Baba
Bewildered Avadhuta
Namaskar,
Nityasundaránanda has posted on his facebook handle the Hindu dogma of vermillion (sindoor) used by some Hindu married women. In his post, Nityasundaránanda ji supports the dogmatic application of a line of vermillion on a married woman’s head in the partition of her hair (see the screen print Nityasundaránanda ji’s fb post below). He has also written supporting the dogmatic meaning behind its use.
Shameful Chapter of Human Society
Some persons who do not know Ananda Marga philosophy may think that the practice of using vermillion on a woman’s head is an innocent tradition and there is not a big deal in following that. However, according to Ananda Marga, it is reminiscent of rudimentary and uncivilized customs of the past.
Bábá says - “Sometimes, during the battle, the men would strike the heads of the women with an axe, causing blood to flow. Up until the present, at the time of marriage, women use a vermilion cosmetic mark on their foreheads – a symbol of blood. However, Shiva, by introducing the Shaeva system of marriage, brought an end to this shameful chapter of human history.” (1)
Dogma to Humiliate Women
Please see the below image of one woman. In the center of her head at the part of her hair there is a vermillion line. In Northern India, there is a dogma that females use this mark on their forehead as a sign to others that they are already married. This is a sign of exploitation. Married mails do not wear any flag to show others they are married. This is a notorious Hindu dogma, which is created in order to humiliate women. Ananda Marga condemns this dogma. But one confused avadhuta is praising this nasty thing on his facebook page. This whole thing is preposterous. According to Ananda Marga, it is pure dogma--please see the colored line on the head.
Please see the above image of one woman. In the center of her head at the part of her hair there is a vermillion line. This is a notorious Hindu dogma, which is created in order to humiliate women. Ananda Marga condemns this dogma. But one confused avadhuta is praising this nasty thing on his facebook page. This whole thing is preposterous. It is pure dogma--please see the colored line on the head.
Ananda Marga Philosophy says--
“In those days women also fought in battle, and were often hit on the head and severely injured. A small vermilion mark then came to represent the blood streaming from their cracked heads. But today a woman must wear that vermilion mark if she is to be recognized as married. This is quite different from the original idea. Actually these are all just different dogmas.” (2)
How This Loathsome Vermilion Dogma Started
Further, Bábá demystifies the age-old subjugating tradition of application of vermillion by women. Bábá says –
“In those days women also fought in battle, and were often hit on the head and severely injured. A small vermilion mark then came to represent the blood streaming from their cracked heads. But today a woman must wear that vermilion mark if she is to be recognized as married. This is quite different from the original idea. Actually these are all just different dogmas." (3)
It is thus very clear that the custom of applying vermillion is by no means something graceful, or something to be proud of. More than that, this custom is certainly not a part of Ánanda Márga ideology. Yet, being an Ánanda Márga monk, Nityasundaránanda ji is propagating this shameful dogma. There is no “scientific reason” that can justify the application of vermillion by women as propagated by Nityasundaránanda ji.
According to Nityasundaránanda ji, the tradition of vermillion being used on a woman’s head denotes fulfillment of all her requirements by her husband. This is nothing but the highly crude meaning of marriage which developed in Hinduism.
According to Ánanda Márga ideology -
“The Sanskrit word for marriage, viváha (derived vi – vah + ghaiṋ), literally means ‘to follow a particular system’. This system of marriage is known as Shaeva viváha. According to this system, the bride and the bridegroom will equally share full responsibility for their marriage, without any consideration of caste or community." (4)
The meaning and objective of marriage according to Ánanda Márga ideology is sublime and deep, and contrasts sharply with the dogmatic idea in Nityasundaránanda ji’s posting.
In Northern India, there is a dogma that females use this mark on their forehead as a sign to others that they are already married. This is a sign of exploitation. Married mails do not wear any flag to show others they are married. This is a notorious Hindu dogma, which is created in order to humiliate women. Ananda Marga condemns this dogma.
Namaskar,
Bhakti
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga Opposes this Humiliating Hindu Vermilion Dogma
Bábá has pointed the ills of human society that leads to exploitation of women and has taught us to first develop a clear understanding and then taking firm steps against all such dogmatic beliefs that lead to subjugation of women.
Bábá says - "So even today women bear the mark of servitude by wearing iron bangles on their wrists, thus giving the impression that they have been vanquished; they still use the vermilion which originally symbolized bloodshed; they still tie the gántchaŕá after marriage, which symbolizes their being forcibly carried away; and the bridegroom still often says to his mother on the eve of his departure for the marriage, “I’m going to bring you a slave.” How absurd! No one is anyone’s slave. The system of slavery was abolished long ago. You should oppose these dogmatic beliefs. They are very objectionable. You should understand the history behind them, and then do the right thing." (5)
Such shameful relics of the past still lurk around and are rebranded with new dogmas.
Bábá says - "Those people who lived on the same hill under a common patriarch lived just like brothers and sisters. However, they considered the members of other hill communities to be their deadly enemies. And since all on one hill were brothers and sisters, they could not marry among themselves. So what would they do in order to marry? One clan would defeat a neighbouring clan in battle, and they would forcibly drag the vanquished women, with hands bound, back to their own hill for a life of domestic servitude. The males of the defeated clan were utilized as slaves." (6)
Nityasundarananda is Bewildered
Nityasandarananda ji writes in his above comment (see screen print) supporting the current Hindu tradition of placing a vermillion line on the married woman’s forehead. But his writing thus, indicates he has no idea Bábá has clearly explained the history of this use of vermillion and how that history has resulted in the current dogmatic Hindu tradition.
Bábá says - "Even to this day, there is a custom whereby the mother asks her son on the eve of his marriage, “Where are you going?” He replies, “I’m going to bring you a slave.” It comes from those days when the victorious clan would drag the defeated women back to its own hill. Not only that – to bind someone you need a rope or a chain ([now] called a gántchaŕá). The women would be brought back in those days with chains on their wrists, otherwise they might run away. The iron bangle that a married woman wears today is a symbol of that early servitude. In those days women also fought in battle, and were often hit on the head and severely injured. A small vermilion mark then came to represent the blood streaming from their cracked heads. But today a woman must wear that vermilion mark if she is to be recognized as married. This is quite different from the original idea. Actually these are all just different dogmas." (7)
Bábá wants Ananda Margiis to put a stop to all such oppressive traditions.
He says - “Renaissance people will have to start a movement immediately to fight against all these disparities; otherwise if fifty percent of the population, that is the ladies, remain downtrodden, how can there be all-round progress of human society? So these are all the social duties, the social responsibilities of the Renaissance movement. Renaissance people will have to wage war on these disparities, these inequalities – they will have to be rooted out of the society.” (8)
Unfortunately, Nityasandarananda ji is doing just the opposite of Bábá’s mandate.
Dirty History: Men Brutally Strike the Heads of Women
This use of vermillion in the part of a married woman’s hair is indeed part of a larger and violent history in which humans were subdivided into groups which attacked each other, with the victors often seriously wounding women on the head with axes in order to capture them.
Bábá says-- "As I told you a little earlier, each clan used to live on a separate hill, and the leader of that clan was respected as rśi of the clan. The affiliations of the gotra people were indicated by the name of that particular rśi. After the patriarchal system was established, the members of one gotra would forcibly kidnap women from other gotras to their own gotra, their own hill. Thus immediately after the marriage, the woman’s gotra would change, because she was then a member of a different gotra, a separate hill."
"All this invariably led the different clans into bloody conflicts. Those who were defeated in battle were captured as slaves and the women were taken to the harems of the victors. The victorious clan would then occupy the hill, the gotra of the vanquished clan. Thus within one gotra, there were many sub-gotras, called pravaras."
"The women were forcibly carried away, their hands bound in iron chains. Even to this day, women in Bengal and some other areas wear iron bangles on their wrists after marriage – the symbols of their ancient servitude. One should clearly understand this. The males who would attack the neighbouring hills would tie up the women and carry them to their own hill. Even today, during the marriage ceremony in certain parts of India, the bride’s clothes are tied to the clothes of the bridegroom. This enslavement of the defeated gotra was a great humiliation, especially for the women. Sometimes, during the battle, the men would strike the heads of the women with an axe, causing blood to flow. Up until the present, at the time of marriage, women use a vermilion cosmetic mark on their foreheads – a symbol of blood. However, Shiva, by introducing the Shaeva system of marriage, brought an end to this shameful chapter of human history." (9)
Readers are encouraged to help educate Nityasundaránanda ji as to the serious error he has made.
References
(1) Namah Shiváya Shántáya
(2) Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Bhaerava and Bhaeravii
(3) Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Bhaerava and Bhaeravii
(4) Namah Shiváya Shántáya
(5) Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Bhaerava and Bhaeravii
(6) Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Bhaerava and Bhaeravii
(7) Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Bhaerava and Bhaeravii
(8) AFPS-7, Renaissance in All the Strata of Life
(9) Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Discourse 2
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