Remembering ancient Rishika’s: The Feminine Characters for the Modern Era.

Shwetha N
M.A Vedic Studies
Dept of Sanskrit and Vedic Studies
Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence
Nallakadirenahalli, Karnaataka

Abstract

During the period of Rig Veda, there was a golden period of equality wherein women called Rishika’s or Brahmavadinis would chant verses and take part in philosophical discourses. Although their contributions have been invaluable, most names and work have been lost overtime. This paper hopes to retrace the history of Rishika’s, trace the contributions that they have made in relation to Vedas, trace the lessons that can be learned from their teachings, and finally, to trace the importance of remembering them in today’s day and age in regard to gender equality and education. The paper will employ methods of textual analysis, specifically focusing on Rig Vedic verses, historical and philosophical analysis of Rishika’s, and cultural context, particularly regarding their contribution to the culture of Vedic religion and learning. Women were considered seers who composed sacred hymns, approximately 30 of them composing hymns in Rig Veda. There was intellectual and spiritual equality wherein both male and female had to undergo similar rites of passage in education. Hymns contain themes such as medicine, cosmic energy, freedom, and feminine power. Recalling their legacy reinforces the idea of equality as an ancient tradition and breaks the chains of patriarchy in contemporary society.

The testimony of the Rishika’s confirms that gender equality and intellectual liberty have strong foundations in Indian culture. Their wisdom provides everlasting motivation for creating a community where respect, learning, and peace prevail. In remembering their contribution, modern society can rediscover its roots of spirituality and realize the inherent divinity within all souls.

Objectives

Introduction to Rishika’s history of the Rig Vedic period.
The importance of their contribution to the world is important.
Learnings from the ancient Rishika’s to the modern era.
Why remembering these women matters today.

Introduction:

More than a thousand years ago, in the sacred forests and hermitages of ancient India, women sat in deep meditation and heard the eternal truth. They composed many mantras. Yet for many centuries, their names were forgotten; their verses recited without knowing who saw them.

In the world of Rigveda, the highest form of knowledge was not learned from a book – it was seen, felt, and revealed in a state of deep meditation. The Rishis and Rishika’s were called as Mantra-Drashtaras – seers of mantras.

यत्र नार्यस्तु पू़ज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः ।

यत्रैतास्तु न पू़ज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः ।।

The presence of women in society is indicative of the presence of divinity, and in those places where women are disrespected, any form of activity, however noble it may seem, would prove to be fruitless.

Vishwavara composed the Agni Suktam in the 5^th Mandala. Vak Ambhrini authored the Devi Suktam.these women did not merely participate in Vedic culture – they built it. Their intellect, their spiritual experience, and their voices shaped the very foundation of Indian Culture.

It is said in Manusmriti that, women are also should have their rights and respect in this society where this has practiced during the Vedic period where women were accessed to all kind of knowledge and, they have some suktam under their name. This shows that each soul is verily equal and potentially divine.

Rigveda is one of the most prominent in 4 Vedas which is first and oldest one (1500 – 1000 BCE). It consists of 10 Mandalas. Some Mandalas are focused by Rishika’s also. Mainly the last 10^th Mandala was by many Rishika’s. Approximately there are 30 Rishika’s who contributed themselves to society. They were called Rishika’s or Brahmavadinis, who were seers of mantras rather than merely their composers. Their life was dedicated to studying higher knowledge and passing that knowledge to other people.

Once Swami Vivekananda said; There is a passage in our later law books that a woman shall not read the Vedas. But their access is denied even to the weak Brahmin. If a Brahmin boy is not strong-minded, the law is applied to him also. But that does not show that education is prohibited to them, for the Vedas are not all that the Hindus have. Every other book woman can read. All the mass of Sanskrit literature, that whole ocean of literature, science, drama, and poetry is all for them. They can go there and read everything, except the Vedic scriptures.

1. Introduction to Rishika’s history of the Rig Vedic period.

The history of the Rig Vedic Rishika’s is defined by a period of intellectual and spiritual equality often referred to as a “golden era” for women’s status and personal freedom.

The major historical content regarding these female seers includes:

Recognition and Titles: While most of the hymns in the Rig Veda were the work of male rishis, the text specifically contains Suktas (hymns) revealed by female seers. These women were known as Rishika’s and Brahmavadinis.

Educational Foundation: In ancient Vedic India, women were highly educated and regarded as perfect scholars of the Vedas. Their educational path mirrored that of men; girls wore the sacred thread and underwent a period of Brahmacharya (student hood) before dedicating themselves to the study of the Vedas.

Intellectual and Spiritual Equality: The Rig Veda demonstrates that women were fully the equals of men in their capacity for and access to the highest knowledge, including the knowledge of the Absolute or Brahma. This spiritual insight was the result of a life of contemplation, complete asceticism, and penance.

Social and Personal Freedom: During this historical period, women as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers held an equally honored place in the family, society, and state alike. They were granted the freedom and rights to act according to their own choice, and their place within the family was both recognized and respected

These are the Rishika’s where from each Mandala they have contributed something.

Some orthodox people even in modern times still refuse to accept that women are eligible for chanting Veda. But they do not have any scriptural support for their beliefs. Nothing in Sanskrit can be taken as scripture or revelation. When the renowned poet, scholar in Sanskrit, and sage, Vasishta Ganapati Muni, chief disciple of Sri Ramanuja Maharishi, put up the challenge before those orthodox people, they did not produce any evidence to support their beliefs.

2. The importance of their contribution to the world is important.

The present world faces many situations where they are restricted to chant Mantras and to some cultures. But remembering these women gives us some courage and some guidance to move forward in spiritual path as this this Kaliyuga. Rishika’s periods had access to all the things; there were no restrictions on them in any aspects.

Just to motive ourselves from the lower ideas, we need the inspiration of our olden roots where all this knowledge started. Equally to the rishis , the Rishika’s also were freely accessible to see the mantras in their meditation and given the most beautiful Suktam on different gods and goddesses like Devi Suktam in Rigveda 10.125, which tells us about the ultimate reality of being feminine. Rishikas like Ghosha and Apala were not just a philosophers but also healers who contributed to the development of medical knowledge.

In this generation where we ourselves put down when things go wrong but when we see these great Rishika’s like Lopamudra, Gosha,Vak Ambrini they are all examples for how to approach life and how can you make it very divine.

3. Learnings from the ancient Rishika’s to the modern era.

In this modern world we still debate for women’s education, for their authorities and in many such areas, but the Rishika’s remind us always that women have been creators of great knowledge itself. The modern world doesn’t need to grant any permission for this, but it should just remember that women are equally accessible to everything.

Here comes few Rishika’s where they proved themselves women are also should be respected in this society than abandoning them or snatching away the rights from them.it is once said by a great philosophical scholar that “Each soul is potentially Divine”.

Ghosha’s story is one of the hearts touching in Rigveda. She was born into a great scholar where her great grandfather was Rishi Drighatamas and her father was Rishi Kakshivan. Once it so happened that she was going through a great skin disease because of which no one was marrying her and she was forced into isolation. Somewhere she was incomplete even though she is there in society. But she did not leave it there, she prayed to the Ashwin’s – the divine physician twins of the Vedas and composed the two magnificent mantras in the 10^th Mandala.

She teaches us that all these illnesses will not take to our destiny but each one of us have a voice given by God which need to be fulfilled by it. Every life has a value for it should not be wasted.

In another example for this is Devi Suktam by Vak Ambhrini(RV 10.125), where she doesn’t only praise that goddesses, but she feels all the energy in herself.

अ॒हं रु॒द्रेभि॒र्वसु॑भिश्चराम्य॒हमा॑दि॒त्यैरु॒त वि॒श्वदे॑वैः । अ॒हं मि॒त्रावरु॑णो॒भा बि॑भर्म्य॒हमि॑न्द्रा॒ग्नी अ॒हम॒श्विनो॒भा ॥
अहं रुद्रेभिर्वसुभिश्चराम्यहमादित्यैरुत विश्वदेवैः । अहं मित्रावरुणोभा बिभर्म्यहमिन्द्राग्नी अहमश्विनोभा ॥[1]
ahaṃ rudrebhir vasubhiś carāmy aham ādityair uta viśvadevaiḥ | aham mitrāvaruṇobhā bibharmy aham indrāgnī aham aśvinobhā ||

“I continue along the path of Rudras, of Vasus, of Ādityas, and of the Viśvedevās; I sustain both Mitra and Varuṇa, Agni and Indra, and also the Aśvinṣ.”

This is no concept; this is a reality that one experiences. This is just an instance of understanding how there some great women in our past who have always has not been remembered, and what roles we play in society.”

Swami Vivekananda: In Aryan literature alone, and in no other literature of the world, we find women sharing equally with men in the old days.

Coming back to our Vedas – they are the oldest literature in the world and are penned by your and my common ancestors. The oldest part is a collection of hymns, and these hymns are to the gods whom the Aryans worshipped. I may be excused for putting in the word gods; the literal translation is “the bright ones”. There are hymns to Fire, to the Sun, to Varuna and other gods. The titles are: ‘Such and such a sage composed in this verse, in honor of such and such a deity’.

There is a strange hymn in the tenth chapter – for the wise woman is a woman – and it is addressed to the one God who is behind all these gods. All the previous hymns are in the third person, as if someone were addressing the gods.

But this hymn is different, God (as the Devi) is speaking in the first person. The pronoun used is “I”. “I am the Empress of the Universe, the Fulfiller of all prayers.” (See “Devi Sukta”, Rig-Veda 10.125).[2]

4. Why remembering these women matters today.

“If we remembered them from the beginning, if we celebrated them and their contributions”, we would have drawn a great inspiration from these Rishika’s not only as a spiritual guidance but as also for the great qualities like courage, truthfulness, were taken to our lives too.

If young women of India knows today that Gosha composed a Suktam for healing from diseases, Vak Ambrini says herself as divine source for everything in Devi Suktam, Lopamudra confessing herself to show what true womanhood is, then the Indian heritage can give hope to all women of this generation of thinking that they are also equally capable of achieving success without any restrictions. Then always quoting western ideals we can have our own Indian ideals who already led this path for all of us.

Recalling the legendary Rishika’s today is crucial since it gives a historical justification of gender equality and proves that current rights are a revival of cardinal Vedic laws rather than novel concepts

1. Legitimizing Equality as a Key Element of Vedic Culture

Inequality remains a problem in the modern world, “equality by birth and gender equality” were key aspects of the Vedic period.

It is important to remember Rishika’s because this fact indicates that these principles have been practiced in Indian society since ancient times. The spread of information about the Vedas may help get rid of social problems such as casteism and gender inequality, which are products of “ignorance of Vedas”

2.Building Female Intellectual and Spiritual Power Since we have female Rishika’s such as Gargi, Ghosha and Maitreyi, it is evident that there was an understanding during those times that women were “qualified and eligible to receive divine revelations” and engage in the deepest level of philosophic discussion. Going Against Patriarchy: During the period when women had no place in religious affairs, Rishika’s are a living proof that women were once teachers and lifelong students of scriptures who used to attend all important religious ceremonies. Women Composers: That the Rigveda has songs written by about 27 to 29 women scholars makes it clear that women have always been composers of sacred texts.

3.Nurturing a “Natural Feminist Consciousness” Although the word ‘feminist’ came later, there was a ‘natural Feminist consciousness’ among the Rishika’s that continues to hold relevance even today. Autonomy: The Rishika’s had the freedom to decide between householder’s life and an ascetic one; they preferred spiritual truths to mundane wealth (for instance, Maitreyi’s preference for immortality over material things). Expression of Desires: Women Rishika’s like Lopamudra and Ghosha were not hesitant about expressing their sexual and physical cravings through their works; they were the icons of feminine strength.

4.Motivation through Education By recalling the traditional Gurukul system, whereby the Upanayana ceremony was performed on girls as it was on boys, we can dispel myths surrounding the ancient period that believed in the deprivation of female education. In this way, an ancient motivation to develop societies wherein every individual is provided education regardless of gender can be drawn from the “differently working heteronormative order”.

5.Developing Social and Ethical Harmony It appears that the moral and ethical values stored within the ancient texts are suitable for the development of a proper attitude towards life and society as well as the surrounding environment. By drawing lessons from the “equal status of women” and “cordial teacher-student relationship” during the era of the Rigveda’s, one may create examples for societal development”.

Conclusion

The example set by the Rishikas in the Rig Vedic era serves as proof of the fact that apart from being mere participants, women played an active role in shaping spirituality and intellect in ancient India. Through compositions such as the Devi Suktam of Vak Ambhrini or the healing incantations of Ghosha, it is evident that women were regarded as seers and philosophers who conveyed deep spiritual teachings. Thus, the recollection of the ancient Rishikas is indicative of the importance of equality in the Indian tradition.

In recalling their bravery, intellect, and spiritual wisdom, we gain the courage to break free from oppressive traditions and restore values of equality, education, and empowerment in contemporary society. It is worth remembering that each soul holds within itself potential divinity, thus it is imperative that respect is shown towards women for their well-being and the development of humanity.

Bibliography

rishikas from each madala from rig vedic period – Google Search

Women Sages or Rishikas – SAKSHI Trust – Bangalore

Rig Veda 10.125.1 [English translation]

Women Rishikas Composed Many of the Shlokas of the Vedas and Upanishads – The Spiritual Bee

[1] Rig Veda 10.125.1 [English translation]

[2] Women Rishikas Composed Many of the Shlokas of the Vedas and Upanishads – The Spiritual Bee