Of Men, Women, Gods And Activism

“You are not in existence by yourself as ‘man’ or ‘woman’...We are one species, why are we dividing everything on the basis of gender?”

—Sadhguru

When they said women can't go to the Sabarimala Temple, they said so because back in the day in southern India most people climbed these hills during the night. And, this was tiger land. Today of course the poor tigers need protection, but at one time, they were kings of the jungle. A carnivorous animal can sniff out a woman much more easily than they can a man. So, they said women can't go to hill temples because they invite danger.

Similarly, they said a woman shouldn’t enter a temple during her menstrual cycle because those were the days set aside for her to rest. Life was very physical — a woman had to cook, look after the family, take care of the cattle. So during this time they said she need not participate in anything, including religious duties. They created a separate room for her, gave her a scripture to read, no one was allowed to visit her, not even her husband. The idea was that she gets the rest she needs.

Read the full article on Speakingtree.in.

Take seven classes with Sadhguru from your own home. Learn More.