Women Education in Ancient India. Satyug (Golden Age)

 

Madhava Samhita on Parashara Smriti says

Yopanayanam krutwa pashcad vivaham karoti sa brahmavadini |

tathaiva ya prathamata upanayanam krutwa sadya eva vivaham vidhaya tato vedamadhite sasadyovadhuh

 योपनायणं कृत्वा पशकद विवाहं करोती सा ब्रह्मवादिनी |

 तथाैव या प्रथमाता उपनयनं कृत्वा सद्य एव विवाहं विद्या ततो वेदमधिते सा सद्योवधू

This means -

She who studies Vedas after upanayana and then gets married is brahmavadini, she who gets married immediately after upanayana and then studies Vedas is sadyovadhu.

This goes on to show that women were eligible to both the sacred threading ceremony as well as the Vedic studies in ancient times. This also means that women are also eligible to Gayatri Upadesha and to learn the Gayatri Mantra, because any person who has gone through the Yajnopavitam ceremony is eligible for Gayatri Upadesha.

So, denying the women rights to study vedic knowledge, to Yajnopavitam Sanskara and Gayatri Upadesha is un-Vedic. In the Vedas there is not a single reference which denies the women these rights.

Shri Madhvacharya in his Mahabharata Tatparya


Nirnaya, describes the scholarly nature of Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas.

Women should study the Vedas like Krishna (Draupadi).

Even women Scholars got the name of - Rishika.

All the Vedic hymns were actually revealed to different Vedic scholars, which is why we find each Vedic hymn attributed to a particular Rishi. Now what is interesting to note is that, there are many Vedic hymns attributed to Rishikas (female Vedic scholars). In Rig Veda alone there are around 30 women vedic scholars (Rishikas) to whom different hymns have been attributed to.

Now obviously, it would be naive to say that women cannot study the Vedas, while there are hymns in the Vedas which were revealed to women sages!


Rishika – Women Vedic Scholar

All the vedic hymns were actually revealed to different vedic scholars, which is why we find each vedic hymn attributed to a particular rishi. Now what is interesting to note is that, there are many vedic hymns attributed to Rishikas (female vedic scholars). In Rig Veda alone there are around 30 women vedic scholars (rishikas) to whom different hymns have been attributed to. At the end of the article you will find a non-exhaustive list of the female vedic scholars to whom the hymns of the Rigveda have been attributed to.

Now obviously, it would be naive to say that women cannot study the vedas, while there are hymns in the Vedas which were revealed to women sages!

Katyaayana in his Rigveda Sarvanukramani lists the 27 Rishikas as follows, saying these are the brahmavadinis or female vedic scholars.


Katyaayana in his Rig-Veda Sarvanukramani lists the 27 Rishikas as follows, saying these are the Brahmavadinya or female Vedic scholars.

Godha Ghosha Vishwavara Apalopanishannishat

Brahmajaya JuhUrnama Agastyasya Swasa Aditih

Indrani Indramata Sarama cha Romashorvashi

lopamudra cha Nadyashca yami Nari cha Shashwati

Shrirlaksha Sarparaj ji Vak Shraddha Medha cha Dakshina

Ratri Surya cha Savitri Brahmavadinya Iritah.

ब्रह्मजय जुहूर्नामा अगस्त्यस्य स्वस अदितिः
 इंद्राणी इंद्रमाता सरमा चा रोमाशोर्वाशी
 लोपामुद्रा चा नाद्यशका यामी नारी चा शाश्वती
 श्रीलक्ष सरपराज जी वाक श्रद्धा मेधा च दक्षिणा
 रात्री सूर्य च सावित्री ब्रह्मवादिन्य इरीतः।

Even Panini in his Ashtadhyayi refers to Kathi as female students of the Katha Shaakha of the Vedic school. He also refers to Bahvrichi as female students who are well versed in many hymns of the Rig-Veda.

Panini also mentions about the female students admitted to the study of Meemamsa and about chhatri (girl students) and Upadhyayi (women teachers).

This clearly shows that even during the time of Panini, Vedic education was imparted to both men and women.

In his book "Siddhartha Kaumudi" Bhattoji Deekshita, the 17th century Sanskrit grammarian from Maharashtra wrote on the Ashtadhyayi of Panini. In this book the author refers to the term Upadhyayi explicitly as ladies who are themselves teachers and not merely as wives of male teachers. This shows that, even in not so distant past, there were female teachers in Sanskrit education.

Isn't this an irony that on one hand we have thewestern civilization where women who were denied equal rights to that of men in the ancient times today enjoy equal rights with men in all sections of the society. And on the other hand our ancestors during the early Vedic civilization started off with equal rights to men and women, and today we have advocates who want to deny the very same Vedic education and Sanskara to women.

Even during Sankaracharya period, 9th Century AD. It was the period when Muslim invaders had not come to India, he came to Mithila for a Sastrarth with Mandan Misra, in which Mandan Misra got defeated by Sankaracharya, that time Mandan Misra's wife came in front and said Mandan je only half defeated because you have not defeated me. A new Sastrarth took place between Sankaracharya and Bharti, wife of Mandan Misra. In first round Bharti was on the upper hand in the Sastrarth on Kama, Sankaracharya took time he got knowledge about Kamasastra and only after that he defeated Bharti. That Sastrarth took more than 1 year. It shows that there was education in women till that time.

Lilawati is a renowned Mathematician of her time. There is a book by her Lilawati. Gargi was a great scholar and is famous for his Sastrarth.

The Rig Vedic Women in India enjoyed high status in society. Their condition was good. The women were provided opportunity to attain high intellectual and in women till that time.

Lilawati is a renowned Mathematician of her time. There is a book by her Lilawati. Gargi was a great scholar and is famous for his Sastrarth.

The Rig Vedic Women in India enjoyed high status in society. Their condition was good. The women were provided opportunity to attain high intellectual and spiritual standard. There were many women Rishis during this period. Though monogamy was mostly common, the richer section of the society indulged in polygamy. There was no sati system or early marriage.

Rishika – Women Vedic Scholar

All the vedic hymns were actually revealed to different vedic scholars, which is why we find each vedic hymn attributed to a particular rishi. Now what is interesting to note is that, there are many vedic hymns attributed to Rishikas (female vedic scholars). In Rig Veda alone there are around 30 women vedic scholars (rishikas) to whom different hymns have been attributed to. At the end of the article you will find a non-exhaustive list of the female vedic scholars to whom the hymns of the Rigveda have been attributed to.

Now obviously, it would be naive to say that women cannot study the vedas, while there are hymns in the Vedas which were revealed to women sages!

Katyaayana in his Rigveda Sarvanukramani lists the 27 Rishikas as follows, saying these are the brahmavadinis or female vedic scholars.

Vedic Education of Women mentioned in Recent Times

Siddhanta Kaumudi by Bhattoji Deekshita, the 17th century Sanskrit grammarian from Maharashtra is a commentary on the Ashtadhyayi of Panini. In this book the author refers to the term Upadhyayi explicitly as ladies who are themselves teachers and not merely as wives of male teachers. This shows that, even in not so distant past, there were female teachers in Sanskrit education.

Isn’t it ironical that a civilisation that treated all its citizens as equal, even women and the so-called "lower castes" is accused of discrimination and oppression & the West that considers itself civilised and superior to 'pagans' denied women similar rights to that of men in ancient times. Even in modern times, there is enough evidence to show that women are not treated on par with men. Within the Indian context, the oppression that has seeped in post foreign invasion and colonisation through expert distortion of its history by Western self-styled Indologists has been attributed to the Vedic period which is a entirely an unfounded premise. It is because of the colonised history and introduction of the notion of women being inferior to men and of Adam's rib both in Christianity & Islam that women in India have lost the status and position according to them in the golden age of India- "the Vedic period", subsequently denying them education and samskaras as also a right in decision-making. Thus the fight for Indian women is not of rights but that of reclaiming their civilisational rights accorded to them as well as every other citizen!

References

• Women Sages or Rishika-s

• Education in Ancient India

• Women and Gayatri Upadesha

• Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist by Radhakumud Mookerji