Are women not worthy of salvation?

[Smt. Lalitha Sadwi: Women are not worthy for moksham. According to Buddhism, Jainism women didn't get moksha. If there were any good women, they would just get rebirth as a male. That’s why I am very disappointed and Adishankaracharya also said this only and Krishna also said the same. (Krishna said animals and women also would get moksha...so according to Krishna’s version, women and animal have equal right). That’s why i didn't like any God except Lord Sri Rama. I didn't accept Krishna in past life is Rama.100%, my Sri Rama is not at all Krishna. Sri Rama is the one and only God. Krishna always said ‘I am Rama I am Rama’. He is lying.]

Swami replied:- You have formed an absolutely wrong opinion based on wrong information collected from wrong people. Krishna never said that animals will get salvation because animals don’t have intelligence (Buddhi) and the analytical capability of intelligence is the basic requirement for salvation and hence, Gita was started with Buddhi Yoga or Jnaana Yoga or Samkhya Yoga. Hence, this is 100% wrong information. When animals are not all mentioned in the context of salvation, how can you say that women and animals are equal in the context of attaining salvation! Again, this is another 100% wrong information.

You say that Rama is a good God because Rama did not speak like Krishna. Rama did not speak anything in this context. Not speaking anything in a context does not mean speaking against that context. In such case, when Krishna is silent, He must be Rama. Scriptures say that Rama is reborn as Krishna and the punishment of killing Vaali from behind the tree as Rama was received by Krishna and this shows that Krishna is the rebirth of Rama. When Jambavaan fought with Krishna for several days and got defeated, then Krishna appeared as Rama to him. Based on your misunderstanding caused by false information, you have blasted even the scriptures in hasty way. The woman is praised to be equal to the earth (kṣamayā ca pṛdhvī). The soul and its qualities are responsible for the salvation and not the external body, which alone has gender.

There are several ladies like Gargii, Sulabhaa Yoginii, Maitreyii, who are very great Vedic scholars, who got salvation. The word Purasha does not mean male and it means both male and female. Purusha means the soul or awareness lying in the body (puri śete iti Puruṣaḥ). Hence, whenever the word Purusha comes in spiritual knowledge, it means the soul, which may have the male or female body. Do you know what the Veda says? The Veda says that all males are also females and wives of God and God alone is male. Do you know that Miiraa asked her guru Tulasidas “is there male in souls also?” Hearing this, Tulasidas fell on the feet of Miiraa without having the gender-feeling. I don’t think that any religion has told such ignorant concepts and I am sure that Adishankara never told such things. He said that the caste and gender cannot stand in the way of salvation (Brahma kṣatrādyanapetam…).

You should have asked this subject as a question without drawing hasty conclusions like Krishna is telling lies etc. Unless you discuss the subject with scholars, don’t draw hasty conclusions. Such a quality will do lot of harm in your life. Please don’t misunderstand Me for giving this true advise, which is harsh because truth that is good for your welfare is always harsh.