I was taking in the garden with my friend, Utkarsh. My five-year-old daughter was busy playing on her own. We were talking about women values in our country. Looking at the GenNext, it was hard for any of us to even understand what is meant by women values. Soon, an old man from my neighborhood happened to pass by.
He saw my daughter and said, Maa. My daughter responded normally with Namaste Kaka. Suddenly, we recalled the great words of Swami Vivekananda, “In the West, every woman other than mother is a wife. In India, every woman other than wife is a mother”. And I was bound to say, ”Look my dear friend, what appears to be so great a statement from Swamiji, was so easily and practically realized in our original Bhartiya culture. Even an 85-year-old so proudly calls a five-year-old a mother.” It was difficult to find this today.
On the ninth day of Navratri before breaking fast, we feed little girls and touch their feet. With these little examples, we started interpreting the meaning of women values. Is there anything in this world which is valuable, yet is devoid of respect? If no, then the very goal of values is to imbibe respect in the nature of people. And women values do the same for women. When the world struggled to differentiate between potential energy and kinetic energy of an object, our society lived upon this principle. Potential energy, whether in objects or in living beings have nearly same meaning. Look at the shloka: Ya devi sarva bhuteshu shakti rupen sansthita, Namahtasyaih, Namahtasyaih, Namahtashyaih, Namo Namah. (O Devi, the potential energy in all objects and beings is you.
And hence, we bow to you, we bow to you, we bow to you, again and again. Different forms of potentials are described through a series of shlokas in the prayer which we skip here. What obviously comes out of it is that all forms of potentials (devi) are within us and are feminine in nature. And all that we display through work is kinetic and masculine in nature. Thus, it has to be first the power within us which need to be raised and it is shraddha or respect which is instrumental in achieving it. Without respect we cannot gain an edge over anything, including our potentialities.
Brahmacharya is all about respecting women, where an individual should respect all forms of potential (devi) within him and raise them to divinity. Swami Vivekananda said the same thing, ”Every man is potentially divine”. If we are sons of God, we are ought to hold divine qualities. Now as it appears to be a philosophy to be practiced by spiritual leaders, its use in people’s life is equally important. How would a common man attain that divinity? This is where Brahmacharya emerges as a formula to achieve it, which is not found in western idea and culture. Now, if we map the potential within us as women power, the very old saying of the West also finds a depth in its meaning. ”Behind every successful man, there is a woman.” If this saying is not understood, young boys as they appear would run after women for success. There are two radical difference between western and Bhartiya culture. First, we have nothing in our life that is devoid of divinity or spirituality or God. Second, we have nothing that exists just as ‘what’, there is always ‘why’ part to it. Let’s consider the difference in the nomenclature culture of the West and ours. The pre-fix of our name starts with ‘Shri’ which simply means Divine. For married women, it is ‘Shrimati or Smt’ which means the ‘Mati’ of or power of ‘Shri’. It means that the man achieves divinity based on the ‘Mati’ or direction his potentials are driven.
Apart from great bonding between married partners, the naming culture itself takes care of togetherness of the two. Thus, divinity is in realization by the pre-fix before our names. Following the pre-fixes are our names which are again never meaningless, unlike the western ways. They always carry some meaning, possibly as best and as original as they can be. Our name itself explains ‘why’ part of our life. In fact, we have a powerful tradition to make this happen for all – ‘Namankran Sanskar’. The sole purpose of this Sanskar is to set the meaning of our life right and in a direction that is healthy and leads to higher goals. This is not so richly found in any other culture. I am not sure if Mr. and Mrs reflect such binding and divinity in any capacity. Again I say, that is not wrong as far as Western social order is concerned. Its fitment there is great as it is their social findings. But its fitment in our society weakens our cultural and divine potentialities. Realization of divinity is supported by so many other cultural practices in the Bhartiya tradition.
For example, Namaste or Namah Astu Te which means I worship your divinity is a general gesticulation. Similarly, the popular phrase Aham Brahma Asmi which means I am the divine is quite commonly understood by all. There are numerous examples. The goal of all is one: how to purify human thoughts and action, how to imbibe divine qualities in human beings, how to bring peace and harmony in society, how to realize a life-style that is more natural and healthy.
