My dearest sisters and brothers, it fills me with utmost pain to see that Bharatvarsha has today hit rock bottom with the December 16 incident. Why is it so sad? Don’t such incients occur in other parts of the world ? More gruesome, that too where children are the victims ? Yet, this is the saddest. Do you know why ? Because, as my western friend explained – we consider India the cradle of spiritualism, the “Mother” land, the Holiest of Holy Places. How sad ! Why have we denigrated to this low level today ? It is due to the fact that we have forgotten the Vedas, the sayings of the ancient sages – the sages whose DNA all of us carry – all Indians, to whichever religion we may belong today. None of us can deny that we are the proud inheritors of the most ancient, purest, loftiest, deepest wisdom – the Vedas.
We think that Sanatan Dharma – the Eternal Religion of humankind – confers a lower status on women. And it is this thinking that makes men justify their disrespect for women. Women also think that when the Dharma itself is conferring such low treatment to them, then they should also bear everything silently. In fact, we wrongly think that the ability to bear torture and insult proves that we are the great “Indian women”. However, my dear friends, it is not so. The Vedas, that are the chief source and foundation of Sanatan Dharma, accord the highest importance to women. Please hear the Vedas talking !
1. Girls should train themselves to become complete scholars and youthful through Brahmcharya and then enter married life.
Atharva 11.5.18
This means that education is compulsory for women to the extent that they should become “scholars”. And they should acquire this before entering marriage. This also indicates that the Vedas want that we should have educated wives and mothers.
2. Atharva 14.1.6
Parents should gift their daughter intellectuality and power of knowledge when she leaves for husband’s home. They should give her a dowry of knowledge.
Please note – “dowry of knowledge”.
3. Atharva 14.1.20 – Oh wife! Give us discourse of knowledge!
It means that it is worthy of a man to seek knowledge from his wife.
4. Atharva 7.46.3
O woman ! You are the protector of children, you have definite knowledge, you are worth thousands of prayers and impress all directions, O woman, you accept prosperity. O wife of deserving husband, teach your husband to enhance wealth.
5.Atharva 7.47.1
Oh woman! You are the keeper of knowledge of all types of actions (karma).
6. Atharva 7.47.2
Oh woman! You know everything. Please provide us strength of prosperity and wealth.
This indicates that woman is the first teacher for a child. All family is dependent on her. He family members acknowledge this and consider her as the strength-giver.
7. Atharva 7.48.2
Oh woman! Please provide us with wealth through your intellect.
This means that woman is naturally intelligent. In Bhagavad Geeta also, our Beloved Lord Krishna has stated that buddhi or intelligence is a feminine quality and He Himself is intelligence. But what sort of intelligence – bad or good ? Atharva Ved answers.
8. Atharva 14.1.64
Oh woman! Utilize your Vedic intellect in all directions of our home!
This means that it is necessary for women to have Vedic intellect, the intelligence to steer the family and society on the path of Dharma, righteousness, not use her intelligence for the down fall of the society and her own.
9. Atharva 2:36:5
Oh bride! Step into the boat of prosperity and take your husband beyond the ocean of worldy troubles into realms of success.
This signifies that man should consider woman not only as the captain in spiritual life, abut also in material progress. She should be made capable of attain the highest spiritual and material prosperity.
Woman alone can grant her husband total security. The entire family looks up at her. See this verse –
10. Atharva 1.14.3
Oh groom! This bride will protect your entire family
11. Atharva 2.36.3
May this bride become the queen of the house of her husband and enlighten all.
12. Atharva 11.1.17
These women are pure, sacred and yajniya (as respected as yajna); they provide us with subjects, animals and food. This indicates that when the society worships woman, they gain wealth, animals that help in enhancing the economy and food is never scarce.
13. Atharva 12.1.25
Oh motherland! Give us that aura which is present in girls !
This signifies that girls have a certain aura of purity, divinity, holiness – and men are praying that they too should become holy and pure like them, so that they also gain such aura.
14. Atharva 12.2.31
Ensure that these women never weep out of sorrow. Keep them free from all diseases and give them ornaments and jewels to wear.
15. Atharva 14.1.20
Dear wife! Become the queen and manager of everyone in the family of your husband.
16. Atharva 14.1.50
Dear wife! I am holding your hand for prosperity.
17. Atharva 14.1.61
Dear bride! You shall bring bliss to all and direct our homes towards our purpose of living.
18. Atharva 14.2.71
Dear wife! I am knowledgeable and you are also knowledgeable. If I am Samved then you are Rigved.
19. Atharva 14.2.74
This bride is illuminating. She has conquered everyone’s hearts!
20. Atharva 7.38.4 and 12.3.52
Women should take part in the legislative chambers and put their views on forefront.
Now let us see what Rig Ved, the oldest Ved has to say.
- Rig 10.85.7
Parents should gift their daughter intellectuality and power of knowledge when she leaves for husband’s home. They should give her a dowry of knowledge. - It is so sad that even today there are states that do not give a share of the father’s property to the married daughter. Yet, see that Rig Ved protects our right to parental property.
Rig 3.31.1
The right is equal in the fathers property for both son and daughter.
- 3. Rig 10.159
A women speaks after waking up in morning, “My destiny is as glorious as the rising sun. I am the flag of my home and society. I am also their head. I can give impressive discourses. My sons conquer enemies. My daughter illuminates the whole world. I myself am winner of enemies. My husband has infinite glory. I have made those sacrifices which make a king successful. I have also been successful. I have destroyed my enemies.”
4. Rig ved 1.164.41
One ved, two ved, or four ved along with ayurved, dhanurved, gandharved, aarthved etc in addition with education, kalp, grammar, nirukt, astrology, meters i.e the six vedaang should be attained by the clear-minded woman, which is equivalent to the crystal-clear water and spread this diversified knowledge among the people.
5. Rig ved 10.85.46
Like wise in so many other mantras a woman has been presented to play an essential role in family and as wife. Similarly she has been given the lead stage in society works, in governmental organizations, and for ruling the nation is also mentioned in Vedas.
Pandit Sripad Satvalekar’s “Simple Translation of Rigveda (Rigved ka subodh bhashya)” gives the following statements :
- Women have to be courageous. Pgs 122, 128.
- Women have to be expert in various work.Pg 122.
- Women should gain name and fame. Pg 123.
- Women should learn to ride and drive vehicles. Pg. 123
- Women must acquire talents. Pg. 123.
- Women should acquire wealth and think about development. Pg.125.
- Women should be intelligent and scholarly. Pg.126.
- Women should protect the society and the world by entering the Armed Forces. Pg.134. 136.
- Women ahould become enlightened. Pg. 137.
10. Women should bring about economical prosperity, enhancement in food and development. Pgs. 141, 146.
Now let us come to Yajur Ved.
- Yajur 20.9
“There are equal rights for men and women to get appointed as ruler.”
The ones who say that women are not capable of administration are actually fooling us. The Vedas do not say this at all. In fact it says just the opposite. If a woman has the necessary educational and leadership qualities, which the Vedas DO allow her to acquire, she can surely become a ruler. For eg. Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India defeated Pakistan badly in the 1971 war. Her contribution to the Freedom Struggle on Bangladesh was extraordinary. Golda Meir of Osrael defeated Egyt, Syria and Jordan within 6 days of a war. In 1982, UK defeated Argentina in the Battle of Falkland Islands under the leadership of Margaret Thacher. In fact Yajur Ved even goes on to state that –
- Yajur 16.44 – “There should me a women army. Let the women be encouraged to participate in war.”
- Yajur ved 10.26 – In this mantra it is enforced that the wife of ruler should give education of politics to the others. Likewise the king do justice for the people, the queen should also justify her role.
The Vedas are very clear that woman is the foundation of the human society. The Vedas state that if you want to destroy a nation and her culture, then do not allow her women to gain education. Destroy her self-dignity and then see her bring up her children with demonic qualities. After this no one can stop the destruction and down fall of that society / nation. ( Exactly what the Muslim Taliban have done to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and wish to do to India also. By not respecting our women, we are helping them only.)
After 1000 years of slavery, wee have forgotten the Vedas and their real message. We are now using woman as a commodity. No advertisement is possible without “using” a woman. We merely want to objectify her body. Woman too has given in to the market-policy and is using her body for material gain. Our society today is plagued with pre-marital and extra-marital physical relations. We are so foolish ! We are ignoring the Vedas, the foundation of man’s natural tendency, or Dharma. We are stopping women from gaining the knowledge of shastras ! How much more self-destructive can we get ?
Nowhere in the Vedas it is written that women cannot conduct poojas and yagnas. Here, we must also note that yajna does not mean fire-sacrifice alone, but any good holy sacred project.
Rigveda 1.146.3: The Yajamaan (performer of Yajna) and his wife are two cows and the fire of Yajna is the calf.
Rigveda 1.72.5: Scholars perform Yajna with their wives and achieve bliss.
Rigveda 2.6.5: If mother and sister perform Yajna together, that brings bliss.
Rigveda 7.1.6: The young woman approaches the fire with Havi.
Atharvaveda 3.28.6: O wife, you have entered the world of Yajna.
Atharvaveda 3.30.6: All the members of family should perform Yajna.
Atharvaveda 14.2.18: O woman, you should perform Yajna in Grihastha Ashram.
Atharvaveda 14.2.25: O woman, perform Yajna with bliss.
My dear friends, please see what the Vedas say about Womens’ Education :
- Rigveda 6.44.18: The government should ensure that all boys and girls get good education, follow Brahmacharya and strengthen the society.
- Yajurveda 10.7: Government should put special efforts to make all women into scholars.
- Rigveda 3.1.23: Smart people should ensure that all boys and girls become scholars.
- Rigveda 2.41.16: All girls should receive education from scholarly women.
- Yajurveda 11.36: Parents should ensure good education of children – boys and girls – and then send them to scholars for a long period so that their enlighten the families and nation like sun.
- Rigveda 1.152.6: The way mother nourishes her children with milk, scholars should nourish girls and boys with knowledge.
- Yajurveda 6.14: Teachers should ensure that they inculcate noble qualities in their students (girls and boys) through dissemination of knowledge of Vedas.
- Rigveda 2.41.17: All scholars should instruct their scholarly wives to educate all girls.
- Yajurveda 34.40: The way dawn brings happiness among human beings, scholarly woman should bring happiness by educating girls.
10.Yajurveda 20.85: Scholarly woman should ensure that she educates other women and makes them also scholars.
11. Rigveda 1.117.24: Teachers should ensure that they train boys and girls with highest levels of noble values and educate them and then return them to their respective parents.
12.Rigveda 1.164.41: The woman who masters and teaches all the Vedas brings bliss in entire society.
13.Rigveda 7.40.7: Scholarly woman that possess noble qualities should educate all women and bring happiness everywhere.
We must remember that an educated and learned woman can change the course of history, like Madame Marie Curie, who discovered Radium. Just listen to what the Vedas have to say –
- Yajurveda 20.84: The scholarly woman purifies our lives with her intellect. Through her actions, she purifies our actions. Through her knowledge and action, she promotes virtue and efficient management of society.
- Yajurveda 20.85: Scholarly woman inspires us towards knowledge. She promotes conduct of noble acts in society.
- Yajurveda 20.86: Scholarly woman rushes an exhilaration within us that comes only through knowledge. She enlightens our knowledge, applications and actions.
- Rigveda 1.164.49: O scholarly woman, your knowledge provides us peace and bliss. You lead us to inculcate noble virtues. You provide us prosperity through your knowledge. May we obey your inspiration that you provide as a mother. A scholarly woman is mother of entire society.
- Rigveda 2.41.16: O provider of great knowledge, O my mother through the nourishment of knowledge that you have provided, our life is scattered without you. Please provide us direction.
- Rigveda 2.41.17: A scholarly woman, the entire life of society depends upon you. You provide us the right knowledge. May you bring knowledge to all segments of society.
- Rigveda 6.49.7: O scholarly woman, you purify our character. You have noble characteristics. You conduct noble actions. You have noble habits. We bow to your greatness that provides bliss to all.
- Rigveda 6.61.2: O scholarly woman, the way a river breaks away mightiest of hills and rocks, the scholarly woman destroys myths and hypes through her intellect alone. May we bow to women through our polite words and noble actions.
- Rigveda 6.61.3: O scholarly woman, destroy the evil inside us through your knowledge and character. Gift us with knowledge of Vedas. O performer of noble actions, you provide us stream of knowledge in same manner as a river provides stream of water.
10.Rigveda 7.96.3: O scholarly noble woman brings only happiness in society. She makes us knowledgeable and alert. She guides us like the mantras in Yajna and teaches us use of everything in world.
11.Rigveda 10.17.7: Those who desire the society to become noble and powerful, they respect woman and please her. Those who desire virtues respect woman and please her. Those who respect woman obtain bliss, knowledge and happiness.
12.Atharvaveda 7.57.1: Whenever I am hurt by meanness of world or misunderstanding with others, a scholarly woman heals my wounds. (Because women possess the soft skills and emotional intelligence that is not naturally and easily available to men.)
My heartfelt prayer to my Beloved Lord God is – may woman gain the position that she is worthy of, the position that You have already conferred upon her, may all men respect her, and above all, may she herself respect her body, mind and soul to bring about material and spiritual progress to humankind.