On this so called Women's day - it is necessary to remember Sri. Ubhaya Bharati & Ardhanareeshvara tatvam

On this so called Women's day - it is necessary to remember Sri. Ubhaya Bharati & Ardhanareeshvara tatvam

So who is Sri. Ubhaya Bharati
- When Sri. Adi Shankaracharya went to debate with the great Vedic pandit Sri. Mandana Mishra (actually he went to debate with Sri.Kumarila Bhatta, but had to debate with his student Sri. Mandana Misra) - the judge of the famous debate was Sri. Ubhaya Bharati - wife of Sri. Mandana Mishra. This we all know (at least some of us).

Now what this means - there are deeper social underpinnings that we can understand from this historical event. 

1. Sri. Mandana misra was the best among the best of Vedic scholars at that time apart from Sri. Kumarila Bhatta. His work "Sphota Siddhi" is the proof of that. Now if he himself said that "my wife will be the judge" - then that proved 3 things: i) the high amount respect he had for his wife and her scholarship, ii). in addition, he considered his wife's scholarship to be superior to his own, iii) He was also sure that his wife will be the most impartial judge. 

2. In that old city, in those days the elders could have objected to this act - that is, how a lady can be a judge for a "shastra" debate, but they readily accepted to her being the judge - this means they also knew of her scholarship and they all were ready to accept her judgement.

3. The visitor, a young brahmachari (Adi shankara)  - he could've objected to her being the judge or might have had doubts of her scholarship, may be so... thus Sri. Ubhaya Bharati had to prove in some ways not just her scholarship but also her impartiality and also her ability to judge.

4. If women were not allowed to study Vedas and Shastras as believed - how could Sri. Ubhaya Bharati got her scholarship ? - so this proves that she indeed had her Veda and Shastra studies.

5. The rules of the debate were set at the starting itself. That is, whoever looses the debate will become the "shishya" of the winner. Say if Adi Shankara looses then he had to become the student of Sri. Mandana Mishra and follow strict Vedic life - this means he had to give up his sannyaasa and become a grihasta (marry and become a house holder). On the other hand if Sri. Mandana mishra looses, he has to leave his family and become a sannyaasi and student of Adi shankaracharya.

6. Since Sri. Ubhaya bharati was the judge, the tradition is that, it is mandatory that the debaters had to prostrate before her at the beginning and at the end, every time whenever the debate starts or ends - both did so. (Thus the 'namaskaara' was not for an individual but for the qualities of that person or that 'person' itself - 'person' here means the Atma).

7. Finally after weeks of debate, Smt. Ubhaya Bharati gave her judgement that, her husband had lost the debate and as per the rules he has to take Sannyaasa and become a student of Adi Shankaracarya, thus Sri. Mandana Mishra has become Sri. Sureshvaracharya.

8. Knowing very well that her husband would leave her and lead a life of a Sannyasi, she gave her judgement - thus she was not a weak-hearted person. Also she wanted uphold the truth. Unless one know the truth how can that one uphold it?

9. What happened to Sri. Ubhaya Bharati ? - she was kept in high esteem as an incarnation of Devi Saraswati by Sri. Adi Shankara, and the whole society accepted that and she was hailed as an incarnation of Devi Saraswati - "या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिः देवैः सदा वन्दिता" (the Devi who is worshiped by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) - but in reality Sri. Ubhaya Bharati was just another Woman - when you look at her as a historical person.

10. She didn't cry that her husband is going to leave the house etc. or didn't commit suicide or became a sannyaasini etc. she did continue to lead a life of highest principles and a guiding light of Truth.

This was the Bharatiya society in those days ! - not backward as some historians want you to believe.

Ardhanareeshvara tatvam - signifies both the male and female aspect of nature is equal.

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How a male is unique and has a role to play in the universal scheme of things, the same way the female is also unique and has a role to play. None is superior and none inferior. Each has to play the respective role as per nature. Both are equal - but not same. The sameness stupidity is what is driving girls and ladies to dress like male, smoke, drink, etc. That is another kind of slave mentality - get rid of that. Male is stupid enough to smoke /drink and spoil health - why should a female do that??

A girl /woman can be /become like Ubhaya Bharati, Jhansi Rani, Mangamma, --- if you don't like examples of historical persons then, 20th century women like  Aanadamayi Maa, Rukmani Devi Arundale, M.S.Subbulakshmi, Padma Subramanyam, Kalpana Chawla, Saina Nehwal etc. are there for inspiration. A girl can become anyone, someone, or noone in her own right - small or big, famous or not famous, prosperous or not prosperous.

There are countless female - CEOs, Doctors, Scientists, Software engineers, Sports persons, Musicians, Dancers, Bank officers, Teachers, etc. etc. in India today - aren't they proof enough that Male and Female are equal in terms of abilities ? - so why this Women's day thing - just one day in a year ?? - celebrate all days.

No need to foolishly fall for some chocolate or gift or card in the name of Women's day and accept to be treated inferior during the rest of the days.

The Women's day is a media created nonsense to sell expensive and/or useless stuff in the name of Women's day to gullible girls and women.