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Women in Hinduism
by Sister Usha
It is no accident that after India obtained its independence in 1947, one of its first presidents was a woman (Indira Gandhi). Indeed, many Indians regarded the fact of having a female president as a return to traditional Indian values after centuries of foreign rule. Before the moslem conquest of India, women rulers were very common on the subcontinent. Marco Polo visited India in the 13th Century and wrote many words of praise about the wealth and wisdom of Queen Rudramba of Warangel in southern India.
The Vedic scripts are some of the oldest religious scriptures anywhere in the world. They are at least 4000 years old, probably older, hence written many centuries before the Bible, the Koran, or other holy books. They very clearly advocate equality for women in education and many other areas. Manu, the great Hindu lawgiver, declared that the Gods are pleased where women are honored; where they are not, all works are fruitless. Sarasvati, the Goddess of Knowledge, is avowedly female; hence anyone seeking knowledge and wisdom must ask guidance of this female form of the divine.
Some other religions discuss proper "treatment" of women. The very use of the word "treatment" implies that the man is in control, even if he is admonished to be kind. If your family has a pet cat, you should treat your cat well. You feed it, pet it, and provide it with a warm place to sleep. You do not, however, ask for its opinions on business or politics. Similarly, if a man thinks of himself as "treating" his wife well, he is being kind to her but not necessarily considering her as his equal. If, in contrast, a man honors his wife, he is listening to her needs and her opinions and modifying his own actions accordingly.
Question: According to Hindu teachings, which woman is a man expected to honor above all others? Answer: his mother. He is expected to obey her wishes even after he is married. His wife is essentially adopted into his family and must honor and obey her mother-in-law as she would her own mother. The greatest compliment that a man can give a female stranger is to address her as "Mother."
Another question: According to Hindu teachings, what are the traits of a perfect woman? Answer: she is supposed to have courage, serenity, self-control, sweetness, compassion, wisdom, and an intimate relationship with the divine. She is expected to give but not demand. She is modest, not aggressive, finding joy through love and unselfish service to others. She is, however, courageous and determined, and will certainly never shrink from fighting evil or injustice. She has an inner strength that men lack, allowing her to endure many hardships that would break the soul of the average man. Thus men can turn to women as sources of strength as well as wisdom.
Hindus also rever women who are passionately devoted to their husbands, provided that those husbands are good men. One of the books considered holy by Hinduism is called the Ramayana; I would compare this to the Iliad from European tradition, possibly based on a true story from long ago but augmented by various storytellers over the centuries so that it is difficult to determine which parts are true and which are myth. It tells of a brave ruler named Rama who fights a war against monsters. His wife, Sita, is captured by the monsters. She bravely fights off the amorous advances of her captors, but on her return to her homeland, her people refuse to believe that she has been faithful to her husband. She eventually asks the Gods to take her life rather than let her bear these false accusations of infidelity. Sita is revered in India as a symbol of undying faithfulness, complete devotion to her husband even in the event of extreme adversity.
Divinely Female is based to Hinduism to a large extent. Like traditional Hinduism, we advocate that women should be strong yet gentle, generous yet courageous. They should seek to help others, enduring great sacrifices in furtherance of the cause of love and justice. Men should honor women, regarding them as sources of strength and wisdom. He owes his life to his mother, and his continued happiness to the other women he loves.
This explains why we refer to the Divine as "The Great Mother Goddess."