Hindu Values: Women are not second class citizens

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.