Contribution of Women during Ancient India

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Author: Dr. Yashpal Singh

Keywords: Vedic, Samritas, Feminine, Ravana, Kannaki, Vishvara, Indrani, Haritasmrti.

Abstract: Women are society's greatest blessing. Women played a significant role in India's ancient history. In India, Rig Vedic women held high social status. They were in great shape. The women were given the chance to achieve intellectual and spiritual heights. They were misplaced by the Samritas; Manu asserts that a woman will require her father when she is a child, her husband when she is a teen, and her son when she is an adult. Prostitution, the Devadasi system, sati, and child marriage all gained popularity. Women held a much higher status than men did in the ancient Bharat Varsa. The feminine word "Shakti" means "power" and "strength." According to literature, a single woman bothered the rulers, which resulted in the devastation of towns and kings. The Valmiki Ramayana, for instance, teaches us that when Ravana kidnapped Sita, his entire kingdom was destroyed. Draupadi's public humiliation resulted in the deaths of all the Kauravas in Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata. According to Elango Adigal's Sillapathigaram, Pandyan Nedun chezhiyan accidentally injured Kannaki, which resulted in the burning of Madurai, the Pandya capital. Women and men were treated equally in many ways during the Vedic period. Together with men, women made public sacrifices. Vishvara, a female rishi, appears in one script. Women are said to have written some of the Vedic hymns, like Apala, the daughter of Atri, Ghosa, the daughter of Kaksivant, or Indrani, the wife of Indra. Women may have had access to the Vedas and the sacred thread in the early Vedic era. The Haritasmrti talks about a group of women who studied and performed rituals their entire lives and were known as Brahmavadinis. They were never married. As the wife of a teacher or preceptor, Panini suggests that women could also be students and teachers of sacred Vedas at the time.

Article Info: Received: 18 Sep 2022, Received in revised form: 15 Oct 2022, Accepted: 25 Oct 2022, Available online: 30 Oct 2022

DOI: 10.22161/ijtle.1.3.3

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