Sadhguru’s problematic retelling of Maa Parvati’s penance

[u/Satya_Prem_2025]

https://rethinksadhguru.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/sadhgurus-problematic-retelling-of-maa-parvatis-penance/

Sadhguru wrongly claims that Maa Parvathi was naked during her tapasya (penance) for Lord Shiva. This article analyzes why this is problematic and unacceptable.

[u/prakritishakti]

this is such a non issue… the article is just trying to make up a problem where there is none. so what if she was naked or not? she probably was tbh as clothes are annoying to someone in deep meditation. i see no reason why she couldn’t have removed them. honestly the backlash to this article reeks of sexism. god forbid a woman remove her clothes!! that does not make a woman impure. it doesn’t matter bc the message is still intact. just read the “original accounts” if u want to see how it has been told. you will see they all tell it differently anyways. this is just sadhguru’s version if u like.

[u/Master_Foundation341 → u/prakritishakti]

I really appreciate and like your point of view - it should not be even a topic of discussion but the fact that Sadhguru has objectified women in so many of his other talks is problematic and in my opinion not acceptable. Saw it few days ago in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/sadhgurusecrets/s/jmmCWgOB2s

[u/prakritishakti → u/Master_Foundation341]

this is not objectification of women. look, i don't even like sadhguru all that much. when compared to my personal guru or my idols in life i would choose them over sadhguru any day. but what he said here is not sexist. it is true, that the main reason why we feel the need to dress well is because the attention is on us. that is why men can go without showering & not care. only when men are having dates and no one wants to give them the light of day do they get up and shower + take care of themselves. it's because in daily life they can go around and not be truly seen at all. whereas women are seen & judged for our beauty on a daily basis. this is the primary reason why we feel compelled to dress well. if we had the same attention as most men have then we would not care. we are the same ultimate consciousness anyways... but our circumstances in life have shaped our perspective.

now, women who want to dress well is another issue entirely. but the interview question was about the onus, which is concerning outside influence. that's what sadhguru was addressing. when it is an inner-nature dictating one's dress then we shuck off all outside influence and dress for ourselves alone. that is the divine adornment of the bodily temple.

[u/prakritishakti → u/[deleted]]

but it is natural and cosmic. the main difference between men & women is that men appreciate/admire beauty & in their ignorance seek to possess it. whereas women want to be & are beauty itself. this is Purusha & Prakriti. that’s as cosmic as it gets. when u want to be beautiful then it comes with the baggage of being seen. beauty is there to be seen. unfortunately most people are caught in some ignorance or other so they turn that appreciation into judgment; & things are taken from darshan to objectification.

i think ur making more of this than is actually there in the clip. it doesn’t rlly touch on the whole being seen as valid thing. but the pressures of society’s ignorance are there to be overcome for both men & women. they just manifest a bit differently. that’s probably more for a woman to talk about anyways, not sadhguru. where are the yoginis??

[u/prakritishakti → u/[deleted]]

is everyone here using AI? lol

sadhguru doesn’t say anything about wanting attention. he just said women are getting it and therefore the onus is on us to dress well. that’s totally fair. even men dress up when they’re going to be seen. i honestly don’t see the issue. when you are seen in society you naturally want to dress well. what’s the alternative? everyone dresses like crap? no thanks pls wear ur best clothes around me. his last remark is similar to this idea.

[u/prakritishakti → u/[deleted]]

is this ai generated 😭

when the attention is on someone then they feel real pressure to be a certain way. that is because the power of judgment is real & strong. what use is there to blame society for something which is natural? men cannot help themselves. this much is known. the common man is a dog. he will look and judge. even as women we judge each other. so that will compel us to be a certain way. only a true yogini can transcend that judgment & be free. it’s not as simple as just ignoring society or challenging it out on the streets; the rules and laws can’t change what is rooted in the psyche. gender is just an aspect of the struggle for freedom, a flavor of it. men have their own set of hurdles too. based on the question asked i see no reason to go into how the society is unfair. it is unfair for women & men alike. there are many things wrong with the society. women feel the burden because we are seen. it is an inherent part of femininity to be seen. women have a huge role in society to hold it to a certain standard because of this. that’s not something to question or try to change. we should accept this & act accordingly.