Atman has no gender

Atman, soul – is it male, female or other variations of male and/or female? Is it he, she or they? Atman is none of these; it is neutral.

The higher Self, universal consciousness, is eternal, unchanging, infinite and all-inclusive. There is no question of assigning gender to these concepts. Yet, in our daily lives, we nitpick over gender roles, gender rights and gender expectations in a warped, patriarchal world of our own creation, by distorting spiritual and scriptural concepts, misunderstanding gender roles. We have made male domination the social norm in almost all cultures, whether located in the east, west, north or south.

Scriptures are often misquoted or misinterpreted especially when it comes to gender and this lopsided perspective is propagated as being an integral part of religion. While women are invoked as goddesses, on the ground, they are treated as inferiors and are expected to play second fiddle.

Pointing out that women have an exalted status in core spiritual traditions, The saying ‘Maa ke paer ke niche jannat hai’ – Paradise is at the mother’s feet. Nobody ever says this about the father.”

Prophet Muhammad once told one of his disciples: “If you are performing the recommended prayer and your father calls for you, do not break your prayer. But if your mother calls you, please do break your prayer.”

Yin and Yang of Taoism are symbolic of male and female energies that make up the composite whole. Ardhanarishwar, depicting Shiv and Shakti in one murti, half-and-half, Purush and Prakriti, portraying both masculine and feminine energies, constitute the universe and everything in it.

Over centuries it has come to pass that the female of the species is weaker than the male, in every respect, and scriptural sayings taken out of context to support this premise. At their core, no faith promotes patriarchy.