Guest guest Report post Posted July 5, 2003 The instructions of the Acharyas on this issue or any spiritual matter cannot become outdated or utopian or impractical, as pointed out in the following verse from Cc Adi 12.10: acaryera mata yei, sei mata sara, tanra ajna langhi' cale, sei ta' asara. "The instructions and opinions of the Acharyas are the active principle and essence of our spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys or transgresses or bypasses or minimizes the instructions of the Acharyas immediately becomes useless or ineffectual." According to Hari-nama-cintamani, all the previous Acharyas are our most revered Shiksha-gurus (adya acharya jini, shiksha guru tini) and their instructions should be carried on our head. Shrila Saccidananda Thakura Bhaktivinoda holds a very special place among our Shiksha-gurus due to his most merciful and sublime writings. In regards to this issue of Women and Sannyasa, he has given the following clear instructions in Shri Chaitanya-shikshamrita 2/4: ----------------------- strilokera grihastha ashrama o sthala visheshe vanaprastha vyatita anya kona ashrama svikarya naya. kona asadharana-bhaktisampanna stri vidya, dharma o samarthya labha karatah yadi brahmacharya va sannyasa ashrama grahana kariya saphalya labha kariya thakena va labha karena, taha sadharanataha komala sraddha, komala sharira, komala buddhi stri jatira pakshe vidhi nahe. "There are no ashramas acceptable by women other then the householder (grihastha) ashrama or in specific cases as per time, place and circumstance the vanaprastha ashrama. Ofcourse there can be some exceptional rare cases when an extraordinary and greatly advanced woman in bhakti can accept the brahmacharya and sannyasa ashramas and make a success of her spiritual life. But in the normal and general case, these ashramas are not meant for women because of their delicate faith, delicate body and delicate intelligence." --------------------------- Quotes by Shrila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: "A woman is not supposed to take sannyasa. So-called spiritual societies concocted in modern times give sannyasa even to women, although there is no sanction in the Vedic literature for a woman's accepting sannyasa. Otherwise, if it were sanctioned, Kardama Muni could have taken his wife and given her sannyasa." (SB 3.24.40 purport) "Women is never allowed to become renounced order of life. No." (Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 1.15.50, Los Angeles, December 27, 1973) Points 7. and 8. from Shrila Prabhupada's Letter to: Nevatiaji, Los Angeles, 16 July, 1970: 7. Regarding Swamis and ''Swaminies,'' you have been misinformed. Among my disciples there is only one Swami or Sannyasi, but there is no ''Swaminie.'' Woman is never offered Sannyasa in the Vedic culture. Up to Vanaprastha stage the woman may remain with her husband as assistant or friend without any sex relation, and when a man takes Sannyasa the woman has no connection with him. I am very sorry to inform you that there are some Indian ''Swamis'' in this country who are living with so-called ''Swaminies,'' but so far we are concerned we follow strictly the Vedic principles. All our students are following the regulative principles as mentioned in Section 3, paragraph 2. 8. As referred to above we have got only one Swami, but no Swaminies. Rather I encourage the boys and girls to get married and live regularly on the Vedic principles. They are following this instruction and they are happy and advancing in Krsna consciousness. "The spirit soul is equal in either a man or woman. One who is actually engaged in the service of Krishna, there is no such distinction as man or woman.[...] So spiritually everyone is equal. But materially a woman cannot be given Sannyasa." (SP Letter to: Aditya, Mayapur, 4 February, 1976) "That the Brahmacarini ashram is a good success is very good news. But the best thing will be if the grown-up Brahmacarinis get married. According to Vedic culture, woman is never to remain independent. I shall be glad if the Brahmacarinis can have nice husbands, and live as Grhasthas. But if they cannot find out good husbands, it is better to remain a Brahmacarini all the life, even though it is little difficult." (SPL to: Satsvarupa, Montreal, 8 August, 1968) Daaso'smi, Tridandi Bhikshu Bhaktiratna Sadhu Swami. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
