The word Dharma comes from the root “dhri” which means to sustain, to support, to nourish and to flourish. It is called Dharma because it sustains the whole world.
Sanatana Dharma contains those norms and codes which incorporate the eternal and universal principles for human conduct and behavior normally accepted by all religions of the world for the nourishment of humanity.[break]
The institution of marriage has been held with great reverence within Sanatana Dharma. This is rightly so because a happy, fulfilling and sweet relationship between the spouses has been considered the cradle for the birth, growth and development of a healthy, competent and successful new generation. In this process the role of the mother is considered the most vital determinant. Hence motherhood is held in very high esteem in Sanatana Dharma. She has been placed in a position higher than that of the father and the Guru. It is said that the mother is the greatest guru (gurunam maataa gareeyase).
In order to enable the mother to play her most important role in the household, both as a housewife and a mother, Sanatana Dharma emphasises the importance of women’s empowerment in society. Accordingly, during the Vedic period (between 5,000 and 1,000 BC) girls were provided with all facilities for education just like boys, either in gurukuls or at home. Girl-child marriage, violence against women and caste system based on birth-tag, another cancer of Hindu society today, were totally unknown.
The girls and boys inherited equal parental property. Girls continued their education as long as they wanted. They had the right to decide whether to get married after they matured, or to remain unmarried and function as great Rishikas or scholars, or take up any other profession. As Rishikas there were many famous women who were the seers of Vedic mantras, like Apala, Ghosha and Lopamudra. The dialogue between the great scholar lady Gargi and sage Yaagyanvalka during the Vedic period is equally famous.
Parents were required to look after the girl-child with great care. She was to be provided with appropriate skills and education. One girl-child was considered equal to ten sons; and by rearing one daughter one received the benefit of rearing ten sons. The girl also went through the sacred-thread (upanayana) ceremony and many of them went to gurukul to study Vedas and chant the Gayatri Mantra. Some others studied at home. Rig-Veda even contains mantra for how to conceive an intelligent daughter.
It was only after empowering the daughter that the father was advised to look for a qualified partner for her marriage. In fact, the well-educated girls had the right to choose their own husbands through swayambara (self-choice). The swayambara of Sita in the great epic Ramayana and that of Draupadi in another epic Mahabharata are famous. This system of swayambara continues even today as part of the marriage ceremony.
The well-educated girl with self confidence was advised to go to the father-in-law’s house as the empress. The parents-in-law and all members of the household were required to remain under her guidance. In short, the Vedic period was the golden age for women.
What a contrast to the sad realities of today: girl-child marriage, violence against women and torture of the daughters-in-law.
In 2006 UNIFEM South Asia Director Mrs Chandani Joshi had initiated through World Hindu Federation a study of the ‘Norms, Codes and Scriptures of Sanatana Dharma’ with reference to Gender Equity and Violence Against Woman. This writer had the honor to coordinate the study in cooperation with many Sanskrit scholars, learned men and women, concerned officials, social workers and women activists. Although the six-month timeframe was short, many interesting information were revealed regarding the degeneration of the position of the girl-child and women in the family and the society.
In almost all the meetings, seminars and conferences on women’s empowerment, it was sickening to hear without fail that Sanatana Dharma was the main culprit for placing the women as second-class citizens. It seems so for those who are not well-informed about Sanatana Dharma. It was in fact the result of ignorance and/or intentional and unintentional misunderstanding or misinterpretation of Sanatana Dharma.
During the Mughal rule in India many scriptures were distorted by adding verses considered “necessary” for that period. For example the great scripture Manusmriti was badly distorted by adding many verses in favor of girl-child marriage. One of them was verse 3 in chapter 9 which says that the father protects the daughter as a child, the husband protects her as a young woman and the son when she is adult; therefore the women do not deserve to be independent.
Two of other newly added verses say: a girl-child is Gauri at the age of eight, Rohini at nine, Kanya at ten and a pubescent at twelve. The girl’s parents will attain Naga Loka if she is given in marriage while she is a Gauri, heaven when she is Rohini, Brahma Loka when she is kanya, and hell after she reaches puberty.
These statements are not in line with the Vedas and other previous scriptures like the Dharma or Griha Sutra (Household Scripture) which say that a woman is a child till the age of 16 and becomes a young woman only at the age of 17. A man is not supposed to have physical relationship with a girl before she becomes a young woman (Apraptayaouvana sangat krimibit swabhijayate). If he did, he would be comparable to an insect living in dung.
Deviyani, the daughter of the well-acclaimed Rishi Shukracharya, and later the wife of King Yayati, the progenitor of the Yadu clan into which Lord Krishna was born, was married only after she reached her “youth.” Rukmini, the wife of Lord Krishna, was also wedded only after she became “young.” Thus child marriage is not an essential ingredient of Sanatana Dharma as is indicated in the later additions to Manusmriti.
Hence the wise men say that only those statements of Manusmriti which are consanguineous to the ancient scriptures like the Vedas are original. Others are appendages added later and thus need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Now as we are in the twenty-first century it is necessary to carry out a thorough study as to what really are the contents of the age-old Sanatana Dharma, what is the core part and what is the husk on important issues, including girl-child marriage, woman’s empowerment and violence against women.
While discussing any issue with reference to scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, one of the difficulties seems to be the pro-male interpretation by male gurus. It was shocking to hear one of the gurus say in Sanskar channel the other day that women who were once the seers of Vedic mantras should not be allowed to study the Vedas!
What is needed are female scholars with multidimensional personality who are well-versed in the principles of Sanatana Dharma to interpret and explain the scriptures in correct perspective. The establishment of the historic institution Shree Gargi Kanya Gurukul, the first of its kind in Nepal, at the initiative of some enlightened social workers, represents an attempt in this direction. It is hoped that the little girls in Gargi Kanya Gurukul coming from all sections of society and different regions of Nepal will grow up to be wise and competent scholars and bring to light the scriptures in their women-friendly perspective combining the ancient wisdom with modern vision.
The author is a social worker and educationist and likes to write about spirituality