Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is excited to celebrate the International Women's Day on March 8. On this day we celebrated all the achievements of women, including those in the social, economic, cultural, religious, spiritual, scientific and political realms. There are different ways to celebrate, depending on the country, culture, and social and political situation. We Hindus will celebrate by reflecting on how our scriptures have molded our personalities, motivated our desires, inspired our ambitions, shaped our future, helped set our goals, transmitted timeless wisdom, and guided our existence.
In Hinduism, women are given the highest position any religion can accord. Matru Devo Bhava is the dictum nobody can forget. Mother is divine. It is important to remember that only Hindus worship God as the Divine Mother. In Hinduism, we have Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; Saraswati, the goddess of learning and knowledge; Parvati, the goddess who bestows women with long married life; Annapurna, who blesses us with an abundance of food; Kali, the power of time; and other goddesses who protect the human race from demonic forces. Women as goddesses are worshipped in all religious festivals. During Navaratri, Devi's different manifestations are worshipped for ten days. And no function is complete without the participation of women. The social inconsistencies and injustices in the role of women did not arise from Hindu scriptures but from the external forces that constrained the movement of women as well as the foreign rule that forced women to take a protective role. Many Hindu scriptures accorded the highest regard and the highest status to women.
Says the Manu Smriti (ii. 45):
"From the point of view of reverence due,
a teacher is tenfold superior to a mere lecturer,
a father a hundredfold to a teacher, and a
mother a thousandfold to a father."
Mother is considered the pillar of the Hindu family; pinnacle of sacrifice, embodiment of love, affection, and compassion; source of inspiration and encouragement; personification of peace and harmony; foundation of strength and courage; epitome of age-old wisdom and prudence, hallmark of patience and endurance; quintessence of solace and comfort; exemplification of kindness and gentleness; reservoir of inexhaustible blessings; and personification of patience and tolerance.
How can we forget the forbearance of Mother who conceived us and carried us for nine months in her womb, suffered months of morning sickness, saw us grow day by day, fed us through the tube; allowed us to take shape as we developed backbone, skin, fingers, nails, eyelids, eyebrows, nose, ears, hands, legs, toes, heart, head, brain, and so on for nine months; and carried all the weight all these months; endured all the sounds and kicking; spent countless nights without sleep; withstood all the discomforts; and finally gave birth. How can we forget the mother’s endurance and tenacity during those nine months?
The sixth-century Devi-Mahatyam says, “By you this universe is borne, by you this world is created. By you, it is protected. O Devi: It is consumed in the end. You are the Supreme Knowledge, ignorance, intellect, and contemplation...”
Look at what Manu Smriti says about the status of women:
"From the point of view of reverence due,
a teacher is tenfold superior to a mere lecturer,
a father a hundredfold to a teacher, and a
mother a thousandfold to a father." (II.45)
"Women must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands and brothers-in-law, who desire their own welfare." (III, 55)
" Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon wholly perishes; but that family where they are not unhappy ever prospers." (III, 57).
"The houses on which female relations, not being duly honored, pronounce a curse, perish completely as if destroyed by magic." (III, 58)
" Hence men who seek their own welfare should always honor women on holidays and festivals with gifts of ornaments, clothes, and dainty food." (II, 59)
In an old Shakta hymn, it is said - Striyah devah, Striyah pranah "Women are Devas, women are life itself." (Bharata Shakti - By Sir John Woodroffe p. 95).
From the early Vedic times, women played vital roles in preserving the Hindu heritage. They include such women as Sati, Sita, Anasuya, Arundhatee, Draupadi, Queen Kunti, Shakuntala, Maitreyi, Gargi, Madalasa, Savitri, Ahalya, and others. Many believe that simply reciting their names removes sins and remembering them gives invincible strength.
Men and women complement each other, just like heaven and earth, lyric and melody. They are equal partners in married life. Sage Agastya tells his wife Lopamudra, “In this world, we will overcome all adversities if we two exert ourselves together.” A wife is called Ardhaangini (‘half of oneself’), Sahadharaini (a comrade in life), Sahadharmini (an equal participant in performance of and in reaping fruits of good deeds), Pathni (the one who leads the husband through life), Dharmapathni (the one who guides the husband in dharma) and Sahadharmacharini (one who moves with the husband on the path of dharma--righteousness and duty). We call her better half.
The mother is seen as the cornerstone and foundation of the family. She is considered the upholder of the family traditions and a supporter of dharma. She is considered the first Guru to her children as she provides primary care, love, affection, compassion, and moral compass. She is the one who transmits and nurtures the morals, ethics, and ideals needed to provide the foundation for the offspring. Stephen Knapp remarked, “Women in motherhood, after giving birth to a child that they have carried for nine months, is the first guru and guide of the child and, thus, of humanity. Through this means, before any child learns hatred or aggression, they first know the love of a mother who can instill the ways of forgiveness and kindness in the child. In this way, we can recognize that there is often a strong woman, either as a mother or wife, behind most successful men…. In exhibiting the qualities of motherhood, women must be warm and tender, strong and protective, yet also lay the foundation of discipline and the discrimination of right from wrong.”
Sri Swami Vivekananda in the Position of Mother
Swami Vivekananda expressed an abundant appreciation and lavish veneration to the women of Bharat, and mother was considered the solid foundation of Hindu philosophy, culture, and civilization. He respected her as the symbol of Divine Motherhood. From childhood until the end of life, Hindus always remember the sacrifices their mother made to shape their personality. He said the ideal woman in India is a mother; the mother first and the mother last. The word mother comes to the mind of Hindu motherhood, and God is called Mother.
“The position of the mother is the highest in the world, as it is the one place in which to learn and exercise the greatest unselfishness. The love of God is the only love that is higher than a mother's love; all others are lower. It is the duty of the mother to think of her children first and then of herself. “
He always remembered the love and compassion of a mother toward her children. Nothing is comparable to the love of a mother toward her progeny. Children may disavow their mother, but the mother never deserts her children. Her passion is color-blind and never dissipates. She gladly embraces all the miseries of her children and safeguards them against all the misfortunes. “Women as mothers are marvelous, unselfish, all suffering and ever forgiving.”
In a lecture in the Shakespeare Club House in Pasadena, California, on January 18, 1900, Swami Vivekananda stated, “The ideal woman in India is the mother, the mother first, and the mother last. The word woman calls up to the mind of the Hindu, motherhood; and God is called Mother… To the ordinary man in India, the whole force of womanhood is concentrated in motherhood. In the Western home, the wife rules. In an Indian home, the mother rules…The name has been called holy once and forever, for what name is there which no lust can ever approach, no carnality ever come near, then the one-word mother? That is the ideal in India.”
Swami Sivananda: “The Mother is a mysterious, indescribable power of the Supreme Being. She is the dynamic aspect of the Supreme, Transcendent Being, which is infinity, eternity, and ineffable peace, beyond the cognizance of the senses and the mind.”
Francois Gautier: “Thus, in India—and it is true that it is often a paradox, as women, because of later Muslim influences, have often been relegated to the background—the feminine concept is a symbol of dynamic realization. She is the eternal Mother, who is all Wisdom, Compassion, Force, Beauty, and Perfection. In this way, Hindus have venerated the feminine element under its different manifestations since the dawn of time. Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Mahasaraswati, Maheshwari - and even India is feminine: "Mother India." “
Bhishma gloried the mother.
According to Bhishma, nothing is superior to serving women. One who respects and serves their mother achieves outstanding success in life. Her blessings are ever present and never evaporate, even if her children reach the oldest age possible as long as she is alive.
“The mother is the panacea for all kinds of calamities. The mother's existence provides protection; the reverse deprives one of all protection. The man who, though divested of prosperity, enters his house, uttering the words, "O mother!"- has not to indulge in grief. Nor does decrepitude ever assail him. A person whose mother exists, even if he happens to be possessed of sons and grandsons, and even though he is a hundred years old, in his mother's eyes, he looks like a child of two years of age. Whether the mother is able or disabled, lean or robust, she always protects her son. None else, according to the ordinance, is the son’s protector. Then does the son become old, then does he become stricken with grief, then does the world look empty in his eyes when he becomes deprived of his mother? There is no shelter like the mother. There is no refuge like the mother. There is no defense like the mother. There is no one so dear as the mother. For having borne him in her womb, the mother is the son’s dhatri. For having been the chief cause of his birth, she is his janani. For having nursed his young limbs, she is called amva (Amma). For nursing and looking after the son, she is called Sura. The mother is one’s own body.” (Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva; Section CCLXVI)
Role of women in Hinduism
Women like Sita, Satyavati, Draupadi, Ganga, Kunti, Shakuntala, Menaka, Amba, Anasuya, Damayanti, and Ahalya played an essential role in exemplifying the ideal conduct of women in private and in public.
They also exemplify the hardships faced by women in ancient times. Even Sita, an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, the queen of Rama, had to bear the brunt of gender discrimination and public ire.
Tradition recommends four prominent roles for a married Hindu woman: that of a servant (dasi), that of an advisor or counselor (mantri), that of a mother (mata), and that of a lover (rambha).
Kunti as Mother
Kunti became pregnant after Surya Deva fulfilled her wish to have a son. He promised her that she would remain a virgin after the delivery. With that promise, a boy came out of her ear; hence, he was called Karna. As the promise was fulfilled without anybody’s knowledge, she left him in the Ashva River. Mother Kunti puts him in a box and, with so much agony and tears rolling down her cheeks, leaves him in the river. As a mother, she raised her eyes to the scorching Surya Deva and requested him by saying, “Watch over our son, let no evil befall him.” As the box started floating away from her, she blessed her so: “May all your paths be auspicious. May the lord of rivers guard you; may the lord of the air watch over you; may all the Gods protect you. And when I see you again one day, let me know you by your golden kavachas and kundala.”
Kunti played a significant role as a Mother in influencing her sons to fight the war. She advised her sons to take up arms to preserve dharma and to follow the tradition of Kashatriyas, who were responsible for protecting the people of their land. After the war ended with the Pandavas' victory over the Kauravas, she took Vanaprastha Ashrama along with Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. Yudhisthira was shocked and said You goaded us to wage war, and why are you leaving us at this stage. Bhima also says, “Why this decision to leave when you should enjoy the riches your sons have acquired?” Her advice should be taken as a role model for all the mothers across the globe and the children to follow:
“It is true, son, that I egged you on to fight for your rights when you were roaming about with empty stomachs and grief-laden hearts. Deprived of your rightful patrimony, insulted by your kinsmen, when you were living on the bread of beggary, I did goad you on to fight for your rights. You ask me why. So that you do not have to wait on your inferiors. You are a veteran of war and are as noble as the gods. So that you, Yudhishthira, who are righteous and the rightful heir to the throne, may not wander about in the woods. So that Bhima, who is far-famed for his prowess, may not suffer humiliation at the hands of his enemies. So that Arjuna, Indra’s son, would not drink the cup of misery. So that your dear younger brothers Nakula and Sahadeva may not know the pinch of poverty and hunger. So that Draupadi, this dear daughter of mine, may not fall prey again to vile molestation. My dear son, it was to rouse you to your glory that I pushed you into war through the words of Vidura. I encouraged you to fight so that the noble line of the great King Pandu may not end with my sons. There is no hope or future for one who brings about the ruin of one’s family. My children, I have fully enjoyed all the royal pleasures my departed husband had earned for me. Charities without numbers have I performed. And I have sipped the soma juice in solemn sacrifice. I do not crave any enjoyment earned by my sons. I intend to reduce my body through penance and service to my elders. May your mind ever remain steadfast in righteousness; may your mind be noble: Dharme te dhīyatām buddhir¬manas¬te mahad¬astu ca.”
Kunti had the wisdom to educate her sons in the proper use of power and the foresight to build alliances that would someday come in handy. At Ekachakranagara, when Yudhisthira opposed sending Bhima to fight Bakasura the monstrous eater, Kunti retorted rather sternly ―I am not foolish; don’t think me ignorant; I am not being selfish. I know exactly what I am doing. This is an act of dharma. Yudhishthira, two benefits will follow from this act; one, we will repay a Brahmin, and two, we will gain moral merit. A king must protect. It is his dharma.
Draupati questions
However, there is considerable material to understand Draupadi‘s feelings, not just as an inference but also through her forceful articulation. After her husband loses her in a game of dice, she does not collapse under the shocking news but challenges the very concept of Dharma and the basis of their conduct towards her. After the dice game, Draupadi strongly questions Pratikami, who will fetch her to the assembly. “How can you say such a thing? Which Prince will gamble, with his wife as stake (Sabha Parva 67.5). In deep shock, she asserted that he go back to the assembly and ask the gambler-king, Yudhisthira: ‗whom did you lose first, your self or me? It is only after I know the answer to this that this weak and helpless woman will come to the assembly.‖ Draupadi, in the assembly again, threw a question at Duryodhana: ‗Have you won yourself? Or myself? How do you presume that one husband is authorized to stake the wife while she has four other husbands? Moreover, according to Sastras, the deeds of a king who is in a miserable state due to over-indulgence in hunting, drinking, gambling, and hankering after women are not lawfully binding. Hence, how could the Kauravas own Panchali? I am a free woman by all means.
Draupadi is the only person who stands up for justice. She lashed out against the entire court, stupefying all with her logic. She questioned the legality of the right of Yudhishthir to place her at stake when he had lost his freedom and consequently did not possess any property in the first place. Moreover, Draupadi said that Yudhishthir had no right to put her at the stake because, as his wife, she was not his property. Draupadi challenged even the most elderly and respected people in the court. She called upon everyone present to protect her, and when no one answered her plea, she prayed to Krishna, and he protected her. Fortunately, through her prayer to Krsna, a miracle occurs, and she becomes the visible recipient of divine grace in the form of endlessly descending sarees. (Hiltebeitel 280).
She shared a special relationship with Krishna and considered him a friend and equal. She prayed to him in every hour of need. Krishna always did what was necessary. Draupadi is the exemplification of bhakti to God. She showed utmost faith in Lord Krishna. She is the embodiment of both bhakti and shakti.
Even Satyabhama, Lord Krishna’s wife, was intrigued and wanted her to share the secret of her success in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. Satyabhama asks Draupadi,” Most women can barely manage to get control of one husband; you have managed to secure the affections of all five. What is your secret? Is it magic? Is it a spell?” Her answer was that
“She devotedly serves her husbands and their other wives without pride, anger or desire. With affection and self-restraint, she waits attentively for their wishes without selfish thoughts. She works hard to manage the home, never speaks harshly, never laughs loudly, never causes offence, and is never idle. She never cooks food her husbands do not like, and she is dutiful in performing offerings to the ancestors and in serving guests. Even though they are gentle by nature, she treats her husbands like venomous snakes, always prone to anger.”
Gandhari as Mother
Before the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas commenced, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari counseled their children to make peace with the Pandavas. There is a moral lesson to learn from Gandhari about what happens when the children go against a mother's wishes. The refusal of Gandhari’s advice to her sons wiped out the Kaurava family – all 100 of her sons were killed, along with Karna.
Gandhari then tried to correct her son, Duryodhana, by saying, “You are a fool! You never listen to wisdom that is meant for your own interest. All the elders have spoken in favor of peace, but you alone desire war, which will destroy our family. You will remember your father's words when struck dead by Bhimasena's mace.”
Gandhari even advised her husband to stop the game of dice twice, with no success. She even chides Dhritarashtra for not interfering while the Draupadi is being disrobed in court. This kind of humiliation to Draupati would surely “rekindle a dead fire, topple a bridge re-built” and destroy the Kaurava dynasty. She always advised her sons with words of wisdom and motherly love for them to follow. She pleads with them to eschew the needless war by sharing the kingdom with the Pandavas. She argued that they should avoid the greedy ambition to possess the kingdom. Even Lord Krishna recognized and appreciated her dharmic counsel by saying, “You have, in the open court, repeatedly and rightly spoken words of wisdom and justice for the welfare of both the sides thirsting for war.”
Before the battle on the final day, Duryodhana goes to his mother, Gandhari, seeking her blessings. Her blessings have not blinded her motherly affection. She was on the side of dharma when she remarked, "Listen to my words, O fool, where there is righteousness there is victory (Srunu mudha vachomyaham yato dharmastato jayah - Salya Parva 63.62).
Lord Krishna even lauds Gandhari’s wisdom and the passion for her path of dharma by saying, “O the gracious Lady, there is none comparable to you in the whole world" (tat samam nasti loke sminnadya simantini shubhe - Salya Parva 63.59).
A mother’s love is deep and unconditional. It is profound and unfathomable. When Gandhari realized that the war was imminent, knowing fully well that Duryodhana was not as strong as Bhima, to ensure success in the war, she asked her loving son, “Before you go into battle, son, come before me without any clothes. When I look upon your body, each part I see will become hard as a diamond, unyielding to weapons.” Feeling shy and uncomfortable to appear totally naked in front of his mother, he covered his groin and hips with leaves around his waist. The first time, she removes her blindfold after her marriage to see her son with the leaves around his waist. She was horrified and said, “Oh my son, what have you done? Now, that covered part of your body will be vulnerable to weapons. Your enemies will not fail to strike you there.” She bitterly cried, and she knew that Duryodhana was destined to be killed by striking at the part that was covered with leaves. In the battle, Bhima strikes Duryodhana on the hip, causing his ultimate death.
Ramayana
In Ramayana, Sita is considered an ideal wife, described as a perfect, subordinate, and obedient wife. She is described as loyal, devoted, loving, beautiful, and strong, yet fragile. Sita is the ideal wife, an ideal rooted in religious righteousness that continues to be appreciated by many women of the Hindu tradition. Some consider Sita an influential woman, shown as a model for love, harmony, kindness, suffering, endurance, strength, patience, obedience, loyal and devotional. Swami Vivekananda says, “Sita is the name in India for everything good, pure, and holy; everything that in woman we call woman. Sita— the patient, all suffering, ever-faithful, ever-pure wife! Despite her suffering, there was not one harsh word against Rama. Sita never returned injury. Be Sita.”
There are two characters we must remember and their role in giving Ravana proper and dharmic advice to ensure he will not be killed.
Surpanakha
Surpanakha, Ravana's sister, is considered an essential character in Ramayana. She may have kindled Ravana's intense desire to possess Sita. Lakshmana cut her nose off as she wanted to marry Rama, and she might harm Sita. Then, she goes to Ravana and advises him about dharma and why he should not desire Sita.
“You are undoubtedly childish of disposition and devoid of intelligence and do not know what ought to be known, O demon! How (then) will you continue to be a king?” (Source: Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, Gita Press, Gorakhpur publication) 3.33.8।।
To make her point clearly, she then enumerates what a ruler should guard against and how he must act. She calls a king dislodged from his kingdom worthless, even if he is capable, like a piece of cloth that is worn and discarded and like garlands that are used and crushed.
About the qualities of a respected ruler, she says that the vigilant king knows everything (about himself and his enemy), whose senses are fully controlled, who recognizes the services of others and is pious by disposition, and who continues his throne for long. She adds that the people honor the king, who remains prudent and whose frown and favor are manifest in the form of punishment and reward. (Source: Slokas 19-21 of the Thirty-third Chapter of Arany Kanda)
Surpanakha finally admonishes Ravana severely, saying that he was utterly deprived of all these virtues, and warns him that he will lose his sovereignty and perish soon if he continues to ignore the realities of the situation they are faced with. For his part, Ravana does reflect upon her words quietly before questioning her further about the events preceding her arrival at his court.
Mandodari
Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, is depicted as a wise and compassionate woman who tries to dissuade her husband from his evil deeds. Her counsel and warnings demonstrate the potential of women to act as moral compasses and voices of reason. Despite his refusal to listen to her advice, Mandodari kept advising him to return Mata Sita to Lord Ram, even when she knew her husband would never follow her advice. She tried several times to make Ravan realize his mistakes. First, she asked him to return Mata Sita to Lord Ram after seeing Hanuman's valor and power in Sundar Kand. Later, she told him about Lord Ram's real identity: the Supreme Narayan in Lanka Kand. She also advised him to return Mata Sita to save his life, after Lord Ram almost killed him, while Ravan was enjoying in his court. Later, after losing her sons, she again asked him to stop the war and asked for forgiveness.
The dialogue between Mandodari and Ravana is revealing. After she saw the destruction Hanuman caused to Lanka, she realized that Rama is none other than Sri Hari. When Mandodari (Ravana's principal queen) heard what the citizens were saying from her female spies, she felt much perturbed. Meeting her lord in seclusion, she fell at his feet and, with joined palms, addressed to him words steeped in wisdom: "My lord, avoid all strife with Sri Hari. Take my words to heart as a most salutary piece of advice. My lord, if you seek your welfare, call one of your ministers and send back with him the consort of that prince (Sri Rama), the very thought of whose messenger's doings makes the wives of the demons miscarry. Just as a frosty night spells disaster to a bed of lotuses, Sita has come here as a bane to your race. Listen, my lord: unless you return Sita, not even Sambhu (Lord Siva) and Brahma (the creator) can be of any good to you.”
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is refreshing to know the richness of our heritage, our scriptures, and our heroines who shaped the Hindu way of life, which is appreciated across the globe. Even though times have changed, attitudes have shifted, and ambitions have multiplied, we all have to look at the advice given in these scriptures to determine how relevant these dharmic principles were centuries ago. The wisdom of these women characters transcends time and space. These ideals are as relevant to Bharat as they are to the rest of humanity.
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