What was the status of women according to the Mahabharata? Use examples to explain.
Answers
Answer:
In Mahabharata women's were respected at some aspects (for example girls had freedom to choose their husbands (swayamvar)) there was no force on women .
but women had also been irrespected( for example Draupadi cheer haran).
Hope it helps.
Answer:
The role of women in the Mahabharata makes an interesting study
providing insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their character. In
this epic, four women play crucial parts in the course of events.
The four women who played a crucial part in Mahabharata
The first is Satyavati who was the daughter of the chieftain of fishermen.
As a young maiden, while ferrying sage Parasara across a river, he fell in
love with her. She bore him a son, Vyasa. After Santanu passed away, Satyavati’s two sons died young. The older
one was unmarried, and the younger had two wives, Ambika and
Ambalika, who were childless. This created a crisis for there was no legal
heir to the Kuru throne.At this juncture, Satyavati sent for her son Vyasa, who promptly
responded per his earlier promise. Satyavati said the problem could be
solved by his fathering a child through each of the two young widows.
The son borne by Ambalika was Pandu who became the future emperor.
The son through Ambika was Dhritarashtra who was born blind. As time
passed, Satyavati sensed the animosity between the sons of Pandu and
the sons of Dhritarashtra, and she foresaw a struggle for power with
tragic consequences. She voluntarily retired to the forest.After the Kurukshetra war was over, the Pandavas ruled for a short time
and then handed over the kingdom to the only survivor, Parikshit, who
was the grandson of Arjuna and the son of Abhimanyu. Parikshit ruled
wisely and well until he was bitten by a poisonous snake and had eight
days to live. During this time, it was to Parishit that Suka, Vyasa’s ascetic
son, narrated the Srimad Bhagavatam, the great book on bhakti, the path
of devotion.
Hence, it can be seen that Satyavati kept the Kuru lineage intact and
unbroken, and also that she was responsible, though indirectly, for the
Srimad Bhagavatam, a great scripture available for posterity.