| Women in Society and their Role
Women in Society and their Role
The following is from the presentation made by SSE guru Jeyamala Solanki
on Ladies Day at our centre.
On this special occasion of ladies day, the warmest greetings are extended
to all of you wonderful women who have chosen to walk on the path of Sai
& in doing so, have taken the additional responsibility of taking your
families & friends with you on this divine journey. As Baba says, the
role of women in society is very important and challenging and that in
your life's experiences, most women have done that, been there and said
that.
Women have the strength of mother Durga. They not only bear children,
but also hardships and burdens while they share happiness, love and joy
with others. They smile when they want to scream, sing when they
want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are
nervous. They fight for what they believe in and stand up for injustice.
They don’t take “no” for an answer when they believe there is a better
solution. They give moral support to their family, friends and society.
Apart from worldly duties, when a woman gets involved within the Sai
Organization, everything around her starts to change for good by the grace
of our Swami.
Like the bright sunshine, Swami's grace always guides the devotees and
their families. His Grace however makes the impossible tasks possible.
His grace & guidance have convinced that once we surrender to his will,
he bestows us with the intelligence, the strength, the determination and
the courage to overcome all our fears, inhibitions and obstacles and live
a wholesome life.
Baba says that women are bestowed with the maximum divine qualities,
that is why they are more spiritual by nature. As we celebrate the
glory of womanhood today, it is worthwhile to remember what Bhagavan says
about women, their dharma and their role in society.
Human beings are the finest examples of God’s creation - the most superior
life form. And in the entire human race, women are the supreme creation
of God - the most superior in the whole creation.
The Indian scriptures proclaim that wherever women are honored there
is prosperity and happiness. Women should never be slighted or treated
with disrespect. A home in which the housewife sheds tears will be dispossessed
of all prosperity. The house becomes a forest when the woman
is not there. Men have to think today that they should not make the women
shed tears. They should respect and revere them.
There are many examples to prove that woman have the power to change
the world for better by raising ideal children. Great heroes in history
were raised by greater mothers, who inspired them to achieve greatness.
On account of the spiritual nature of Mother Kaushalya, Rama became famous
and was worshipped as God. Is it not by Sita's fostering and rearing
that the twins Lov and Kush became so great? Again, Shivaji became great
and brave because of the upbringing of his mother Jijabai. Gandhiji gained
reputation and fame because of the encouragement from his mother Puthlibai
who taught him the virtues of Truth & Non-violence.
A home is no trivial place. The home is the abode of Dharma which protects
and safeguards the country. The home is the beacon, which illumines the
world and sustains it. Women should realize that, irrespective of their
education for position, their foremost obligation is to protect the home.
Baba says that a lady should be an ideal to her children, look after
her husband and then do outside work. She can study, get degrees, enter
politics or do any other work but she should not neglect the home, which
is the very foundation of her life. Husband and wife are both EQUALLY responsible
for establishing harmony in the home. But times have changed. Womanly ideals
are not being practiced and there are no ideal men and women today. That
is why the world is in such a sorry state.
Sacrifice is a divine quality that women are endowed with in a generous
measure. Consider, for instance, this fact there have been a number
of women, throughout our history and culture who have tried to bring back
their dead husbands back to life sacrificing everything. How many men have
done likewise for their wives? Swami reminds us that once a wife
has died they start looking for another replacement to wash, cook and clean
for them.
Gayatri is the very source of all Vedas. Gayatri is stree - embodiment
of woman. Veda is the mother. When we see all these things, we feel that
the woman has got a very high place, her birth is something very great
and pure. Since Vedic times, women have an exalted place in the various
rituals of the ancient times like Vaidika pooja, Vaidika upasana and Vaidika
aradhana.
As the women who are on the path of Sai, we have a greater responsibility
to live ideal lives and fulfil our responsibilities at home, work and our
Sai Centre to the best of our abilities and preferably in that order.
We must stay focussed on our priorities and the importance of harmony at
home as the first step towards fulfilling our duties.
In conclusion, I salute to all the gurus and every woman in the world
for the hard work they put in while fulfilling their duties at home and
work, as a wife, sister, mother, aunt, grand-mother, colleague and more.
Wish you all a Holy Women’s Day!
Om Jai Sai Ram |
