A Gargi for Every Sita
A few days ago, when I was sitting at the doctor’s office, I picked up the day’s newspaper, turned a few pages at random, and ended up reading an article in the Speaking Tree headlined; Jabala and Shandili’s forgotten legacy of women.
I don’t know who Jabala is. Neither do I know who Shandili is.
I know some other extraordinary women though — Sita, Ahalya, Draupadi, Gandhari, and Meera Bai to a small extent. I know them because, in most (Indian families), these women were often quoted as the hallmark of the standard of women we should aspire to be.
Let us take Sita, for example.
She was exemplified by the great sacrifices she made for her consort, Rama. She was portrayed as the helpless woman who was captured by Ravana and needed Rama led by an army of monkeys to rescue her. She was portrayed as a woman who was made to undergo the agni pariksha to prove her purity to her beloved, to the world. She was portrayed as a dainty Goddess, who needed protection. She led a life of sacrifices, for her beloved, and for her family.
She is who we were taught to aspire to be.
But, is that who Sita really was?
Not really.
I was reading a book on Sita, which spoke of her through her eyes, through her journey.
She was neither helpless nor in need of protection.
Sita was a trained warrior, as much as she was an ocean of compassion. She was adept in the knowledge of the Universe, as much as she excelled in her knowledge of the arthashastra (political sciences). She was one of the chief counsels for Rama.
It is true that she possessed a great love for Rama. In fact, it was devotion, more than love. A devotion that doesn’t see the other as a man or a woman, or as a separate being, but as a being that belongs to oneself, is oneself. But, Rama reciprocated that love and devotion towards her.
She chose to go to the forest with Rama. It was not enforced upon her simply because she was a woman and his consort, and she had to follow in his footsteps unconditionally.
She may have chosen a life of sacrifices, but it was a choice she made, of her own volition.
Over time, we seem to have forgotten the very apparent truth that Sita was not a sacrificial lamb. She was a woman of great valor, knowledge, and equanimity, and SHE CHOSE to lead a life of sacrifices for love, and for the greater good.
To quote her as an example to be is to portray one beautiful color in the rainbow.
But, there are so many more, like Gargi — a woman rishi, who was Sita’s Guru.
Gargi was a renowned expounder of the Vedas. She had a profound knowledge of the Universe. She composed a few hymns in the Rg Veda, and in her time and even after that, she was highly venerated by society.
There’s one instance where she challenges Sage Yagnavalkya in a debate on Brahman. King Janaka, Sita’s father, organizes a debate among Brahmavadinis on the subject of Brahman. The outward motive isto reward the winner, but the inner motive is to request the winner to take Sita as his/her disciple. Among the Brahmavadinis participating in the debate are Gargi and Yagnavalkya.
PS: This is an extract from the book on Sita by Bhanumathi Narasimhan. Shared below are only extracts from the book which brings out the prowess of women in those times.
Many great scholars arrived in Mithila. The reward was a ceremonial requirement, but the scholars came because they knew that a debate organized by King Janaka would be enriching and add to their knowledge.
The great rishi Yagnavalkya and Brahmavadini Gargi had also come to take up the challenge.
Sita was drawn to Gargi. Clad in a simple sari, with long, flowing black hair, a bright spot of chandan (sandalwood) on her forehead and kumkum below it, and adorned with a tulsi mala, she was exceptionally radiant.
In the early stages of the debate, Gargi engaged rishi Yagnavalkya in a series of questions whose answers led deeper and deeper into the very basis of creation.
Gargi had stepped down from her seat and into the central area of the hall, directly below Yagnavalkya’s seat.
She was his contemporary and addressed him by his name.
Yagnavalkya, she continued, “if all this is pervaded by water, then what is water pervaded by?” Her voice was clear, sonorous, and full of strength.
‘By air, Gargi,” came the reply.
“And by what is air pervaded?”
“By the sky,” came the reply.
“And by what is the sky pervaded?”
“By the world of the Gandharvas”.
And so continued the debate.
Other sages in the arena, like Aslava and Uddalaka questioned Yagnavalkya on other topics and received befitting answers to all.
With no one left to challenge him further, Gargi stood up again. “With the permission of all the scholars assembled here, I would like to post just two more questions to Yagnavalkya.”
With the authority vested in her, she posted both questions to the rishi.
In the end, Yagnavalkya won the debate.
Gargi stood with a radiant smile and bowed to Yagnavalkya. She addressed the entire gathering of venerable scholars and requested King Janaka to declare the sage the unparalleled victor.
PS: Though Yagnavalkya was declared the winner, Sita still requested Gargi to be her Guru.
When I read this chapter for the first time, it instilled a sense of deep aspiration for what women are truly capable of being.
Gargi is another color of the rainbow, just as valorous, knowledgable, compassionate, and grounded as Sita.
She has made sacrifices too but of a different kind.
Sacrifices are not always bad. Each and every one of us, without a doubt, has been repeatedly placed in situations, at crossroads where making one choice meant sacrificing another. But, these sacrifices materialize into something beautiful when we truly believe in making these sacrifices, when they resonate from deep within.
The objective of such a long post being; to remind ourselves that for every Sita, there’s a Gargi. For every Draupadi, there’s a Jabala. For every Gandhari, there is a Shandili.
To truly follow the example of exemplary women who have paved the way before us, we need to be taught about women of all kinds who have made a great impact in the minds of people.
Then, the choice is ours, which path we choose to take.
PS: You can read about Jabala and Shandili here | You can check/ buy Sita by Bhanumathi Narasimhan here.
