Let's talk about "Menstruation", "Periods" or do you prefer "Chums" 
. And let's talk about taboos related to it. It is gonna be long, I hope you survive 
.
I wanted to post this in the All About Sex section but it needs to be reached to everyone around. So I posted it in here.
Some social taboos regarding menstruation:
1)It is bad blood.
2)Women who are menstruating should not be touched, they are untouchables.
3)Women who are menstruating should not cook or touch anything in the kitchen or clothes in the house. No one should eat food given/made by those women.
4)Women who are menstruating should not do pooja or go to temples.
5)Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house.
Let's debunk these taboos one by one. Let's do thisssssss
!
1)It is bad blood:
Just because it is coming from down there, it doesn't mean it is bad blood. Blood is essential for the human body and the blood women menstruate is the blood that aids in a baby's growth and keeps a baby alive when a woman gets pregnant. When the woman is not pregnant there is no need for that blood to be there and the body can't absorb that blood back in, so it flushes the blood out along with menses. It is the same blood that comes out when you cut your finger. So don't say it is bad. If you think it is bad, you are also implying that your whole body is bad because your body came into existence because of that blood only and you came out of down there only. Our ancestors called it bad in the sense that any blood whether it is from your finger or vagina, once it is outside, the bacterial growth will take place on it. It doesn't matter whether it came from a finger or a vagina, the bacteria does what it has to do. So our ancestors called it bad blood because in those days there were no sanitary pads and women used to leak the blood on the floors. So to make children not step on that blood (as the children's immunity is not strong, as there is a chance to get diseases by stepping on urine, like in case of Jaundice, and on blood) and get any bacterial infections, our ancestors called it bad.
Fun fact: Do you know the vagina is a self-cleaning part of your body? It cleans itself naturally by its own secretions. But that doesn't mean you should neglect hygiene gals
.
2)Women who are menstruating should not be touched, they are untouchables:
Our ancestors said it to keep men distant from women during periods. As they know that when a woman is menstruating, she feels uncomfortable, she gets mood swings, she gets vulnerable, she gets abdominal pain and she will be weak and sensitive. In the old times, people knew mostly two things, work, and sex. That is why our ancestors had more children than us (My great-grandpa had 18 kids btw). As the men, those days were not so smart and because they were stubborn, some wise men made this rule to subdue men using the name of God (In some households elders say that if you touch a menstruating woman, God will get angry with you). So that rule with good intention became a taboo and a religious practice over time. So you must understand that menstruating women are not untouchables. You just have to keep in mind that you should not ask us for sex during those days. It is that easy.
3)Women who are menstruating should not cook or touch anything in the kitchen or clothes in the house. No one should eat food given/made by those women:
In the old times, there are no soaps and sanitizers to make your hands free from bacteria. When a woman is menstruating, when she goes to pee, she has to clean her vagina after peeing. While doing that some blood gets on her hands. And the blood is not that easy to remove from your hands. Even if you wash your hands with water properly there might be some bacteria left on your hands. And if you cook with those hands or touch things with those hands, the bacteria will spread to children through that food. And we know that bacteria will spoil things in the kitchen, so the wise men those days made a rule to not eat from the hands of a menstruating woman. It became a taboo and religious practice afterward. And the rule was also made to give rest to women those days, as working in the kitchens with heat and all is a hectic task, so it will take a toll on women. But nowadays we have soaps and sanitizers and kitchens which produce little to no heat, so this practice should not be followed anymore. And as for that clothes matter, it is because women might get them stained if there is blood on their hands. In those days blood stains are not easily removable, but nowadays "Washing powder Nirma", "Surf excel", "Ariel", "Vanish" and so many.
4)Women who are menstruating should not do pooja or go to temples:
Our elders say when we do pooja or go to temples while menstruating, God will get angry with you and you will absorb negative energy into your body. I want to battle this taboo using God himself.
Katopanishad, Chapter 2, Part 2, Mantra 15
Na tatra suryo bhaati na chandrataarakam nema vidyuto bhaanti kutoyamagnihi |
Tameva bhaantamanubhaati sarvam tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhati ||
Explanation: The Sun won't shine, the Moon will lose his luster, the stars won't light the sky, even the fire won't give any brightness. For whatever exists because of him only. For all that is bright is the shadow of his brightness.
To put it in simple words he is omnipotent. Unchallenged and unchanged are his ways.
My favorite God Krishna said the below sloka
Bhagavadgita, Chapter 13, Verse 14
Sarvataha paani-paadam tat sarvato kshishiromukham |
Sarvataha shrutimalloke sarvamaavrithyatishtati ||
Explanation: Everywhere are his hands and feet, eyes, heads, and faces. His ears too are in all places, for he pervades everything in the universe.
To put it in simple words, he is omnipresent. He is watching you when you are committing sins, he is listening to you when you are hurling abuses, he is there when you are having sex, he is there when you are peeing, he is there when you are crying and he is there when you are sleeping. He is the all watching eye.
I took the above mantra and sloka to prove one thing. He exists everywhere, not only in temples. If you consider temples as the residence of God, then even your house is a temple because he said it himself that he is everywhere which includes your house. Now, do you want to put your women outside and not let them get into your house because your house is a "temple" too? He is being omnipotent, if he thinks menstruation is wrong and bad, do you think he will let your women menstruate? So this taboo came into existence, not because of God's feelings. So there must be a reason behind it.
Now let's discuss why our ancestors made this rule to not let women get into the temples or do pooja during menstruation. You see big temples have ponds in them. People used to come and take bath in those ponds, after the bath they used to visit God. Now imagine menstruating women getting into that pond, the blood will get into the pond, overtime bacterial growth will occur which can lead to so many diseases. And if you are a menstruating woman, you might leak the blood on the temple's floors on the way to God, and temples being crowded places people might step on that blood and it will be hard to do the cleaning among that crowd. So wise men of that time forbade menstruating women to get into temples. As for the pooja part, it is because of bacteria. Pooja samagri is touched by all in households and after pooja, prasad or teerdham will be shared with everyone in the family, so bacteria might spread through that. But nowadays bacteria is not a problem because of soaps, sanitizers, and awareness of personal hygiene, sanitary pads, and all. And the problem of leaking blood on the floor can be dealt with sanitary pads. So it is okay for menstruating women to go to temples now. The only thing menstruating women should keep in mind is not to get into a temple's pond. Now about the negative energy thing, it is just a hoax to keep you at home. Temples won't have any negative energy inside of them.
Optional reading:
This is my personal favorite, it is about a temple in Kerala. It was in the news 2 years ago. Supreme court passed a verdict to allow women of all ages into the temple. But some religious fanatics (I called them fanatics because they blindly believe stuff, they don't want to know the why part) felt it is wrong to allow women of ages between 10-50 into the temple. They say that the God who resides in that temple is a Brahmachari (a virgin in the eternal celibate state). So they say the brahmacharya of God will be disturbed if those women enter into the temple (I am not making this up, it is their statement). They say that they are not allowing women of those ages out of respect for God's brahmacharya. Wow! Really?
. And I was like "Did God ask you to protect him from women? Do you think God will lose his celibacy or will get feelings on seeing those women? If he gets feelings on seeing a woman, what is the difference between him and us?" God is supreme, he cannot be made unholy by anyone. He doesn't get horny and lose his celibacy on seeing women as he is above all those carnal desires. These fanatics missed this small logic.
End of optional reading.
Having said all this, I suggest women to not go to any temples during periods. At least don't visit those temples in which your visit to God takes more than 3 hours. Because you should change your pad every 3/4 hours. And those temples don't have any facilities you can use to change your pads when you are in a long line. Forget about God, it gets really uncomfortable for you. And as for the small temples which take less than 10 minutes to visit God, you can go to those temples, but why taking all that trouble getting a head bath, getting ready, and visiting a temple during periods? Take a chill pill and take ample amount of rest. I gave a suggestion. Now it is up to you to visit temples or not during periods. If you are planning to visit, take precautions (you know what I mean).
5)Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house:
Our ancestors said it to prevent women from leaking blood drops all over the floors unintentionally, as they only have to do the cleaning afterward. And some morons twisted it to "Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house". Wow!! Let's give them a clap
.
Now you got your answers. Now whomever read this post, I hope you got enlightened and probably got bored too.
PS: I hope I explained the mantra and sloka well. I am not a Sanskrit reader so, sorry if I made any mistakes in the translation. I tried my best to explain it from the source. If you do find any mistakes in the thread, let me know.
. And let's talk about taboos related to it. It is gonna be long, I hope you survive .I wanted to post this in the All About Sex section but it needs to be reached to everyone around. So I posted it in here.
Some social taboos regarding menstruation:
1)It is bad blood.
2)Women who are menstruating should not be touched, they are untouchables.
3)Women who are menstruating should not cook or touch anything in the kitchen or clothes in the house. No one should eat food given/made by those women.
4)Women who are menstruating should not do pooja or go to temples.
5)Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house.
Let's debunk these taboos one by one. Let's do thisssssss
!1)It is bad blood:
Just because it is coming from down there, it doesn't mean it is bad blood. Blood is essential for the human body and the blood women menstruate is the blood that aids in a baby's growth and keeps a baby alive when a woman gets pregnant. When the woman is not pregnant there is no need for that blood to be there and the body can't absorb that blood back in, so it flushes the blood out along with menses. It is the same blood that comes out when you cut your finger. So don't say it is bad. If you think it is bad, you are also implying that your whole body is bad because your body came into existence because of that blood only and you came out of down there only. Our ancestors called it bad in the sense that any blood whether it is from your finger or vagina, once it is outside, the bacterial growth will take place on it. It doesn't matter whether it came from a finger or a vagina, the bacteria does what it has to do. So our ancestors called it bad blood because in those days there were no sanitary pads and women used to leak the blood on the floors. So to make children not step on that blood (as the children's immunity is not strong, as there is a chance to get diseases by stepping on urine, like in case of Jaundice, and on blood) and get any bacterial infections, our ancestors called it bad.
Fun fact: Do you know the vagina is a self-cleaning part of your body? It cleans itself naturally by its own secretions. But that doesn't mean you should neglect hygiene gals
.2)Women who are menstruating should not be touched, they are untouchables:
Our ancestors said it to keep men distant from women during periods. As they know that when a woman is menstruating, she feels uncomfortable, she gets mood swings, she gets vulnerable, she gets abdominal pain and she will be weak and sensitive. In the old times, people knew mostly two things, work, and sex. That is why our ancestors had more children than us (My great-grandpa had 18 kids btw). As the men, those days were not so smart and because they were stubborn, some wise men made this rule to subdue men using the name of God (In some households elders say that if you touch a menstruating woman, God will get angry with you). So that rule with good intention became a taboo and a religious practice over time. So you must understand that menstruating women are not untouchables. You just have to keep in mind that you should not ask us for sex during those days. It is that easy.
3)Women who are menstruating should not cook or touch anything in the kitchen or clothes in the house. No one should eat food given/made by those women:
In the old times, there are no soaps and sanitizers to make your hands free from bacteria. When a woman is menstruating, when she goes to pee, she has to clean her vagina after peeing. While doing that some blood gets on her hands. And the blood is not that easy to remove from your hands. Even if you wash your hands with water properly there might be some bacteria left on your hands. And if you cook with those hands or touch things with those hands, the bacteria will spread to children through that food. And we know that bacteria will spoil things in the kitchen, so the wise men those days made a rule to not eat from the hands of a menstruating woman. It became a taboo and religious practice afterward. And the rule was also made to give rest to women those days, as working in the kitchens with heat and all is a hectic task, so it will take a toll on women. But nowadays we have soaps and sanitizers and kitchens which produce little to no heat, so this practice should not be followed anymore. And as for that clothes matter, it is because women might get them stained if there is blood on their hands. In those days blood stains are not easily removable, but nowadays "Washing powder Nirma", "Surf excel", "Ariel", "Vanish" and so many.
4)Women who are menstruating should not do pooja or go to temples:
Our elders say when we do pooja or go to temples while menstruating, God will get angry with you and you will absorb negative energy into your body. I want to battle this taboo using God himself.
Katopanishad, Chapter 2, Part 2, Mantra 15
Na tatra suryo bhaati na chandrataarakam nema vidyuto bhaanti kutoyamagnihi |
Tameva bhaantamanubhaati sarvam tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhati ||
Explanation: The Sun won't shine, the Moon will lose his luster, the stars won't light the sky, even the fire won't give any brightness. For whatever exists because of him only. For all that is bright is the shadow of his brightness.
To put it in simple words he is omnipotent. Unchallenged and unchanged are his ways.
My favorite God Krishna said the below sloka
Bhagavadgita, Chapter 13, Verse 14
Sarvataha paani-paadam tat sarvato kshishiromukham |
Sarvataha shrutimalloke sarvamaavrithyatishtati ||
Explanation: Everywhere are his hands and feet, eyes, heads, and faces. His ears too are in all places, for he pervades everything in the universe.
To put it in simple words, he is omnipresent. He is watching you when you are committing sins, he is listening to you when you are hurling abuses, he is there when you are having sex, he is there when you are peeing, he is there when you are crying and he is there when you are sleeping. He is the all watching eye.
I took the above mantra and sloka to prove one thing. He exists everywhere, not only in temples. If you consider temples as the residence of God, then even your house is a temple because he said it himself that he is everywhere which includes your house. Now, do you want to put your women outside and not let them get into your house because your house is a "temple" too? He is being omnipotent, if he thinks menstruation is wrong and bad, do you think he will let your women menstruate? So this taboo came into existence, not because of God's feelings. So there must be a reason behind it.
Now let's discuss why our ancestors made this rule to not let women get into the temples or do pooja during menstruation. You see big temples have ponds in them. People used to come and take bath in those ponds, after the bath they used to visit God. Now imagine menstruating women getting into that pond, the blood will get into the pond, overtime bacterial growth will occur which can lead to so many diseases. And if you are a menstruating woman, you might leak the blood on the temple's floors on the way to God, and temples being crowded places people might step on that blood and it will be hard to do the cleaning among that crowd. So wise men of that time forbade menstruating women to get into temples. As for the pooja part, it is because of bacteria. Pooja samagri is touched by all in households and after pooja, prasad or teerdham will be shared with everyone in the family, so bacteria might spread through that. But nowadays bacteria is not a problem because of soaps, sanitizers, and awareness of personal hygiene, sanitary pads, and all. And the problem of leaking blood on the floor can be dealt with sanitary pads. So it is okay for menstruating women to go to temples now. The only thing menstruating women should keep in mind is not to get into a temple's pond. Now about the negative energy thing, it is just a hoax to keep you at home. Temples won't have any negative energy inside of them.
Optional reading:
This is my personal favorite, it is about a temple in Kerala. It was in the news 2 years ago. Supreme court passed a verdict to allow women of all ages into the temple. But some religious fanatics (I called them fanatics because they blindly believe stuff, they don't want to know the why part) felt it is wrong to allow women of ages between 10-50 into the temple. They say that the God who resides in that temple is a Brahmachari (a virgin in the eternal celibate state). So they say the brahmacharya of God will be disturbed if those women enter into the temple (I am not making this up, it is their statement). They say that they are not allowing women of those ages out of respect for God's brahmacharya. Wow! Really?
. And I was like "Did God ask you to protect him from women? Do you think God will lose his celibacy or will get feelings on seeing those women? If he gets feelings on seeing a woman, what is the difference between him and us?" God is supreme, he cannot be made unholy by anyone. He doesn't get horny and lose his celibacy on seeing women as he is above all those carnal desires. These fanatics missed this small logic.End of optional reading.
Having said all this, I suggest women to not go to any temples during periods. At least don't visit those temples in which your visit to God takes more than 3 hours. Because you should change your pad every 3/4 hours. And those temples don't have any facilities you can use to change your pads when you are in a long line. Forget about God, it gets really uncomfortable for you. And as for the small temples which take less than 10 minutes to visit God, you can go to those temples, but why taking all that trouble getting a head bath, getting ready, and visiting a temple during periods? Take a chill pill and take ample amount of rest. I gave a suggestion. Now it is up to you to visit temples or not during periods. If you are planning to visit, take precautions (you know what I mean).
5)Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house:
Our ancestors said it to prevent women from leaking blood drops all over the floors unintentionally, as they only have to do the cleaning afterward. And some morons twisted it to "Women who are menstruating should sit in a corner, they should not roam the house". Wow!! Let's give them a clap
.Now you got your answers. Now whomever read this post, I hope you got enlightened and probably got bored too.
PS: I hope I explained the mantra and sloka well. I am not a Sanskrit reader so, sorry if I made any mistakes in the translation. I tried my best to explain it from the source. If you do find any mistakes in the thread, let me know.
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