या देवी सर्वभूतेषू शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता,
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः।
“O Goddess you who reside everywhere in form of power
I bow to thee, I bow to thee, I bow to thee.
-Markandeya puran
Hindu value #3: Women are not second class citizens
This value may come as a surprise to many Westerners given
the perception built about crime against women and the actual social status of
women in the Indian society today. Let me say this categorically. Anybody who
considers women to be a second grade citizen does not know Hinduism (even if
they call themselves Hindu). The issue, however, is a complex one and I will
try to address it to the best of my ability. I will first talk about the
theological stand, then talk about its implementation in ancient India, and
finally about its distortion after the arrival of the Original Sin.
Theologically, women are deemed slightly superior to men in
Hinduism. The ultimate creator of the world is deemed Mahalakshmi, who created
the primary Gods (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) and their consorts (Saraswati, Lakshmi,
Kali). She is the source of all power, wisdom, and wealth. You reckon the great
Mother Goddess would care about the opinion of her husband about her dress? She
is the quintessential power woman who does not even have to try to be a man. Three
things in particular struck me while reading the scripture:
(1) Dressing was not a big deal, and going topless with nothing
but body paint (sandalwood paste) was deemed ok –which to be honest makes sense
for a hot place like India. There are several descriptions of various manifestations
of the Mother Goddess in the Marakandeya Puran, with many going topless.
(2) Drinking was not a big deal. In many battle descriptions,
Mother is depicted as having a bowl of “Madhu” in one of her hands, which she
sips merrily during the battle while kicking demon butt. Is it honey? I don’t
think so as the description elaborates that she slurs after taking a mouthful,
indicating intoxicating effect of what she is drinking. There are several such
descriptions.
(3) Sex was not criminalised. It is seen as necessary to
creation, which is highly addictive to enable the creation to go on. It is
deemed to be a powerful force and ability to control it is essential to attain
salvation. It is, however, not seen as an anathema. The womb is worshipped, and
the key mudra to worship the Goddess is called the “yoni” (womb) mudra. Same
for the phallus, taking form of linga worship.
How did this translate into real world? While I cannot
claim that women held a superior social status in ancient India, it did see
levels of women freedom not seen even today in modern Europe and US. A good
example is Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which describes the various law and order
mechanism employed to secure the king and govern the city. Three key
highlights:
·
When the king slept, the pack of guards in the
adjoining room consisted of specially trained women warrior skilled with the
bow
·
Prostitution was legalised (as was gambling and
drinking) and not seen as a fringe profession. They had defined rights, and
many of them were actively recruited for spying and monitoring any new comers
to the town. The most skilled of courtesans (referred to as “roop jeevikas”,
the one who lives off her beauty) would be tasked with training the young rich
(guys and girls) in the art of love.
·
There was no dress code to mandate wearing
something on the top. Given the hot climate, jewellery and thin muslin with a
dab of perfume/ colour was deemed sufficient.
Besides these, there are umpteen examples of women
scholars, saints, and professionals, though they were not allowed to actively
participate in war for practical reasons.
If you are still with me, you may be thinking what
changed? How did we ever end up the way we are today? To answer that we need a
brief history lesson.
It is to be noted that by end of the first century the
Hindu culture was at its zenith, and eerily similar to what Europe is today
(slightly better though). Years of prosperity meant people did what they liked
and were generally peaceful, well-educated, intellectual, and arrogant. They
thought there is no God like theirs, no king like theirs and no science like
theirs. “Dharma” was the key, and there was a strict code of conduct for war in
which civilians were not harassed or killed unless they took up arms. So, even
if war was going on in a field, a farmer could work nearby without fear. Even
unarmed soldiers were not to be harmed. With every generation (especially due to pacifist influence of Buddhism and Jainism) war was seen a
game for kings, waste of money, and not good for the soul. The result was ever
lesser investment in defence.
This prosperous, rich, snobbish, peaceful fruit was ripe
for plucking when the barbarians arrived at the gate in form of the Muslim
hordes. To the barbarians everything in the Hindu culture was an anathema,
especially the worship of the phallus, idol worship, and the uncovered women. They
had no respect for any rules, no regard for civilian life, no intention of
keeping their word, and no idea what freedom for women meant. The hundreds of
prosperous kingdoms, ever engaged in petty squabbling, did not know what hit
them. E.g. the invaders asked the soldiers in a fort in Kashmir to surrender,
promising safe passage. The few soldiers promptly surrendered only to be
butchered and the fort being put to torch. This new enemy knew only plunder.
Cities were burned to the ground, women raped, people taken into slavery,
temples destroyed. With time the Hindus learned to cover their women and
increasingly pushed them to the status of second class citizens, emulating
their invaders in the hope of protecting the women. The great Gurukuls and
Universities were put to torch (it is said that the books of the Nalanda
University burned for 4 days). The land that once produced the Vedas and
boasted universal education slowly slipped into ignorance and illiteracy. Not
all of India succumbed as easily, with the South and the East holding out for
longer than others. It is a shame that the mainstream history books don’t talk
as much about Vijaynagar and Ahoms, and the brutal long-term impact of the invasions. We never really recovered from this setback.
Today we are at such a juncture that even people within
India will not be able to accept the level of freedom accorded to women in
scriptures. Nevertheless, it may help to remember what our real roots are, that
we are born out of love and are the one pure consciousness (and not really born
out of sin), that sexuality is normal, and that women are not second class
citizens. Enough said.
