@ ...> wrote:

>

> Please refer to Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha's book on "Sanatana Dharma" published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan wherein he provides details of the research conducted in the United States on several women in Menses.

> He states that The blood of the woman in menses generally contains a poisonous substances known as "menotoxin" and it harms any one going near her within a distance of 8 feet.

Two questions arise in my mind:

[1] Why does this not affect the women themselves considering the harmful effect extends to a space of 8 feet around the menstruating woman?

[2] Most other societies around the world do not practice this taboo, yet the health outcomes of many of them are far superior to that of India. Couple of indicators: according to the WHO database of 193 countries on adult mortality rate for the year 2006 India ranks 128 with even Pakistan fairing better at 107. On mortality rate for non-communicable diseases for 2002 India ranks 109 to Pakistan's 104.

Further, I request the poster to give the reference details for the research in the U.S. he cites. In my experience these research studies that purport to support some of our cultural practices lack in even a semblance of rigor. Just casual claims of scientific research are insufficient for these cultural practices to be accepted as having any practical benefit.