Margao/Panaji: Females are set to hurricane but some other male bastion in Goa. On Wednesday, as Goa hosted the standard wedding of the Tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu, over 100 ladies monks—each married and single—carried out the "vivah". From housewives to teachers to students, those ladies were skilled to supply their services and products in undertaking pujas and rituals for various spiritual ceremonies.
"This was a calling I instantly recognised and heeded my heart," says Ankita Padelkar, a post-graduate in marine science. "Firstly, the novel trend of women purohits has its own appeal. Secondly, people appreciate us for the accurate pronunciation and elaborate recital of Sanskrit mantras and verses," she says.
Several ladies purohits conducted 'Tulsi vivah' within the houses of various dignitaries, together with the Raj Bhavan where Goa governor Mridula Sinha was the 'yajman' (host), who carried out kanyadan of Tulsi.
"This was one of a kind experience. The audience for Tulsi vivah is largely male, yet everyone was smiling with approval. This is Indian sanskruti. Some people want to promote the thinking that women have been left behind in India. But events like these prove those people wrong," Sinha told TOI after Tulsi vivah was carried out.
"Though women becoming priests may be seen as a new trend, history is replete with examples of erudite women rishis such as Gargi, Maitri etc who lived in the Vedic ages. In ancient times, women had excelled in various fields including in the study of Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. It was only much later on that things changed leading to a male-dominated society and women came to be looked as inferior to me," says Ankita.
With the learning to transform a feminine priest also comes the lifetime dedication to pure vegetarian nutrition. They can continue to steer their routine existence, apart from for a couple of hours of coaching each and every Sunday.
The ladies purohits have undergone their coaching at the Purohit Pratishthan of Shree Kshetra Tapobhoomi, Kundaim, the headquarters of the Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya. Most of the ladies skilled at the Purohit Pratisthan of Tapobhoomi belong to various classes of society and sundry backgrounds.
"I used to attend different classes at the Tapoobhumi every Thursday with my parents. These classes got me interested in training to be a purohit," said Diksha Parulekar, a Class XII science student from Ponda.
What has attracted Ankita and plenty of other ladies to study pourohitya, is the "quality manner" wherein the knowledge of the Vedic texts is imparted to the scholars at Tapobhoomi. "We aren't required to get trained in the entire curriculum before we set out to perform poojas. Currently, we are taught to perform Tulsi vivah, Ganesh puja and Lakshmi puja, which are performed as routine rituals in a Hindu household. Further training is provided as per the student's inclination and capability. But it's the quality of training that sets us apart," Ankita says.
The ladies purohits aver that folks have in large part welcomed their access into the pourohitya-fold.
"Guruji (Brahmeshanand Swami) has taken the initiative to provide a platform to women in religious and spiritual education with a view to truly empowering them," says Ankita, who's determined to chart a brand new direction in Hindu tradition.
Has that set Tapobhoomi on a collision direction with the standard purohit neighborhood?
"No way. In fact, we have taken the purohits of the villages into confidence while imparting hands-on training to our women recruits. They have even willingly agreed to let our women purohits accompany them on their home visits to learn the finer nuances of the trade," says Amar Parsekar, president of the Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya.
So, subsequent time don't be stunned should you see a charming and elegantly-dressed woman taking the place of the stereotype dhoti-clad, bare-chested male purohit at a spiritual ceremony.
(Inputs from Gauree Malkarnekar)
"This was a calling I instantly recognised and heeded my heart," says Ankita Padelkar, a post-graduate in marine science. "Firstly, the novel trend of women purohits has its own appeal. Secondly, people appreciate us for the accurate pronunciation and elaborate recital of Sanskrit mantras and verses," she says.
Several ladies purohits conducted 'Tulsi vivah' within the houses of various dignitaries, together with the Raj Bhavan where Goa governor Mridula Sinha was the 'yajman' (host), who carried out kanyadan of Tulsi.
"This was one of a kind experience. The audience for Tulsi vivah is largely male, yet everyone was smiling with approval. This is Indian sanskruti. Some people want to promote the thinking that women have been left behind in India. But events like these prove those people wrong," Sinha told TOI after Tulsi vivah was carried out.
"Though women becoming priests may be seen as a new trend, history is replete with examples of erudite women rishis such as Gargi, Maitri etc who lived in the Vedic ages. In ancient times, women had excelled in various fields including in the study of Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. It was only much later on that things changed leading to a male-dominated society and women came to be looked as inferior to me," says Ankita.
With the learning to transform a feminine priest also comes the lifetime dedication to pure vegetarian nutrition. They can continue to steer their routine existence, apart from for a couple of hours of coaching each and every Sunday.
The ladies purohits have undergone their coaching at the Purohit Pratishthan of Shree Kshetra Tapobhoomi, Kundaim, the headquarters of the Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya. Most of the ladies skilled at the Purohit Pratisthan of Tapobhoomi belong to various classes of society and sundry backgrounds.
"I used to attend different classes at the Tapoobhumi every Thursday with my parents. These classes got me interested in training to be a purohit," said Diksha Parulekar, a Class XII science student from Ponda.
What has attracted Ankita and plenty of other ladies to study pourohitya, is the "quality manner" wherein the knowledge of the Vedic texts is imparted to the scholars at Tapobhoomi. "We aren't required to get trained in the entire curriculum before we set out to perform poojas. Currently, we are taught to perform Tulsi vivah, Ganesh puja and Lakshmi puja, which are performed as routine rituals in a Hindu household. Further training is provided as per the student's inclination and capability. But it's the quality of training that sets us apart," Ankita says.
The ladies purohits aver that folks have in large part welcomed their access into the pourohitya-fold.
"Guruji (Brahmeshanand Swami) has taken the initiative to provide a platform to women in religious and spiritual education with a view to truly empowering them," says Ankita, who's determined to chart a brand new direction in Hindu tradition.
Has that set Tapobhoomi on a collision direction with the standard purohit neighborhood?
"No way. In fact, we have taken the purohits of the villages into confidence while imparting hands-on training to our women recruits. They have even willingly agreed to let our women purohits accompany them on their home visits to learn the finer nuances of the trade," says Amar Parsekar, president of the Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya.
So, subsequent time don't be stunned should you see a charming and elegantly-dressed woman taking the place of the stereotype dhoti-clad, bare-chested male purohit at a spiritual ceremony.
(Inputs from Gauree Malkarnekar)
Housewives, teachers, girl students turn purohits in Goa
![Housewives, teachers, girl students turn purohits in Goa]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
November 02, 2017
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