Atman Has No Gender. Let's Dismantle Patriarchy

Atman , soul - is it male, female or other variations of male and/or female? Is it he, she or they? Atman is none of these; it is neutral. The higher Self, universal consciousness, is eternal, unchanging, infinite and all-inclusive. There is no question of assigning gender to these concepts. Yet, in our daily lives, we nitpick over gender roles , gender rights and gender expectations in a warped, patriarchal world of our own creation, by distorting spiritual and scriptural concepts, misunderstanding gender roles. We have made male domination the social norm in almost all cultures, whether located in the east, west, north or south.

"I want a boy." This is the demand of most would-be-fathers and their parents, entangled as they are in a web of their own making. Obstetrician Aruna Kalra in her recent work titled I Want a Boy, narrates her many experiences with patients. When a baby girl is born, there is no celebration; only a pall of gloom that envelops the new mother's relatives. Sweets are not distributed; they are withheld as they were meant to welcome a little prince. The female infant is no princess; she is viewed as a burden. The new mother is criticised and abused for not bearing a son.

With rising infertility rates compounded by pollution and stress, it is always the woman who is sent to be tested. And preparations are made for the man to get remarried in the hope that the new bride will beget a son and heir. Progressive doctors insist that the couple needs to undergo tests, not just the woman. In many instances, the couple is unable to conceive because of the male's low sperm count. Infertility expert Kamala Selvaraj informs infertile men who wish to remarry: "You might marry many times; you will still not be able to have a baby, let alone a baby boy."

Scriptures are often misquoted or misinterpreted especially when it comes to gender and this lopsided perspective is propagated as being an integral part of religion. While women are invoked as goddesses, on the ground, they are treated as inferiors and are expected to play second fiddle.

Pointing out that women have an exalted status in core spiritual traditions , Sakina Yusuf Khan says, "We've grown up with the saying 'Maa ke paer ke niche jannat hai' - Paradise is at the mother's feet. Nobody ever says this about the father." According to a Hadith, Prophet Muhammad once told one of his disciples: "If you are performing the recommended prayer and your father calls for you, do not break your prayer. But if your mother calls you, please do break your prayer."

Yin and Yang of Taoism are symbolic of male and female energies that make up the composite whole. Ardhanarishwar, depicting Shiv and Shakti in one murti, half-and-half, Purush and Prakriti, portraying both masculine and feminine energies, constitute the universe and everything in it.

Over centuries, with biological vulnerabilities taking precedence over inner spiritual potential, it has come to pass that the female of the species is weaker than the male, in every respect, and scriptural sayings taken out of context to support this premise. At their core, no faith promotes patriarchy .

Authored by: Narayani Ganesh
ganeshnarayani@yahoo.com