RG: Questions: 1) Athrvaveda(6/11/3) The Lord of creatures, mutual consent, (anumati) and active life (sinivali) give shape (to the embryo). May they put a male here and the birth of girl elsewhere. How do you justify this?
Swami Ram Swarup: In the mantra Prajapati means who protects/ nurses her children, anumati means the wife, who has similar thoughts as of her husband, siniwali means the lady who takes proper nutritious food and takes care of her health. The idea of the mantra therefore, is that the lady who follow the above quoted preaches of the ved mantra, generally gives birth to a male baby.
RG: 2) Are grihya sutra scriptures? Are they related to vedas? And What are they?
Swami Ram Swarup: Griha sutras are written by mantrdrishta Rishis, munis and therefore naturally they are related to Vedas.
RG: 3) Athravaveda( 6/81/3), Athravaveda (4/5/2). These two mantras encourage gender discrimination. How could we justify this?
FYI, I converted to Arya Samaj 3 years back. I have lost faith. I am practically an atheist, it will be great if you could solve my doubts, it will strengthen my beliefs.
Swami Ram Swarup: Dear RG, Atharvaveda mantra 6/81/3 —- the author who explain the mantras may explain at his own accord. But God preaches in a ved mantra that soul as a whole comes in a masculine gender. There is difference in human and animal bodies etc., but all souls who are alive are of same qualities and come in masculine gender (Atharvaveda 9/9/15 refers).
Atharvaveda mantra 4/5/2 does not relate to birth.
