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What's a woman to do? v2 Reflections on Why We May Misunderstand Srila Prabhupada’s Teachings Regarding Women
<< 2. A powerful daughter rebukes her father (a challenge to our functional fixedness) >>
 | In the introduction to the first part of What’s a Woman to Do? I mentioned that when we came to Srila Prabhupada’s movement we brought with us various cultural, societal, familial, and personal expectations about what men and women can and cannot, or should and should not, do. This can lead us into a cognitive bias called functional fixedness, or the tendency to see individuals (or things) as having only one function – the one we have learned to associate with them. Functional fixedness can prevent us from seeing the full range of abilities a person (or uses an object) may have, which can leave us stuck in rigid patterns. In terms of men and women, functional fixedness may make us fail to realize that, for example, a woman may be more than a mother or supportive wife. She may also perhaps be a highly accomplished yogi, as in the example of Sati in the Bhagavatam’s Fourth Canto.
| | | The Bhagavatam describes Sati, wife of Lord Siva and daughter of Daksha, as “enlightened, beautiful, and chaste.” (SB 4.2.13 purport) When her father holds a great sacrifice and fails to invite Lord Siva, Sati decides to go anyway, even without her husband. It’s described that as she watches the various demigod couples flying toward the sacrificial arena, she wants to dress in her own finery and attend. Srila Prabhupada writes, “It is a woman’s nature to want to decorate herself with ornaments and nice dresses and accompany her husband to social functions, meet friends and relatives, and enjoy life in that way. This propensity is not unusual, for woman is the basic principle of material enjoyment. Therefore in Sanskrit the word for woman is stri, which means ‘one who expands the field of material enjoyment.’” (SB 4.3.9, purport)
| | | Sati’s husband, Lord Siva, known as the best Vaishnava, was not invited to this sacrifice because of an earlier unpleasant exchange with Daksha. Trying to persuade him, however, Sati says, “I do not have much knowledge about self-realization. I am poor because I do not know the actual facts. I am attracted by my birthplace, and I want to see it.”(SB 4.3.11, purport)
| | | (An aside: Later, we find that Sati used this statement as a ruse. Srila Prabhupada writes, “She did not actually come to her father’s house to participate in the function, although before coming she pleaded with her husband that she wanted to see her sisters and her mother. That was a plea only, for actually at heart she maintained the idea that she would convince her father, Daksha, that it was useless to continue being envious of Lord Siva. That was her main purpose.” SB 4.4.16, purport This pastime may offer us another example of confirmation bias, because as Srimad Bhagavatam states of Sati, “This less intelligent act [of going to her father’s house against her husband’s wishes] was due to her being a weak woman.” SB 4.4.3 Do we give more emphasis to one of his statements in favor of the other?)
| | | Although Siva advised Sati not to go, and he himself refused to go, Sati left for her father’s house, where she was not welcomed by Daksha or the other men present. The women, however, did not follow the men’s example. Srila Prabhupada writes, “The mother and sisters of Sati could not follow the others, who did not receive Sati very well. Due to natural affection, they immediately embraced her with tears in their eyes and with loving feelings. This shows that women as a class are very softhearted; their natural affection and love cannot be checked by artificial means. Although the men present were very learned brahmanas and demigods, they were afraid of their superior, Daksha, and because they knew that their welcoming Sati would displease him, although in their minds they wanted to receive her, they could not do so. Women are naturally softhearted, but men are sometimes very hardhearted.” (SB 4.4.7 purport) The purpose of Vedic sacrifice is to develop attraction to and love for Lord Vishnu, and one who has developed such love must also love and respect Vishnu’s devotees. “Thus when Sati saw that her father was performing great sacrifices but had no respect for the greatest devotee, Lord Siva, she was very angry. This is fitting; when Vishnu or a Vaishnava is insulted, one should be angry.” (SB 4.4.10 purport)
| | | Sati proceeded to give Daksha a number of sound arguments about why he should honor Lord Siva. “Since Sati was a chaste woman and the wife of Lord Siva, it was her duty to establish the elevated position of Lord Siva, not only by sentiment but by facts. Lord Siva is not an ordinary living entity.” (SB 4.4.16 purport)
| | | But failing to convince her father Sati decided to give up her life “in order to compensate for the great sin she had committed by hearing blasphemy of Lord Siva. The instruction set forth here in Srimad-Bhagavatam is that one should not tolerate at any cost the activities of a person who vilifies or blasphemes an authority. Since Sati was the representation of the external potency of the Lord, it was in her power to vanquish many universes, including many Dakshas, but in order to save her husband from the charge that he employed his wife, Sati, to kill Daksha because he could not do so due to his inferior position, she decided to give up her body.” ( href=/books/sb/4/4/17>SB 4.4.17 purport)
| | | In front of everyone Sati sat in a yogic pose and immolated herself.
| | | Srila Prabhupada writes, “Either she learned yoga from her husband or she was enlightened because she was the daughter of such a great king as Daksha. The perfection of yoga is that one can give up one’s body or release oneself from the embodiment of material elements according to one’s desire.” (SB 4.4.24 purport)
| | | Back to functional fixedness. At the beginning of this pastime, Sati appeared to be an ordinary woman who wanted simply to dress up and attend a social function. Here, however, we learn that she gave up her body according to her desire and thus had perfected her yoga practice. In this chapter she is referred to as “a great soul,” (SB 4.4.29 purport) and Lord Siva himself calls her “most worshipful one.” (SB 4.3.24)
| | | Due to functional fixedness we may be blind to what a woman can do.
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