Can women do 'dandavat pranam'?

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste

In the Bhagavatam, Kapilopakhyanam, we have Bhagavan instructing Mother Devahuti on the methods of Bhakti and there is a mention of Dandavat pranam.  

In 8.16 Bhagavan instructs:

जपेत् अष्टोत्तरशतं स्तुवीत स्तुतिभिः प्रभुम् । 

कृत्वा प्रदक्षिणं भूमौ प्रणमेद् दण्डवन्मुदा ॥ ४२ ॥ 

In 8.17 Devahuti does such a pranam to the Lord: 

तस्याः प्रादुरभूत् तात भगवान् आदिपुरुषः । 

पीतवासाश्चतुर्बाहुः शंखचक्रगदाधरः ॥ ४ ॥ 

तं नेत्रगोचरं वीक्ष्य सहसोत्थाय सादरम् । 

ननाम भुवि कायेन दण्डवत् प्रीतिविह्वला ॥ ५ ॥ 

सोत्थाय बद्धाञ्जलिरीडितुं स्थिता 

     नोत्सेह आनन्दजलाकुलेक्षणा । 

बभूव तूष्णीं पुलकाकुलाकृतिः 

     तद् दर्शनात्युत्सवगात्रवेपथुः ॥ ६ ॥ 

In this article a Dharma shastra pramana is cited that disallows  women from this kind of pranam: 

https://www.timesnowhindi.com/spirituality/article/women-should-not-do-sashtang-and-dandvat-pranam-during-worship-know-the-reason/422334

स्त्रियों को क्यों नहीं करना चाहिए दंडवत

हिंदू परंपराओं में स्त्रियों को पूजनीय माना गया है। धार्मिक ग्रंथों में भी स्पष्ट किया गया है कि महिलाओं को किसी के सामने दंडवत नहीं होना चाहिए। धर्मसिंधु नाम के ग्रंथ में महिलाओं को दंडवत प्रणाम क्यों नहीं करना चाहिए इसके बारे में विस्तारपूर्वक बताया गया है। धर्मसिंधु में एक श्लोक है "ब्राह्मणस्य गुदं शंखं शालिग्रामं च पुस्तकम् , वसुन्धरा न सहते कामिनीकुचमर्दनं" अर्थात ब्राह्मणों का पिछला हिस्सा शंख, शालिग्राम, धार्मिक पुस्तकें और स्त्रियों का वक्षस्थल यानी स्तन अगर सीधे धरती से स्पर्श करता है तो धरती इस भार को सहन नहीं कर पाती है।

The opinion of Acharyas here may please be presented.

warm regards

subrahmanian.v 

[Hari Parshad Das]

my praṇāms to vidvaj-janas.

Local customs may be different, but the Purāṇas give the rule as follows:

Skanda-purāṇa, Vāsudeva-māhātmya, Chapter 29, Verse 27:

अष्टाङ्गं वाऽपि पञ्चाङ्गं प्रणामं पुरुषश्चरेत् ।
पञ्चाङ्गमेव नारी तु नान्यथा मुनिसत्तम ॥

aṣṭāṅgaṁ vā 'pi pañcāṅgaṁ

praṇāmaṁ puruṣaś caret

pañcāṅgam eva nārī tu

nānyathā muni-sattama  

Translation: "The men may perform aṣṭāṅga or pañcāṅga praṇāmas (according to their capacity), however the women should perform pañcāṅga praṇāmas only and not otherwise."  

Reference: Skanda Puraṇa, Volume 2, Gurumaṇḍala Series No. 20, Published in Calcutta in 1960.

[Shashi Joshi]

Sometimes the explanation may be simpler, wrapped in 'divine injunction' etc

Even in modern times you may find that when a woman bends forward, cleavage exposure can be a bit awkward,  specially in a place of worship or in front of elders - situations where she may be doing pranam.

Times and dress codes have changed, and yet certain things can make a ln awkward moment.

Thank you,
Shashi

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[Mahamaho. Subrahmanyam Korada]

नमो विद्वद्भ्यः

दण्डवत्प्रणाम / साष्टाङ्गप्रणाम  is not for ladies . They may offer नमस्कार just by जानुपात (sitting on knees and not bending) as is being done today

across the country . 

There are some ladies performing दण्डवत्प्रणाम in temples but it is against शिष्टाचार ।

ननाम भुवि कायेन दण्डवत् प्रीतिविह्वला

देवहूति got involved in such an act as she was प्रीतिविह्वला --

a person who cannot control his limbs -- स्वाङ्गान्येव धारयितुम् अशक्तः -- is called विह्वल -- here the lady , although described as having control on

sense organs - प्रगृह्येन्द्रियदुष्टाश्वान् (2) she lost control due to the abundant प्रीति she had had in परमात्मा  and  offered दण्डवत्प्रणाम  which is

against सदाचार - not deliberately .

स्वभावोक्तिः - ’स्वभावोक्तिरलङ्कारः यथावद्वस्तुवर्णनात्’ ।

विक्लबो विह्वलः -- अमरकोशः ।

पार्वती  slightly bowed her head , got the flower (नवकर्णिकार) dropped from her head as well as the tender leaf from her ear (कर्णच्युतपल्लवेन)

and offered प्रणाम to शिव  --

उमापि नीलालकमध्यशोभि विस्रंसयन्ती नवकर्णिकारम्।

चकार कर्णच्युतपल्लवेन मूर्ध्ना प्रणांमं  वृषभध्वजाय॥  3-62 ,  कुमारसंभवम्

Meaning of नमस्कार -- ’I am inferior to you and you are superior to me ' .

According to धर्मशास्त्रम्  ’a single hand नमस्कार’ would destroy all the धर्म accrued .

उरसा शिरसा दृष्ट्या मनसा वचसा तथा ।

पद्भ्यां कराभ्यां जानुभ्यां प्रणामो’ष्टाङ्ग ईरितः ॥ व्यासः

धन्यो’स्मि

Dr.Korada Subrahmanyam
Adju.Professor , Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT, Hyderabad

299 Doyen , Serilingampally, Hyderabad 500 019
Ph:09866110741

Skype Id: Subrahmanyam Korada

Blog: Koradeeyam.blogspot.in 

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[kenp]

Here are some links.

https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/7981/why-permit-anga-pradakshina-but-not-saashtaanga-namaskaram-for-women

https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/offering-dandavat-a-nurturing-display-of-surrender

https://www.herzindagi.com/hindi/society-culture/why-women-forbidden-from-sashtang-pranam-in-astrology-article-223560

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/why-are-women-forbidden-from-doing-ashtanga-pranama

https://www.religiousforums.com/threads/women-doing-full-dandavats.111491/

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaskarams and many thanks Sir, for the very nice explanation.  Even though the Bhagavata says that Devahuti did dandavat pranam, the word vihvalaa suggests what you have explained so nicely.  So, the act of Devahuti ought not to be taken as something that can be emulated. One (a woman) has to act as per the dharma shaastra dictate of not doing dandavat pranam.

warm regards

subrahmanian.v  

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[Lokesh Sharma]

नमस्ते

There's no justified reason as to why women can't perform दण्डवत् प्रणाम. And to place such a restriction based on the whims of certain texts which too lack reason, isn't very thoughtful either. तत्त्वज्ञा should go for the essential teachings of सनातन धर्म and not the surface-level teachings which change with time and place.

> she lost control due to the abundant प्रीति she had had in परमात्मा  and  offered दण्डवत्प्रणाम  which is against सदाचार - not deliberately .

This doesn't make sense. Firstly, if one has abundant प्रीति and is affectionate towards someone one is seen to embrace the loved one and not bow down.

Secondly, the आचरण of a भक्ता shall serve as प्रमाण for सदाचार and not the other way around, that is judging the आचरण of भक्ता as good or bad

In भक्ति there's no application of नियमा and आचार-व्यवहार which makes sense in mundane life. This is the beauty of Sanatana Dharma, that is it gives the space to people to practice what they want and how they want. 

Sanatana Dharma is about seeing one true परब्रह्म in everybody, and everybody in the same परब्रह्म, treating the other as one would like oneself to be treated by others. The व्यवहार is secondary.

I remember, that once to my Guru Ji certain pundits said that भक्ताः in your ashram sing and dance giving up all सदाचार in front of Shri Krishna which isn't right, Guru Ji said to them - "सदाचार / व्यवहार has its place in mundane life, not here. Shri Krishna only require one's प्रीति, neither नीति nor रीति. Save your नीति and रीति for the world, and प्रीति for the Shri Krishna, not the other way around. 

ॐ

[కృష్ణ చైతన్య]

नमस्काराः।

Considering दण्डवत्प्रणाम is same as साष्टाङ्गप्रणाम and involves 8 limbs namely (i) उरस् (ii) शिरस् (iii) दृष्टि (iv) मनस् (v) वचस् (vi) पाद (vii) कर and (viii) जानु ;

in “पञ्चाङ्गमेव नारी तु नान्यथा मुनिसत्तम” what are the पञ्चाङ्गाः being alluded to?  Is पञ्चाङ्जप्रणाम same as जानुपात?

प्रणामैः,

कृष्णचैतन्यः

 

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[Krishna Kumar Pillalamarri]

Dear Sri Lokesh Sharma,

In my humble opinion, there is a valid reason as to why 'Dandavat
Pranama' should not be offered by women. This is reasoning only, and
not backed by a dharma sastra (atleast I can't quote). Prithvi carries
the curse of Parvati Devi and becomes ineligible to bear children. In
fact, she has to become the wife of father/son/grandson etc., as
kingdoms pass from father to son. Since women's hRdaya sthanam is a
symbol of motherhood, it is required for women not to touch the
prithvi in saashtaanga pranaamam.

Best Regards,

Krishna

Krishna Kumar Pillalamarri
Ph-Cell: 408-373-9273

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