Many centuries back orthodoxy barred and restricted women from studying scriptures restricted women only to household and bearing children. In modern days, women are capable has more capable of grasping truth as in the Vedic era.
Rig Veda is the only scripture among those of all religions in which the Divine Truths are revealed to women sages also and some of these hymns describing the revelation find a prominent place in the Rig Veda Samhita like the hymn (10.125) (tenth mandala, 125 sūkta or hymn) attributed to the woman sage Vāk Ambriņi. There are more than thirty women Sages in Rig Veda with specific hymns associated with them.
In all the Semitic religions, there is no mention of any revelation to women, and no woman is listed among the prominent disciples of the founders or prophets of those religions.
There are numerous hymns in the Rigveda indicating the high status accorded to women in the Vedic society. Rig Veda (10.27.12) explicitly states that the practice of a lady choosing her own husband was in vogue.
The hymn (10.85), the marriage hymn, explicitly states that the daughter-in-law should be treated as a queen, sāmrājni, by all the family members especially the mother-in-law, husband, father-in-law.
In Rig Veda (10.85.26) the bride was exhorted to address the assembly; to be asked to address the assembly was regarded as an honor by most of the Sages. Women were not oppressed in Vedic times. First, one has the Hinduism is not the ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.
It is in Hinduism we find women were oppressed. Women were not oppressed in the Vedic times, but high status accorded to women in the Vedic society.
Even today, some Orthodox persons deny the right of chanting the Veda to women. However, they cannot cite any authoritative Scripture to support their views. Any book in Sanskrit cannot be accepted as scripture or divine revelation.
Women Sages:~
Women saints and sages of India have been given less importance, for several reasons obvious to anyone studying history...
In the medieval period, women were confined to homes and according to some moral codes, women were not allowed to study scriptures and chant mantras while mantras were invoked as female deities or Goddesses.
The Vedic rishis had wives who were learned women and took part in philosophical discussions. The crippling social practices for women, considering them as inferior, unfit for scriptural studies were introduced by male-dominated societies...While women monastics or nuns were introduced in Buddhism; it was not a common practice to have nuns in Hindu monastic orders until recent times.
Sage Sankara has philosophical disputes and debates with an equally great scholar, Mandana Mishra. Mishra's learned wife Bharathi served as the umpire.
Sage Sri, Sankara says ~ in Mand.P.351 and also in Vivekachoodamani, that even women can realize truth if they persist.
Thus, it proves that Sage Sankara wanted even women to acquire Advaitic wisdom whereas the Orthodox Advaitins Bars women from indulging in the path of wisdom.
Sage Sankara says:~ that even women can realize the truth if they persist. (Mand.P.351 and also in Vivekachoodamani)
Some of the quotations given by these critics are from the period of the sutra books which are dated more than two thousand years later than the Rigveda. Naturally, these critics suppress quotations that speak of the high status of women in the society of the Rig Vedic period and the period of Upanishads.
There is no evidence to support the orthodox claims that Veda bars study scriptures and chant mantras. Women confined to homes. The Vedic culture is different than the Hindu culture.
Hinduism is the groups of caste and creed with diverse beliefs and culturally diverse is nothing to do with ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. It is an error to identify the Vedic religion as Hinduism because Hinduism is the non-Vedic belief system. :~
Santthosh Kumaar
