Recently a knotty problem was placed before me. The problem or the question may be knotty but the reply is very simple. The question was whether ladies are entitled to get salvation or emancipation.

Recently I told you that in Tantra it has been said Dehabhrt mukto bhavati nátra saḿshayah. The minimum qualification for acquiring self-knowledge is that a person should have a human body. This is the minimum qualification. It has not been mentioned here whether that spiritual aspirant should be a male or a female. From this it is clear that both are equally entitled to get salvation.

It is a fact that in almost all the scriptures and their notes and commentaries, it has been said in unambiguous language that women are not entitled to get salvation. But the decision, or the ideology, or the judgement of Ananda Marga is quite different. In our opinion, and also in my opinion, both are equally entitled to get salvation or emancipation. I support no distinction between males and females. Our common sense says that among all the kośas of human existence, that is, annamaya kośa, kámamaya kośa,⁽¹⁾ and all the kośas, the difference between male and female lies in the lower two kośas: annamaya kośa and kámamaya kośa; the kośas which are closely associated with the body. In all other remaining kośas the sex-difference does not arise. And all the subtler tastes, all other subtler experiments and experiences of human existence are in the higher kośas and not in the two lower kośas which are closely associated with the physical body.

The paternal feeling remains unchanged whether the child is a male child or a female child. Similarly, for Parama Puruśa, all males are His sons and all females are His daughters. Then why should He encourage any differentiation? When salvation, or the doors of salvation, are open to males, the doors of salvation and emancipation are also open to His daughters. Why not? Logic demands this.

Those vested interests, or those who had vested interests in the realm of religion, not spirituality, used to say that salvation is only for males. They perpetrated their exploitation over females for an indefinite period. This was the psychology. They were guided by this psychology. That is why they used to say that salvation and emancipation are for males only.

Now, the entire universe is His creation. Rather, it will be more correct to say that the entire universe is the metamorphosed form of Parama Puruśa. I remember that I told you once that we have no faith in “avatár-ism”. At the same time we say that each and every particle of creation is His avatára [divine incarnation]. You are all His avatáras, not only males but females also.

Tvaḿ strii tvaḿ pumánasi
Tvaḿ kumára uta vá kumárii
Tvaḿ jiirńadań d́ena vancayasi
Tvaḿ játo bhavasi vishvatomukhah

“You are in the form of women. You are in the form of men. You are in the form of girls. You are in the form of boys. You move along the road in the guise of an old man with a stick in Your hands, and as soon as You create Yourself, You become all seeing, omniscient, omnipotent.” You are all His avatáras because you are “descents”⁽²⁾ of the Supreme Entity, the “coming down” of the Supreme Entity. You are all avatáras. He has transformed, He has metamorphosed, Himself into all the forms, so many forms, innumerable forms, and not only males, females also.

Each and every entity, all the entities, big or small, are entitled to enjoy that supreme stance of salvation. Those who are not in human forms cannot do sádhaná, but they can, by His Grace, by His Bliss, attain salvation. Even an insect can attain salvation if so desired by Him. It is a fact that an insect cannot do sádhaná because its body is not that of a human being, but it also can attain salvation if so desired by Him. And those scripture-holders who say that women cannot attain salvation have got no right to do so. It is nothing but audacity on their part to say such things.

Footnotes

(1) Kośas are layers of mind. Annamaya kośa is the outermost layer – the body. Kámamaya kośa is the next layer – the waking or conscious mind. –Trans.

(2) Avatára literally means “descent”. –Trans.