Dichotomy Of Manu Women

Hindu religion is filled with vivid, colorful imagery of powerful women represented as goddesses, such as Parvati, Lakshmi and Kali, all of which played vital roles in Hindu religious stories and epics. Throughout history, one of the most brave and honorable acts a woman could participate in was Sati, the act of self-immolation by a widow throwing herself onto her husband’s funeral pyre. However, with the continual colonization of the Indian subcontinent by foreign powers, the newly implemented governmental systems began to place restrictions on the practice of sati. This presents a complex dichotomy, raising the question is it more important in Hindu society to promote autonomy of women through practice of sati or is it more important to reform

These texts outlined that widows were to remain sati after their husbands passed, which meant chaste or pure. Widow burning was reported as early as 317 B.C., however, the majority of writing we find about sati represent rhetorical accounts tinged with the influence of British colonization. These narratives painted women as voiceless and needing saving from the ‘savage’ men of the Indian subcontinent from the ‘benevolent’ imperialists (Grey, 502). Despite these women believing sati was the utmost meritorious act in the world, where they would gain magical powers during the process, British colonizers ignored this and constructed the narrative that ultimately men were responsible for the pressure to commit sati, in addition to other crimes they believed to be Hindu-specific such as infanticide and thuggee. Women who engaged willingly in these crimes admitted to it, but the newly installed British government continued to rely on the victimized trope of Hindu womanhood, using Hindu women as symbols to justify their colonial interference, furthering their imperialistic

As aforementioned, many women in the documents are represented as powerful goddesses that exemplify qualities like feminine energy, vigor and divine power. Additionally, there is a Vedic saying, “where women are worshipped, there the gods dwell”. The Vedas also hold women to a high standard when considering marriage, “to rule there along with her husband, a queen, over the other members to the family” (Atharva-Veda 14.1.43-44). This kind of behavior is considered to be the proper Vedic standard, with these texts even allowing women to become rishis, meaning that they were educated in Vedic knowledge and able to teach. When performing a comparative analysis to Vedic texts to texts from other religions, it is apparent that these ideals were quite progressive for this time, containing messages about women and spirituality that are seldom found in other religious scriptures. In fact, women were encouraged to pursue spiritual enlightenment and positions of religious authority during this time