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By Acharya Chandanaji One of nature's greatest creations is woman. She is like a song that has beauty, harmony, sweetness and the ability to bring bliss to the world. All the gentler virtues of creation generosity, nobility, love and compassion come to life in woman. But this mirror image of nature's harmony has now been tarnished. It seems as if the melody of this great song is out of 'synch'. It is the arrogance of human beings that has done this. They have a special capacity for splitting things up, they delight in making divisions and ultimately they have succeeded in breaking up humanity into two separate species, man and woman. Every good thing has been reserved for the man, whilst woman has become oppressed and aillicted. The human race, which is only a small part of creation, lives by a system that is based not on genuine virtues, but on imaginary differences. There are no disputes when distinctions are made according to real virtue, but conflict is inevitable when artificial lines are drawn up. Mankind's twisted intellect has always distorted nature by fomenting dissension and disharmony. Life can only be happy and blissful if all the divisions are brushed aside and a sense of harmony and oneness is restored to the world. Man and woman have both been equally important in the development of human culture. In fact the contribution of the woman sometimes exceeds that of the man. I would like to use the atom as a metaphor to illustrate the role of men and women in society. At the centre of the atom is the nucleus, and a mist of various other subatomic particles surrounds it. It is the nucleus that holds the atom together. The nucleus is the source of energy. The atom has an infinite capacity and the source of that power lies in the nucleus. Humanity is just like an atom. Woman is the nucleus and man the surrounding shell containing the haze of sub-atomic particles. The innate capacity for reproduction lies with the woman. Growth, increase, nurture, everything comes from her. Although the construct of a human being comprises both man and woman, woman plays the larger role. She is the root of creative energy and is the nucleus of humanity's strength. Humanity orbits around the female. Man and woman are the two wheels of the 'chariot' of creation. Woman is the earth, man the vegetation. Man may grow upwards but woman supports his roots and enables him to flourish. Woman's greatness is comparable to the earth's greatness. Like the earth, the mother symbolises courage, patience and creativity. If these innate virtues of the 'race of mothers' had been properly utilised in the first place, our culture would have been more enriched and more closely integrated. Sadly the reverse has come to pass. Instead of leadin.g independent and effective lives, women have been condemned to living a helpless existence. This is true even today. Thousands of women are still oppressed and leading a life of slavery and dependency. This awful situation demands a lot of thought. Despite the efforts of great prophets and social reformers over many years, the problem remains the same. Why is this so? Religious people have played a large role in determining the character and operation of social institutions. However, they are not responsible for all the shortcomings prevailing in society. Society sickens and many social evils arise when it does not change with the times. People lack courage and lose the ability to bring about a relevant change in their social conditions. In sacrifice, service, nurture, patience and forgiveness man sometimes falls short, but woman is always there, ready to help, a symbol of conscientiousness. Although stories of her sacrifice do not always appear on the pages of history, they are imprinted on men's hearts. There have been many heroines, like the Rani of Jhansi, who defeated men in battle and inspired them with her courage and bravery. In the realm of spiritual science, Gargi too was far from being alone in grasping and expressing the highest and subtlest forms of truth. The wisdom of women like her impressed sages like Yagnyavalkya, well -known for his prudence and brilliant intellect. Countless women have brought men-folk back to the right path by their powers of rationality and discrimination. In the history of the human race, there have been times when all the paths of progress were monopolised by men. Men alone exercised power or were permitted the pursuit of pleasure. Religion too was restricted to them. Women were permitted nothing, not even their own emotional life. No independence at all was given to them. Men controlled women's lives from birth to death. This was a woman's fate. The race of mothers has the capacity needed to capture the heights of spirituality. Woman can reach the pinnacle of success even in their social lives. There is no area in the fields of science, politics or art where she is unable to excel. Will a time ever come when the entire human race lives together without distinctions of class, caste, colour and importantly gender? Should it come to pass, it would be the golden age of our development. Though men and women have different virtues and capacities they should be accorded equal respect and equal rights. Only then can we have a truly healthy society. A mother is a maker and creator - she can never be a destroyer. If the discipline and prudence she embodies could be put to use, then the escalation of nuclear weapons would be stopped. The whole of creation requires compassion, not cruelty, and the epitome of compassion is the race of mothers. A strong and healthy society can be created only if respect for the race of mothers is inculcated in us all. Then this century will witness a re-awakening of womankind and herald a new sense of well-being brought about by women. -------------------------------------------- Published
By : Veerayatan U. K. The Wentworth, Pinewood Close, Oxhey
Drive South Mail
to : Ahimsa Foundation
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