The Vedic view of Women in the Vaidhika Matham : part 2

[Guest guest]

In this posting , we would cover selected Rg Veda manthrams

that came our way thru the intercession of great RishikAs

or the women manthra drushtAs .

 

The first and formost set of manthrAs of Rg Vedam

from this perspective are the manthrams housed

in the 10th Canto of Rg Vedam dealing with the Marriage

Ceremony .Sri VilliputthuR ANDAL transformed them

into Sundara Tamil in Her NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi

( VaraNamAyiram Paasurams ).

 

The manthra dhrashtA of Rg Vedam 's 10th canto ,

soktham 85most appropriately is a Rishi pathni

by the name Saavithri SooryA .This 85th Sooktham

has 47 manthrams , number of which are used in

the different phases of Hindu Marriage Ceremony .

 

I will focus on these important manthrAs first

which houses the prayer and the vision of

the RishikA as revealed to her as instructions

from the Veda Purushan .

 

The first manthram of 10.85 is a profound one :

 

satyEnOtthabbhithA Bhumi: SooryENOtthbhithA Dhyau:

R*thEnAdhithyasthishtanthi divi sOmO adhi sritha:

Rg Vedam : X.85.1

 

(Meaning ) : Our Earth is upheld by truth , heaven

is upheld by the Sun ; the solar regions are supported

by the eteranl laws (r*tham ) ; the elixir of divine love

reigns supreme in heaven .

 

The 27th manthram distills the thoughts housed in

the previous posting of this two part series :

 

iha priyam prajayA --- vadhAta: Rg Vedam : X.85.27

 

(Meaning ) : In this new family of your husband ,

May you be happy and prosperous along with your

offsprings .Be watchful over your domestic

duties in this house. May you unite your person

with with your lord,your husband ; thus may you both ,

growing in age together , manage your household

affairs according to gruhasthAsrama rules .

 

Rg Vedam : X.85.33

 

SumangalIriyam VadhUrimAm samEtha pasyatha

SoubhAgyamasya dhathvAyathasthAm vi parEtana

 

(Meaning ) ; Blessed indeed is this bride ;

come one , come all of you ; meet , behold

and bless her. Convey to her your feliciations

and then RETURN to your homes .

 

Rg Vedam : X.36

 

GrubhNAmi --dEvA :

 

(Meaning ) ; I accept your hand for good fortune ,

that you attain old age with me as your husband. Our

Lord of grace , cosmic orders , creation and wisdom

has given you ( purandhi) to me that I may be the

yajamaanan of a household to practise our assigned

dharmAs .

 

Rg Vedam X.85.42

 

May you both reside here together ; may you both

never be separated; may you live together all your

lives sporting with sons and grandsons ; and thus

rejoice in your own home .

 

Rg Vedam X.85.43

 

May the supreme power grant us progeny , may

the ordainer unite us together until old age .

May that protector free us from evils , may you

the bride enter your husband's household and

be the bringer of prosperity to our bipeds and

quadrupeds .

 

Rg Veda manthram : X.85.44

 

O Bride ! May you never look your husband

with an evil eye ; never be hostile to him ;

be tender to animals (sivA pasubhya:) ;

may you ever be amiable and cheeful ;

may you fufill one of your roles as the mother

of brave children , loving to the divine powers ,

be the grantor of happiness , and usher prosperity

to our bipeds and quadrupeds ( dhvipadhE sam

chathushpadhE ).

 

Rg Veda manthram : X.85.45

 

O Generous Lord ! Make the bride blessed with children !

Make her blessed with fortune ! give her ten sons ;

and then her husband becomes the eleventh one(son )

(dasAsyAm puthrAn dEhi pathimEkAdasam krudhi ).

 

Rg Vedam X.85.46

 

Be a soverign to your father-in-law ; be a queen to

your mother-in-law ; be a queen to your husband's sister,

be a queen to your husnad's brothers ( SamrA~Jni

svasurE bhava ; samrA~jni svasravam bhava;

nanAndhAri samra~jni bhava;samrA~jni adhi dEvrushu )

 

Rg Vedam X.85. 47

 

" May the entire assembly of the invited guests

unite the hearts of both of us ; may we be calm and

united like the mixed waters .May we be united like

the vital breaths ; may both of us be in unison like

the Creator and His creation ; may we be one like

the preceptor and his disciple; may we be loving to

each other ! "

 

B .Indrasnusha Vasukra-pathni Sooktham

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Another illustrious RishikA is Vasukrapathni ,

who has given us Rg Vedam X.28.1, 6 , 8, 10 and 11).

 

The First manthram is set as the invocation of

the Goddess of Dawn (to her supreme Lord) in

a symbolic way :

 

(Meaning ):Now all other divine forces except You

(including the Sun ) have arrived , but You ,

the Soverign Lord , my sire-in-law has not

arrived ; may Thou accept my oblations of

parched grains and the elixir(SomA) and return home

fully satisfied . (Rg Vedam X.28.1)

 

The 1oth and the 11th manthrams are glorious tributes

to the power of Gayathri by this RishikA :

 

" The gloriously shining Self( sEshi) is thirsty for the divine

elixir , as a thirsty buffalo for water. For this , Yajamaanan ,

the sEsha soul , invokes Gayathri metre , which becomes a she-hawk

and fastens her claw in the divine realm , just as a lioness

confined in a cage places one foot over the other (X.85.10).

 

Gayathri without difficulty , brings the divine elixir ,

which is enjoyed by the Self , and whatever is left over is

shared by the sense organs . With the help of this elixir ,

the enemies (the aasura svabhAvam ) are retaliated and

finally destroyed " (X.85.11).

C.RishikA ApAlA : A Human Prayer

*******************************

 

The Fourth manthram of Rg Vedam 8.91 is

symbolic and humorous at the same time .There is

a lot of legend going with this .Apala is a maiden-

Rishika desirous of marrying the beautiful prince

SomA and the 7th manthram of this Sooktham is used

in Hindu marriages even today during mangala snanaam

for the bride for ceremonila cleansing .Here we will

focus on the Fourth manthram of X.91.

 

Rg Vedam VIII.91.4 : Dream & Prayer of a Wedding-ready Maiden

**************************************************************

 

Kuvicchath kuvith karath-- samgamAmahE

 

(Meaning ): May the Lord of illustrious lustre and

glory bless us (the family)to be powerful . May He make

us( the family and the future husband)) wealthier

repeatedly . may He support us and work for us (in our favor).

may he unite me with my (future ) husband , who has been

indifferent (as a courter ) , unconcerned and unfriendly

with me so far !

 

D.RishikA VisvavarA , Agni DEvathA , Four Metres

**************************************************

 

This Lady Seer is a great poet as well . She sets her

Six manthrAs of Rg Vedam Canto 5.28 in four differnet

metres( Tr*shtup, JagathI , Anushtup and GayathrI chandas ).

 

The name VisvavarA according to Sayana (Vedic commentator:

Saayana Bhaashyam ) relates to one who repels all sins .

She belongs also to the family of Sage Athri . She is

conducting a Vedic ceremony , which we would think today

would have been the domain of the male seers . Not so !

She is invoked with the Ladle in hand transporting

the Soma rasam .So much goes for the legend about woman's

subdued/inferior role in YaaagAs .She specifically prays for

the concordance of realtions between men and women

through their complimentary roles to perform assigned tasks

( the opposite of male chauvinism !).

 

We will study the first two manthrams of X.28 here .

 

Rg Vedam : X.28.1(Tr*shtup metre)

*********************************

 

SammiddhO agnir dhivi-- havishA gruthAchI

 

(Meaning ) : The incomparable glories of the revered Lord ,

when enkindled spreads its lustre throughout the firmamnet ,

and shines far and wide and transforms itself into the supreme

light of divine intelligence . Eastward the ladle ! Let knowledge

that repels all sins and worries proceed to advance ! Let

that diffusion of knowledge honor the nature's bounties with

reverence and oblations !

 

Rg Vedam X.28.2: JagathI metre

*******************************

 

SamidhyamAnO amruthasya rAjasi-dhatta ithputhra:

 

(Meaning ): O Revered Lord ! Whilst your glory is eulogized ,

You are recognized as the king of immortals . You take total

care of the offerer of the havis (oblation ) for his well being.

He , whom You favor , acquires universal wealth ; he sets

before You , O Lord , the gifts that (Your) guests may claim .

 

On this note of moving salutation to the Lord

eulogizing His glories by the RishikA VisvavarA ,

I conclude this set of two postings on the important

and nourishing role of Women in the Vaithika Mathams

Like Sri VaishNavam , where every thing is rooted in

the Ubhaya Vedams .

 

NamO Veda NaarAyaNAya ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan