Honouring Women – An Ancient Perspective

Patriarchy is a universal problem that plagues all societies, irrespective of race or colour. We are led to believe that feminism is a modern-day phenomenon, launched to give women the dignity they deserve. However, there is textual evidence to suggest the contrary. It points out that modern-day is, in fact, a rather unfortunate time where there is a need to struggle for establishing what should have been given – the dignity of women. Śrīmad-vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa speaks of female vintners, widow-remarriage, women performing Vedic rituals such as Śrāddha (offering to manes), and of women tending the sacred fire. By the time of the Mahābhārata, however, a sea of change can be observed in the societal attitude towards women and hence, the place they hold in the society. As marked by textual history, the further progress of time saw a more significant decline of independence and respect for women and a graver need for “emancipation” of women. Today, we find ourselves facing a bleak scenario of the unspeakable crimes perpetrated against women on an everyday basis, with a little light at the end of the tunnel. This historical narrative does beg the questions: Has the society progressed simply for the passage of time? Can this really be called advancement? What really is the value of education if it does not inform man’s ethical and moral sensibilities and compassion? यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः। यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः॥ yatra nāryastu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ | yatraitāstu na pūjyante sarvāstatrāphalāḥ kriyāḥ || The gods rejoice where women are honoured; and where they are not honoured, all deeds remain fruitless. Manusmṛti, 3.56 Here is an interesting account of the consequences of dishonouring women, as presented in the Skānda-purāṇa. The anecdote revolves around Garuḍa, the avian chariot of lord Viṣṇu. As is well-known, Garuḍa is not a mere bird. He is one of the primary deities in the Śrīvaiṣṇava philosophy and is hailed as the very embodiment of the four Vedas. He is venerated as a symbol of determination and self-reliance, which brought him victory over Indra, the lord of the celestials; helped him rescue his mother from the tyranny of servitude to her co-sister, and ultimately, won him the grace of the lord. He is also hailed as the guardian of the devotees of the lord. Interestingly though, he is used as an example in this particular narrative. It may be understood that he has been made the central character in this narrative, to highlight that one who dishonours women, will reap the horrific consequences thereof, irrespective of their achievements and merits. In order to establish this fact, the anecdote begins with the extraordinary circumstances of the advent of Garuḍa. The powerful seers called Vālakhilyas once performed a sacrifice. During the sacrifice, they infused a pot of water with the potent mantras of the Atharvaṇa-veda. The power of the mantras was such that the pot began to quiver under their influence. Sage Kaśyapa gratefully accepted the pot from the seer and went home with it. Upon reaching, he said to his wife Vinatā, “O’ Lovely one! Drink this water infused with the mantras of the great Atharvaṇa-veda. By doing so, you will be blessed with a son, who will be more potent than the thousand-eyed lord of the celestials, Indra. He will be effulgent and renowned, and even the entire dānavas put together cannot defeat him.” Vinatā was delighted upon hearing the words of Kaśyapa. She partook of the water with reverence and soon enough bore the blessed Garuḍa for a son1. 1 Puranas state that Vinatā begot two eggs that did not hatch for hundreds of years. Vinatā grew impatient and broke one, which is believed to be the reason why Aruṇa, the great charioteer of the Sun, was born without legs. From the second emerged Garuḍa. From his very childhood, Garuḍa grew close to a brāhmaṇa. They were dear friends, and the brāhmaṇa had a noble daughter named Mādhavī. The brāhmaṇa desired to find a suitable husband for Mādhavī and requested Garuḍa to help him. Garuḍa agreed readily and said to the brāhmaṇa, “You and your daughter mount on me! We shall scour the earth for a suitable groom.” Thus, the three of them set out in search of a groom. They scanned the expanse of the world but could not find a suitable match. They found that the handsome men did not possess the character they sought, men of character were not handsome enough, and if men were handsome to behold and of character, they did not hail from noble families! A thousand years rolled by thus, and the three were exhausted from the journey. Unable to proceed any further, they descended to take a break when they beheld Sage Nārada. Upon meeting the sage, they recognised that they desired to behold lord Viṣṇu. They asked sage Nārada, “O’ celestial sage! We have visited Śveta-dvīpa, Vaikuṇṭha, the splendid Badarī, and the milky ocean during the course of our journey. We were, however, unable to behold the lotus-eyed Viṣṇu anywhere. Where may we find him?” Said Nārada in response, “The lord spends four months in the sacred Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra as Jalaśāyī (reclining in the waters). If you go there, you will be blessed with an audience with the lord. It so happens that I, too, have set out for Hāṭakeśvara in order to meet the lord. I shall join you.” With these words, Sage Nārada mounted on Garuḍa, and the four made haste towards Hāṭakeśvara. Upon reaching the sacred kṣetra, they beheld from afar, a resplendent person reclining in the waters. His effulgence was as formidable as that of a live flame. Garuḍa turned to the brāhmaṇa, and said, “Dear Friend, you remain with your daughter right here. Your physical body cannot bear the effulgence of the lord. The sage and I have been blessed by the lord to be able to bear his resplendence. If you were to approach him, you would be reduced to ashes.” Garuḍa thus left behind the brāhmaṇa and his daughter and proceeded towards the lord, along with sage Nārada. The lord reclined majestically in the waters, and goddess Śrī sat by the feet of the lord. Nārada’s and Garuḍa’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy and the hairs on their bodies stood on end. An inexplicable thrill seized their hearts as Garuḍa and Nārada clasped their hands over their heads and circumambulated the lord. Prostrating before him, they extolled the lord ecstatically. Pleased with the eulogies, the lord inquired after them and asked them the reason why they were here. Sage Nārada responded, “O’ compassionate one! I am here on account of the devas. They have commissioned me to deliver a message to you. They request that you assume an avatāra on earth, as the earth is now burdened with the wickedness of Kaṁsa and his evil band of rākṣasas. Garuḍa is here because of his friend, a brāhmaṇa, who seeks a groom for his daughter.” Informed thus, the lord assured Nārada that he would indeed descend as Śrīkṛṣṇa soon. He then turned towards Garuḍa and urged him to elaborate on his needs. Encouraged by the kind words of the lord, Garuḍa said, “Lotus-eyed one, my friend requested me to identify a suitable groom for his noble daughter. I have scoured the universe, yet I have been unsuccessful in identifying anyone perfect. O’ Lord! You, on the other hand, are perfect. You are the Supreme personality and are replete with all excellences. You must condescend to accept the hand of the noble Mādhavī in marriage.” The lord responded, “Bring the noble Mādhavī here, O’ Garuḍa. I shall meet her and then decide if I can accept her hand in marriage.” Garuḍa was taken aback by the lord’s response. He said, “We left behind the brāhmaṇa and Mādhavī as we feared that your blinding effulgence would scorch them. How shall I bring her in your presence, O’ compassionate one?” The lord smiled indulgently and said, “My radiance will not harm either of them in this place. You may bring them right away.” Delighted to hear the lord’s assurance thus, Garuḍa hastened to the presence of the brāhmaṇa. He informed the brāhmaṇa of the lord’s assurance and brought him along. In a jiffy, Garuḍa stood before lord Viṣṇu, along with the brāhmaṇa and Mādhavī. The brāhmaṇa bowed before the lord and stood by the side of goddess Śrī humbly. Mādhavī, however, was not well-versed in the worldly etiquette. She innocently approached the lord and sat beside him on the mattress. Goddess Śrī, enraged by the audacity of the young girl, pronounced a curse with quivering lips, “As you have abandoned all modesty and have assumed a place upon the mattress, alongside my husband, you will be born horse-faced!” A shocked silence descended. Garuḍa stood there, speechless. The brāhmaṇa, however, was enraged by the curse. He looked at goddess Śrī and said, “My daughter has not been given in marriage to your husband, yet you have treated her with the jealously of a co-wife. I hence curse you to become elephant-faced!” Turning to lord Viṣṇu, the brāhmaṇa added, “Your wife has indeed afforded me a befitting welcome.” The lord said to the brāhmaṇa soothingly, “O’ brāhmaṇa! Please do not be enraged. Nothing inauspicious befalls those who resort to my presence. The right side of the mattress is reserved for the kinsmen, and since your daughter sat on the right side, she shall then be born as my sister in her next birth. She will be born horse-faced but I, as Kṛṣṇa, shall undertake arduous penance along with her and will transform her into a lady of great beauty.” Having consoled the brāhmaṇa thus, the lord began regaling his guests with many a charming story, when Garuḍa noticed an elderly hermitess by the side of the lord. Curious to know who she was, Garuḍa asked the lord of her antecedence. Said Keśava in response, “O’ Garuḍa, this lady is renowned in the world by the name Śāṇḍilī. She observes the vow of celibacy with great dedication. Great is her power of penance, and she is unsurpassed amongst all creation.” Garuḍa was not convinced of the veracity of the lord’s claim. He gazed at the lord for a long time and laughed with derision. With scepticism writ large on his face, he quipped, “It is not credible that anyone in their youth would adhere to celibacy, much less a woman. I do not believe in it. Women stay chaste only for fear of punishment.” Śāṇḍilī, though enraged by the insulting words, could not say anything for she had undertaken a vow of silence. However, her muted rage consumed the gorgeous wings of Garuḍa. Endowed though he was with immense power, his wings burned to ashes, and he was rendered too powerless even to stir. The lotus-eyed lord was struck with wonder at the occurrence. He mused to himself, ‘Not a single hair on his body could be harmed by the thunderbolt weapon of Indra, yet both his wings were burned to the ground. Indeed, none else in all of the creation wields the power of Śāṇḍilī.’ The compassionate lord noticed the helplessness of Garuḍa and asked Śāṇḍilī, “O’ noble lady, Garuḍa simply passed a general comment. Yet, why was he reduced to such a plight?” Said the hermitess in response, “O’ lord of Śrī, he cast a derisory glance at me and addressed insulting words against all the women. That is the reason for my chastisement.” The words of the hermitess were reasonable. Nevertheless, moved with compassion at the plight of Garuḍa, the lord entreated Śāṇḍilī, “O’ noble lady, if you honour me, be compassionate to Garuḍa and offer him recourse.” The hermitess responded, “O’ lord, whatever is conceived in my mind, good or otherwise, cannot but be the reality. Let Garuḍa, at the behest, propitiate lord Śiva for the restoration of his wings.” Informed thus by Śāṇḍilī, the lord turned to Garuḍa, who was but a miserable mass of flesh and urged him to adore Śaṅkara in order to be relieved of this miserable plight. The lord further assured him that he would be restored to his former glory by winning the grace of Śaṅkara. Encouraged and empowered by the words of the lord, Garuḍa installed a liṅga of lord Śiva and undertook the Pāśupata observance. He bathed three times a day, smeared sacred ash all over his body, and adored the lord most sincerely. After the passage of a thousand years, a pleased lord Śiva appeared before Garuḍa and said to him, “O’ excellent bird, seek any boon of your wish. I am supremely pleased with your adulations, and I desire to grant you a boon.” Urged by lord Śiva thus, Garuḍa responded, “O’ compassionate one! Behold the plight that Śāṇḍilī has reduced me to. O’ lord! Pray, deliver me from this horrific end. Remain in this liṅga forever.” When pleaded earnestly thus, the lord responded, “So be it; from this day, I shall reside in this liṅga, and you too shall be restored to your former glory.” With these words, the lord caressed Garuḍa with his lotus-like hands and lo! Garuḍa’s wings sprouted back in a trice. A layer of golden hairs lined them, and Garuḍa became worthy of the name ‘Suparṇa’, the golden-winged one. Delighted with the blessing, Garuḍa prostrated before lord Śiva and retired home, grateful to have been relieved of the horrific consequences of dishonouring women. This anecdote is visibly meant to suggest the ruination that man brings upon himself by dishonouring women. Manu states the following verse admonishing people to treat their female relatives with honour, but can very well be generalised to women, at large – जामयो यानि गेहानि शपन्त्यप्रतिपूजिताः। तानि कृत्याहतानीव विनश्यन्ति समन्ततः॥ jāmayo yāni gehāni śapantyapratipūjitāḥ| tāni kṛtyāhatānīva vinaśyanti samantataḥ|| The households, upon which a woman curses when dishonoured, are reduced to shambles; as if struck down by a destructive occult goddess! - Manusmṛti, 3.58

Honouring Women – An Ancient Perspective

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