The Role of Women in Indian Epic literature

Abstract

Abstract

Women of India, it is said, have been held in high esteem. Our contemporary experience and experiences received through the ancient literature tell some different tale. A famous Sanskrit sloka (form of Hindu verse) signifies the status of women in that era, ?Yatra naryastu pujyante, ramante tatra devta? meaning, ?The place where women are worshipped, god themselves inhabit that place?. An incident of Ramayana is a proof of this as when Lord Rama was performing Ashvamedha yajna his wife Sita was not with him and he had to use the gold idol of his wife to compensate for her absence. Ancient Indian women had say in each and every aspect related to their lives. They had the right to choose their own life partners. The process of choosing the life partner of own choice was known as Swayamvar in which grooms assembled at the house of bride and she used to choose the one whom she liked. Maharishi Ved Vyas? Mahabharata and Mahrishi Valmiki’s Ramayana bear testimonial to this. This article aims at understanding status of women in India right from the days of the Indian Epics.