Varalakshmi Vratham 8th Aug 2014
Sudhir-Architect
In ancient India, women occupied a very important
position, in fact a superior position to, men. It is a culture whose only words for strength and power
are feminine -"Shakti'' means "power'' and "strength.'' All male power comes from the
feminine. Literary evidence suggests
that kings and towns were destroyed because a single woman was wronged by the
state. For example, Valmiki's Ramayana teaches us that
Ravana and his entire clan was wiped out because he abducted Sita. Veda Vyasa's Mahabharatha
teaches us that all the Kauravas were killed because they humiliated Draupadi in
public. Elango Adigal's Sillapathigaram teaches us Madurai,
the capital of the Pandyas was burnt because Pandyan Nedunchezhiyan mistakenly
killed her husband on theft charges.
In Vedic times women and men were equal as far as
education and religion was concerned. Women participated in the public
sacrifices alongside men. One text mentions a female rishi Visvara. Some Vedic
hymns, are attributed to women such as Apala, the daughter of Atri, Ghosa, the
daughter of Kaksivant or Indrani, the wife of Indra. Apparently in early Vedic
times women also received the sacred thread and could study the Vedas. The
Haritasmrti mentions a class of women called brahmavadinis who remained
unmarried and spent their lives in study and ritual. Panini's distinction
between arcarya (a lady teacher) and acaryani (a teacher's wife), and upadhyaya
(a woman preceptor) and upadhyayani ( a preceptor's wife) indicates that women
at that time could not only be students but also teachers of sacred lore. He
mentions the names of several noteworthy women scholars of the past such as
Kathi, Kalapi, and Bahvici. The Upanishads refer to several women philosophers,
who disputed with their male colleagues such as Vacaknavi, who challenged
Yajnavalkya. The Rig Veda also refers to women engaged in warfare.
One queen Bispala is mentioned, and even as late a witness as Megasthenes (fifth
century B.C. E.) mentions heavily armed women guards protecting Chandragupta's
palace.
Hindu Wisdom - Women in Hinduism
