Different from the modern concept that everyone is equal, the Vedas explain that although the soul is the same, people acquire different natures according to their conditioning, and thus the path each one has to follow to get rid of this conditioning can be different, just like difference patients should be prescribed with different medicines, according to their diseases. A physician who prescribes the same medicine to all patients will probably do more harm than good.
Not only do people have different natures, but also there are fundamental differences between genders that can’t be underestimated. A truck can be used to transport passengers, just like a car can be used to carry loads, but this goes only up to a certain extent. After a certain point, we are forced to accept that there are fundamental differences between the two types of vehicles and each has its proper function. This doesn’t contradict the understanding that the driver is different from the vehicle.
The idea that we are the soul and not the body opens up a very broad concept of egalitarianism that is not available in other philosophies. Not only we are all brothers (or sisters, if we consider the innate feminine nature of the soul as the energy of Krsna) but we are all the same! Although we are all individuals, there is no qualitative difference between us. However, at the same time, it’s a mistake to fall into the modern idea that everyone is equal and therefore women should do the same things as men because as long as we are acting in a material platform, there will be differences introduced by the type of body and nature we currently have.
Just like no amount of talk about equal rights is capable of making a man beget a child, there are many areas where there are differences between the features of a male and female body, and it is foolish to ignore these differences.
The fact we understand we are the soul and not the body doesn’t change the fact that, at least for the time being, we do have bodies, and these bodies have certain natures that can’t be easily changed. As long as we are using a material body, the differences in the constitutions of different bodies need to be observed.
In special, heavy austerities, as sometimes practiced by men are generally not considered favorable for women. Men often become stronger spiritually and even physically by performing austerities, fasting, taking cold showers, and so on, but such practices should be applied much more carefully to ladies because their physical and mental constitutions are different.
Too much austerity can make a lady’s heart hard, which in turn can make it harder for her to care for others, a fatal downside when we speak about family life and even about normal relationships between devotees. A hard heart is also not a very fertile ground for love for Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada mentions this point in his teachings. On SB 6.6.1, for example, he mentions:
“Females are not meant for the renounced order of life; they should be faithful to their good husbands, for if a husband is competent for liberation, his wife will also achieve liberation with him. As stated in the śāstra, the results of a husband’s pious activities are shared by his wife. Therefore a woman’s duty is to be very chaste and faithful to her husband. Then without separate endeavor, she will share in all the profit the husband earns.”
The fact ladies have more difficulty performing penances doesn’t mean they can’t advance spiritually, it’s just that the process for them is different. When women are properly protected and cared for they can blossom as mothers and caregivers, which in turn soften their hearts and make it easier for them to achieve love for Krsna, apart from nourishing the entire community.
To be a mother is not an easy thing to do, just like fasting, sleeping on the floor, and controlling one’s eating and sleeping, but this is an austerity that a lady is prepared to do. Just like a man can advance by performing penances, a lady can advance by taking care of her children and husband, provided of course they are devotees of Krsna.
Just like different players have different functions in a football team, but all share the victory, husband and wife perform different roles inside a family, but in the end, both share the advancement. It’s not about competition, but about team playing.
One of the greatest problems in our modern society is that often people fail to understand the differences between people. Men and women are thus encouraged to be the same, although they are fundamentally different in their physical and psychological constitutions. This is something we can learn from Prabhupada’s books.