Ohhhhh! Pause for a minute ,don’t allow that child or any child to enter the premises of your holy places,because if menstruating women are unholy ,the child is a reservoir of unholy and unclean stuff.In that way nobody should be allowed in ,because we all are unholy, and how can you build such places?I mean unholy hands can’t build holy places……
Why women menstruate ,yes religion has bizarre logic because women have to bear the brunt of Indra’s curse( rajaswala dosha)
In Hindu mythology it’s believed women got ‘Rajaswala Dosha’ (menstruation) when Lord Indra (the king of gods) severed the head of Vishwaroopacharya (the second teacher of the gods). Since Lord Indra killed a Brahmin he got ‘Brahmahatya dosha’. 3He got rid of it by distributing it amongst the prithvy (land), samudra(water),vriksha( tree )and stree (women folk) [10]. The women from that day on started menstruating every 28-30 days and got the ability to give ……..
Yes, as always we have to resort to self-mortification for the wrongdoings of men (whether from the mortal world or from surreal ones).The next debate stems from yogic philosophy….
In Indian yogic philosophy there are three gunas (or
qualities). These are tamas (black), rajas(red) and sattva
(white). Anything that is an excretion from the body i.e.
sweat, blood, tears etc. are toxic and are hence classified
under tamas. Tamas is darkness or obscurity. Hence for
traditional Hindus touching a menstruating woman is
considered a ‘Tamasic’ (inappropriate) act.Reference:Mestruation, Religion and Society by Aru Bhartiya
Menstruation is stigmatized in our society.I am not going to discuss about the sexist rituals that are to be followed when a girls menstruates, because most of us are pretty aware of that. Since, our first period we are given this indirect message that its a shame to menstruate.Take a look at the way the advertisements are pictured.Still they would use a blue color liquid to show absorptive capacity of the sanitary pads.Recently,Whisper came up with the slogan in their advertisement “She touched the pickle”,in order to do away with the belief that if a menstruating girl touches pickle it rots .There are many stigmas related to menstruation in our country, and I don’t know whether it’s the fear of ostracism or ill conceived god or religion that women in our country are helplessly following them.
We all have to understand this plain and simple fact that “a menstruating women is a healthy women” , and all stigma and taboo encircling menstruation are a result of patriarchy and misogyny.Think about it can any biological process be unclean ,and here we are talking about a process which is the reason for human evolution ? Could any god create something for his own child which would render her impure even for a minute?
The menstrual cycle is the cycle of natural changes that occurs in the uterus and ovary as an essential part of making sexual reproduction possible.Its timing is governed by endogenous (internal) biological cycles. The menstrual cycle is essential for the production of eggs, and for the preparation of the uterus for pregnancy.
(Wikipedia:Menstrual cycle)
At the onset of puberty both boys and girls experience physical and biological changes ,then how this change can make somebody unclean and the other more powerful?It presents a clear image of male glorification and female subjugation.If birth is necessary for evolution then how can menses be impure?Can a woman beget children without menstruating?
I am not going to state any religious verses,which try hard to justify this unholy practice of discrimination.We all have read plethora of articles about that and any addition will just be repetition.As a theist i believed in god and divinity ,as an atheist i believe in myself and humanity.A discriminating god and religion cannot build a sound community.We as women need to introspect our attitudes towards our bodies and ourselves. The extent of ignorance regarding menstruation has been documented in a recent study by sanitary napkin maker Whisper and market researcher IPSOS. The survey was conducted among more than 1,100 respondents from across India.And the result shows that the stranglehold of custom and superstition is not easing even in urban areas….
Reference:Quartz India
Still menstruation is a taboo in our society and the sad part it ,women rather than doing away with such notions are the carriers of it from generation to generation.The research by IPSOS also covered 200 men and almost all of them wanted the embarrassment and secrecy to end.The rule is simple if we want to stop others from practicing discrimination we have to stop discriminating against ourselves. Women need to respect and love their body, we have to break free from such notions.We need to embrace ourselves, to nurture our soul and body, their is nothing impure or unholy about periods,because we don’t have what we call Impure or Unholy bodies ,but just unholy minds…..
Neha Raghuvanshi 