By Madhu Varshney
President, Arya Samaj Educational & Cultural Society.
SYDNEY – This year the Conference was in Sydney, Australia on November 27th, 28th & 29th 2015. In prior years, it has been in India, Chicago, Suriname, Mauritius, Holland, South Africa, Singapore & Thailand.
This year’s theme was “Significance of Vedas in the Contemporary World”. This is in line with broader Aarya Samaaj Mission – “Krinvanto Vishwam Aaryam” which means, making the world noble.
1. Helping people develop various skills in order to live a meaningful life in contemporary world.
2. Enlightening all with the teaching of holy Vedas and dispel any misconceptions.
3. Promoting and supporting common principles and values, which unite various cultures.
The three day MahaaSammelan program agenda had been designed with a variety of interesting contents. Highlights included – adult and Youth Vaidik orientation sessions, yoga sessions, Havan (Vaidik way of daily worship and meditation). Panel discussions, Questions & Answer sessions. Paper presentations on vaidik studies and social & cultural sessions. Presentation topics were:
Vedas in daily life, Women status in Vedas, Health systems in the Vedas, Vaidik way of meditation and Yoga, Vaidik values to create noble family, Vedas – distinctive Reasons of being divine.
Vaidik Dharma – Universal approach for humanity , Scientific Aspects of Agnihotra and Mantras chanting , Science in the vedas- stimulative Nature of Vaidik scriptures, Rebirth & Karmic cycle – Vaidik solutions to reduce crime and peace in Society. Vaidik Concept of God –consistent, real world. Universal and rational approach.
Visiting Vaidik Scholars were Aachaarya Ashish ji, Darshanaachaarya Aachaarya Sanat Kumarji Vedaachaarya, (India) Aachaarya Dr. Satish Prakash ji, (New York, USA) Pandit GuruDattji Aarya ratna (Fiji)
There was too much knowledge to get enlightened with the teachings of Vedas and dispel any misconceptions. Develop various skills in order to live a meaningful life in contemporary world. Promote and support common principles and values, which unite various cultures and give direction towards World peace.
Yogesh Aarya was the coordinator. Jagdish Chand (President) Chandrika Singh (Vice President) Pramodh Rai (Vice – President).
Organizing team was very hard working. Great job done by the volunteers in a very cooperative manner.
I and my husband Hari Varshney went to Australia to attend the conference. Before conference we went to visit Melbourne and Ayers Rock. Melbourne is very neat and clean with wide roads and is a beautiful city. Lots of greenery and parks in the city. We enjoyed National Park of Uluru Mountain & Kata Tjuta Rocks in Ayers Rock.
Indian Women in Vedic Age.
(I would like to share with all the readers the paper which I presented in Sydney)
From the very beginning, Indian civilization has given much more importance to women. Women occupied a very important place in society during the Vedic Period. A woman was the master of the house, eternal companion to her husband, respected as daughter, wife and mother. The glory of the Vedic era is evidenced by when women like Gargi Maitreyi, and others flourished to prove that the Aryan women enjoyed equal rights with men to education, wealth and even to public debates and discussions. Women had an equal share in performing religious rites and sacrifices. According to the Aryan, a man cannot perform a religious action without a wife. No auspicious act was complete without her participation. Her advice was a must in each and every walk of life.
After going through the Vedas thoroughly we can find there were a considerable number of female Rishis. The Rishis, including certain women Rishis, are remembered for their scholastic contribution and talent in the field of composition of Vedic Hymns. Their contribution towards the Vedic literature is wonderful, precious and unforgettable.
The divine seers and sages sang praises of women’s virtue and upright conduct. Manu, the great sage, and law-giver writes:
“yatra naaryastu poojyante ramante tatra devataah” “God bestow their grace on those who hold women in high esteem and those who treat them otherwise , fall from their grace and all their religious endeavours become fruitless”
In India, a woman is an object to be worshipped, honored and respected. She has already been accepted as the better half of her husband.
A woman is not an instrument of sensual pleasure. She is the object of love and respect. Among Hindus, women are representative of “Shakti”. We are unable to do any work in the absence of “Shakti” we can perform them. She cooperates in Dharma and Karma, so another name of hers is “Sahadharmini” She takes our Sattva in her womb, so her name is also “Jaya”. Therefore, it is said that in Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksa – all the stages – the woman is the chief partner. She and only she is responsible for showing the path of heaven and hell.
Hindus see God as female. We call our land “Bharat Mata”. We quite justifiably proclaim:
“Jananee janmphoomishcha swargaadapi gareeyasee”. “Mother and motherland are even greater then heaven. Only on account of such chaste women, Dharma flourishes and the country prospers.”
The great Shankaracharya has remembered even Lord Krishna in the form of mother. Why? Because mother is the greatest lover and protector of children in the world.
Vivekananda believed that not only domestic welfare but also national development depended largely on the condition of a nation’s women. In his own words, “The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of women.”
The position of women in a society can be judged by the way in which the birth of a girl is received. Unlike today, in the Vedic period the birth of a girl was not considered or regarded negatively. It was a matter of pleasure and delight if a girl took birth in a family. Like the sons, the girls received education in Gurukala Ashramas. They were taught lalit kala, music, dance, poetics, etc. They were brought up and educated like the male issues. Women did not lack in courage and valour. They proved no less warriors than their male counterparts.
The Indian Marriage is not a contractual agreement. It is a sacrament, a spiritual bondage of eternal nature. Indian couples , as a matter of principle, lose their separate individuality and become one , of which the Ardhanarishvara form of Uma Maheswara is the prime example. They become one not only for one life but lives after lives. Due to the nondualistic thinking, Indian marriage cannot be imagined to be broken or divorced. There the credit goes mainly to the womenfolk. They are the embodiment of self – surrender, sacrifice, dedication, devotion, generosity, patience, compassion, forgiveness, tender feelings, sweet nature, tolerance, loving attitude and everything that can be claimed to be pious and good.
Can we imagine any creation without a mother? The entire universe can be seen as a combination of Purusha and Prakriti. Such is the importance of the female that even God is unthinkable without her. All Gods have placed their wives name or female names first before their names, to give importance to the female Shakti. For example, Gouri – Shankar, Sita Ram, Radha –Krishna, Lakshmi – Narayana.
In our scriptures, women have been honored and respected as mothers. A girl gets married in order to become a mother rather than become an instrument for pleasure.
It was female sage who first found the unity of God and laid down this doctrine in one of the first hymns of the Vedas. Our God is both personal and absolute, the absolute is male, the personal female. And thus, it comes that we now say “the first manifestation of God is the hand that rocks the cradle”.
That Indian Culture is very rich socially, morally, spiritually and historically, is an admitted fact. This is one of the factors which compelled Crozer to write – India was a cradle of culture and civilization since the very dawn of history. To cultivate such a glorious history, Indian women played a very important prominent role.
No other country in the world can boast the distinction of making a woman greater than man. Whoever disgraces a woman falls irretrievably from the grace of the Lord and loses all prosperity in this world and in the other.
Women must keep this truth in their minds and make their lives worthy of this great honor and be blessed of divine grace. A very famous poet has written in his poetry: ‘Jayashankar Prasad’
“Naaree tum Keval Shriddhaa ho, vishvaas – rajat –nag – pag – tal men, Peeyush – srot see bahaa Karo, Jeevan ke sundar samatal men:
A woman is an embodiment of love, devotion and sacrifice. May God bless mankind with a clean heart and a liberal mind towards womenfolk.
Dedicate to all Women: To reach near God all sources are female in Hindi & Sanskrit like’
Pooja, Prarthana, Archana, Vandana, Bhakti, Aarti , Saadhna, Tapasya, Bhaavana, Sandhya Upaasna, Mamta, Richa, Daya, Kshamaan, kripa, vaani, vedi, ismriti, Buddhee, Shruti, Savita, Tejasvita, Ved-maata, Dharti – maata, Agni, goumaata, Soorya,Kiran
Then you get : Shree, Sampati , samridhi, Shakti, Keerti , Prasidhi, Shaanti. At the end you get Mukti.
