Are Women Impure During Periods?

Nowadays one reel is going very viral. Maybe you have seen it or maybe not. The reel is about misconceptions about periods. For those who don’t know about which reel I am talking about then let me tell you in detail.

The reel is about, whether are we allowed to do pooja during periods or not. The reel states a story from Mahabharata from the cheer haran scene. The story is that when cheer haran was taking place at that time Draupadi was on her period and when she sought help from Bhagwan Krishna. He helped her and saved her. This story ends with the conclusion that even though Draupadi was on her period she prayed and God helped her. So, there is no rule about not worshiping during periods.

I agree with it that it’s a myth that we are impure during periods that’s why we are not allowed to worship. No one ever said this. I don’t from where this myth started. Let’s bust this myth and talk about some facts. But before that let me clear you that worshiping(praying) and going to the temple are two different things.

It's nowhere written that women are not allowed to worship during her periods. It’s just a myth. It’s nowhere written in our Vedas. Our religion never says that worshiping during period is not allowed and also it doesn’t state that women become impure during this phase of the month. To prove my words, I would like to tell you about Kamakhya Devi temple which is in Assam Guwahati. I hope you all know the story of Sati. In case you don’t know then let me tell you in short. When Sati left her body after her father insulted his son-in-law i.e., Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva found out this, he was very angry and sad too. He left Kailash and everything and started wandering with Sati’s dead body. Everyone becomes worried. What will happen to the world if lord shiva keeps on mourning like this? Then Lord Vishnu ordered his Sudarshan chakra to go and cut the human body of sati in 51 pieces. It fell on many places on earth and now we know these places as Shakti Peeths. The vagina of the goddess fell on the hill of Guwahati in Assam. Today that place is known as Kamakhya Devi temple. It is one of the most powerful temples among all the Shakti Peeths. There the vagina of the goddess is worshiped and you guys question our religion that we don’t let bleeding woman worship and let her enter the temple. Every year during May the goddess has her periods and the temple is closed for 4 days and only female pandit is allowed inside the temple. Even the river Brahmaputra which flows beside the temple turns red and it is said that the river turns red due to her mensuration. This time of the year is considered as the most important time and people tend to visit the temple during this time more. And still, will u say we are being unfair to bleeding women? In our books, we never stated that women become impure during their periods or restrict them from worshiping.

Once it was asked a very high-rank priest of Kamakhya Devi that why women are not allowed inside the temple during their periods because she is impure. He answered that who said women are not allowed in temples because she becomes impure during that time? The thing is that temples hold very high energies which affect the menstruation cycle of the women for a lifetime and they can even end up with irregular periods and all. That’s why women are not allowed inside the temple and not because they are impure.

So, I hope now you are clear with the myths which were prevailing around periods and about women being considered impure during periods.

~Ananya