Page 46 - M&M - Eng
P. 46

264                           Comments on Previous Editions

          Modern people may say such a definition of a woman’s role
          in society is patriarchal or mysogynist, but what social system
          have they invented that can surpass Kṛṣṇa’s own varṇāśrama-
          dharma? Actually such people are simply barbarians who can
          understand only one social principle: sense gratification, the
          principle of animal society.

          Both women and men are equally bound by scriptural
          injunctions. A man who accepts a wife must return her service
          in so many ways, by protecting and caring for her. He must,
          also, respect all other women, besides his wife, just as he
          respects his own mother. “Be one for whom the mother is a
          god.” (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11.2)

          A vital role of women is to not simply bear children, but
          to themselves be religious and of pure consciousness. As
          stated in Bg 1.40, unprotected women become victims of
          unscrupulous men and thus varṇa-saṅkara are born, and the
          whole civilization is spoiled.
          Therefore one of the purposes of this book is to counteract
          propaganda that Śrīla Prabhupāda treated men and women
          equally in all respects. Men and women are spiritually equal,
          but they are materially and socially different.
          In today’s oversexed society, women are the main sufferers,
          because  they are more often and more seriously  exploited.
          Men should protect women from exploitation by lusty men.
          According  to Śrīla  Prabhupāda,  so-called equal  rights  for
          women means that the men cheat the women.
            Another kind of protection that women require is emotional
            support of a man, without which they tend to feel insecure and
            dissatisfied or dysfunctional — even to the point of becoming
            a feminist. Often it is seen that women who are superficially
            renunciants try to cozy up to a man (usually a renunciant)
   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51