Ways to Sabarimala

Should women go to Sabarimala? No! They should not if the rule says so. Who made the rules? Whoever made the rules, if the rule says so, they should not go. Should you take the 41 day penance, celibacy before you go to Sabrimala? I do not have time to do that, nor does my life style permit me to do it. Can I still go to the temple? Can non-Brahmins perform puja? Can we start wearing shoes inside temple, my shoes are clean? Can we have women performing puja in Guruvayur temple?

God is a belief. God is present for people who believe and is not present for those who do not. Religion has nothing to do with God. Religion is just a way of life and Worship is personal. Rules are based on beliefs. Belief being relative, rules are also relative. Personally, What is important is the respect for others beliefs meaning obeying common rules as long as it does not hurt you so bad that it can not be ignored. If it does not bother your day to day activities, the rule should be followed. If the rule discriminates, then it should be changed. Not allowing women to the temple, some may argue is sexual discrimination. Discrimination is when a person is not allowed to find a way of living or acquiring something. When a woman is asked not to visit a temple, no one is holding her from her livelihood, but only asking her to change the way of worship. When the husband takes the penance while going to Sabarimala, the wife too takes the same penance indirectly. The same devotion and bhakti that is present in the husband is shared with his wife too. The prayers that the husband chants are also recited mentally by the wife. Then, why should the wife take the pain of walking barefoot with the offerings in the head, bathing in the open rivers, using common public laboratories, when the husband is doing this for her?

Religion, God, beliefs can all be questioned. Anything based on faith does not have answers.