Transcript position of women in ancient period

POSITION OF WOMEN
IN ANCIENT PERIOD
IN THE RIG-VEDIC PERIOD ,THE SOCIETY HAD CERTAINLY LEFT BEHIND THE
STATE OF FOOD GATHERING AND HUNTING AND WOMEN HELD APOSITION
OF HONOUR AS HER PARTICIPATION WAS FOUND TO BE NECESSARY IN THE
PRODUCTION PROCESS.
IN THIS AGE THE HUSBAND AND WIFE WERE CALLED DAMPATI INDICATIVE OF
AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY IN WHICH RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SEXES
WERE BASED ON RECIPROCITY AND AUTONOMY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE
SPHERES OF ACTIVITY.THEY TOOK EQUAL PARTIN THE SACRIFICIAL
RITES,PRESSED THE SOMA,RINSED AND MIXED IT WITH MILK AND OFFERED
ADORATION TO GODS.
WOMEN EQUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIDATH AND PATICIPATED IN THE
DELIBERATIONS.THE WOMEN WERE ALSO GIVEN A PLACE IN THE RATNIS.
IN THE LATER VEDIC PERIOD THE POSITION OF THE WOMEN ON THE WHOLE
WAS SATISFACTORY.SHE WAS INITIATED INTO THE VEDIC STUDIES AFTER
HER UPANAYANA.SITA WAS DESCRIBED AS OFFERING THE SANDHYA
PRAYERS.THE WOMEN WAS NOT AN OBSTACLE IN THE PATH OF THE
RELIGION AND HER PRESENCE AND CO-OPERATION WERE NECESSARY IN
RELIGIOUS RITES AND CEREMONIES.
THE ONE WHO IS NOT MARRIED IS CONSIDERED NOT COMPETANT ENOUGH
TO OFFER RITUAL RITES AND CEREMONIES.
GRADUALLY SHE LOST THIS IMPORTANT POSITION
,AS PRIESTS WERE INCREASINGLY EMPLOYED TO
OFFER OBLATIONS IN CERTAIN CEREMONIES
INSTEAD OF WIFE.
AT THE BEGNING OF 500 B.C ,UPANAYANA CAME TO
BE DISCOURAGED FOR GIRLS AND IT WAS
DECLARED THAT MARRIAGE WAS THE SUBSTITUTE
FOR UPANAYANA IN THE CASE OF GIRLS.THESE
BEGAN TO PRODUCE DISASTROUS
CONSEQUENCES ON THE GENERAL STATUS AND
DIGNITY OF WOMEN.
THE DETERIORATION IN THE STATUS AND POSITION OF
WOMEN BEGAN FROM 300 B.C ONWARDS.THEY CAME TO BE
CHARACTERIZED AS FICKLE-MINDED ,WHO COULD BE EASILY
WON OVER BY ONE WHO IS HANDSOME AND CAN SING AND
DACE WELL.
IN MAHABHARATA IT WAS SAID THAT WOMEN WAS THE ROOT
CAUSE OF ALL EVIL,AND THAT SHE IS NARROW-MINDED.
THIS MAY PROBABLY INDICATE SOCIET’S LACK OF
CONFIDENCE IN THE NATURE OF WOMEN THOUGH IT WAS
FORTHRIGHT IN IDEALOSING WOMENHOOD AND
RECOGNISING WOMEN AS SYMBOLS OF
PURITY,RIGHTEOUSNESS AND
SPIRITUALITY(TARA,SITA,DRAUPADI,AHALTA AND
MANDODARI).
THE ATTITUDE OF BUDDHA ,A BORN DEMOCRAT,WAS IN NO WAY
DIFFERENT THOUGH HE GRANTED TO WOMEN THE RIGHT TO
MONASTIC LIFE AND FOUND AN ORDER OF NUNS.
THE WANT OF SYMPATHY BY WOMEN WAS BASED ON THE FACT
THAT WOMEN IS NEARER TO THE WORLD THAN MEN.IT IS SAID THAT
THE BUDDHA HAD EVEN PROPHESED THAT BUDDHISM WOULD
ENDURE FOR FIVE HINDRED YEARS ONLY IF WOMEN TOOK TO A
HOUSELESS LIFE.
EVEN WHILE FOUNDING THE ORDER OF NUNS ,THE BUDDHA DOES
NOT INDICATE THAT HE WAS BROADMINDED ENOUGH TO
ESTABLISH THE EUALITY OF SEXES AS HE SAID THAT THE NUNS
,EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN ORDAINED FOR 100 YEARS,MUST SALUTE
EVERY MONK IN THE MOST REVERENTIAL MANNER,EVEN IF HE HAS
JUST JOINED THE ORDER,MUST REMAIN STANDING IN HIS
PRESENCE,RAISE FOLDED HANDS AND SHOW HIM DUE HONOUR.
THIS BUDDHIST VIEW PERSISTS THROUGHOUT THE ANCIENT INDIAN
HISTORY.
ACCORDING TO MANU IT IS THE NATURE OF WOMEN TO
SEDUCE MEN TO THIS WORLD,FOR THAT REASON THE WISE
NEVER REMAIN UNGUARDED IN THE COMPANY OF FEMALES.
VARAHMIHIRA(GUPTA AGE) DISAPPROVES THE VIEW THAT
WOMEN ARE THE SNARES OF SENSES.IN HIS VIEW THE
BEHAVIOUR OF MEN WAS NO WAY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF
MEN.IT IS MEN WHO SHAMELESSLY DRIVES WOMEN INTO
MISDEEDS,BUT WOMEN ARE SUPEROIR IN VALUES.
THIS SHOWS THAT THERE WERE THOUGHTFUL MEN WHO
WERE SYMPATHETIC TO THE CAUSE OF WOMEN,BUT THEIR
VOICE WAS SO FEEBLE AS TO MAKE ANY DENT INTO THE
LOUD SMRITI INJUNCTIONS.
CONCLUSION
THE EQUALITY AND STATUS WITH HER OPPOSITE SEX WHICH
SHE ENJOINED IN THE RIG VEDIC AGE WAS SHORT LIVED
AND FROM THEN ONWARDS SHE BEGAN TO BE TREARED AS
A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN.
THE SOCIETY WAS UNSYMPATHETC TO HER CAUSE AND THE
SMALL MERCIES THAT WERE SHOWN TO HER FROM TIME TO
TIME WERE SHOWN GRUDGINGLY.
IT IS TRAGEDY THAT MANY THINKERS AND JURISTS
ACQUIESCED WITH IT.
THE ONLY SILVER-LINE IN THIS SORDID PICTURE IS THAT THE
LOWERES ORDERS OF THE SOCIETY,WHICH CONSTITUTED
NEARLY 80% OF THE POPULATION ,WERE FREE FROM MANY
OF THE ENCUMBRANCES.