Today many of the so called scholars often ridicule the Vedic literatures and claim that they denigrate women. In fact these days it has become a fashion to deride the Vedic literatures to champion ones modern outlook. Timeless Vedic literatures have always held high regard for women.
Below are quotes from the scriptures, it can help us to understand Vedic perspective on women.
- A Woman must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and brothers in law, who desire their own welfare. Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards. Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon wholly perishes; but that family where they are not unhappy ever prospers. The houses on which female relations, not being duly honored, pronounce a curse, perish completely, as if destroyed by magic. Hence men who seek (their own) welfare, should always honor women on holidays and festivals with (gifts of) ornaments, clothes and (dainty) food. In that family, where the husband is pleased with his wife and the wife with her husband, happiness will assuredly be lasting. (Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu, Chapter 3,55-60)
- Vedas state that when a woman marries then she enters “as a river enters the sea” and “to rule there along with her husband, as a queen, over the other members of the family”. (Atharva-Veda 14.1.43-44)
Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1860-1888) an Indologist and head of the Oxford's Boden Chair, has written: "Indian wives often possess greater influence than wives of Europeans." He is not a true Hindu who does not regard a woman's body as sacred as the temple of God. He is an outcast who touches a woman's body with irreverence, hatred or anger."
There are so called scholars who have some personal bias towards Hinduism so they pick and chose a particular statement from the Vedic literatures, manipulate it and then try to portray that Vedas are against women. And unfortunately there are very few people who speak against this bias.
The atrocities which are happening against women (or against men) is because people have started taking great pleasure in living sinful lives. Just an e.g. during the Vedic tradition elders were greatly respected but today they are thrown into old age homes by his own sons and daughters (!). In order to live an independent life mother abort the child in the womb – it’s a cold blooded murder of a child who cannot protect himself/herself. Yes, irrespective of whether the child is male or female they are being murdered in mother’s womb.
Strict laws and strong moral values are answer to crimes against humanity.
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