Feminine gender

Expressions researched:
"feminine gender"

SB Canto 4

Intelligence is described in the feminine gender, but owing to her prominence in all activities, she is described in this verse as adhīśaḥ, the controller.

SB 4.28.58, Purport:

The living entity enters the material creation with the aid of the five elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether—and thus his body is formed. Although the living entity is working from within, he is nonetheless unknown. The living entity enters the material creation, but because he is bewildered by the material energy, he appears to be hidden. The bodily conception of life is prominent because of ignorance (nāvabudhyate). Intelligence is described in the feminine gender, but owing to her prominence in all activities, she is described in this verse as adhīśaḥ, the controller. The living entity lives by means of fire, water and food grains. It is through the combination of these three that the body is maintained. Consequently the body is called prakṛti, material creation. All the elements gradually combine to form flesh, bone, blood and so on. All these appear as various apartments. It is said in the Vedas that the digested foods are ultimately divided into three. The solid portion becomes stool, and the semiliquid portion turns into flesh. The liquid portion turns yellow and is again divided into three. One of these liquid portions is called urine. Similarly, the fiery portion is divided into three, and one is called bone. Out of the five elements, fire, water and food grains are very important. These three are mentioned in the previous verse, whereas sky (ether) and air are not mentioned.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Similarly, prakṛti is feminine gender and puruṣa is masculine gender.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 24, 1973:

Therefore the question is prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñaṁ eva ca. This is material nature and anyone who is trying to enjoy this material nature, he is called puruṣa. Purusa means enjoyer and prakṛti means enjoyed. Just like in ordinary life we see a man is supposed to be enjoyer and the woman is supposed to be enjoyed, similarly, prakṛti is feminine gender and puruṣa is masculine gender. Anyone who is trying to enjoy, he is puruṣa. It doesn't matter, outwardly he's dressed as man or women; if he has got the desire to enjoy, that is called puruṣa. And his object that is enjoyed, that is called prakṛti.

So Arjuna is asking this question, prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva: "Kindly give me instruction about this prakṛti and puruṣa." Kṣetram. Kṣetram means the field of activity, and kṣetrajñam. Kṣetrajñam means one who knows, "This is my field." Just like the cultivator, he cultivates the land. From government there is demarcation of the land. The cultivator knows, "This is my portion of land." Similarly, every one of us, we are cultivating and we are given a field. This is the body.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Therefore it is said here nṛpa-liṅga-dharaṁ śūdram. Nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Liṅga means, real meaning is gender. Just the masculine gender, feminine gender.

Lecture on SB 1.16.4 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1974:

They cannot take any post as intelligent class or administrator class or money-producing class. They are simply servant, help others, śūdra. The śūdra was not meant for taking the political part.

Therefore it is said here nṛpa-liṅga-dharaṁ śūdram. Nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Liṅga means, real meaning is gender. Just the masculine gender, feminine gender. And the other meaning is sign. Just like there are signs, certain signs, we can understand here is a male, here is a female. By the signs. So liṅgam means "signs," "symptom." So nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Śūdra, actually he was a śūdra, but he dressed like a king. Just like if a woman dresses like a man, that is artificial. Or a man dresses like woman, that is also artificial. So everyone has his original dress and position. There, because a śūdra took the dress of a king, therefore it is called nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Artificially, he was dressed like a king. That is the position of Kali-yuga. Now the government men, they are elected by votes. People do not consider whether he's a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra. As he likes... People are śūdras. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ.

Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "

Lecture on SB 2.3.21 -- Los Angeles, June 18, 1972:

Exactly like the woman dressed in male's dress wants to enjoy. That is not possible. Similarly, here, the living entity, either dressed in male dress or female dress... This outward body is dress. Somebody is dressed like a female, somebody is dressed like a male, but none of them are male. Both of them are originally female, prakṛti. Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām: "This material energy, earth, water, fire, air, these are...they are also My energy," Kṛṣṇa says. "But they are inferior energy. But there is another energy, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the living entities, and that is superior energy."

So the superior energy is dressed in two ways, as male and female. Because without male and female, there is no enjoyment. Therefore they have been dressed falsely by the material nature as enjoyer. Here, either a woman or a man, everyone is trying to enjoy. Nobody is trying to become enjoyed. Everyone is trying to enjoy. But he cannot. He or she... Everyone is she, but someone, some of them, are dressed like he. Because everyone is prakṛti.

So tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām. Liṅga means mūrti. The liṅga is sometimes... Some liṅga is also... Just like śrī-liṅga, pūr-liṅga, the feminine gender, masculine gender.

Lecture on SB 7.7.28, 32-35 -- Mombassa, September 11, 1971:

They have placed their photo of spiritual master but no Deity. This is Māyāvādī. Ours is not like that. Ours is side by side. Not only spiritual master, his spiritual master, his spiritual master, along with the Deity. Tat liṅgam, we are calling(?) the form. So tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām. Liṅga means mūrti. The liṅga is sometimes... Some liṅga is also... Just like śrī-liṅga, pūr-liṅga, the feminine gender, masculine gender. So here liṅga also means the mūrti, the form. Liṅga means whether he is a puruṣa, or he is a woman or man, or his form. Liṅgānām mūrtinām. Mūrtinam īkṣaṇa. Īkṣaṇa means seeing. Therefore, the Deities should be very nicely decorated, the temple should be very much cleansed, all-attractive. People may come and immediately become attracted by the Deities, īkṣaṇam, with devotion. That is the system of temple worship. Unclean temple worship or no decoration, no flower, this is useless. If you want to introduce temple worship, that should be properly done so that any man who comes immediately become attracted with the form, īkṣaṇam.

General Lectures

Energy is feminine gender; therefore it is stated here yaya. Dhāryate jagat. We are, we living entities, we are superior energy, and the matter is inferior energy.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 10, 1971:

Energy is feminine gender; therefore it is stated here yaya. Dhāryate jagat. We are, we living entities, we are superior energy, and the matter is inferior energy. Therefore dhāryate. We are enjoying or we are capturing this material energy. We are using in so many ways. Sayatana (?). Just (like) I am sitting on this material cushion or sitting on the material floor, using this material microphone or having material bedstead, car. In so many ways we are enjoying this material world, yaya. The same prakṛti. Both of them are prakṛtis, energy. One energy is called superior, and another energy is called inferior. Matter is inferior, and the living entities are superior. But in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, both of them are energies. The energies in their particular field of activities, superior or inferior... But still, in connection with Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, for Him, there is no such distinction, superior and inferior.