International Women’s Day brings a welcome reminder to the world’s only surviving civilisation that worships the Divine Feminine in Her full glory. A reminder to not just preserve the reverence towards the Divine Feminine but also to look back at the timeless lessons and wisdom that women from our ancient history and epics have left for us. Goddesses, Rishikas, queens, courtesans and even unnamed commoners have made their mark in Bhagavan Veda Vyasa’s immortal epic, Mahabharata.
There may not be an Indian who does not feel a personal connection to the Mahabharata, but the women in Veda Vyasa’s compositions have a uniquely unapologetic way of holding their own. From the very fierce and popular Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari to Shakuntala, Savitri, Madhavi to the almost forgotten Shandili, Uloopi and Vidula, we see aspects of the Divine Feminine manifest themselves, taking the mortal excellence to its pinnacle, blurring the dualities between human and divine and establishing invaluable milestones of wisdom along the path of our study.
In my journey with the Mahabharata, I have audaciously tried to draw a common arc for these inspiring women and they seem to throw me a surprise whenever I return for a new round of reading of the epic. Even as each woman ascertains her signature personality, refusing to ‘fit into an artificially hyped mould’, we find them all share characteristics that a 21st Century woman (not just Indian women but every woman on the globe) can look up to when she faces intrigues of her own.
Knowledge, intellect and wit
Ancient women were well versed in the Shastras of their day. While there are narratives about women being denied education, the women of the Mahabharata present a striking contrast, with their in-depth knowledge of dharma, statecraft, religion and philosophy. When life threw intrigues that made the future look hopeless and bleak, it was their knowledge that these women considered as their first resort.
Draupadi’s astute questioning of the validity of her wagering by Yudhishthira turned the direction of events even at the face of horrific ordeal of the attempts to disrobe her. As a lone woman she fought her case in the hostile Sabha of Hastinapura, amidst jeering enemy princes, not losing her poise, building dissent, gradually gathering voices of Vikarna, Vidura, other elders and finally, even Gandhari. And the result? Dhritarashtra was compelled to annul the fateful game of dice, free her husbands, the Pandavas, and return back their kingdom. (The exile was the result of a second game of dice which is another story altogether). The pivot of Draupadi’s fightback was her deep knowledge of dharma, her education and commitment to the same.
Shakuntala’s questioning of Dushyanta’s reluctance to take responsibility of her and their son Bharata and Savitri’s tact of engaging the God of Death himself in a full blown expositions of dharma before extracting the life of her husband, Satyavan, are firmly rooted in the Shastra-based education that each of these women received and conformed to.
Their knowledge acquired through education, gave these iconic women the ability to know ‘sat’ (truth or what would ultimately prevail) from ‘asat’ (or what would cease to exist), of right and wrong even where the dynamic of dharma was delicately placed. And that enabled them to build their conviction to fight for what they believed in.
Courage and conviction
Rukmini, the Princess of Vidarbha, was brave enough to stand up for herself against her own family because of the same conviction and ascertain her right to wed the spouse of her choice. Rukmini’s courage did not arise from blind rebellion but from full cognizance that her brother had crossed the line in forcing her into an alliance which her heart did not approve of. So did the boldness of Damayanti in announcing a second Swayamvara for herself while she was still married to Nala. The course behind Damayanti’s decision was driven by a calm but strong belief that she could compel Nala to return to her irrespective of where he had gone, abandoning her amidst wilderness.
To the eyes of an average 21st Century person, these women may look like rebels who fought against overarching patriarchy. But it was much more than that. Gods felt compelled to rush and help those timeless women because they fought to restore the universal balance that hostile forces had toppled. The women fought not to smash any system, but to reclaim that universal value that they had grown up believing in: Dharma, the hardest term to put a definition to, given its subtle and enigmatic nature.
Each of the ladies had it in them to define and redefine dharma, transcending through various roles that they played, familially, socially or spiritually. They had it in them to review that balance that held the world together and their dharma could not but come to their aid in the hour of need. Because their end goal was to protect and not destroy. Beneath the valiant warrior in each of them, lay a compassionate mother who knew to forgive and move on. The dharma that made an unnamed house wife immune to the rage of Kaushika, who had burnt a bird with just a fiery glance. The dharma that made the same Kaushika, an exalted Brahmin, unlearn his lessons and seek out knowledge from a humble butcher Dharmavyadha. It is that dharma which was the end goal of every woman immortalised in the epic of Veda Vyasa, which each of them pursued in their vastly unique trajectories.
Purushartha framework
What united them through these arcs was a clear vision of the four Purusharthas (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha) which laid the framework for dharma. That framework guided them as to when to pursue, when to bear and when to renounce. A lesson that Madhavi, daughter of Yayati, enigmatically shows in action by choosing a life of tapasya when literally the whole world had come to claim her hand in a Swayamvara. At a gross superficial level, one may misinterpret Madhavi as a victim of patriarchy, a myth she breaks by acknowledging the purusharthas that she had enjoyed to the pinnacle in the company of the three kings and Vishwamitra that she had to wed every two years in order to fulfil Rishi Galava’s quest for his Guru Dakshina.
The 21st Century woman, bold, curious and fiery in her own way, does have a lot to be fascinated about her counterparts in the period before the common era, in investing time and energies to equip themselves with the right knowledge, courage and perseverance in achieving their end goals while figuring out their root anchors.
Drawing the lesson from the supreme warrior Goddess Durga, a woman’s fight is to protect the good in this world, making it a better place for herself, those dear to her and those who would follow her in the centuries to come.
Read More at https://www.firstpost.com/india/womens-day-2022-timeless-lessons-todays-women-can-learn-from-the-ancient-indian-feminine-10441681.html
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