Women's Roles In Hinduism

The fact that goddesses play such a vital role in the mythology of Hinduism, command the same amount of worship, and are allowed to act independent of gender politics is strange, considering the almost totally subservient role expected of women in Hindu society. There is great disparity between the power, freedom wielded by, and worship directed towards these goddesses, and the actual human women who adhere to its beliefs. In the world of myth, goddesses like Parvati are equal to their husbands; their marriage a greater whole made up of the sum of its parts. But in reality, Hindu women are expected to act more in line with human characters in their mythology like Sita, who existed solely to serve the whims of her husband. Despite the revered

nature of several goddesses in Hinduism, women themselves are not afforded the same respect, principally valued for their roles as wives and mothers, and expected to live up to an unrealistic standard.
The relationship of man to woman is primarily one of convenience for the former, and denigration for the latter.

This is not just a social phenomenon independent of the teachings of Hinduism, as “what emerges clearly from the classical texts is that women are accorded significance and status only in relation to men[...]regarded with the highest esteem in their roles as wives and mothers”, but it is clear that the “texts are notoriously one-sided in emphasizing the obligations of women to men in marriage” (Raines and Rambachan 21). But how are these obligations defined? Hindu texts and religious leaders, “in regard to women[...]confront two separate but directly related issues[...]they have to establish and describe the inherent nature of woman (strisvabhava), but also determine her appropriate duties in life (stridharma)” and “a distinction between notions of nature and duty also appears[...]often with contradictory implications” (Denton 24). This sort of duality seems to play out most clearly among the Hindu goddesses, who are often shown being of these contradictory natures, but with greater freedom in how they choose to balance the

two.
The woman, as wife and mother, must be a source of strength as well as spiritual purity in the household, in order to help her family lead the proper lifestyle proscribed by the Hindus. Because it is her responsibility to ensure the purity of the household, and the aforementioned dual nature of women, the Hindu woman has a constant struggle against herself. This comes in several forms, “first, because of her impurity, a woman's daily life requires a great number of ritual acts designed to remove or contain this special impurity, and to maintain achieved states of purity[...]second, because women are sinful, having no natural inclination to dharma, they need to continually be goaded and reminded of their duties and so they remain perpetually dependent” (Denton 25-26). Hindu lawgivers stressed this point, “the renowned law giver, Manu, [stated that] in her progression through life a woman should always be under the authority of some male person: first father, then husband, and finally in old age, son” (Denton 26). There is literally no escape from this privileging of the male gender over female, and it is a system in which women are coerced into being complicit in their own repression, for they are convinced from birth that they require a male figure in their life, unless they give into their inherently impure nature.
As a mother, the dual nature of impure sexual being, and pure being of spiritual guidance is brought to the forefront. Once again the value of males over females in the culture is expressed in the “magico-religious beliefs and practices relating to the birth and care of children” which “begins by considering the rulings and customs concerning conception, especially conception of a male child” (Leslie 7). These sorts of practices carry over into the fields of spiritual medicine, as “medical remedies for barrenness are found to derive both from physiological theories (based on symbolic allusions and empirical observations) and from metaphysical theories (such as the effects of karma)[...]the composition of the medicines prescribed also shows the coexistence of religious, magical, and medical influences on child care” (Leslie 7). Most of these are once again prejudicial against women, and place the burden of success, as well as guilt of failure on the mother.
Such beliefs and their role in child-care manifest themselves in a number of different ways pre and post-conception. Instances like “pilgrimages to the temple of Aiyanar and the rituals performed by couples either wanting a child or celebrating a successful birth” as well as “child-care rituals (such as[...]oil bath[s]) and rituals to protect the household in general (such as the ritual drawing of an auspicious diagram in front of the house, and the blessing of the home to ward off the 'evil eye')”, and “the importance of lullabies as a protective measure, especially [those] relating to the beloved child-god Krsna” (Leslie 7). It falls upon the mother to be the most active member of the household in terms of spirituality, and the proper application of spiritual methods in child rearing.
The extent to which a woman must prostrate themselves to men is also perhaps best exemplified in the rather unfortunate status that women are relegated to upon the deaths of their husbands. The death of the husband equates to a virtual death of the wife as “the widow not only mourned the loss of her husband, but also suffered the guilt of living longer than him[...]she was required to shave her head and to avoid all forms of personal adornment” because “with the death of her husband, she had lost the most important reasons for living and was debarred from the quest for the first three goals of Hindu life, artha (wealth), ka-ma (pleasure), and dharma (family religious ritual)” (Raines and Rambachan 22). Perhaps even more cruel is the belief “in some circles that if she was pure and faithful, like Savitri, she could save her husband from death itself” (Raines and Rambachan 22). Considering that the culture of arranged marriage is still pervasive in India, women who may not have had the luxury of choosing an ideal husband cannot even escape upon their husband's death.
This is a strange contrast to the pantheon of Hindu deities which feature numerous goddesses, depicted as being of equal importance to their male counterparts, and to be worshipped equally. Perhaps “one of the most striking characteristics of the ancient and multi-faceted Hindu religious tradition is the importance of goddess worship”, in fact “no other living religious tradition displays such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship”, a tradition continued today “in contemporary Hinduism [in which] the number and popularity of goddesses is remarkable” (Kinsley 1). Interestingly, the goddesses are often used to subvert feminine expectations and explore contrasts to to the roles that actual women were expected to uphold. “many goddess myths seem to take particular delight in casting females in roles that appear contrary to the social roles of females as described in the Dharma-sas-tras, the Hindu books on law and society”, with “several goddesses[...]in nontraditional 'masculine' roles that express unconventional, perhaps even experimental thinking about sexual roles” (Kinsley 4). The Hindu goddesses are allowed agency due to their non subservient nature, and the tales surrounding them allow for the sort of ideological role play about gender issues that simply was not allowed to happen in real life.
Of several examples in the mythology which demonstrate the equality of gods and goddesses, as well as their differing roles in marriage compared to those of human perhaps “the best example of this is the mythology of the goddess Parvati, in which the tension between dharma, the human tendency to uphold and refine the social and physical order, and moksa, the human longing to transcend all social and physical limitations, is explored in the relationship between Parvati and Sita” (Kinsley 4). Their relationship is described as one of equals, so much so that they are often thought of as halves of a greater whole, as “according to Brahma's plan, Parvati would[...]be united with Siva, and when united with him in marriage, the conjoint energies would be formidable” (Kramrisch 349). To fight the demon Taraka, the two must make love, creating a sort of divine heat energy, or tapas, and must do so at such intensity to “create a son able to destroy Taraka” (Kramrisch 350). In order to facilitate this, the intensity of their sexual energy must be heightened, and so the introduction of a “quarrel[which] having heightened their emotional tension, would itself require further tapas be allayed[...]then, with the increased energy, their desire would bring together god and goddess in a union without compare from which their son, the victor over Taraka, would be born” (Kramrisch 350). This is a stark contrast from the established notion of marriage among the Hindu people. Parvati, the wife in this story is not subservient, or existing only in relation to Siva, in fact Parvati is a vital, and equal component of their marriage, and in the creation of a son.
The role of the wife in the Hindu household, like that of Parvati is crucial, but unlike Parvati it is not equal. Though Parvati exists independently of Siva, “the textual tradition maintains that a woman fulfill her religious duty (dharma) only in the degree to which she devotes herself to husband, home and family” and “the ideal woman fastidiously performs the prescribed rites that accompany all activities of the day and guarantee the purity of the household[...]she conforms to the self-effacing and self-denying rules governing her interactions with others” (Leslie 212-213). But even as she performs all these tasks in service to her family, she does so without the respect, independence, or zealous worship commanded by the Hindu goddesses like Parvati.
What is expected of normal human Hindu women is made clear in the story of Sita, who acts as the Hindu ideal of a wife. In the Ramayana, Sita is the beloved wife of Rama, and is the model of devotion and deference the woman is expected to have for her husband. Sita's popularity as a religious figure, as well as an idealized woman has not waned in recent times. Despite being a character that has existed for thousands of years, “a[...]survey of young Indian men and women in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh revealed that, from a list of twenty-four goddesses, literary heroines, and famous women of history, an overwhelming percentage chose for their ideal role model Sita, the heroine of Ramayana” (Sutherland 63). Sita is abducted, and at great cost, Rama fight to be reunited with her, but following this reunion questions about her sexual purity while in captivity are raised, and Sita “is subjected to cruel rejection and must prove her fidelity[...]by entering the fire”, but “even after her successful fire-trial, she faces abandonment at the hands of her husband Rama, who cares more for his subjects' opinions than for his wife” (Sutherland 63). The story does not end happily for Sita, who, “maintains throughout most of her ordeal a submissive acquiescence to the whims of her cruel husband”, and “finally rather than rejoin him, she abandons her life and is swallowed up by the earth” (Sutherland 63). Part of what makes her so righteous in the eyes of the Hindus, aside from the total submission of her will, is the fact that she also conforms to expectations of death for women in marriage, and has he grace to die before her husband.
This is quite a tall, and grim order for anyone attempting to pattern themselves after Sita.

Considering her popularity today as a figure of virtue, it is clear that these qualities in her are still admired greatly by the general populace. Perhaps what also makes this so tragic is that Sita's life and reputation are destroyed through no fault of her own. Rama fails in his duty as a husband to protect her, a rather curious prospect considering the power Rama wields, and so “one of the main questions raised by these events is Rama's obsessive interest in and deference to the opinions of his subjects[...]why should Rama, King of Ayodhya care?” (Sutherland 77). The message is clear: the sexual purity and virtue of Sita, or even the appearance of which, as well as her subservience is of the utmost importance, more so than even her life. That such a figure is to be given such cultural reverence, and what's more, put up as an example of how a wife should act, is somewhat disturbing in light of how the narrative plays

out.
There are numerous instances in which the gap between the treatment of women in Hindu mythology—goddesses vs. normal humans—is especially great in contrast to the treatment of women in real life. Goddesses are treated with great reverence, and as equal partners in the greater institution of marriage, the vitality of which relies on this equality of both parties. This is very much not the case for actual women of Hinduism, who must live their entire lives under the authority of some male figure, despite having the crucial responsibilities of constantly monitoring and managing their own levels of spiritual purity as well as that of the entire household. In this modern era, where such beliefs are rapidly becoming viewed negatively as obsolete, change is needed for modern Hinduism. Women must not be held to unrealistic ideal standards like Sita, and should instead be celebrated for their positive, multi-faceted qualities, like Parvati.