Feminism or the lack of it?

Arunita

There are many reasons that the Mahabharata continues to mesmerize us still after so many years. Most effective one of them is the complexity of its characters and the way they can be analyzed from different vantage points and can exude different colors of light. Male and female characters alike, we can see different shades residing in them  -  generosity and ruthlessness, love and betrayal greed and sacrifice. Treatmentof women in Mahabharata also so staggeringly contradictory from time to timethat it takes our breath away. Many times, women are oppressed, betrayed andsilenced in the epic, yet they still managed to rule and dominate through themen themselves and come out as powerful controlling authorities in their ownright.

Kunti:

We all talk about Draupadi being the heroine of the epic, but herMother in law is a strong woman in her own right and probably more of a toughand smart royalty than her. Unlike Draupadi, Kunti didn’t have five (or evenone) husband or a bosom friend to support her throughout her struggle in thegame of thrones. Unfortunately she doesn’t get enough credit for being herself.Majority of modern day writers fail to grasp her character and make a mess outof it. “Donated’ by her biological father to his childless friend for adoptionin her childhood, suffering a traumatic experience of unconsented sex andsubsequently giving up her firstborn son out of wedlock, having lost herhusband very early , then fighting alone in a political conundrum with fivefatherless sons, Kunti faced those all with enviable grace and wit.

Amba:

A woman scorned or a woman wronged? Abducted from her self choiceceremony and subsequently rejected by her lover for the same, she swore vengeanceon Bhishma, the man who abducted her and refused to give her the honor of awife under the excuse of his vow. Neither her supposed lover, nor her father’sfamily gave her shelter. Humiliated and rejected for no fault of her own, Amba committedsuicide by self-immolation and later reborn as Shikhandi, daughter of KingDrupad and avenged her previous birth in the war of Kurukshetra by slayingBhishma. Her rebirth story is like a phoenix reborn, a woman with no supportsystem, refused to be a victim and served justice to the man who, albeitunintentionally, destroyed her life. Is she is a symbol of helplessness ofwomen of those era or an example of a woman who refused to cower in shame andpain after being severly wronged and being denied justice in a world that hasmostly been governed by men?

Subhadra:

Sister of Krishna, the enigma. She is not exactly viewed as awoman of strength. Mostly her image is that of a good mother and loving wife. Nonetheless,she spent the prime of her married life away from her  husband and raised her son with little supportfrom his father and what a tough minded warrior he turned out to be. Not onlythat, her son Abhimanyu had been the darling of the entire family, even hisstep mother adored him like her own son. Subhadra’s way of upbringing likelypaid off.

Draupadi:

The list is never-ending as the epic has women like Gandhariand Chitrangada, Ulupi and Devaki, who were capable of enduring so much painand loss with head held high that can make one shiver to even think of it. Butwhile feminism and Mahabharat are uttered together, the first person who comesinto mind is the heroine of Mahabharata, princess of Panchala and Queen of Indraprastha.Draupadi suffered every sort of pain one can think of- molestation, loss of allher children, being shared among five husbands despite choosing one person,spending most of her married life in forest, being a servent in a king’shousehold as a part of bargain accepted by her husband inspite of being raiseda princess and becoming a competent empress. She has seen it all. Yet nothingand no one could make her bow down. Defiant till the very end, she was gambledaway by her emperor husband, dragged in a king’s court in a single cloth,menstruating and had that piece of garment almost taken away by force as herfive husbands watched. Her way of reacting to this absolute horror? Raising alegal dilemma and recover her freedom, dignity and honor by calm, sassy andbrilliant argument. What does her life say about the women of her times? Werethey just victims of men’s lust, perversion and greed? Or were they tough asnails people who knew how to fight their own battles and emerge victorious withglory?

What is your view on the topic? What criteria do you think these awesomewomen fulfill? Were they made of stuff of heroes or were they pitiful victimswho just suffered until death and followed/served their husband, having been brainwashed to become a dutiful wife and not much more?

DeeKay

1) You forgot Satyavati and Gandhari in the list.
2) I feel both Ramayana and Mahabharat are misogynistic epics.

Both seem to show women as almost powerful but as victims or rather women who suffer because they take decisions without the consent of men. It has a patriarchal structure.

So I would definitely say lack of feminism. Feminism is the grand notion that women are humans and not less equal to men.

Arunita

DeeKay 11-10-2021 05:13 PM
1) You forgot Satyavati and Gandhari in the list.
2) I feel both Ramayana and Mahabharat are misogyn ...

I am inclined to agree with you. The structure of society was grossly patriarchal. Just because these powerful women shined despite all the shackles/ hindrances, doesn't mean they were treated as human beings with equal rights compared to men of that era.