How To Serve Lord When You Are Mensurating?

Life comes to a halt when you realize that your periods have started and you won't be able to serve your beloved deities for the next 5-7days.

Periods of mensuration is a period of "rest" as suggested by scriptures as well as doctors, not just in India but every part of the world. Almost all of the women face abdominal cramps, mood swings, and other bodily pains during this time. According to a post shared by indiafact.org on the basis of a study, three out of four girls and women experience menstrual pain of varying intensity, and one out of ten experience such severe pain that they are unable to carry out their usual daily activities. 

It's a sigh of relief also as most of the women have to go through a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience during this period and they can take some rest. This is why rules were made in our society that forbade women from entering the kitchen and cooking to take proper rest. But nowadays in kali yuga, with industrialization families have become nuclear and there is only one woman in every house and if the man of the house is not supportive then the woman has to keep all her services going even during periods. 

In a nuclear family, a devotee woman who is serving all the family members but not her deities during periods may sometimes feel very helpless.

Periods last for 4-7 days. And if the other adults of the house do not care for deities then for the woman of the house who has been regularly serving them will feel awkward, guilty, and sad during this period. It's a taboo topic and is not discussed very much during lectures and therefore I thought of writing about it today.

Verses from Vashishta Dharmasutra (5.6) and Angirasa Smriti(37) recommend that women should stop doing any physically exerting activity like household work, exercise, running, and even cooking and should take rest during the mensuration period. They should resume their daily chores only after they completely stop discharging the mensurating blood. However, if you do not have any other adult in the house to take care of your deities and you really feel like not ignoring your deities for this phase, I can guide you to serve them without causing any aparadhas and causing stress on your mensurating body and mind.

Here is how you can serve your beloved deities even during the periods if you are already serving the rest of the family members:-

1. Buy fruits every day. Wash them well and then lovingly ask one of your children to rewash them, put a Tulasi leaf and serve them to the lord. This way, you will have satisfaction with having your beloved lord have the bhoga and your kids will understand how much this process means to you and will feel inspired. Make sure not to push them too hard or shame them for not doing it with as much interest as you do. Remember that your job is to get the offering done by them, it really doesn't matter if they find it interesting at first or not. Your patience will bring positive outcomes.
2. Whatever meals you prepare for your family, serve it on a regular plate and yourself offer it to the picture of Radha-Krishna or any other forms of Vishnu on your mobile while parallelly thinking of your home deities and request them to see if they can accept it that way.
3. Jap, keertan, reading, hearing, thinking, and taking darshans of your deities is never prohibited during any stage of physiological or medical stage of the body during one's life. So you can always do this during your periods.
4. Do not force or chastise a family member to serve deities. Deities don't like someone being chastised, people talking in loud voice, or quarreling in front of them. Hence better to keep praying from a distance during periods and do what you can do, than to chastise or quarrel with a family member to serve them.

Take care of yourself during periods and take a break from hectic life if possible. Remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Krishna understands the love you have for him in your heart 💓 and his love doesn't cease for you during your periods even if your services cease because of following rules from scriptures.

Wish you a very Happy Krishna Conscious Life.

Hare Krishna

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