give information about women in vedic period
Answers
According to one view women during the Vedic period occupied an exalted position and they enjoyed a fair amount of personal freedom and equal rights with men. But another view holds that birth of a girl was not a welcome event. However she did not suffer due to that reason. She was given all the privileges entitled to a son. No discrimination was made on the basis of education. At least twenty women composed Rig Vedic Hymns. Gargi and Maitreyi were the leading philosophers of the time.
Women, in the Vedic era, so excelled in the sphere of education that even the deity of learning was conceived of as a female popularly known as ‘Saraswati’. Girls were allowed to enter into the Gurukulas along with boys. There are also instances of female Rishis, such as Ghosa, Kakhivati Surya Savitri, Indrani, Shradha Kamayani, Yami Shachi, Poulomi, Urvashi etc. Marriage in the Vedic Period was considered a social and religious duty and united the couple on an equal footing.
The couple prayed that their love and friendship should not break down. The Vedic literature also contained that the Kshatriya girls were allowed to settle marriages in accordance with their own wishes. This was done through the custom of ‘Swayavara’ or self choice. This is an indicator of their dignified status in the Vedic society.
The concept of ‘dan’ or gift was prevalent in the Vedic period. But the practice of dowry was unknown. The wife held an honorable position in the household. She enjoyed freedom of movement and was not confined to the house only. In religious performances, the wife occupied a prominent position. Even the performance of certain ceremonies was invalid without the wife.’ Monogamy was the form of marriage during the Vedic days. The term ‘Dampati’ was frequently used in the Vedic texts. The term meant “two joint owners of the household.”
The Vedic people were quite ignorant of the possibility of marital bonds ever being terminated or ended. The concept of widow remarriage was in vogue and the brother of the dead husband was taking care of the widowed sister-in-law in the Vedic days. The widow did not have the right to inherit her deceased husband’s property in the Vedic age. However, the Rig Veda recognized the right of a spinster to inherit her father’s property.
women during the Vedic period occupied an exalted position and they enjoyed a fair amount of personal freedom and equal rights with men. But another view holds that birth of a girl was not a welcome event. However she did not suffer due to that reason. She was given all the privileges entitled to a son. No discrimination was made on the basis of education. At least twenty women composed Rig Vedic Hymns.