Mini- #Thread on couple of more mantras from Rig Veda, supporting Vedic studies for women. This time it is from 6th Mandal, 61st Sukta (Devta of this Sukta being Saraswati), 1st and 3rd Mantra of Rig Veda (6.61.1 & 6.61.3).
#Vedas #RigVeda #Hinduism #Hindu #SanatanDharma #Women

Let me clarify here that the Devta of Vedic Sukta refers to the subject matter or the context of the concerned sukta and mantras. It does not indicate any particular God or goddess.

Coming to Rig Veda 6.61.1, it praises scholarly women and addresses them as विदुषी (सरस्वति), marrying whom is a matter of great fortune for a man. This mantra says following to her :-

इ॒यम॑ददाद्रभ॒समृ॑ण॒च्युतं॒ दिवो॑दासं वध्र्य॒श्वाय॑ दा॒शुषे॑।
या शश्व॑न्तमाच॒खादा॑व॒सं प॒णिं ता ते॑ दा॒त्राणि॑ तवि॒षा स॑रस्वति ॥१॥

Word-Meaning: -हे (सरस्वति) विदुषी (या) जो (इयम्) यह (वध्र्यश्वाय) बढ़ानेवाले घोड़ों से युक्त (दाशुषे) दानशील के लिये (रभसम्) वेग (ऋणच्युतम्) ऋण से छूटे (दिवोदासम्) विद्या प्रकाश के देनेवाले को (अददात्) देती है तथा (शश्वन्तम्) अनादि वेदविद्याविषय जो कि (अवसम्)..

.. रक्षक तथा (पणिम्) प्रशंसनीय है उसको (आचखाद) स्थिर करती है, वह (ते) आपके (तविषा) बल से (ता) उन (दात्राणि) दानों को देती है, यह जानो ॥१॥

Purport : -
जो स्त्री विद्या शिक्षायुक्त वाणी को ग्रहण करती है, वह अनादिभूत वेदविद्या को जानने योग्य होती है, वह जिसके साथ विवाह करे, उसका अहोभाग्य होता है, यह जानने योग्य है ॥१॥

It may be noted here how Vedas have spoken high of scholarly women and advocates them to be educated enough before marrying a man. It clearly signifies the importance of Vedic education for women...

Unfortunately, especially in Middle Ages under foreign rule, education of women took a back seat leading to higher percentage of illiteracy among the very gender whom we worship as Goddess of Knowledge, since education began to be felt..

.. as unnecessary for them and some societies even regarded education imperilling chastity and character of women, quite contradictory to what the above Rig Veda mantra suggests.

Now, moving to Rig Veda 6.61.3, it addresses scholarly women as Pandita Who by virtue of her Vedic knowledge, gets rid off ignorance from the society and leads people on path of knowledge and to the company of learned.

सर॑स्वति देव॒निदो॒ नि ब॑र्हय प्र॒जां विश्व॑स्य॒ बृस॑यस्य मा॒यिनः॑।
उ॒त क्षि॒तिभ्यो॒ऽवनी॑रविन्दो वि॒षमे॑भ्यो अस्रवो वाजिनीवति ॥३॥

Word-Meaning: -हे (वाजिनीवति) विज्ञान, क्रिया और (सरस्वती) विद्यायुक्त स्त्री ! तू (देवनिदः) जो विद्वानों की निन्दा करते हैं उनको (नि, बर्हय) निकाल (उत) और (विश्वस्य) समग्र (बृसयस्य) अविद्या छेदन करनेवाले (मायिनः) प्रशंसित बुद्धियुक्त विद्वान् की (प्रजाम्) प्रजा को (अविन्दः)..

.. प्राप्त हो तथा (क्षितिभ्यः) पृथिवियों से (अवनीः) रक्षा करनेवाली भूमियों को प्राप्त हो और (एभ्यः) इन भूमि के भीतरी देशों से (विषम्) जल को (अस्रवः) चुआओ निकालो ॥३॥

Purport : -वही पण्डिता स्त्री श्रेष्ठ है, जो विद्वान् और विद्या के निन्दकों को निकाल विद्या के प्रशंसकों (बड़ाई करनेवालों) का सत्कार करती है और जो भूगर्भादि विद्या जाननेवाली समस्त प्रजा को विद्याऽभिमुख करती है ॥३॥

The above mantra is a testimony of the fact that Vedas do not distinguish and discriminate gurus on basis of gender.

Our society, since the Middle Ages, has been reconditioned mostly to accept Vedic acharyas and pandits from a so called ‘more capable & stronger’ gender.

Vedic mantras destroy this notion and encourages scholarly panditas to take over the reign of education and imparting of Vedic wisdom to society as well.

Unfortunately, we still have substantial number of trads/tradcells/pseudo trads among us who firmly believe that Vedic education to women will pollute our Sanatan Dharma and also,make them characterless and reckless in the society, making them difficult to be reined.

For info: the pic on the left top side above is of Princess Hemalakha (born daughter of a Rishi) who became guru to her husband Prince Hemachuda and Mother in law, Mother Queen, imparting them Brahmagyan. Their enlightening conversation can be read in Tripura Rahasya.

Are such views not anti Vedic and hence, anti Sanatani ???

For further reading on 12 notable Rishikas,Brahmavadinis and female saints, do read this :- https://medium.com/@angsuman/notable-female-gurus-of-india-5e061d686d85

And for some more reading, do check out my prev #Thread on this topic :- https://twitter.com/subhra2jyoti/status/1335479492907712522?s=21

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