Women in Hindu Society:
No bird can fly on only one of its wings. Women being the other wing of Hindu society, is the most respected wing in this community. Ideals constitute the very heart and soul of a nation. Hence, a real understanding of the Hindu nation and its womanhood would essentially depend on that of its ideals. As already stated Hinduism considers moksha(spiritual freedom) as the summum bonum(what we must achieve in our life) of life, whether man or woman. Consequently, the disciplines described and the paths prescribed for the attainment of this moksha are almost identical. Purity, self-control, devotion and austerity are as much necessary for a woman as for a man. However Hinduism doesnt shut its eyes to the differences that do exist between man and woman, biological as well as temperamental. That is why, it has been defined that the areas of activity of women depends on their Svadharma(one's own duty) which has prescribed slightly different modes of life and discipline.The strength and the soundness of a society are sustained by those of the family. Just imagine the tremendous responsibility that is placed on her !!.
A griha(home) is no home, but the grihini(mistress of the family)herself !!.
Hence the ideal placed before a Hindu woman is that of an ideal grihini, who again is an ideal wife, an ideal friend and all of all, an ideal mother - all rolled into one.
It is really ridiculous to call a mother as mummy. The reason being, mummy is also the other meaning of the dead bodies in the Egypt. How can such a word be an equivalent to such a person in the society ??....and that's what western culture is today.
It is our mothers Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Gandhari, Jeeja Bai, Meera Bai, Jhansi Rani, Obavva, ....and many more which cant fit here - the mothers of this Hindu soil - that have inspired the lives of millions of Hindustanis(Indians) and not those Madonna's, Aishwarya's, or Helen's or Juliet's . Women had plenty of freedom during the Vedic age and the Epic age. They had equal opportunities and scope, especially in the religious and spiritual fields. They could undergo the Upanayana(a ceremony which is very auspicious and which is also practised today also), study the Vedas, become teachers or even ascetics if they wished. But, during the middle ages, there was a criminal neglect of their welfare.
With the advent of modern civilization, the impact of western science and western civilization, things have changed no doubt, but the remedy seems to be worse than any deadly disease.Getting discontented with her role of child-bearing and home-making, she wishes to devote herself to some other 'higher-activity'. Consequently, homes are slowly being replaced by hotels !!. In the name of economic independence, life is tending to be more hectic, irregular and even vagrant. By engaging herself in activities which prejudice the work of preservation, the modern Hindu woman is coming into conflict with her own inner nature. By blindly imitating man, she cannot be the giver of joy, the inspirer of activity and the consoler in distress that she has all been. This is what a world famous scientist says: " The differences existing between man and woman are of a fundamental nature. Ignorance of these fundamental facts has led promoters of feminism to believe that both sexes should have same education, the same powers and the same responsibilities. In reality, women differ profoundly from man."
What then is the solution ??
" Female education is to be spread with religion as its centre. All other training should be secondary to religion " says the great hindu saint, Swami Vivekananda. On the whole, female Hindus, who were the most cultured people on earth, the people who brought something called as "culture" to the whole world, must come back to how they were before. Atleast to some extent by not supporting westernization of this god's own land....Hindustan.
Whosoever it is, any woman who is a Hindu, must be proud of being a mother rather than saying " I dont want to have children ", which is heard now-a-days in everyone's mouth. But, this doesnt mean that, they should have many. Our mothers should bring the age old practice of " Mother is the first teacher " to her child. Going back to the days of Mahabharata, it was Babruvahana who had is mother as his teacher and it is a well known fact that, Babruvahana even defeated his great father, Arjuna.
On the whole, what a hindu woman must do is, she must be an ideal for every succesful son this Bharat maata has. Our mother must not have daughters like Sushmita Sen or Aishwarya who just show off their bodies and bring unwanted laurels to this god's own land. We want women like Kiran Bedi....etc. We should shun the fashion shows which are actually body shows. And, then, only, our mother will get up once again and show the world the path to wisdom and purity. |
