Women: Never Appoint Them

BY: HLADINI-SHAKTI DASI

Feb 16, 2014 — EUROPE (SUN) — In the Sampradaya Sun article by Agnideva dasa on the topic of women being on the Sastric Advisory Committee, Agnideva pointed out the SAC's "highly politicized activities, lack of neutrality and general lack of knowledge of sastra, dharma and Vedic culture", which has been cited and corroborated by Bharata dasa's article regarding the Sastric Advisory Committee.

Urmila dasi stated, as quoted by Agnideva:

"Because the verses and purports only talk about worship the woman is doing herself, with no mention of engaging someone else, the most straightforward understanding is that the woman is conducting the yajna. Any other understanding would be having an interpretation that is not present in the text, or any of the other texts in that section, nor in any of the purports."

Ambika dasi's paper comments on Urmila's above statement as being in contradiction to Manu Samhita:

"No sacrifice, no vow, no fast must be performed by women apart (from their husbands)".

Hari-bhakti-vilasa forbids women, i.e., Urmila and Narayani, to be appointed as members of the SAC (or GBC or FDG):

"A wise man should never insult women, nor should he trust them. He should never become jealous of women, nor should he ever appoint them."
(HBV 11:708/VP 3.12.30)