Indra's curse on the womenkind

There is no doubt that Indian mythology is rich in narratives, and ancient writings contain a variety of legends about the origins of everything that God or nature has given to us. One such is the tale that tells the history as to why and how women were "cursed" to experience monthly periods, ultimately leading to societal taboos surrounding menstruation.

Lord Indra, also known as Indra Dev. Source: Patrika

The God of storms, wars, and the heavens, Indra, possessed incredible strength, power, and weaponry. He is invoked more frequently than any other deity in the Vedas. He is the subject of around one-fourth of the hymns in Rigveda. According to the Bhagwada Purana, menstruation has a history of being associated with the curse of Lord Indra's sin.

Once upon a time, Lord Indra lost all of his divine powers and his kingdom when he disrespected Guru Brihaspati. His throne was conquered by demons.  Soon after, he went to Lord Brahma to request help. Lord Brahma advised Indra to make apologies by treating a young boy, a brahma-gyani, as his guru until Brihaspati is pleased. Indra chose a brahma-gyani and began serving him day and night as per Brahma's advice. However, the boy's mother was an asura, and thus, he too knew asuras closely. When Indra discovered that the youngster was giving away his offerings to the demons, in a fit of fury, he killed him. Indra was now accused of an even bigger crime of killing a brahmin.

The curse he brought upon himself took the form of a ferocious monster that followed him wherever he went. Indra sought refuge in a flower and worshipped Lord Vishnu for a million years in order to escape this. After hearing his prayers, Lord Vishnu said that he would be saved but that he would have to divide the guilt of his crime among the most pious creations of god - the trees, soil water, and women. However, he was to curse them all at once while also bestowing upon them a blessing.

Indra then divided the burden of his sin among these four. A part of the curse was given to trees, and they were blessed with the power to regrow as per their own will. Another part of the curse was given to water, and it was blessed with the power to purify other beings of the world. The next part of the curse was given to the soil, and it was blessed with the power to heal. The final part of the curse was given to the women which they got in the form of their menstrual cycle, and in return blessed them to have the power to bear a new life inside them, and thus be superior to men.

According to the mythology, Lord Indra went to the womenkind and pleaded with them to bear the weight of his sin through a monthly cycle of repentance, which is menstruation. The capacity to menstruate was a form of eternal punishment that women were made to bear in exchange for doing Indra a favour and washing away his sins with their blood each month. This legendary association of menstrual blood with sin is echoed in the historical text, and thus, has persisted for generations and managed to penetrate Indian society and shape public opinion.