Woman in Indian civilization

Womanhood has been reverenced in the ancient Indian culture as a manifestation of divine qualities. Womanhood is a symbol of eternal virtues of humanity expressed in compassion, selfless love and caring for others. The Indian philosophers of yore (the rishis) considered that the seeds of divinity grow and blossom in a truly cultured society where women are given due respect and equal opportunities of rise and dignity. The scriptures and later works on Indian culture and philosophy stand witness to the fact that women indeed receive high recognition and respect in the Vedic age. The contribution of women rishis in making the ancient Indian culture a divine culture were not less than those of their male counterparts. In the later ages too, women had always been integral part of cultural, social and intellectual evolution of the human society. India has been country where we have been following up the principle of  “यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवता: ।
यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफला: क्रिया: ।( Yatra Naryastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devata ।Yatraitaastu Na Pujyante Sarvaastatrafalaah Kriyaah ।।)

i.e. “Where Women Are Honored , Divinity Blossoms There; And Where They Are Dishonored , All Action Remains Unfruitful.”

Women in Arabian Civilization

However there has been one civilization in far Arabian desert which doesn’t fall in line with this concept of the humanity towards the women and are of opinion that women are dumb and was treating them as a tool for their pleasure.

Women as Dweller of Hell

Sahih Muslim Hadith says that it is narrated on the authority of Abdullah B Umar that the Messenger of Allah said “O woman folk you should give charity and ask much Forgiveness for I say you in the bulk amongst the dweller of Hell. A wise lady among them said “Why is it, Messenger of Allah that our folk is in bulk in Hell. Upon this Messenger of Allah said “you curse too much and are un-grateful to you spouses.

This is totally baseless logic that women are not grateful to their spouses and they should pay charity as they are in bulk amongst the dweller of hell. Reason given behind being in bulk in hell is also out of the box that women curse too much that’s why they are part of hell. Opinion about the women doesn’t stop at this point, Sahish Muslim further recites that:

Women lack common sense

it is narrated on the authority of Abdullah B Umar that the Messenger of Allah said “ I have seen none lacking in common sense and failing in religion but ( at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise besides you. Upon this the woman remarked: what is wrong with our common sense and with religion?

Islamic Scholar Hamid Siddiqi adds that Woman know the art of playing with the sentiments of man and she succeeds in forcing her will upon him.

In our opinion both things are contradictory; in one place Mohammad sahab has said that woman lacks common sense however at the other place they are saying the woman have capability to rob their companions. If the part of population, which Muhammad sahab says that are superior to the women, is porn to be robbed by later in that case how the woman can be inferior from the section they are able to rob?

Evidence of women considered as half of man

The Holy Prophet said” your lack of common sense can be well judged that the evidence of two women is equal to one man. That is the lack of common sense. You spend some nights and days in which you do not pray and in the month of Radan ( during the days) you do not fast, that is failing in religion.

(Sahih Muslim by Imam Muslim rendered into English by Abdul Hamid Siddiqi : Part -1 page no 80)

Islamic scholar Hamid Siddiqi explains that The Holy Prophet has supported his contention with reason. Women are generally shy capricious and whimsical and are easily carried off by their emotions and thus their study of the situation is hardly objective. That is the reason why the Shari’ah has accepted the evidence of the two women equal to one man and it is only in this sphere that they are declared to be inferior in wisdom as compared with men.

This can be called a dark age in which women were considered common sense less in the Arabian part. However the position was totally different in Aryavart ( Bharatvarsh). The women occupied a very important position, in the ancient Bharat. 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 other religions. Hindu women enjoyed rights of property from the Vedic Age, took a share in social and religious rites.

it may be confidently asserted that in no nation of antiquity were women held in so much esteem as amongst the Hindus.” In Ancient India, however, The chivalrous treatment of women by Hindus is well known to all who know anything of Hindu society. Knowledge, intelligence, rhythm and harmony are all essential ingredients for any creative activity.

It is not unimportant, that Earth (prithivi) is considered female, and the goddess who bears the mountains and who brings forth food that feed all. Education for girls was regarded as quite important. While Bramhavadani girls were taught Vedic wisdom, girls of the Ksatriya girls were taught the use of the bow and arrow. Patanjali mentions the spear bearers (saktikis). Megasthanese speaks of Chandragupta’s bodyguard of Amazonian women. Kautilya mentions women archers (striganaih dhanvibhih). Similarly, Kautilya in his Artha sastra, which is also taken to be a document of Mauryan history, refers to women soldiers armed with bows and arrows.

Status of women in India can be judged by the law of Manu:

“Where women are honored there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored no sacred rite yields rewards,” declares Manu Smriti (III.56) a text on social conduct.

“Women must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands and brothers-in-law, who desire their own welfare.” (Manu Smriti III, 55)

“Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon wholly perishes; but that family where they are not unhappy ever prospers.” (Manu Smriti III, 57)

“The houses, on which female relations, not being duly honored, pronounce a curse, perish completely as if destroyed by magic.” (Manu Smriti 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.” (Manu Smriti III, 59)

No other Scripture of the world have ever given to the woman such equality with the man as the Scripture of the Hindus.

When Shankaracharya, the great commentator of the Vedanta, was discussing philosophy with another philosopher, a Hindu lady- Bharti, well versed in all the Scriptures, was requested to act as a judge.

It is the special injunction of the Vedas that no married man shall perform any religious rite, ceremony, or sacrifice without being joined in by his wife; the wife is considered a partaker and partner in the spiritual life of her husband; she is called, in Sanskrit, Sahadharmini, “spiritual helpmate.”

In the whole religious history of the world a second Sita will not be found. Her life was unique

In the Ramayana we read the account of Sulabha, the great woman Yogini, who came to the court of King Janaka and showed wonderful powers and wisdom, which she had acquired through the practice of Yoga. This shows that women were allowed to practice Yoga.

As in religion, Hindu woman of ancient times enjoyed equal rights and privileges with men, so in secular matters she had equal share and equal power with them. From the Vedic age women in India have had the same right as men and they could go to the courts of justice, plead their own cases, and ask for the protection of the law.

Motherhood is considered the greatest glory of Hindu women

 The Taittiriya Upanishad teaches, “Matridevo bhava” – “Let your mother be the god to you.”

Hindu tradition recognizes mother and motherhood as even superior to heaven. The epic Mahabharata says, “While a father is superior to ten learned priests well-versed in the Vedas, a mother is superior to ten such fathers, or the entire world.”