Brief Notes Toward an Argument from the Ancient Hindu World
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Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies Volume 18 Article 7 January 2005 Can Women Be Priests? Brief Notes Toward an Argument From the Ancient Hindu World Laurie L. Patton Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Patton, Laurie L. (2005) "Can Women Be Priests? Brief Notes Toward an Argument From the Ancient Hindu World," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 18, Article 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1340 The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is a publication of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. The digital version is made available by Digital Commons @ Butler University. For questions about the Journal or the Society, please contact [email protected]. For more information about Digital Commons @ Butler University, please contact [email protected]. Patton: Can Women Be Priests? Brief Notes Toward an Argument From the Ancient Hindu World Can Women Be Priests? Brief Notes Toward an Argument From the Ancient Hindu World Laurie L. Patton Emory University" CAN women be priests? If the word priest me from delving deeply into the means ritually authoritative, the answer from contemporary issues and struggles for these the early Indian world is resolutely "yes." I women, nonetheless recent field work in this want to begin by stating straightforwardly area suggests that women's expertise and 1 that in various periods of Indian history popularity is fast expanding. Women ritual women have acted in ritually authoritative specialists, trained by Upasini Baba in' his ways. And in my own experience of ashram at Sakori, Maharashtra, beginning in contemporary Maharashtra, while male the 1930's, have weathered challenges and priesthood might remain a cultural norm, cultural debates, and gone on to thrive in the one can find exceptions everywhere. While 1980's and 1990's. And today, the actual Vasudha Narayanan has written about most number of stri-purohits, or women ritual of these practices elsewhere on this issue, I specialists, is also growing rapidly. would add that today in Maharashtra, According to one report by V.L. Manjul, women are training in large numbers to be women ritual specialists now outnumber ritual specialists, even purohits, because of their male counterparts In certain the shortage of men. Moreover, it is neighborhoods in Pune. And social reported that they are trusted more than the acceptance locally is at an all-time high. men to charge reasonable fees and to show But what of ancient models and the up when needed. Their repertoire of Vedic possible contemporary ,uses of, those verses tends to be thinner--usually models? Recent scholarship of Mary consisting of some Gita", the Gayatri, the McGee,. Stephanie Jamison, Katherine Purusha Sukta CRV 10.90), the wedding Young, and myself among others2 have hymn CRV 10.18), and perhaps some shown evidence for women reciting mantras sections of Ramayana. While time prevents in certain shrauta sacrific.es; women reciting Laurie L. Patton is Winship Distinguished Research Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Religion, Emory University. Her scholarly interests are in the interpretation of early Indian ritual and narrative, comparative mythology, literary theory in the study of religion, and women and Hinduism in contemporary India. She has recently returned from India -where she worked as a Fulbright scholar, completing research for her forthcoming book, Grandmother Language: Women and Sanskrit in Maharashtra and Beyond. Her translation of the Bhagavad Gita is forthcoming from Penguin Press Classics Series. She is the author or editor of seven books: Authority, Anxiety,' and Canon: Essays in Vedic Interpretation (ed., 1994); Myth as Argument: The Brhaddevata as Canonical Commentary (author, 1996); Myth and Method (ed., with Wendy Doniger, 1996); Jewels of Authority; Women and Text in the Hindu Tradition (ed., 2002); Bringing the Gods to Mind: Mantra and Poetry in Early Indian Sacrifice (author, 2004); and The Aryan Controversy: History, Evidence and Inference (ed., with Edwin Bryant, 2005). Her book of poetry, Fire's Goal: Poems from a Hindu Year, was published by White Clouds Press in 2003. Journal o/Hindu-Christian Studies 18 (2005) 17-21 Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 2005 1 Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 18 [2005], Art. 7 18 Laurie L. Patton mantras in the home in grihya rites; women fires; this is clear from almostall the early being ritually authoritative in the village and shastric texts. Thus, priesthood per se, presiding over marriage rites; and women defined as the ability to sacrifice, is not a undergoing the upanayana ritual in order to permanent religious authority for either men be introduced to Vedic study. Moreover, or women, contingent as it is upon the women pounded rice, cleaned the animals, marital state. laid the bricks, and cooked in preparation for Let me turn now to putting on the . the sacrificial performances, just as they do lens of a contemporary Mimamsa feminist in sacrificial revivals today. And, as Frank '\ thinker and see whether one can. imagine Clooney and Mary McGee have also pointed other possibilities for women to be out, women have adhikara,or ritual sacrificing priests according to Mimamsa authority3. The ritual philosopher of rules. There are, I think, important Mimamsa, Jaimini, resolutely makes the arguments and speculations that might be argument against the purvapakshin, or considered in favor of women priests, if we "philosophical opponent" who excludes posit that the proper Mimamsa (and women from sacrificing: Jaimini argues that therefore Vaidika) definition of marriage is a woman's being "sold" in marriage is not the ability to reproduce. an essential property of who they are, and Let us turn to the first issue of thus this does not disable her from marriage and reproductive technology. sacrificing (JM 6.1.10.-15). Manava Shrauta Sutra (6.23.10), the The key to the Mimamsa discussion wedding hymn RV 10.85, Chandogya is that women must remain married and Upanishad 14, Ashvalayana Grihya Sutra property owners in order to sacrifice in the 1.7 and many other texts, state that the Shrauta world. The adhikara of a woman is purpose--the artha if you will--of marriage clear in that she must have a husband and is indeed procreation. If that is the case, and they must sacrifice with both. She is not marriages could be dissolved on the basis of independently qualified to . sacrifice. lack of children--then what happens to such However, both are needed to perform the rules when procreation does not depend on sacrifice and the rituals fruits accrue to both. the biological technology of man and As Taittiriya Brahmana states, "He who has woman joining in sexual union? Fertility in no wife has no sacrifice" (2.2.2.6) Thus, it the twenty first century is not necessarily is important to remember that either a single linked to such a union, but rather to the man or a single woman would fail if they presence of a sperm and egg. Thus, if a sacrificed alone. woman was without a husband in the There are, however, also some twenty-first century, but still had her possibilities for women performing husband's sperm, she would technically still independent shrauta sutra sacrifices. One have adhikara. text (8.23) describes a widow being able to Second, as Mimamsa thinkers, we offer to fires that have been kindled with her might also consider the case of marital husband. These are indeed grhya rites, but separation and its implication for women still, as in most grhya rites, they are shrauta performing sacrifice. If their husbands had analogues. These rites constitute what left them, women were allowed to wait Jamison calls a "shadow shrauta life.,,4 seven years before they were allowed to Gautama Dharma Sutra, which seems to be remarry (Gautama Dharma Sutra 18.15). the most liberal of the Sutras, allows a man Then the question becomes, if she had to designate a daughter as a ritual specialist access to reproductive technology even in (28.15) in the case of the absence of a son. the absence of a husband who was still alive, It is important to note here that the ceasing could a woman still' sacrifice even if her of marriage involves the ceasing of adhikara husband were not physically present? The for both men and women. A man becomes a texts could not have anticipated this renunciant and must no longer maintain the situation, and therefore did not address it. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol18/iss1/7 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1340 2 Patton: Can Women Be Priests? Brief Notes Toward an Argument From the Ancient Hindu World Gender and Priesthood in the Hindu Traditions 19 But we could possibly answer in the space for women's ritual expertise not as affirmative. This intriguing. area needs exceptions but as crucial to the entire ritual further investigation. enterprise. The Mimamsa is resolutely clear Third, there is also the model of that one must attempt to connect this world reproduction as it is practiced in svarga by (laukika) and the world of the idea (vaidika). the gods. While stories of the gods activities Sacrifice must always be connected with the are defined as "arthavada" at best--praise to experience of everyday life. Sacrifice will be attached to codana, or ritual injunction, always be full of meaning--even beyond its they still have exhortatory force. And many ritual meaning, it must be full of what Vedic stories, such as that of Martanda or Francis D'Sacalls "significance." Thus Vivasvat, actually discuss reproduction in a sacrificial action makes daily life and duties way that does not involve actual copulation, meaningful. And, while Clooney has as is also so common in later texts.