Menstruation - some religious apects

Hindu Dharma Shastra considers a woman to be impure during

menstruation.

'Menstruation is a natural phenomenon. Isn't it superstitious, archaic

and primitive to consider it to be impure ? ' This is an often asked
question. Some would even consider it to be an invention of a male
chauvinistic society.

If menstruation is natural, so are defecation and urination !

Most of the rules in the Dharma shastra were framed to aid the
spiritual journey of man.
Discerning eyes alone can make sense out of them as it was not a
practice to explain the logic and reason behind ancient wisdom.

There are ten kinds of movements in the body called the pranas -
five of them major and five of them minor. The major pranas are
prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana connected to the different
life processes in the body.

Apana is a force that exists in the navel and is responsible for the
following functions.

1. Throwing out stools.

2. Removal of urine.
3. Discharge of semen.
4. Discharge of ovum during menstruation / aborted pregnancy.
5. Labour ( child birth ).

They all have one thing in common - they are all forces of rejection
in a downward direction.
Hindu spiritual sciences consider spirituality to be an upward
movement - from muladhara towards sahasrara as an example or
from earth towards heaven. Apana, even though natural is
considered to be an interference in this progress. Yogis practice
techniques to reverse the direction of the apana so that it can join
with the upward prana.

In all the above five instances, the apana or the force of rejection is
active in the body. Restraint during this period and special cleansing
so as to restore the normal equilibrium of the pranas at the end of
the period have been prescribed.

Someone in a spiritual mode coming in close proximity to another in

the above mode of rejection is also said to interfere with the spiritual
quotient / content. Undertaking spiritual or religious tasks during
these periods would be unproductive or even detrimental.

Death is another phenomenon where again a unit of life is 'removed'

from the family, hence the observance of asoucha by the close
family members of the deceased.

Yajurveda ( T.S.2.5.1) talks about Indra killing Trisiras, the son of

Tvashta for passing on oblations to the asuras who were his relatives
on his maternal side in secret. Indra then moves about with brahma
hatya dosha ( sin of killing a brahmin ) heavy in his hands. He
requests the earth,trees and women to take this sin away from him.
Each one agrees to take one third of the sin in return for a boon.
Veda says, women during menstruation ( with stained clothes ) are (
in the state of ) this sin.

I don't intend to elaborate on the rules to be followed during

menstruation. I'll try to answer some frequently asked questions on
the subject matter as under.

1. The impurity is for 3 nights starting from the first day. On the
fourth day the impurity goes after bathing.

2. For menstruation starting in the night - divide the night into three.
If the menstruation starts in the first two parts count from the
previous day. If it is in the third part, count from the subsequent day.
For example, if it starts at say 11 pm on Sunday night, fourth day
will be Wednesday. If it starts at 3 am on Sunday night / Monday
early morning the fourth day will be Thursday.

3. Eligibility to participate in religious / pitru functions is from the

fifth day. However, this should be only after the bleeding stops
completely. In the case of extended periods, one has to wait until the
bleeding completely stops.

4. There is no impurity in bleeding not associated with the regular

cyclic menstruation. Bleeding on account of diseases are not
considered impure.

5. If menstruation happens within 17 days from the onset of the

previous one, bathing once will clear impurity. On the 18th day, one
day should be observed as impure, on the 19th day two and the
20th day on wards, three days as usual.

The above information is meant for those keen on observing Hindu

religious practices voluntarily and strictly has got nothing to with
freedom and rights of women. All perspectives in the matter need to
respected and hold positions in their own right.