Why feminists should support Hindus on the Sabarimala Temple issue

Sabarimala is a Hindu temple located in the Indian state of Kerela; it is the largest pilgrimage site in the world with nearly 20 million visitors per year. The shrine is dedicated to the god Ayyappan, the god of growth.  Ayyappan is the son lord Shiva and the female avatar of Vishnu, Mohini. Ayyappan is a brahmachari, meaning he leads a life of celibacy to devote his time to god and greater realization. 

Because Ayyappan is a celibate, his temple in Kerela has traditionally been attended only by men and women of non-menstruating age; young girls and older women devotees may attend the temple. There are many temples in India devoted to many different gods. Most temples are open to all, but there are few temples where only men may go and yes there are temples where only women may go, this is just the nature of the worship of the particular deity housed in those particular shrines. 

However, on the 28th of September 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the ban on menstruating women was unconstitutional because it discriminated against women on religious grounds. Now most people assume that the state has no right to interfere with private religious practice, especially in a democracy like India, but in India religious freedom comes with a hitch.  In India, Hindu temples and mostly only Hindu temples are state controlled, while Mosques and Churches are held in private hands. Donations, repairs, and obviously now internal Hindu temple rules are all regulated by the government, but the same is not true for Muslim and Christian houses of worship.

Hindus are not the only religious group which prohibit menstruating women to enter certain holy places, the Muslim shrine of Haji Ali in Mumbai does not allow menstruating women into its inner sanctum, but Haji Ali and other Muslim complexes are not included in the Supreme Court's ban on prohibiting women, only the Hindu temple of Sabarimala. I think most people who are democratically minded can see that government control of Hindu temples only has lead to a situation of inequality and perhaps even promoting or endorsing one religion over another.

But there is another issue, a more personal and human issue, and that is the fact that many of the people who are protesting the Supreme Court's decision are women themselves, why is this?  The Supreme Court and many feminists have forgotten that this temple is a place of devotion, it is a shrine for both men and women who respect and revere the celibate god Ayyappan.  It is Ayyappan's wish that women of menstruating age not enter his temple, and some say this is for health reasons. Women who wish to enter the temple must engage in a 40 day very rigorous fast, and some believe this fast is unhealthy for fertile women.

Whatever the reason maybe, devoted and sincere menstruating women stay away from the temple because they want to please their god, this is a decision they have made because they want to uphold and respect this tradition.  It is women who have started the "Ready To Wait" movement, a large protest group of female devotees to the god Ayyappan who are willing to follow their god's directions because they love and revere him, not because they are downtrodden slaves. Most of the women who are now taking the initiative to enter the temple are non-devotees of Ayyappan, many of them are Atheist, Muslim and Christian feminists who are taking the journey to prove a point, that women can go anywhere.

But what these feminists are not seeing is that they are hurting the sentiments of other women, women who are true devotees of Ayyappan.  I have spoken to women who do adhere to this sect and they have told me that they would never go to the temple as long as they are menstruating because they do not wish to displease their god.  The women who are going to this temple now are showing their sisters they have no regard for their faith or traditions, the idea of non-Hindu and non-devotee women entering this temple is rather cynical and is disrespectful to those female devotees who are willing and have always been willing to wait.

Right now, in the streets near Sabarimala, women devotees are fighting with female journalists, feminists, Muslims, Christians and Leftist, trying to keep them out of a temple they themselves do not want to enter.  Now police need to protect women from other women, this was never a man vs women issue, this is a women vs women issue. True feminists should stand with their sisters who are devotees of Ayyappan and who have chosen to follow his laws, they should allow other women to practice their religion as they see fit.  They should also be concerned with the fact that the Supreme Court of India interferes in the rights of certain women more than others, it's just the right thing to do. 

Happy Dussehra 2018

The Hindu holiday of Dussehra will be celebrated on October 19th, 2017. Dussehra marks the end of Navaratri, the nine night festival which venerates the nine forms of the warrior goddess Durga. Like Navaratri, Dussehra celebrates the feminine divine in Hinduism known as Shaktism (female power). The Story of Dusshera comes from the Shiva Purana and describes how the goddess Durga destroys the powerful and chauvinistic demon Mahishasura.  According to lore, Mahishasura was an unusually strong and evil demon, his father being a demon himself and his mother being a water buffalo (Mahish = water buffalo, asura = demon).  Because of his mixed lineage, Mahishasura was able to transform between water buffalo and demon at will, he was also extremely dangerous and became leader of the demons.  Mahishasura became so powerful that none of the male gods were able to defeat him, and so all the gods combined their powers together to create the warrior goddess Durga to defeat Mahishasura. According to certain versions of the legend, Mahishasura had been given a boon by the creator god Brahama which made it so Mahishasura could only be killed by a woman.  Mahishasura was so arrogant that he believed this meant he was immortal, since according to him no woman could ever defeat him (see video below). Mahishasura is unpleasantly surprised when goddess Durga defeats him and his demon army and Mahishasura is killed at the end of the battle. Thus once again we see the power and strength of the feminine in Hinduism.  Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights which celebrates the defeat of the demon king Ravana by Lord Rama, is celebrated twenty days after Dusshera. 

SEE MOVIE 
Maa Durga Destroys Mahisasura

STORY OF DUSSEHRA

FROM THE SHIVA PURANA

MAHISHASURA

During ancient times, there lived two demons- Rambh and Karambh who would torment people. As both were sonless, they decided to do severe penance by keeping their bodies submerged in Panchmad River with a desire of having sons. Indra becoming fearful, took the guise of a crocodile and killed Karambh while he was doing penance in the river. Rambh became so dejected by his brother’s death that he decided to give up his life by severing his head and offering it in the sacrificial fire. As he was about to turn his thoughts into reality, Agni appeared before him and prevented him from doing so and said- “Killing oneself is a grave sin. Don’t give up your life. I am willing to fulfil any of your wish.” Rambh was pleased and requested Agni to bless him with a mighty and powerful son. Agni blessed him by saying- “You will beget a son from a woman of your own choice. But destiny had something else in store for him. Once, Rambh had gone to see Yaksha King Malvat. He was impressed by Malvat’s prosperity and unlimited wealth. King Malvat possessed lot of animal wealth like goats, lambs, oxen, elephant, horses, cows etc. Ramabh saw a beautiful buffalo in the cowshed. He started caressing her body just to appreciate her beauty. The buffalo got aroused and forced Rambh to copulate with her and this resulted in the buffalo’s pregnancy. Rambh returned to Patal loka accompanied by the buffalo. But the other demons came to know about this unusual incident and as a result, Rambh was excommunicated from the demons’ tribe. Both of them decided to return to Yaksha King Malvat’s palace. In due course of time, the buffalo gave birth to a beautiful calf, which could change its appearance according to its wishes. Once, seeing the buffalo alone, a bull tried to breach her modesty. The buffalo ran towards Rambh for her safety. Ramabh attacked the bull with a sword and injured it. In retaliation, the bull also dashed its horns against Rambh’s chest, which proved to be fatal. Seeing the dead Rambh, the buffalo became engulfed in sorrow. She had no other option but to take refuge of the Yakshas who protected her life. In the meantime, the seriously injured bull fell into a divine lake and died. Amazingly, its body transformed into a demon. The Yakshas decided to cremate Rambh’s body. The buffalo too decided to embrace death by jumping into the burning pyre. But as soon as the pyre was lit, a ferocious demon emerged from it with a sword. He drove away all the Yakshas and killed the buffalo but spared her calf. This ferocious demon later on became famous as Raktabeej. He had defeated all the deities including Indra, Rudra, Surya and Marut. But the calf, which became famous as Mahishasura was even mightier than Raktabeej. All the defeated demons had accepted him as their leader and he was crowned as their king. Mahishasura defeated all the deities and drove them out from heaven. The defeated deities accompanied by Brahma went to Lord Vishnu and narrated their woes to him. Lord Shiva too was present there. Both of them became furious after hearing the atrocities committed by Mahishasura. Divine effulgence appeared from the mouth of all the angry deities. These effulgence got collected at a place resulting in the manifestation of Goddess Katyayani. All the deities presented their weapons to her- Lord Shiva gave his trident, Lord Vishnu gave his chakra, Agni gave his Shakti etc. After acquiring all the weapons, Goddess Durga thundered loudly. The deities eulogised her after which she proceeded towards Vindhya Mountain mounted on her lion. Vindhya Mountain had been cursed by sage Agastya as a result of which, its enormous size turned into a hill. The tale behind this curse is as follows- In the ancient times, Vindhya Mountain was so high that it became very difficult for the Sun to make its movement. The Sun went to sage Agastya and requested him to minimise the size of Vindhya Mountain. Sage Agastya went near the Vindhya Mountain and said- “I am going on a pilgrimage but you are coming in my way. Since I am an old man, it is impossible for me to climb your steep slopes. I request you to reduce your size and remain in the same position till I return from my pilgrimage otherwise you will have to face my wrath.” Vindhya Mountain accepted his request and turned into a hill. Sage Agastya then proceeded on his pilgrimage towards south but did not return according to his promise. He constructed a magnificent hermitage and asked Lopamudra, the daughter of Vidarbha King to stay there and himself returned to his hermitage. Vindhya Mountain remained in that position waiting for sage Agastya’s arrival. This way, sage Agastya solved the problem of the Sun. Goddess Durga chose this very mountain to launch her assault. All the deities, Siddhas, Nagas, Apsaras etc. were present with her.

THE DEMONS- CHAND AND MUND

Once, the demon brothers, Chand and Mund were passing near the Vindhya Mountain when they saw Goddess Chandika there. Both these demons were stunned by her divine beauty. They had never seen such a beautiful woman in their life. They went to Mahishasura and told him about her beauty. Mahishasura proceeded with a huge army, which comprised of valiant commanders like Vidalnetra, Vishang, Vayakal, Agrayudh, Chikshur, Raktabeej etc. The army assembled at the foothills of Vindhya Mountain. There, Mahishasura instructed Dundubhi to go and bring Goddess Durga by any means. Dundubhi went to Goddess Durga and boasted about Mahishasura’s might and power by saying- “The mighty Mahishasura has defeated all the deities who ran out from heaven to save their lives. He is lord of all the three worlds and is invincible but this victorious and mighty king has been enslaved by your beauty. You must not miss this chance of marrying him.” Goddess Durga replied- “I am aware of Mahishasura’s feats. I am most willing to marry him. But there is one problem. There is a tradition in our clan according to which an aspiring husband is required to give a Shulk (tax) in lieu of getting married.” Dundubhi was happy thinking that it would not be difficult for Mahishasura to fulfil her demand. He said- “Mahishasura can even give up his life for your sake.” Hearing this, Goddess Durga laughed loudly and said- “O demon! According to the tradition of our clan, only such a person can marry a woman who defeats her in the battle.” Dundubhi went back to Mahishasura and narrated the whole story. Mahishasura instructed Chikshur to go and bring Goddess Durga after enslaving her. Chikshur proceeded with a huge army. Seeing him coming in the direction of Goddess Durga, Lord Brahma instructed her to use an armour to protect herself. The Goddess refused by saying- “No demon can stand before me in a battle.” All the deities then chanted Vishnupanjar Stotra for her safety. Protected by the Stotra, she was successful in killing many demons. Seeing his devastated army, Mahishasura himself came to fight her.

KILLING OF MAHISHASURA

Narada asked sage Pulastya as to how Goddess Durga kill Mahishasura. Sage Pulastya replied- “After the killing of Chikshur, Mahishasura sent Namar to fight Goddess Durga. Namar proceeded towards the Vindhya Mountain accompanied by a huge battalion. After reaching there, he shot a volley of arrows towards the Vindhya Mountain. As a result, the whole mountain was covered by innumerable arrows. This defiant act of Namar made Goddess Durga extremely furious. She attacked her enemies menacingly. She killed some of the demons by her sword, some with her mace and many more were killed by her arrows. Even her mount- Simha killed many demons. The demons were completely surprised by the ferociousness of the attack and fled from the battlefield. Seeing his whole army fleeing from the battlefield, Namar came forward, mounted on an elephant to fight Goddess Durga. He unleashed his devastating weapon- Shakti towards her. At the same time, he also attacked her mount Simha (lion) by releasing many arrows towards it. But Goddess Durga destroyed all the weapons. In the meantime, the elephant held the Simha with its trunk but the Goddess’s mount somehow released itself from the trap and attacked Namar. Namar fell from the elephant and died. After Namar’s death, Chikshur came to fight the Goddess but both his hands and legs were severed by her. Ultimately, Goddess Durga severed his head as a result of which, Chikshur died. The news of Chikshur’s death spread like a wildfire. Many more valiant commanders of Mahishasura’s army came forward to fight her but all of them were vanquished. At last, Mahishasura came forward to fight Goddess Durga in the guise of a buffalo. Goddess Durga started playing her damru (small drum) and Veena, which resulted into the emergence of numerous ghosts. He attacked the ghosts with his horns, four legs and by violently lashing his tail. He then attacked Durga’s mount Simha and his violent movements shook even the earth and the mountain. Goddess Durga grabbed his neck with the help of a noose. The next moment, Mahishasura transformed his appearance into an elephant. Goddess Durga then severed his trunk. Mahishasura again changed his guise into a buffalo. Goddess Durga attacked him by unleashing various weapons but the demon escaped unhurt. Goddess Durga suddenly jumped down from her mount Simha and climbed upon Mahishasura, who was in the guise of a buffalo. Mahishasura started jumping violently. Goddess Durga pressed Mahishasura’s back with such force that he suffocated. She then severed his head. Suddenly, Mahishasura appeared in human form with a sword. Goddess Durga kicked him on his chest and again severed his head. The news of his death created havoc in his army and the demons fled from the battlefield and hid themselves in Patal loka. The deities became pleased at Mahishasura’s death and eulogised Goddess Durga. She became pleased and after assuring the deities of taking re-incarnation for their welfare, disappeared from the scene.

About my shoes at Rama Sethu

I got into a bit of a skirmish on facebook yesterday when I posted a status about what people have been saying about the fact that I wore shoes while I stepped onto the sacred place at Rama Sethu.

Some people said I should apologize for being offensive and I told them I felt like telling to shut up.  I didn't really explain myself, and I know it was silly to say this but sometimes I'm rebellious.

So here is what I really meant to say.  When I went to Rama Setu I went with a large tour bus, and we all went out to pray near the sea. I don't know everything about Hindu cultures but I did not see other people taking off their shoes.

We were outside and it was wet, there were other westerners on the tour and I am sure we all forgot to take off our shoes.  I was respectful about this as I could be while in India.

I really didn't mean any offense and I am sorry, it was a cultural slip and I will try to be more conscientious about it, I really don't like hurting the sentiments of my brothers and sister.

Anyway this is a good introduction to talking about my trip to Rama Sethu and some other things about this great place. Rama Sethu is at the Southern tip of India right across from SriLanka.

According to the Hindu Epic the Ramayana the hero Rama built a bridge of stone from Rama Sethu to the Island of Lanka in order to defeat the king Ravana who had stolen his bride Sita.

It is Rama's return to his kingdom after defeating Ravana that we celebrate during the festival of Diwali.  We celebrate the trumph of good over evil, of Rama over Ravana, wealth and light over darkness and poverty.

What I remember first is that to get to Rama Sethu we needed to ger out of our car and into a large open air bus.  I could not believe it but we drove this bus through deep water to Rama Sethu, I was shocked how high the water was and how close it was to our feet.

Then we got to a dusty part of the Island that had nothing but a few traditional shops, a path led down a small stone platform with a trident and hooded serpent.

After going down and saying my prayers at the holi spot I came back up to the small temple structure where seated in a small septum of water was a floating stone which we told was part of the bridge that Rama built, there is still remnants of a bridge structure under the water at Rama Sethu.

The Island ended with the ruins of an old church in the sands. Many half domestic gods ran about and it almost felt like the end of the earth.

Again, I am sorry for wearing my shoes and Rama Sethu, it was an innocent mistake.  Thanks for understanding.

Email to all NYC Council Members on Diwali/Holi Holiday Campaign

The following was sent to all members of the elected NYC Council 

NYC HINDUS

.5 Millions Strong

Contact Vincent Bruno

vincent.bruno.1229@gmail.com

201-381-8727

NYC Hindu Holidays Campaign

Dear NYC elected officials,

NYC is home to nearly .5 million Hindus. According to Pew research Hindus are the most educated and wealthiest religious group in the United States, we are politically motivated voters and understand the importance of supporting our chosen candidates for elected office. 

The Hindus of NYC have been fighting for the inclusion of Hindu holidays in the public school calendar.  We have holidays for Jews, Christians, Muslims and the Chinese New Year, but nothing for Hindus. NYC Hindus are looking for the same inclusion and respect afforded to the world's monotheistic religions and other nationalities. 

We are looking for NYC elected officials who will plead our case in NYC and Albany.  We have made many strides with the NYC Mayor's office who has given us a 2.5 year plan which hopes to see either Mayor De Blasio enact the Hindu holidays of Diwali and Holi before he leaves office or to make Hindu holidays a campaign issue in the next mayoral election. Part of this plan includes extending the NYS school year by two days to include the two holidays of Diwali and Holi. 

Currently the following NYC Hindu organizations are supporting the campaign:

Federation of Hindu Mandirs, Hindu Learning Foundation, Indian American Intellectuals Forum, Hindu Students Association International, Justice For Hindus, Bangladeshi Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council; VidyaDham Panchatatva Gitapith; Vedic American Foundation Inc.; Jamaica Hindu Community, The American India Public Affairs Committee, American Hindu Coalition 

If you are willing to lend your voice to our cause then please contact us, we hope to hear from you soon.

NYC Hindu Holidays Campaign.
Vincent Bruno
vincent.bruno.1229@gmail.com

201-381-8727

WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR

NYC Hindus Get Quarterly Meeting With Mayor's Office

17 Aug 2017 &  25 Aug 2017- NYC Hindus had a second and 3rd meeting with the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit, assisted by Mr. Marco A. Carrion, Nick Gulotta and a city education official and were able to establish a quarterly meeting with the office to discuss Hindu affairs in NYC, especially those regarding the inclusion of the Hindu holidays of Diwali and Holi to the NYC public school calendar. 

NYC Hindus Outside White House

11 Dec 2016 - Close to 100 NYC Hindus gathered outside the White House to request that the federal administration take measures to further include the American Hindu presence in school and civic activities, such as consulting the community on Diwali and Holi education and including these holidays in public school calendars. 

NYC Hindus At Comptroller's Diwali Party

2 Nov 2016 - NYC Hindus bring the Hindu Holidays Campaign to Comptroller Scott Stringer’s Diwali party at City Hall. We spoke with both the Comptroller and Assembly woman Neeta Jain on further engaging the NYC Hindu community on such issues as facilitating awareness on Hindu holidays with city law makers. 

NYC Hindus At Mayor's Diwali Party

October 2016 - NYC Hindu Holidays Campaign members attended the Mayor's first annual Diwali party at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan.  We distributed information cards to the public and city administrators on the subject of adding Diwali and Holi to NYC public school calendars.

NYC Hindus At Hindu Unity Day

Sunday 08/30/15 (Queens, New York) Hindu Unity Day was put on by the Indian American Intellectuals Forum (IAIF). IAIF is one of the member groups supporting the NYC Hindu Holidays Campaign. At the event a table was set up and hundreds of signatures were collected to request more city recognition of Hindu holidays and better education for schools and administrators on the Hindu religion.

NYC Hindus 1st Meeting With Mayor's Office

Friday, 04/24/15 - A delegation of different Hindu organizations met with the NYC Mayor's Office Community Affairs Unit Mr. Marco A. Carrion. Mr. Carrion was assisted by Ms. Halen Ho, Director of the Queens Community Affairs Unit. The delegation handed over a few documents supporting more acknowledgement of Hindu holidays in NYC schools.

NYC Hindus Demonstrate Outside City Hall

Friday, 04/10/15 - More than two dozen Hindu organizations and nearly 200 Hindus demonstrated outside City Hall for better inclusion of Hindu holiday education in NYC public schools. The event made it to NY1 News and was covered by the Times of Guyana. 

Happy Mahalaya

Mahalaya Amavasya (amavasya, अमावस्या, meaning “new moon night” in sanskrit) is the new moon which signals the end of the Pitru Paksha festival and the beginning of Navaratri (Durga Pujas). This year the new moon falls on the night of Oct 8th. Being the last day of Pitru Paksha (fortnight of the ancestors), many Hindus perform their most intense rituals to their deceased relatives on this day, from dawn till dusk. This usually includes creating elaborate feasts accompanied by Vedic rights.

The light of the new moon also signals the beginnings of Navaratri, the nine night festival dedicated to the nine forms of the goddess Durga. On Mahalaya, many Hindus begin to prepare for the Navaratri festival. Preparing for Navaratri includes getting one’s home in order for the endless family and social events that will take place in the coming days, but also beginning one’s “fast”, which usually includes giving up meat, alcohol, smoking or some other vice.

Besides preparing for the intense and joyous festivities that will accompany the next nine nights, devotees may also want to make sure they have a copy of the Devi Purana, the extensive scripture of Durga which contains the story behind her festival. The story of Navaratri appears in Book 3, Chapters 14-30 in the Devi Purana. I will be studying these chapters over the next nine nights of Navaratri.

In the meanwhile, take this time to pay your last respects to your ancestors and get ready for all the fun and worship that is coming up, and don’t forget to start your fast! Happy Mahalaya

USA Hindus must prepare for the 2020 elections

We are just two yeas away from a major election year in 2020. The 2020 United States elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, with primary elections beginning March 3, 2020. Not only will the USA be voting for the next president of the United States but all 435 seats of the House of representatives will be contested along with 33 seats in the Senate. The 2016 elections saw one of the fist ever movements of Hindu significance in American politics. 

The 2016 elections saw the launch of the Republican Hindu Coalition as well as the American Hindu Coalition, two groups which lobbied the Hindu vote to the White House.  We saw "Hindus For Trump" and "Hindus For Hillary", two grassroots movements which for the first time gave Hindus significant media coverage as a voting block.  The Hindu vote became extremely significant in battle ground states such as Florida and Virginia where Hindu temples were visited by members of the Trump family in order to garner Hindu votes there. And of course there were the fire rituals and demonstrations for both Hillary and Trump in India which made world news. 

In 2016, Donald Trump became the first president ever to address an exclusively Hindu electorate in New Jersey when he personally attended the Republican Hindu Coalition's evening event in New Jersey, he did this in a state where he had little change of winning, he did this only to impress the national Hindu vote and two solidify his position as being a pro-Modi president.  These were not insignificant events in American Hindu politics and they have set the momentum for the coming 2020 elections. 

But what are USA Hindus doing to expand on this political capital. Some of our work has already shown fruit.  Recently there was controversy over an ad with was placed by a Republican advocacy group in Texas seeking to propitiate Hindu voters, the ad features an image of Ganesh. But this is only a small flower on what should be a thickening vine of political significance for Hindus.  While we have perked some ears, we have not gone far enough, we need make sure the Hindu vote is courted in all states with major Hindu populations, such as New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Virginia and Texas. We need to start showing our presence now if we want to be chased in 2020. 

So what can we do to raise our profile?  It is simple as advertising our relative numbers in each voting district and state, we need to show politicians just how many votes they can get from us and from where.  The 2016 elections showed that Hindus are swing voters, while Hindus traditionally voted democrat before, in this election we saw the growth of a robust Hindu republican movement. Now politicians see they cannot take Hindus for granted, they need to work for our vote, support and campaign dollars. 

We need to start advertisement campaigns, we need to email elected officials and make them aware of the potential for a Hindu block vote and campaign contributions in their local areas. Hindus should start taking out ads in news papers and even billboards with advertisement such as "NYC Hind Voters, .5 Million Strong". We also need to raise the profile of Hindu party voters, such as Hindu Republics, Hindu Democrats and Hindu independents. 

Let's not wait for a mad dash in 2020, we need to go into this prepared.  We need politicians coming to us, not the other way around.  It is simple as making ourselves more visible. The Hindu vote is new, exciting, and adds to the diversity of any politicians portfolio.  It also opens up strategic alliances with the growing economic powerhouse of India. These politicians need us more than we need them and it is time we start proving it to ourselves. We should all support each other regardless of our political persuasion since any Hindu political presence is better than none. Who is ready to take up the charge. who is ready to get in the boat early and prepare the ground for a 2020 election which is more momentous for Hindus than 2016.  Let us not wait, let us not delay, it is time for us to realize our true potential and power, that time is today.