Interviewer: In the Hindu community,
women are not allowed into certain temples.
The Shani Shingnapur
– it took women seventy years to get into it.
They got into Shani Shingnapur only in 2016, and Sabarimala the fight is still on.
Women in the age group of ten to fifty cannot go to Sabarimala temple.
Sadhguru: I’ve already explained this in media in many different ways,
but now that you’re once again asking the question,
and once again it’s a issue.
Let us understand this,
this is a culture
where there are more Goddess temples than God temples.
There are more female deities worshipped in this culture than male deities.
In south we call them Amman, Mariamman,
this, in north there’re various kinds of Devis.
So the restriction in the temple is for a completely different reason.
I spoke about Shani Shingnapur and I know the whole activist groups went against me,
because they’re just waiting for an opportunity always.
See, these are occult temples.
You know what’s occult?
When you do occult practices,
women in different states,
particularly in states of pregnancy
or menstrual states,
it’s not good for them,
they are very vulnerable at that time.
It can hugely impact their health and well-being.
So they said you should not enter occult temples.
Only on certain days
when they are no such practices, you enter.
Otherwise when practices are going on
you do not enter because it’s not good.
Now about
talking about Sabarimala and other hill temples,
these were mainly said
because this is tiger country.
Today maybe the poor tiger needs to be saved by you and me, that’s a different matter,
otherwise in southern India, in Western Ghats, tigers roamed in thousands, okay?
So climbing these hill temples was always a risk,
and people have... even today
they have these practices,
that they will carry some sambrani
– it’s a kind of a thing that smokes.
They always carry this when they go up, because tigers will attack you otherwise.
If they smell biology, they will go for you.
If you take a woman with you,
always a woman is more easily smelled down by a carnivorous animal than a man.
So they said never take the women
– if you take the women,
for sure tigers will get you.
So all hill temples not only Sabarimala,
all hill temples
they put this restriction
but now the poor tiger is gone, it needs protection(Laughs).
Interviewer: So now,
shouldn’t the practice change?
(Overlapping Conversation)
Now the women are better equipped,
you know, in terms of modern amenities,
they’re better equipped
they’re not what they were at that time.
If it’s only for that reason,
definitely it must change, there’s no question.
At the same time,
Sabarimala temple,
I do not know the full detail,
but from what I’ve heard from the temple authorities,
they are saying that is because the deity is a brahmachari.
If there is such a sensitivity,
I think you should leave it.
Interviewer: You just said that
this is twenty-first century India... Sadhguru: Yes, yes.
Interviewer: ...and books that were written thousands of years ago...
Sadhguru: No, no that’s what I am saying.
Interviewer: ...now need to change.
Practices that were gotten into thousands of years ago now need to change.
So why do you stop one step short?
Sadhguru: No, no, I’m not stopping one step short.
Let me make this clear,
if it is for safety
which was done for wildlife and stuff,
it’s not relevant anymore.
Okay?
Women are equipped to walk up any mountain.
Just now I’ve come from three weeks of Himalayan treks – more women with me than men actually,
in numbers.
So they are as equipped and
they’re walking with me wherever I go,
there is no point because
their clothes, their boots, their stuff,
they’re as equipped as a man today.
But those days,
things were different so they said
this is not a temple to go for women.
But if they’re being discriminated simply because of their biological nature,
it must go – there is no question.
But if it is because of the nature of the temple, we must look at it.
Interviewer: But Sadhguruji,
with all due respect,
if the God is a brahmachari so to speak…
Sadhguru: See, this “God” idea is not our idea, this is a Western idea.
We don’t have a God.
Deity.
Interviewer: The holy deity
that is there is a brahmachari
– we worship that brahmachari
because he’s all powerful.
Sadhguru: No, no that’s not the point.
A brahmachari – see, right now…
(overlapping conversation)
Interviewer: Is he going to get swayed because a woman enters the temple?
Sadhguru: No, no, no.
Right now in our ashram,
we have brahmacharis and maas, okay?
There are lady monks and men monks.
If the women demand,
“We want to go into the men’s segment of the brahmacharis segment,”
– it’s called the Sanga
– “We want to go into the male Sanga.”
No,
because even we cannot enter into the female Sanga.
What is that?
There are temples in Karnataka where men cannot enter.
So these things were made for a different reason, this is not gender discrimination.
If there is gender discrimination,
it must end, there is no question about it.
Interviewer: But this is gender discrimination!
How else would you describe it?
Sadhguru: See, I will not go into the ladies toilet, is it gender discrimination?
It’s just sense. Simple sense (Laughs).
Interviewer: So you...
you would only compare
women not going to Sabarimala,
you know compare it with men not going to a ladies’ toilet?
Sadhguru: Let’s not make temple and toilet one thing.
That’s not what I am saying.
All I am saying is,
there are certain sensibilities
and there is discrimination.
These are two different things.
Sensibilities have to be respected.
You can’t level everything.
But if it is discriminated
just because of biology of a woman,
that must go – hundred percent.
Interviewer: But isn’t it just that? Sadhguru: No
Why women between ten and fifty cannot go,
women above fifty are not discriminated against?
Sadhguru: No, no.
See, a deity is seen as a live person, you understand?
A brahmachari is sitting in his own abode, so women don’t go into his abode.
If a young woman was sitting,
we say men should not enter that room, just the same thing.
So the monks are there in the sanga, women cannot go.
Is it gender discrimination?
For his safety, not for theirs (Both Laugh).
Interviewer: That’s very well put,
but you want the supreme court
which has to look at everything as you said
by the one book that governs this country
which is the constitution. Sadhguru: Yes.
Constitution never said...
constitution never said
you should not take the sensitivities of various people in this country.
You have to respect the sensitivities of everybody.
But if it’s outright discrimination
which is leading to an exploitative state,
it must go.
I am repeating this once again.
If any temple is stopping women from entering their premises based on their biology,
it has to go – no question.
But if it is because of certain sensitivities,
that the deity is of a certain nature and it maintains a certain thing,
they want to do that… suppose...
Why nobody talks about these temples where men cannot enter?
There are temples in Karnataka like this.
Interviewer: All right, Sadhguruji (Sadhguru Laughs), I will ask you…
Sadhguru: I am saying you are doing gender discrimination right now.
Please fight for the men also, poor men (Laughs).
Interviewer: Poor men.
Men in this country have never been poor men.
It’s always the women
who have been discriminated against.