The Rishikas of Vedic Bharat

Bharat – the only country in the world which believes that the energizing force behind the formation of the universe is a feminine force – Shakti, which underlies creation and existence. Shakti is the primordial force, the universal mother which enables the Brahman to manifest. Bharat celebrates and regards the female motherly instincts as the purest form of love. It is ecstatic to note that Bharat is the sole and the first producer of women philosophers in the world. However, in the West, there have been women scholars and professors but never philosophers. These Vedic female seers and philosophers were in faithful pursuit to seek intense spiritual penance along with domestic duties to attain the ultimate Truth.

The Vedic period is specifically referred to as the “Golden Age” for women as they enjoyed a high level of autonomy to undertake their interests. They were educated and received both literary and cultural education, They had the freedom to choose their life partners based on their desires and life goals. They chose to have a spiritually fulfilling life and were constantly on a self-discovery pursuit and strived to be the best versions of themselves. There were neither fighting for equality nor were competing with men like the present sad state of feminism. This made them intellectually advanced and on par with the then great sages. They were known for being the towers of strength for their husband and children.

Let's have a look at such extraordinary Vedic seers..!!

Lopamudra

Lopamudra is described as a great philosopher of Vedic times and has contributed numerous verses in Rigveda and Yajurveda. She is the daughter of King Vidarbha and spent her childhood in the lap of luxuries. She was well versed with both textual and philosophical knowledge. She was married to Rishi Agastya. She was a dutiful and faithful wife and conducted her duties meticulously despite living a hard life in a hermitage. She has written Suktas in Rigveda (1:179) and Yajurveda(17:11:36:20). In Rigveda, there is a dialogue between her and Rishi Agastya which talks about childbirth. She asks for Agastya’s love and attention in one of the hymns written by her. She is also mentioned in Brihadevatakara (4:57-59). Agam Granthas describes her life at length.

Gargi and Maitrayee

Gargi, an ascetic woman was one of the nine gems (Navratna) in the court of King Janaka – the only female scholar. She was the daughter of sage Vachaknu. From a very young age, she possessed the confidence and acumen to debate with the scholar men in the royal courts. She was highly educated and exhibited her exemplary intelligence in the study of Brahman – material and nonmaterial world, creation, the concept of time, metaphysics, etc.  She is known for her debate with Advaita philosopher and sage Yajnavalkya where she asked him profound questions about the universe. This dialogue is well recorded in Yogayajnavalkya Samhita. When she was defeated against the sage Yajnavalkya, she accredited him for his in-depth mastery of knowledge which shows her benevolence and greatness.

Maitrayee was the daughter of Rishi Mitra and niece of Gargi. She was also well versed with Vedic and philosophical knowledge. She had reached the epitome of spiritual purity and was detached from worldly pleasures. She composed 10 hymns in Rigveda. She yearned to be a spiritual disciple of sage Yajnavalkya. Seeing Maitrayee’s spiritual vehemence, Katyayani, the wife of Yajnavalkya agreed to his husband's marriage with Maitrayee.

Later at some stage of life, sage Yajnvalkya wished to pursue asceticism for spiritual fulfillment. He called both his wives to give up his worldly possessions which were followed by a dialogue between Maitrayee and the sage, which is recorded in the second and fourth chapters of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the 13 mukhya Upanishads.

Did You Know ??

The famous Shanti mantra Pavamana Mantra is from Brihadarankya Upanishad. The Mantra is

असतो मा सद्गमय

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय

मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय।।

Ghosha

Ghosha, the Vedic seer came from a learned family. Her father Rishi Kakshivan and grandfather Dirgitamas have contributed to the construction of Rigveda. From childhood, she suffered from a skin ailment (leprosy) and found it hard to get married hence remained celibate for a long period of life. She vehemently prayed to Ashwins, the physician twins of Vedic times who were endowed with the divine power of rejuvenation. They taught her Madhu Vidya, the science of secret learning which cured her ailment and reinstated her youth and beauty. Her hymns in the praise of Ashwins and her innate desires of getting married are recorded in the tenth Mandala of Rigveda. It is a classic example of universal prayer for the girls who want to get married and want a husband of their desire. She got married and had a son Suhastyu who has also composed a hymn in Rigveda.

Vakdevi

Vakdevi also called Vak Ambrani was the daughter of Rishi Ambhruna. She was a spiritually advanced soul. She transcended her individuality and ego to such an extent, which enabled her to speak to Goddess Durga and speak as Goddess herself. She has eulogized herself in the suktam and had realized the Brahman. She composed the Devi Suktam, also called as Vak Suktam consisting of eight stanzas in praise of the Goddess. It is the 125th hymn in the tenth mandala of Rigveda. Today it is chanted all over the world in the regular temple prayers.

Many such women had exalted in the spiritual space like Romasa, Sulabh, Indrani, Apala who have contributed to the composition of Vedas. Many were women who were also great wives and mothers and at the same time spiritual seekers. For eg. Lopamudra had a son Dhridasyu who bought up with all the knowledge of vedas and later on became a famous poet. On the other hand, the consortium (Lopamudra and Agastya) was known to spread the fame of Lalita Sahasrnama (thousand names of Lalita) which is a text from Brahmanda Purana. Apart from the scholar some women participated in public sacrifices alongside menfolk, women who were into warfare like Vispala, and women who were acharyas (the teachers of Vedic wisdom).

Bharat is the only country that has elevated women to the level of divinity; the only country which believes that without shakti, there is no male power. Cities were destroyed for the honor of women; Lanka was destroyed when Sita was abducted, Kauravas were killed when Draupadi was humiliated. The years of brainwashing by the west and the concept of Feminism have only degraded the status of women in Bharat. Now is the time to get back to our roots, learn about our Vedic heritage and proceed towards establishing Sanatan Dharma again…!!!!

This article was published in the February issue of Sanatan Tattva magazine. 

Pl find the link to read https://sanatantattva.com/#dearflip-df_1673/3/)

References

Rishis and Rishikas by Prof. Shrikant Prasoon

Iconic Indian Women by Vishaka Hari

The research article “Wedic Women and Life” – Dr. Srinivas B. Ajur published in UGC Approved Journal No. 48514, Vol 7, Issue-11, Aug 2018

Youtube videos by Sucheta Paranjape on Rigveda

https://www.themotherdivine.com/11/A-possible-vision-of-lopamudra.shtml

https://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2021/1-3/pdf/Hinduism-Today_Jan-Feb-Mar_2021.pdf