RELIGION IS UNFAIR TO WOMEN

RELIGION IS UNFAIR TO WOMEN
On the one hand Hindu religious books tell us “yatra naryastu pujyante, ramante tatra devata” (The land where women are worshipped is the abode of Gods and Goddesses. Our Goddess of education is Saraswathi, Goddess of wealth is Lakshmi and Goddess of Power is Durga. Names of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna are prefixed with the names of their consorts, Sita and Radha.
And here is how Sabari describes herself while showing her gratitude to Lord Rama:
“Adham se adham adham ati nari, tinha mah main mati mand adhari”---Ram Cahrit Manas- Aranya kand. (Means: Woman is at the lowest of creation and on top of that I am stupid and rudderless)
And this is how Ravana describes women:
“Avgun aath sada Ur rahain, sahas, anrit, chapalta, maya, bhaya, avivek, asauch, adaya”---Ram Charit Manas -Lanka kand(Ravana to His wife Mandodari)
(Means: A woman has eight vices namely: 1. Indiscrete. 2. Liar 3. Freckle 4. Deceit. 5. Coward. 6. Foolish. 7. Impure. 8. Unkind)

There are so many instances in Tulsi Ramayana where women have been talked about in degraded terms. A few examples:
“Sati concluded that the omniscient Lord had come to know everything and felt sorry that she had tried to deceive Sambhu. The woman is silly and stupid by nature”--- Ram Charit Manas –Bal Kand- 57
Also in Geetha 9.32 here is how woman is equated with Vaishya (prostitute) and Sudras (Outcasts and is considered of a sinful birth.) It goes:
“For taking refuge in me, they also who, O Arjuna, may be of a sinful birth –woman, vaishayas as well as sudras—attain the Supreme Goal”
It is said that but for his wife Tulsi Das would never have gained the wisdom to write such a beautiful poetic description of Rama’s life “Ram Charitra Manas”. He was passionately in love with her and on one dreadful dark night crossed the flooded river at the cost of his life. His wife was devastated and said “If you would develop for Lord Rama even half of the love that you have for my filthy body, you would certainly cross the ocean of Samsara and attain immortality and eternal bliss”. Kalidas, the famous Sanskrit scholar, Dramatis and poet also had the blessings from his wife in form rebuke and humiliation for his lack of education.
For centuries women have been degraded at every walk of life. The situation is not any better still today in some of the communities.
Also the situation is not any better in Islam or Christianity. Women are not permitted to become Maulvies or Pastors as far as I know.
Inspite of all this degradation and indifference, women have survived and surpassed men in many fields of excellence.
The question still is why our religious books are biased against women and should not we ask for deleting these verses from these books.

GODS DO NOT NEED PALATIAL ABODES I N POOR INDIA

GODS DO NOT NEED PALACIAL ABODES IN POOR INDIA
India lives in its villages and the vast stretches of slums dotted all around our Metros. A vast majority of our population living in these villages and settlements is much below the poverty line as described by the Government of the day. There are families who find it difficult to afford two square meal round the year. On a rough estimate more than 50% of Indian population lives below poverty line. An UNO survey puts Indian per capita Gross Domestic Product at $1032(RS 46000) per annum.
Coupled with this problem of poverty are the problems of health, education, and employment. Government schemes directed towards improving these areas have failed in implementation. A very small percentage say 15% reaches the intended beneficiaries and balance is pocketed by the shameless people who run these schemes.
On the other hand we find huge sums being spent on the building of new abodes for our Gods and Goddesses and maintenance of the existing ones. Not Hindus alone, other communities are not far behind in building new Mosques, Gurudwaras and Churches.
This reminds me of the following lines by famous Urdu Poet Nida Fazli.
1.बच्चा बोला देखकर मस्जिद अIलिसान ,
अल्लाह तेरे एक को इतना बड़ा मकIन.
(Upon seeing the huge Mosque, the child said “God for you alone such a big house?)
2.घर से बड़ी दूर है मस्जिद. चलो कुछ ऐसा करें ,
सड़क पर रोते हुए इस बच्चे को हसाया जाये.
(Mosque is far away from the house, let us make this crying child laugh)

From time immemorial Kings and Badshahas built huge temples and mosques all over the country. As Indians we are proud of these magnificent structures. Many of these abodes of our Gods, Prophets, and Saints were built during famine times to keep the people fruitfully engaged but the hidden message of wealth and splendor was for the neighboring kings also.
We have enough of these abodes. Some of them are engaged in the field of health and education and are doing commendable job. These structures are our national pride, assets and witness of our rich cultural past. Every effort must be done to protect our heritage.
However, do we really need to build new abodes particularly when these funds could be utilized for the benefit of the poor and marginalized members of our country?