NAGPUR, INDIA, August 26, 2011 (TNN): Though the orthodox still have reservations, women priests are gaining popularity in Hinduism for their sincerity, discipline and correct pronunciations.
Parbodh Wekhande, HoD of Computer Science at a technical institute and a teacher of astrology, says, “Undoubtedly, the women priests work better than their male counterparts. They give due time to every ritual and their uccharan (pronunciation) too is correct. But there are certain limitations. Hindu religion does not permit them to perform a yagna. Also, she cannot perform rituals as a priest if she is still in her reproductory phase of life.”
Priest Neelima Pathak agrees with this. “We may not always be able to perform puja, for obvious reasons, but I think there is no harm in studying the scriptures and learning the rituals from an early age. If we start doing that only when we are in our fifties and sixties, then our pronunciation will not be so clear. Secondly, when we are old our mobility is curbed to a large extent.” She adds, “Women priests are increasingly being preferred over their male counterparts as they arrive on time and they can devote more time to the ceremonies. During Ganpati festival they are preferred.”
Priest Pushpa Kanetkar says, “In Pune, women priests participate even in very big ceremonies. They are also performing last rites. So it would not be proper to say that the scriptures bar them from performing yagna. Dharamsindhu, written some 4,000 years ago, mentions that women can and should perform all rituals.”
Sangeeta Nene believes the compassion and patience of women priests makes them favored for Satyanarayan puja or the Shri Sukta path. She has been performing these pujas for the last 10 years. “I always get repeat invites for performing pujas because I devote a lot of time to the rituals and explain everything to the family for whom I am doing them. I understand their needs and the sentiment for holding the puja. Many have told me that their wishes were fulfilled and they felt very positive vibes after the ceremony.”
Jayshree Khandekar teaches the scriptures to 15 women at Ahilya Mandir. “Most women who come here are between 40 and 60, a time when they are more prone to depression. They imbibe lots of samskars along with knowledge of the scriptures. This gives them peace of mind and a sense of purpose. Besides, there are other related activities that take place here. Now they are learning to make ornaments from cotton wool for Mahalaxmi puja.”