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Ricebox Studio: What does Hinduism say about menstruation?

Natasha Chawla: Hinduism has two categories of scriptures. Shruti is the eternal and unchanging knowledge revealed to great seers in their meditation since the inception of Time. Smrti is man’s societal customs and traditions of any given time.

In parts of rural India, it is a celebration when a girl first gets her period, as it is considered her passage into womanhood. Fertility is considered as a blessing, a chance to help bring life on earth.

Throughout India’s many regions, there were/are varying restrictions followed for girls/ladies during their menstruation period, but the premise is the same: It is a time of detoxification, when the body is ridding itself of toxins. Th[e] restrictions [vary] from not entering the kitchen, to not visiting a temple, to not serving guests. For the sake of “maintaining purity,” some customs are observed above reason and science simply because they are traditions of yore.

To say that menstruation is impure implies that the baby she delivers is also impure. Such statements are born of ignorance and not stated in Hindu scriptures, but nevertheless were often accepted by illiterates who succumbed to and promoted superstitions or traditions that carried on over time as a result of power plays for control.

In Hindu scriptures, the restrictions given seem to coincide more with logical reasoning, such as the need to stay indoors, revive energy, and maintain hygiene in a time when sanitary products had not been developed. For example, wild animals could attack at the smell of blood, so it was safer for women to remain indoors.

RS: What activities are women exempt or forbidden from doing during menstruation?

NC: In Hinduism it is suggested to abstain from sex when menstruating due to hygienic reasons. It is also suggested not to cook for others because your vibrations go into your food. It is well known that while cooking, it is important for a homemaker to have positive thoughts because thoughts, too, have energy, and energy affects everything. During menstruation, hormones are at play and can lead to wandering thoughts, or emotional swings, or a restless mind. These don’t spell balance, and such energy transfers into the food you cook for others.

It was said in much earlier days not to sleep in the same room or the same bed during menstruation, but this was also said because of hygienic reasons, and in a time when sanitary products had not yet been developed.

RS: In Hinduism, how is menstruation viewed?

NC: Menstruation is viewed as natural and part of the female cycle, not as clean or dirty. There is a concept of impurity in rituals because the body is unhygienic and the mind is susceptible. But whether menstruating or not, hormones at play can lead to a mind becoming agitated or imbalanced. To do any worship ritual properly, the mind should be calm, balanced, and focused.

The word shucha in Sanskrit means clean. It does not always imply purity. It is not that menstruating women are bad or impure. It is a matter of practicality and hygiene. Back in the day, to go to a place of worship, whether temple or mosque, without sanitary napkins was partly because it was unhygienic. To maintain the sanctity and purity of a holy place of pilgrimage, such as a temple, any negative vibrations of anyone, due to menstruation or not, should be checked at the door.

Hinduism, which reveres all natural forces and worships nature as the expression of Divine Mother of the cosmos, does not aim to suppress women. Over time, a lack of right thinking and understanding of Hindu scriptures have created countless taboos and stigmas. These have brought their own dangers, including society deeming natural phenomena like menstruation as dirty or impure.

RS: Why do you think menstruation is seen as a taboo topic when almost half the population will experience it at some point in their life?

NC: While most written Hindu scriptures and commentaries have been written by men, it is not that women are told not to discuss such matters or that their experiences are taboo and not for social discussion. Different cultures of countries, even in regions within countries, determine their own levels of conservatism, extreme or liberal, scientific or spiritual or superstitious, per their norms, customs, and traditions. In Hinduism, this is why smrti-shāstra (scriptures that adapt with the changing times per the values and needs of society) is important.

The driving force behind Hinduism is always dharma: for humanity to adopt right thinking and action that results in the highest welfare of all. For this, discussions will be needed at the right time, but if this does not happen, the respective affected sect of society will force it to happen because of its need. Matters stigmatised or labelled as taboo based on age-old traditions cannot, and should not, be buried or ignored for the sake of convenience. In Hinduism, dharma is key and awareness or alertness is its thought-provoking instigator.

RS: What practices regarding menstruation do you feel are not prescribed by religion, but come from cultural pressures?

NC: I don’t think Hinduism prescribes impractical rules and regulations for women. I think cultural pressures do have strong influences on the masses and on people who choose to remain unaware or overly conservative for the sake of blind tradition.

One cultural stigma about menstruation that continues is the insistence for women not to leave the house when menstruating, or not to enter the kitchen. Times have changed and women are part of the work-force to support their families. Hinduism’s scriptures focus on dharma, or righteousness, in societal living, to think and do what is dharmic, which necessarily means what is the best way to proceed to benefit all.

I think many cultural stigmas have been stamped as the insistences of religion when they are not so. And I think awareness and knowledge are key in helping create a more harmonious and dharmic society.

RS: What would you say to those who shame their daughters or women about their periods in the name of culture or religion?

NC: I think men wrongly shame women as a result of their own agitations, negativities, and weaknesses. It is a cultural defect born of ignorance, and ignorance can only be removed by knowledge. After all, how can a woman be blamed or eschewed because of a natural occurrence in her body?

RS: What practices regarding menstruation do you feel are not prescribed by religion, but come from cultural pressures?

NC: I don’t think Hinduism prescribes impractical rules and regulations for women. I think cultural pressures do have strong influences on the masses and on people who choose to remain unaware or overly conservative for the sake of blind tradition.

If you haven’t experienced something, it’s easy to shame it. It is more heart-breaking to hear of women shaming other women—they should know better.

RS: Are there any interpretations of menstruation within religious scriptures that are represented in a positive or natural way? Are there any positive stories?

NC: I read in a book on shāktas, or worshippers of Divine Mother, and practitioners of tantra yoga that they consider menstruation as something very sacred.

The Devipuram Temple in Andhra Pradesh is dedicated to Devi worship and the temple’s presiding deity is Goddess Lalita. In the temple, every woman is looked upon as the living Goddess. It is believed there that a woman’s entry into the temple results in the transmission of energy from the temple deity to her, even more so during a woman’s period. Far from considering it impure, menstruation is considered just the opposite—sacred.

In Hinduism, all forms of Devi (Goddess Parvati, Durga, Kali, Chandi, etc.) are, in various ways, related to fertility and/or blood. There are many temples like this that follow the cycle of the Goddess. Respecting a woman’s cycle, the temple is closed for three days a month for the living Goddess deity in the temple to rest. When the temple reopens, there is a celebration and devotees flock there.

RS: What would you say to a woman who feels impure, physically or spiritually, during her period?

NC: I would say, ‘Educate yourself and study the scriptures you follow, because naturally occurring hormonal changes are not an indication of impurity.’ If girls are taught properly on the who-what-why-when etc. of menstruation, I do not think they would feel this way. The taboo and secrecy around this natural phenomenon needs to be properly explained.

RS: What would you say to women who feel ashamed of menstrual leakage in a religious setting?

NC: Clearly, it is nothing to be ashamed about. It may be embarrassing, but it is not an offence against God or humanity. It happens.

RS: Is the topic of menstruation spoken about on a public level within Hinduism?

NC: Culturally, it is discussed and explained in private not public, woman to girl, not man to girl. In the modern day, educated Hindus do not hesitate to mention such topics in public. There are NGOs and social service programmes that serve India’s villages and rural areas, and help create awareness among village women about menstruation, sanitary napkins, hygiene, disposal, fertility, contraception, and similar topics.

RS: Do you think there is a responsibility to teach children about menstruation within Hinduism?

NC: More than searching for statements in Hindu scriptures, children learn science first. Menstruation is a regular, natural, scientific occurrence. It has to be introduced and taught at home or in school. This is the 21st century and I think there is a greater relevance and prevalence of these conversations today.