Indian women who were considered as a personification of knowledge (Sarasvati), a source of wealth (Lakshmi) and strength (Durga) are now being subjected to some appalling disrespect in the Indian society. The goddess woman of India is now shamelessly and routinely portrayed as an item girl in Indian cinema. It is no exaggeration to report that only ancient India was evolved enough to respect women like no other civilisation did any given point of time. But today, we seem to have lost that maturity or knowledge and have clearly forgotten those times.......
One of the reasons for the gender inequality we see today is probably because we are totally ignorant of the legacy of womanhood in India. If we don't know about this legacy, how do we expect it to be passed on to the next generation? Add to that the patriarchal hogwash prevalent in those sections of the society, which tries to disempower their woman folk. In fact, none of it has any sanction in the traditions of India.
We know from our literary sources that the most powerful guys like Ravan, Duryodhana, Dushashana disrespected women, they were severely punished, rather wiped out,. The capital city of the Paandiyan kingdom, Madurai, was burnt by the wrath of a truthful woman because the Paandiyan King Nedunchezhiyan mistakenly killed her husband on theft charges.
Great examples...
There were so many women who are great examples of high standards of courage, learning and wisdom in the ancient Indian civilization. But what is happening today is something alien to the authentic Indian tradition. Indian traditions simply honour women and don't support any kind of abuse or disrespect.
India is the only country where the girl child is venerated as ‘Lakshmi’, a ‘Shakti’ and a 'Saraswati'. In the spiritual traditions of India, the deities for knowledge, learning and material wealth are female and not male. Women occupied a very important position in India's history.
Indian Historian Romesh Dutt writes: "Women were held in higher respect in India than in other ancient countries, and the Epics and old literature of India assign a higher position to them than the epics and literature of ancient Greece..." However there were low points for women in the medieval period in India during the foreign invasions and the resulting shift in traditions.
Chaturvedi Badrinath, a philosopher and research scholar, wrote about twelve important women of India in his book ‘Women of the Mahabharata’ and how they are great teachers for the modern day Indian women. The book review states “The women of the Mahabharata are incarnate in the women of today. To read the stories of their relation-ships is to read the stories of our relationships. They demand from the men of today the same reflection on their perceptions, attitudes, and pretensions too, as they did from the men in their lives, and equally often from other men full of pretensions, even if they were kings and sages.”
The high place in ancient India...
There is enough evidence in ancient India to show that women were much better off. Many were much educated as the great grammarian Panini mentions of several noteworthy women scholars in the past such as Kathi, Kalapi, and Bahvici. Even if one reads the findings of the research scholar Dharampal on the Indian society of the last century, women were more than equal to men in many professions...this was just when the colonisation took place. The Upanishads refer to several women philosophers, who debated philosophy with their male counterparts such as Vacaknavi, who challenged the great sage Yajnavalkya. In fact the Rig Veda refers to women engaged in warfare. The Greek ambassador Megasthenes (5th century BCE) mentions how heavily armed women guards protected the great King Chandragupta Maurya's palace.
What the old books say...
So no surprises when the ancient law book ‘Manu Smriti’ (III, 55 onwards) says “Women should be nurtured with every, tenderness and attention by their fathers, their brothers, their husband, and their brother-in-law, if they desire their own welfare. Where women live in grief, the family soon perishes, but when they are loved and respected, and cherished with tenderness, the family grows and prospers in all circumstances...”
Reclaiming the glory...
Today's Indian society has somehow forgotten that females in their tradition were highly placed, venerated and enjoyed a special gender specific status. So pretty much the need of the hour is to acknowledge and follow the temperament of an evolved society towards females whose place and purpose need to be only revered. This tradition always had women invoking the dormant powers in them, when necessary. I guess its time to reclaim the status for women like our ancients did...
Ram Lingam blogs his insights on India and Indian culture at www.indiasutra.co.nz