Should women touch Shivling?
shivling puja niyam for women: India is a country where religious traditions, culture and faith are deeply created in the society. In such a situation, when it comes to Lord Shiva, the special significance of Shivalinga worship comes. But there has been a question over the years, can women touch the Shivling? Especially during menstruation, is the Shivling touch forbidden? Is this prohibition associated with scriptures or is the gift of social structure? In today’s modern era, when women are moving forward in every field, new thinking and understanding on such religious subjects have become necessary.
Religious beliefs
Shivalinga has been worshiped since ancient times and is seen as a symbol of creation, rearing and destruction of creation. Traditional belief says that women should not touch Shivling, especially during menstruation. Some religious scholars argue that Shiva is a symbol of ‘Vairagya’ and ‘penance’, while women are considered to be the power of ‘creation’. Therefore, a special distance was made between the woman and the Shivling.
But the thing to note is that this prohibition is often based on ‘public recognition’ and not on the orders of any clear religious scripture. There was no clearly stated in the Vedas and Upanishads that women cannot touch the Shivling.
Is this prohibition appropriate during menstruation?
Menstruation in Indian society is still considered a taboos. In the name of religion, women are kept away from worship, temple entry and other religious works. While the reality is that it is a natural biological process, not impurities. With the combination of science and spiritual thinking, it can be understood that God has created this process, so how can women be stopped from coming in front of God?
Today many saints, scholars and spiritual gurus have also said that menstruation is not a sin, but a power, which should be respected, not prohibition.
Who decided these rules?
Many social rules became under the influence of patriarchal thinking over time. The tendency to keep women away from religious places was not limited to Shiva temples only. Whether it is a mosque, church or any other holy place, women were limited to some extent in every religion. But when society is changing, it is now necessary that we explain the religious beliefs correctly.
Society moves towards change
Now the time is changing. Today women worship Shivalinga, Abhishek, and in many temples, the Shivling is also allowed to touch. From Kashi Vishwanath to the temples of South India, women’s participation is now more visible than before. This change shows that devotion to Lord Shiva is just a matter of faith, not the penis. Shiva himself symbolizes the coordination of energy both men and women as ‘Ardhanarishwar’. In such a situation, the distinction of men and women in Shiva devotion is contrary to the ideology of Shiva himself.
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