We have been reading scriptures and holy books, listening and performing folktales for years whether it's the story of Ramayana, Mahabharata, or the story of world destruction by Lord Rudra, we know all of them by heart. All these religious anecdotes are reverberated in every nook and corner of the country, how Lord Rama protected Sita, how great warriors were the Pandavas or how Buddha gained his nirvana, all these stories have one thing in common- strong, chivalrous and smart men. But somehow the ladies are considered just the side actors supporting the stories of these main characters.
Our patriarchal society patronizes the valor, bravery, smartness, and patience of these male heroes only and forgets that there are a number of fascinating women in the shadows of Indian mythological stories. Let's decode them.
1. The Fire Princess
Draupadi, the princess born of fire, considered as the reason for the great war of Mahabharata, was a strong and resilient woman. She was a girl with predetermined fate but still stood tall for womanhood during the game of dice, she had her own mind and was blessed with great acumen and it should be right to say that she was a true feminist.
2. The Bold Evil Genius
Surpanakha is widely noted as a villain, and yes, she was an evil genius responsible for Ram’s war against Ravan but she was way ahead of her times. She did not fray away from accepting her attractiveness towards men which was considered taboo.
3. The Sleeping Beauty
Indeed, Ram, Sita, and Lakshman gave a great sacrifice and went to vanvas for 14 years but there was someone who also gave up her married life and slept for 14 years- Urmila. She was a dedicated wife who made a deal with Nidra, the sleep goddess to give her Lakshman’s share of sleep so that her husband can stay and serve Ram day and night without fatigue. Lakshman valiantly killed Meghanad, son of Ravana, who was given a boon to be killed only a man who hasn't slept for 14 years. Had there been no sacrificing wife as Urmila, Ram might have lost.
4. The Witty Wife
It is told that Savitri was a devoted wife who brought her husband back to life. Her father wanted a son to continue the lineage but got a daughter who is praised all after so many years. This damsel came as Knight in shining armor to get back Satyavan by impressing Yama with her wisdom and eloquence.
5. The Fearless Queen
The daughter of Prajapati Daksh, Sati was a free-spirited princess who knew what she wanted. She gave up on all materialistic things to get Shiv as her husband. She knew that organizing a huge yagna and not inviting her was disrespectful to her and Shiv and argued with her father.
6. The Resilient Mother
The sacrifice and dedication of Sita are known by all but we forget to appreciate that in those times, she brought up Luv and Kush as a single mother. After years of accusations and proving herself pure and innocent, she was fed up with everyone questioning her and out of her self respect, she decided to go back to mother earth’s womb. We all read and imagine her as a meek princess who was a victim of circumstances but in reality was a strong queen with great perseverance and self-respect who knew not only how to adapt but to fight for herself.
7. The Free- spirited Apsara
Heavenly Apsaras are known for their beauty but we have little heard about their independent nature. There's a tale in Rig Veda where the immortal Urvashi left her mortal husband King Puravsas because she was bored after living with him for four years. So the ladies had the right to get out of a relationship as freely as men.
Buddhism is a religion that completely ignores women. Buddha may have left his wife and gained enlightenment but it would not have been possible for him to do so if Sujata, the cowherd girl, had not offered him a bowl of kheer. Even after getting enlightenment Buddha broke the new first to Bhu Devi.
Feminism is a term coined in the 19th century, but there was an abundance of women in history who were as free-spirited as an independent woman should be.
All these characters of the mythology trusted their sensibilities and there is a lot to learn from them.
So the next time you have a discussion about the scriptures while watching any mythological drama or while visiting an ancient temple, tell them about the gallantry of Sita, the dedication of Urmila, the free will of Urvashi, the confidence of Surpanakha, the boldness of Sati and wits of Savitri.
Make sure the women are not made invisible only to celebrate men.
If you are interested in reading more about fascinating daughters of Indian history and mythology, do give read to the following books:-
The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth and History by Ira Mukhoty
The One Who Had Two Lives, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan
The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty by Kavita Kane
Rani Padmavati: The Burning Queen by Anuja Chandramouli