Science behind the so called myths...

Science behind the so called myths…

[JUSTIFY]Science behind the so called myths about Women not to enter temples or kitchen during menses:

First of all, our ancestors were never wrong; it’s just our misconceptions...

Fact is that women who are having their period, can go to the temple or do any other prayers etc.
In the olden days, they did not allow the women to go to sacred places (temples) because there was no proper sanitation practice in those days…
This whole thing about Women not allowed to go Temple and all are NOT found in our Vedas.This practice was something completely man-made and it was something accepted by society at a particular period of time & place, not by force, but BY CHOICE.
It mainly started off as a hygiene practice. Temples were places where many gathered. Temples were used in many ways and NOT ONLY for prayers in those days (unlike today). Temples, basically with sand covering the floor, it was hard to wash away any form of stains etc completely. Blood on sand would attract pests and diseases. So women, with social responsibility, took the initiative to not go Temples during certain periods of times. Men too were not going Temples when they had any wounds or blood stains on them. Also, woman is also highly susceptible to any infection when she is in her menstruation phase.
Also, during those days, ladies would have their bath either in the river, pond or near the well. During the time when the girl would be menstruating, it would be awkward to bathe together with the rest of the ladies as you would probably 'pollute’ the water. So generally they avoid bathing, and since the ladies did not bathe and there were no bathroom facilities for the rest of the day during the menstruating period, they would naturally be termed as ‘unclean’ during that time. Hence, their being barred from the clean’ places in the house, namely the prayer room or the kitchen.
This is, as far as the physical aspect of being (ashudha) unclean, goes.
However, when the scriptures spoke of ‘ashudha’ they may have not only meant the physical aspect but the mental aspect as well.
Science talks of the menstrual syndrome, i.e., a woman are more irritable during those days because of a hormonal imbalance. Psychics claim that there is a different aura around a menstruating woman, maybe again a chemical reaction. Segregating to pray requires a positive attitude and people tend to respond to the negative vibrations of a person standing with you; maybe that may also serve as the reason why a woman was barred from public places of prayer during these days.
Women were not allowed to enter kitchen or cook food when they are in periods, that was bcoz in those days, cooking includes its attended tasks of powdering, grinding and serving were all physical exertions, but they helped them have their regular, daily exercises. Apart from these tasks, women in the past used to sweep and mop the house, wash the clothes and dry them out in the hot sun, and with all such tasks also take care of their family comprising their husband and children. Such exertion is totally avoided during the menstruation period, giving the woman complete physical and mental rest...
So it is not an insult to women. The prescriptions are based on their health, body conditions and mental frame during that time as the primary reason....Our ancestors were always perfectly right...It is we who have misconceptions about them concepts…[/JUSTIFY]


With love,

Angellic 