Don’t touch religious images and accessories! Don’t turn towards the rituals and don’t enter the temple today! Hello! It’s hard to believe, but more than 80% of the population in India thinks that the menstrual cycle is a curse. Despite the fact that most women have regular cycles and this in itself is an indication of healthy fertility. It’s perfectly natural!
And when the parrying away act from spiritual activities and religious goods isn’t good enough, a few amongst them get the “victim” settled in a corner with separate bedding and utensils; and we thought leprosy was the only thing that separated people from society! Is the transformation of a girl into a woman that big an expletive that it leads to you being separated from your gamely and removed from the touch of God?
The saddest part to the whole circumlocution is that education makes it look no better. Not just the most educated, but even some doctors who we consider to be the closest reader of the human body have their feet set deep down in the taboo.
It isn’t scripted in any book – Shreemat Bhagvat Geeta, Holy Bible, Gurumukhi – that the menstrual cycle in any way wards you off from God or any activity or entity in relation to it. In the Mahabharata, when Droupadi was being undraped of her sari by her brother in laws, she was in the similar state. When she remembered Lord Krishna, the Lord did respond to her. At some places his form was named as the “Chela avtar”, where Lord came in form of a sari and saved her devotee. Also as per the Gita chapter 9: 22 says, “Ananya-s – chitayanto Maam yae janaaha pary- Upaasatae TaeshamNithya- abhi- yuktaanam yoga- Keshemem vahami”, i.e., “those who take refuge in me, think of none but me always united into them. I take the responsibility of granting everything needed and preserving everything granted.”
Many scholars even support the reading of Quar’aan while being in the putative state, bolstering their point on the opinion: the principle is that things are allowed and permitted unless there is evidence to the contrary. Shayakh al-Islam IbnTamiyah said: “There is no clear text to indicate that a woman is forbidden to recite Quaraan during menstruation”. Gurugranth Sahib never said anything about praising God when down, neither did the Bible. Both of them are extremely followed, read and respected holy scripts.
In ancient times the practice of casting out must have evolved due to the insufficiency of proper sanitary and hygiene. That is perhaps one reason why cooking areas were among a few places that banished entry for girls in the very state. But over time we have a come a long way but some concepts haven’t caught up yet.
Mrs Manisha Lalwani, lawyer and housewife, shares her experience about Lord Shivas statue having milk by her while she was having her period on the day of Mahashivratri. She had all the women from the colony offer milk that the Lord was accepting through his miniature. She says, “I was down, and just gave it a shot after hearing the news of Lord accepting milk across the country. I was fortunate enough to have him drink milk at my place above all the other apartments in the colony. God didn’t analyse my status to accept my offering. For him I was an innocent like any other and all he would judge me on would be my character.”
Having our menstrual cycle we do not leave to nurture our kids then why do we need to stop nurturing God? The temple is too holy to be driven unholy by the stepping in of a lady with her period. While in periods, there is a negative aura that develops around us, due to the immense heat and impurities we shed at that moment, which justifies the colour change in the chips or gooseberries, you must have observed while being kept to dry away. Other taboos associated with the five days state would be the coming in contact with the new born child, going near plants, fasting etc. The list extends till our believes do. The most enriching fact for me still is that the shed organ is the content of stem cells and has cured cancer patients worldwide.
Check out Nikitas other article here
