Post on 17-Jul-2015
Ideals , Icons and Reality
Dr Neekee ChaturvediLecturer in History
Govt. P. G. College,Dausa, RajasthanIndia
Enormous cultural value of the Mahabharata Pan-Indian significance Perpetuation through regional variations and
modern interpretations Crucial to the ‘woman question’ Implications for social history
To appraise the historical record through the women characters and their roles as viewed by the writer of Mahabharata and also as perceived and perpetuated by the society
To identify the general constituents or traits of women within the epic - strisvabhava
To elaborate upon the norms of conduct for the woman – stridharma
To understand their interplay and bring out the dichotomy between societal norms and individual action
Mahabharata is a revolutionary epic that provides women with an alternative course within and despite the constraints of rigid patriarchal norms, the premise for which lies in a belief in the harmony of personal and societal needs.
Certain ideas were formed about the ideals Projection of women images conforming to
these ideals Appeal to scriptural-historical past Tool for patriarchal subordination Religious sanction to subordination of women
Attempts to challenge & analyse androcentric assumptions and gender stereotyping
Yuganta by Irawati Karve Nathawati Anathawat and Katha Amrita Saman by
Shaoli Mitra Queens of the Mahabharata by Kavita Sharma The Women of Mahabharata by Badrinath Chaturvedi Stri – Women in Epic Mahabharata by Kevin McGrath The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni
1. Inherent thought stream in the Mahabharata is totally subordinate to the patriarchal norms
2. The women characters have been interpreted as strong, independent and crucial players and therefore challenge patriarchy
Religious scriptures right from the vedic period accorded a low status to women.
Aitereya Brahman, Maitreyi Samhita,Tattiriya Brahmana, Shatpath Brahman, Bhagvada Gita
Mahabharata – Anushasanaparva, Shantiparva, Vanaparava
Buddhist Jatakas also portray concurring opinion
Source of evil causing disasters, vices and sins Barriers to spiritual life Fickle minded, selfish and false Unreliable and unable to keep a secret Possess uncontrollable sexuality
“Women are the edge of a razor, poison, snakes and fire, all rolled into one”
Totally devoted and subservient to her husband
Sahdharmini – To be a pillar of srength and support to her husband
Such ideal woman are the standard of women
“A husband alone is woman’s god, her friend, her support; there is neither support nor god like her husband”
Shakuntala,Uma, Damayanti, Kapoti Show strength and self-respect Yet actions and aspirations totally in
congruence with patriarchy The portrayal of iconic women mainly in the
upakhyana (sub stories)Therefore, they represent contemporary norms
and not necessarily a rigid view of the epicCan also be regarded as character-specific
property rather than prevalent societal practice
Many of the women characters in the Mahabharata reflect an alternative approach e.g.
Kunti – Unwed mother, NiyogaDraupadi – PolyandryAmba – Love and revenge
Correct perspective by marking a distinction between dialogues and deeds
Draupadi – very assertive and independentYet at the normative level conforms to patriarchyAlso does not stand for collective feminismChallenges completely the notion of external
sexual purity
Kunti – Becomes an unwed mother but abandons the child
Copulates with other men through levirate or niyoga to beget children
Manipulates political forces to place her own progeny on the throne
Yet she is totally devoted to perpetuating the kshatriya code without even a fleeting reference to her personal desires
Victory of women who challenged the external norms e.g. Kunti vis–a–vis Gandhari
Internal values were more important than external purity
Societal issues were prominent in place of personal feelings
Access to an alternative course The epic strives to strike a balance between
social norms and individual desires