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Re: Question regarding Chanting of Vedas by women

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Kumar • January 28, 2003 


Looking at this discussion going on back and forth in this issue, I 
have approached a swamin at kanchipuram and heard the following. 
If anything found to be an error it is due to my lack of knowledge 
and nothing else. I also apologise in advance if this mail hurts 
somebody. 

Sastra's say that anybody without sambandam of Gayathri manthram 
should not chant vedam. A person get the Gayathri sambandam by way of 
undergoing Upanayanam. Upanayanam is performed only for men and not 
for women, and hence this restriction.

In olden days caste system was classified into four categories namely 
Brahmna, vysya, Kshatriya and Sudra. Out of the four the former three 
caste had the practice of performing Upanayanam and chant vedas.

Moreover only a Brahmin can learn and teach veda whereas a vysya or a 
kshatriya can only learn anc chant vedam and cannot teach vedam. If a 
vysya or a Kshatriya want to learn vedam he has to come to Brahmna 
Acharya, that is one of the reason Lord Krishna had to been 
Sandeepani Maharishi to learn vedam.

I refuse the point raised by Sri Chakravarthi, that only Brahmnas 
were allowed to chant vedam in those days. It is definitely not true 
to the best of my knowledge. Only Sudras were not allowed to chant 
vedam. I don't know on what basis he has told this. Even though we 
cannot find real Kshatriya or a real Vysya today, still there are 
some Kshatriyas and Vysyas undergoing the upanayanam ceremony. Alwars 
have born in this world with the Grace of Sriman Narayanan. Hence 
definitely Alwars could have composed this 4000 Divya Prabandam at 
any cost. 




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