What's a woman to do? v2 Reflections on Why We May Misunderstand Srila Prabhupada’s Teachings Regarding Women

<< 4. Lessons from two lovers (and the possibility of logical fallacy) >>

In the history of Urvasi and King Pururava from cantos Nine and Eleven of Srimad-Bhagavatam we find that sexual attraction clouds Pururava’s thinking. Urvasi, using sharp words, tries to clear his mind and, after much time, seems to succeed. Hearing this pastime we may arrive at a false conclusion about women due to a logical fallacy, or an error in our logical thinking. In other words, swayed by our own emotional weight and patternseeking we may mistakenly draw conclusions from two things that are related in some ways but not in all ways. Here’s an example of the particular type of logical fallacy I’m thinking of:

  • Green mangos are mangos. (true)
  • Green mangos are sour. (true)
  • Ripe mangos are mangos. (true)
  • Therefore ripe mangos must be sour. (false)

As the pastime unfolds, Urvasi, a heavenly society woman, and the earthly king Pururava became attracted to each other and so engaged in a sexual relationship on earth. Then Indra, king of heaven, missing Urvasi at court, conspired with others to make Pururava break a promise he had made to Urvasi. When the promise was broken Urvasi left Pururava. Greatly disturbed by her absence, Pururava tried to win her back. Seeing that Pururava was wasting his life due to his attachment to her, Urvasi tried to help him let go of her by speaking sharp words to him about the nature of women. She said, “Women as a class are merciless and cunning. They cannot tolerate even a slight offense. For their own pleasure they can do anything irreligious, and therefore they do not fear killing even a faithful husband or brother.” (SB 9.14.37)

After repeated disappointments in trying to reclaim his lost love, Pururava finally realized the futility of mundane attachment. “Because I allowed my intelligence to become dull and because I failed to control my senses, the great confusion in my mind did not go away, even though Urvasi herself gave me wise counsel with well-spoken words.” (SB 11.26.16)

King Pururava then understood that Urvasi was not to blame for his pain. After all, he himself had mistakenly considered Urvasi an object for his personal enjoyment and had therefore suffered a reaction according to the laws of nature. Pururava accepted that he was the offender for having tried to exploit Urvasi’s body. One who mistakenly thinks that the Lord’s illusory energy exists for one’s personal sense gratification certainly brings an avalanche of material fear and anxiety down on his head. Pururava said, “What difference is there between ordinary worms and persons who try to enjoy this material body composed of skin, flesh, blood, muscle, fat, marrow, bone, stool, urine, and pus?” (SB 11.26.21)

Commenting on this pastime Srila Prabhupada writes, “Unless elevated to spiritual consciousness, everyone is conditioned and fallen, what to speak of women, who are less intelligent than men. Women have been compared to sudras and vaisyas (striyo vaisyas tatha sudrah). On the spiritual platform, however, when one is elevated to the platform of Krishna consciousness, whether one is a man, woman, sudra, or whatever, everyone is equal. Otherwise, Urvasi, who was a woman herself and who knew the nature of women, said that a woman’s heart is like that of a sly fox. If a man cannot control his senses, he becomes a victim of such sly foxes. But if one can control the senses, there is no chance of his being victimized by sly, foxlike women.” (SB 9.14.36, purport)

If from this pastime we develop a negative impression of women devotees, we’ve committed a logical fallacy. It looks like this:

Materialistic women are women. (true – they’re spirit souls in women’s bodies)

Materialistic women have sly, foxlike hearts. (often true)

Devotee women are women. (true – they’re spirit souls in women’s bodies),

Therefore devotee women have sly, foxlike hearts. (false).

In fact, women devotees are Vaishnavis; they are qualitatively different from both male and female materialists. In other words, when we follow the spiritual master’s instructions, the polluted workings of the mind is checked. We gradually acquire spiritual understanding and develop our propensity for selfless loving service to the Lord, which will one day bear the fruit of love of Godhead.

For one engaged in the Lord’s service and the service of His devotees, not only are dullness, fear, and ignorance destroyed, but one attains the highest happiness, as confirmed by Lord Krishna Himself in the Bhagavatam’s Tenth Canto where He tells the gopis that they have to accept their own service as the ultimate reward of their devotion to Him, since nothing awards as much happiness and knowledge as devotional service itself.

Devotees, whether male or female, are the refuge of persons afraid of falling into a miserable condition. Krishna Himself says, “My devotees are one’s real worshipable deities and real family; they are one’s own self, and ultimately they are nondifferent from Me.” (SB 11.26.34) Devotee women and materialistic women are not the same. In Srila Prabhupada’s words, “On the spiritual platform, however, when one is elevated to the platform of Krishna consciousness, whether one is a man, woman, sudra, or whatever, everyone is equal.” (SB 9.14.36, purport)

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