Discuss the social position of women in Vedic society. What changes took place in the social status of women during the later Vedic period?
Social position of women in Vedic society. Changes in status of women in later Vedic period:-
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Social position of women in Vedic society:-
Male dominated society:-
Vedic society was male - centric. Equality between men and women cannot be expected in a male-dominated society. No doubt their role was secondary compared to men. In many cases their freedom outside the household was curtailed. Before marriage they were under father or brother and post-marriage life was spent under husband or son. Women who did not marry and remained unmarried were not rare in those days.
Marriage:-
They were not exactly without guardians, but they had some rights and those rights were limited. There is evidence that girls are usually married at a slightly older age. As a result, it was not possible to ignore their opinion in the selection of husbands. The Rigveda is littered with numerous instances of a daughter's voluntary choice of husband.
Household:-
Women were the dominant force in the household. The wife helped her husband in religious work. They were not veiled or housebound. They used to freely participate in social festivals. Even outside of the household , women assisted men.
Participation in national army :-
Women also participated in the military during that era. There are many instances in the Rigveda where it is clearly declared that the women participate in the battlefield as well. The names of ‘Bishpala’ and ‘Mudgalani’ are particularly significant in this regard.
Education:-
Women had free access to higher education. Women such as Vishwabara, Ghosa, Apala, Mamta are known to have attained their origins in various scriptures during the Rigvedic period. Some of them are also famous as authors of many Vedic hymns.
Religion and spirituality:-
Women were not denied the right to practice religion and spirituality in the Vedic period. Women also composed Vedic chants. Women like Lomsha, Juhu, Paulmi and Kamaini achieved special success in religious pursuits during that period.
Marriage customs:-
Evidence for women's rights in marriage is mixed. One man, one wife - this was the marriage custom of those days. Although men take polygamy in some cases, there is no evidence of women taking polygamy in the Rigveda. However, if the husband died childless, women could remarry; In that case, women usually married their husband's younger brother.
In the Rigveda there are traces of the practice of ‘sati-immolation’.
Practice of ‘sati’ :-
Childbearing women often sacrificed their lives on the pyres of their husbands. But this practice of burning ‘sati’ was practiced only among the elite families of the society; It has not spread elsewhere in society.
Dowry system:-
Dowry system was prevalent in marriage but it was different from the present era. Marriage was considered a sacred bond between a man and a woman. Usually the daughter's father gets the dowry. But there were exceptions. If the daughter is disabled or for some other special reason, the father of the daughter is obliged to pay the dowry.
Morality :-
Rika-Vedic literary material suggests that the moral character of women was high in that era. There is no mention of adultery, extramarital affairs - etc. in Vedic literature. Although prostitution was prevalent, they also had moral character and had social respect.
Changes in status of women in later Vedic period:-
(i) In the later Vedic period, the status of women was particularly degraded. Most parents did not welcome the birth of a daughter, they wished for a son. It is clearly stated in the ‘Aitareya Brahmana’ that daughters bring misery to the family; The son protects the family. In the ‘Atharvaveda’, the birth of a daughter is said to be unlucky. A daughter cannot protect her father's lineage. She cannot even give water to his ancestors. What a daughter cannot do, a son can easily accomplish; Moreover, parents are worried about their daughter's uncertain future. These reasons lie behind the reluctance of parents towards the birth of a daughter.
(ii) Besides, there were some economic and social reasons behind the social devaluation of women. With the development of agriculture, male dominance was established in the field of livelihood. Women lost their economic independence from this time. Many Aryan men married non-Aryan women. Society did not fully recognize such marriages. As a result, the status of women in society generally decreases. In the ‘Maitrayani Samhita’, women are condemned to be as destructive as wine and dice.
(iii) Even in the later Vedic period girls were usually married at a slightly older age. ‘Grihyasutras’ and ‘Dharmasutras’ mentioned child marriage. But these texts are not earlier than the 6th century BC. But the prevalence of polygamy among men was undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the decline in the social status of women. The ‘Maitrayani Samhita’ mentions ten wives of Manu. Polygamy was very popular in the royal family. Usually a king had at least four queens. The chief among them was called ‘Mahishi’. One who was the beloved of the husband was considered as ‘Babata’.
(iv) As in the period of Rikveda, in the beginning of this era, women were seen in two main roles in the household - on the one hand, as a wife, she assisted the husband in various social and religious activities; On the other hand, she played an active role in married life. But in the later Vedic period the scope of their social and religious rights gradually narrowed. The responsibility of all the religious activities of the house which were once conducted by women , gradually passed into the hands of the priest.
(v) The ‘Maitrayani Samhita’ states that women could not attend meetings during this period. The meeting used to discuss and take decisions about politics, judiciary and social issues. With the loss of the right to attend meetings, women no longer had anything to do in the larger life outside the home.
(vi) Sons from Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya families were ‘upanayanam’. Through upanayana they would get a second birth and were considered as "dvijas". Girls were not entitled to upanayana. ‘Jatkarma’, ‘Annaprashana’ - etc. ceremonies were organized for both sons and daughters. But even in this case there was discrimination between sons and daughters. In case of sons this Vedic mantras were recited during ceremonies, but chanting was prohibited for girls.
Despite the odds, few women in that era climbed the highest peaks of knowledge and glory. Among them the names of Maitreya and Gargi Bachalvi are particularly notable. Gargi participated in a debate with Yajnavalk. She embarrassed Jagyabalk by asking subtle and penetrating questions. Maitreyi's words to Yajnavalka are still famous today: "Keenahang namrita sam kimhang ten kurayam" i.e. what shall I do with that which will not give me nectar. Rejecting wealth, she prayed to her husband for enlightenment. The ‘Taittiriya Samhita’, ‘Maitrayani Samhita’ and ‘Atharvaveda’ mentioned the dance practice of women of that era. Sati practice is mentioned in Atharvaveda. However, there was also a provision for widow marriage at that time, so it does not seem that the practice of sati gained much popularity in the society.
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