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Manu Smrti and Women
From: dchakrav@netserv.unmc.edu (Dhruba Chakravarti)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: Caste system in Manusamhita
Date: 16 Jan 1995 20:04:57 -0600
Organization: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
Amita Sudhir (asudhir1@cc.swarthmore.edu) wrote:
: The word varna means color. The caste system began when the Aryans, who
: were fair-skinned, first began to opress the dravidians, who were much
: darker. They (the dravidians) were allowed to perform only the most menial
: of tasks, which is why the shudras were mainly "black". I guess this
: demonstrates rudimentary racism. Certainly, the Aryans considered the
: Dravidians to be inferior. And even today, in modern India, when no-one can
: be said to be wholly Aryan or Dravidian, lighter skin color is considered a
: mark of beauty.
Dear Amita Sudhir:
I have not yet found a single piece of convincing evidence in
the Sanskrit texts that supports the lighter
skin/ darker skin hypothesis propounded by some Western scholars.
Of course, I have not read everything. Therefore, I would not
comment on this.
: I seem to remember reading somewhere that Manu advocated that women be tied
: and beaten like cattle. Is this really true?
I never read that anywhere. Actually, Manu had a very high
opinion about women. In fact he had said things that may sound
downright feministic today. Please allow me to quote a few verses.
Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devatah.
Yatroitastu na pujyante sarbastratrafalah kriyah. 3.55-56.
In families where women are respected, the Devatas tread. (But)
in whichever family they are not respected, the ceremonial
worship of the Devatas become useless exercise.
Shochanti jamayo yatra binashyastasu tat kulam.
na shochanti tu yatroita bardhate taddhi sarbada. 3.57.
Families in which the women are in sorrow, are quickly destroyed,
but where the women are not unhappy, the family prospers.
Manu has said that men have the responsibility to protect women,
but nobody can protect women by force.
Pita rakshati koumare bharta rakshati joubane.
Rakshanti sthabire putra na stri svantantramarhati. 9.3.
(It is upto) the father to protect her in young age, the husband
in adulthood, the son in old age; she is not to be left to be
free.
Please do not be alrmed by Manu's not recommending women to be
given freedom here, as he explains elsewhere:
Atmanamatmana yastu raksheustah surakshitah. 9.12
Those women who can protect themselves (are the only ones) who
are actually secure.
Na kaschid ghoshitah shaktah prasajhya parirakshitum. 9.10
Nobody can protect women by force.
To Manu, family was sacrosanct, and he recommended severe
punishment for wayward spouses. For the guy, the punishment
included making him lie down on red hot iron rods and burn him to
death by heaping firewood on him. And the woman who neglects her
husband because her parents are very rich and he is not, or
because she is too proud of her own beauty- such that she goes to
have sex with another guy, should be brought in a public place
and be devoured by dogs. 8.371-372.
Manu recommended marriage to be a high priority for women, but he
also said this:
Utkristayabhirupaya baraya sadrishaya cha 9.88
(The parents) should find a cultured, handsome and a perfect
match for their daughter. However....
Kamama-maranath tisthedgrihe kanyartumtyapi.
na choibenam prajachhed tu gunahinaya kahirchid. 9.89
Even after she is menstruating, it is much better that she stays
in her (parent's) home all her life, than be given away in
marriage to a hopeless guy.
But if the parents are unable to find her a suitable match within
3 years of her coming of age,...
Trinibarshanyudikshta kumaryryatumati sati.
Urdhantu kaladetasmadvindeta sadrisham patim. 9.90
After her coming of age, the young woman will wait for three
years and then find a suitable husband on her own.
Angiyamana bhartaramadhigachhed yadi svayam.
Noinah kinchidbapnoti na cha yam sadhigachhati. 9.91.
The young woman, if not given away in marriage by her parents,
and in time, finds a husband on her own, is not at fault.
Despite his high opinion about women, he also did not stop from
making slanted remarks about feminine nature :
Sajyasamalankarm kamam krodhamanarjabam.
Drohabhabam kucharjyancha stribhyo manurakalpyath. 9.17.
Women are preoccupied with bed and jewlery and are involved in
libido, anger, envy, pettyness and bad behavior.
He disapproved of the "free society" and "liberal values" that
women were used to in those days:
Poungchalyachhalachittachha noisnehachha svabhabata.
Rakshita yatnatopiha bhartrishveta bikurbate. 9.15
Naturally fickle, tending to engage in sexual act with every man
who came by, uncaring about their husbands, they despite being
given security by their husbands, go against them and engage in
extra marital affairs.
However, he did not blame the women entirely, as he said:
Yadrig gunena bhartra stri samyujyeta yathabidhi.
tadrigguna sa bhabati samudreneba ninmaga. 9.22.
Like a river becomes salty from dissolved minerals, a woman
becomes chaste or unchaste according to what type of husband
(chaste or unchaste) she is married to.
This discussion can go on and on, but I believe that we have
covered Manu's major thoughts about women.
Regards,
Dhruba.
