Menstruation in Sanatan Dharma
Should women on periods pray or enter temples? The truth will shock you.
Point 1 - Sanātana Dharma has never seen sex, fertility, or procreation as dirty the way Western people did.
From the Vedas to the Smṛtis, the woman’s yoni i.e. womb was called sacred, and menstruation - Māsa Dharma - was seen as a monthly sacrifice of the ovum that cleanses the body and mind.
So this the opposite of impurity, which means a women is actually her purest & most powerful form of Shakti in action during this time.
That’s why across Bharat, girls’ first cycles were celebrated through Ritushuddhi ceremonies, where a rajasvalā was honored and gifted to make her feel safe.
Over time, foreign invaders and orthodoxy from Brahmin men twisted this into a reason to shun, hurt & exclude women at their most vulnerable point.
But any guy who believes that crap should look up the Ambubachi Mela (अम्बुबाची) in Assam, where the Devi’s menstruation is literally worshipped every year around June at the Kāmākhyā (कामाख्या) temple.
Point 2 - Our Ayurveda & Yoga Sutras already knew that during menses, the downward-moving energy called “Apāna Vāyu” becomes dominant, triggering a disturbance in the vata dosha element that makes you dull & cranky during “that time of the month.”
So forcing intense meditation or temple rituals, which pull your spiritual energy upward, can create a “tug of war” in the body.
That’s why in the old days, women were actually given the privilege of resting, avoiding heavy chores, and focusing on recovery.
Even disorders like PCOS have been addressed in texts like the Caraka Saṁhitā, proving the aim was never to oppress, but to heal.
Also we didn’t have sanitary pads back then, and so long travel or climbing temple stairs was discouraged out of hygiene reasons, not stigma of impurity.
Point 3 - Now the times have changed. Today women have the sanitary products like cups & pads that enable them to go on treks, commute to work, lift heavy weights at the gym, and manage households - all while bleeding.
So there’s no barrier to visiting temples, touching scriptures, or doing light sādhana if it feels right. Because it isn’t the body but the Ātman that visits the temple - and the Ātman is never impure.
So the next time someone says periods make women unfit for prayer, show them this Reel & fight the media propaganda that makes us question our faith.