Vedic Mantra chanting gets a new voice in India

HARDWAR, India, (Reuters) – For centuries, Indian  women were forbidden from chanting Vedic Mantras, especially in  public, out of fear the power of the religious verses might  cause menstrual problems and difficulties in bearing children.

Though thinking changed slightly in recent years to allow  women to chant in some cases, it remained extremely rare and  private.
But on November 6, this will change.

A total of 108 Indian women has been selected to chant  mantras in front of an audience of millions in the northern  Indian town of Hardwar, part of ceremonies celebrating the  centennial of a spiritual leader’s birth.

And that will pave the way for women to chant mantras in  other public events such as engagement, weddings and child-birth  ceremonies.

“It’s a long overdue victory for women, especially in a  country where women were not even allowed to hear the Vedic  Mantras in ancient times,” said Manju Agarwal, a psychology  professor and women rights activist in Lucknow, northern India.

Known as “Brahmavaadinis,” or the ones who speak God’s  language, the women were carefully chosen and trained over six  months for their unprecedented duty. The number 108 is  auspicious in Hinduism.

“The selection of the women was done through a rigorous  process, in which they were tested for clarity of diction,  accuracy in pronunciation and proper understanding of the  Mantras,” said Amrendra Singh, a follower of Gayatri Paravar,  the organisation behind the ceremonies.

Most of the women are between 25 and 30 but a few are over  50, and a majority come from educated, well-to-do backgrounds.

In addition to breaking the taboo on women chanting the  Vedas, the women will also perform sacred rituals known as  yagya, in which herbs are poured into a fire while chanting  mantras, that have also been forbidden to them up to now.