more on hinduism's treatment of women -- not as chattel, but as intelligent human beings. gargi, for instance, leaps to mind as a symbol of woman power.
all this changed with the mohammedan invasion, of course. it got even worse with the christist invasion and victorian prudishness.
http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/colItems.asp?ID=SEC20030803031539
I was recently researching the women of ancient India when I came across a startling piece of information. Seventeen of the seers to whom the hymns of the Rig Veda were revealed were women - rishikas and brahmavadinis. They were Romasa, Lopamudra, Apata, Kadru, Vishvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Jarita, Shraddha-Kamayani, Urvashi, Sharnga, Yami, Indrani, Savitri and Devayani. The Sama Veda mentions another four: Nodha (or Purvarchchika), Akrishtabhasha, Shikatanivavari (or Utararchchika) and Ganpayana. This intrigued me so much that I had to learn more about them, but I drew a blank. Who were these wonderful women who were on par with their men and produced the greatest and longest living literature of the world?
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7 comments:
She is sooo correct except about Ramayana. Valmiki Ramayana ends with the Coronation of Rama and Sita in Ayodhya.
The agni pariksha of Sita is something that elevated the status of Sita. Everywhere in Ramayana Sita was given equal status with Rama.
After all the entire Ramayana happned because of one Woman Kaikeyi. I think Rama is the most misunderstood Hero ever. He is the best a man can get. We take him as an individual and try to evaluate. He was a Son, King, Husband, Brother ...wat not? We cant evaluate him in a unidimensional mode.
_
nanditha krishna says:
" His faithful wife takes him back and they go to Madurai, where he visits the public parks filled with dancing girls and later pawns Kannagi’s anklet. When he is falsely accused of theft and executed, Kannagi should have heaved a sigh of relief. Instead, she curses the city to be destroyed by fire. Thus a wonderful city and its inhabitants were destroyed for a useless man. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, did well to remove Kannagi’s statue from Marina Beach in Chennai. She was no role model. "
--- I disagree with Nanditha Krishna on this kind of logic. Very bad logic.
By this logic, Taliban should be praised for beheading Surya - after all, he had a secret second wife, so he deserved to be beheaded ? And his wife should have heaved a sigh of relief ?
Kannagi cursed the king for beheading on charges of theft, without proper evidence. She upheld dharma - That you cannot kill someone with proper evidence.
I cannot understand this nonsense that she should have been glad that a useless man was executed. Any wife would have had hopes that her husband would reform himself. She hadnt written him off as a bad man beyond hope of recovering.
I have seen powerful dance dramas of kannagi in tamil in bharathanatyam and I have always been moved by the power of this woman who upheld dharma so strongly (Not that I really believe Madurai was destroyed).
That was the symbol Kannagi was. It is a pity they pulled down her statue.
_
Typo:
That you cannot kill someone *without* proper evidence.
the theft story in brief -
The story was that an anklet was
missing from the king's palace.
The actual thief framed kannagi's
husband, who at the same time was
trying to pawn his wife's anklet.
the actual thief (someone in the
palace), reported this to the king
and charged the hapless man
(kannagi's husband) with theft.
kannangi's husband was executed.
when kannagi heard of this, she
came to the court with her other
anklet and also asked for the
king's other anklet from the
palace. she asked for the anklet to
be broken. it had pearls inside it.
in the presence of the court she
broke her anklet also - it had some
other beads/stones inside it.
so - the two anklets were not from
the same pair. her husband had not
stolen anything from the palace.
but it was too late - he had been
beheaded.
in her grief, she cursed the king
and the city MINUS old people,
children and such weaker people.
(maybe women also were exempted,
i am not sure :-))
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Check
http://www.geocities.com/satyawaadi
for two write ups on women of india - one short and one long
Georgie-Porgie-Pudding-and-Pie,
Sillapadikaram is literature.
Literature draws on real life and
adds emphasis in various ways to
highlight certain things, such as
strong feelings, deep emotions and
so on.
Like I said in an earlier post
here, I do not believe Madurai was
destroyed.
_
Why should we learn our history
and culture from Stephen Knapp ?
Stephen Knapp has noble intentions
and is surely a person of great
integrity, but we cant credit him
with superior understanding of our
ancient history and culture.
There was only one Draupadi, who
was won by one of the brothers, at
her swayamvara.
When they reached home, Kunti was
praying inside the house, and they
knocked at the door, and said -
mother, see what we have brought.
Mom gave a typical mom answer - "I
am busy, boys, whatever you have
brought, share it equally."
And the sons said - "But, mom..."
And mom said - "Well, I have said
what I have said...".
End of story.
There was only one Draupadi, who
was humuliated by the Kauravas, who
prayed to Krishna to save her
honor, and who refused to tie her
hair until the Kauravas were
suitably punished.
_
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