A woman’s role, considered essential in preserving social and cultural values, was learned in the home. In Hindu social and ethical texts, women often seem to be hierarchically inferior to men. As a married lady, protected by her husband: Hinduism places great value on pre-marital chastity and this has significantly influenced practices. We list out the role of a wife in a man’s life. Moral duties. In India, women may wear vermillion powder on their foreheads, an ornament called Mangalsutra ( Hindi : मंगलसूत्र ) which is a form of necklace, or rings on their toes (which are not worn by single women) to show their status as married women. I. Some texts condemn it as “a deep dark well,” in which one loses all sense of spiritual direction and becomes hopelessly entrapped in maya (illusion) .These texts are especially favoured by ascetic traditions. Bhagwati, Justice A.C. Gupta and Justice S.M. The bride's and groom's home—entrance, doors, wall, floor, roof—are sometimes decorated with colors, balloons, and other decorations. He woke up his wife, and they set out on their horses to look for his parents. You will have to judge how "modern" or "traditional" this family is, I would ask other young female members of the family their impressions. The Supreme Court, in this case, highlighted the Hindu female’s right to maintenance as a tangible right against property which flows from the spiritual relationship between the husband and wife. The role and importance of a son in a Hindu family . In Hindu family importance of son is many folds. Also, it is a relationship that is established by birth to birth and death to death. The Duties of the Wife As a wife, the Hindu woman was expected to live up to the ideals of the Stri Dharma, the duties of the good wife. Sita), while on the other she is aggressive and destructive (e.g. Also like Hinduism, Confucianism had a conflicting attitude regarding respect towards women- they were treated like (1) AtharvaVeda 1/14/1 – A good wife should establish herself permanently in her husband’s house just as mountain firmly establishes itself on ground. As long as the husband is capable of supporting the family, a woman should not leave the home to work in the world, though she may earn through home industry. Under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, either the wife or the husband can move a court for ‘restitution of conjugal rights’ (the right to stay together). They have to cultivate purity (sattva), and discernment (buddhi) and follow the injunctions and guidelines prescribed in the scriptures. In Hinduism, a wife is considered to be “saha-dharma-charini” someone who has an equal share of the huband’s duties. (2) AtharvaVeda 3/25/1- Wife should long to be in company of her husband. Role of women in Indian tradition is very critical and has been under patience for many years. In Hinduism, every human being has an obligation to practice virtue and uphold the Divine Law. She is also referred to as “ardhangini”, the other half of the husband. The wedding ceremonies are very colourful, and celebrations may extend for several days. Son is considered to be the saviour and one who will give Pinda Daan that is he will take his parents ashes to the Ganges & wash them so that they will go to heaven after their death.A son is considered to take care of his old parents and their social obligations. The concept of a Hindu marriage is to establish a relationship between husband and wife. It is written in Sanskrit and claims to be a redaction of an original text consisting of 100,000 metrical verses. So, this is the second stage of life. Marriage was a serious duty towards the family and the community and there was little idea of individual interest. Luckily, he found them soon. On the one hand she is the fertile, dutiful and faithful wife (e.g. At about the same time in Hindu history, specific expectations also arose concerning one’s sex, resulting in different patterns of life for men and women. Role of women as per Hinduism is the totally surrendering and dedication towards her husband. Durga and Kali), yet representing the protective mother. In Hinduism two role models are given: Rama’s wife Sita and Krishna’s mistress Radha. You can't assume that all families are the same. This stage starts when Brahmacharya Asrama ends. Hindu Dharma. THE DUTIES OF THE TRUE HINDU WOMAN III. The duty of a wife is to serve her husband her whole life. एक ही व्रत, एक ही नेमा, मन, क्रम वचन पति पद प्रेमा. Every major god has a goddess counterpart (or consort), and many Hindus worship the Great Goddess exclusively. Vows taken in Hindu marriages contain brilliant alliteration of the duties and responsibilities of the husband and wife. In traditional Hindu families, the new wife becomes a part of the husband's family in a role that is subservient to other females, especially his mother. Today, it is not expected that a Hindu should go through the four stages, but the concept still stands as an important "pillar" of Hindu socio-religious tradition. She should serve him, follow him, pray for his well being and eat after he eats. The role of a wife in marriage is not only culturally but also religiously defined. Although in the Chinese yin-yang duality, the feminine side is dark and passive, in Hinduism the feminine is highly active. THE BASIC NATURE OF WOMEN (ACCORDING TO HINDU DHARMA SHASTRA) The following quote from Manusmrti elucidates … When we talked about the caste system we observed how in classical Hinduism there are particular dharmas or duties for individuals according to their standing in society. The texts recognize eight kinds of marriage, ranging from father finding a marriage partner for his daughter and seeking her consent (Brahma marriage), to the bride and groom finding each other without parental participation (Gandharva marriage). I shall now expound the eternal duties of the man and woman, who keep to the righteous path, during union and separation.—(1) Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya): In course of the enunciation of the ‘heads of dispute’, after ‘adultery’ comes ‘the determining of the duties of husband and wife’, it is this therefore that is now going to be set forth. (Source: Atharva Veda xiv. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. Hindu attitudes towards family life can appear ambivalent. According to Hinduism, the female archetype was created by Brahman to project the fundamental duality in creation between God and his materiality and provide assistance and company to men to perform obligatory duties and facilitate procreation, preservation and continuation of family lineages. (3) AtharvaVeda 3/25/5- wife should be attracted towards the loving attitude of her husband and should always remain sincere to her husband. The Role of Men in Hinduism. This page relates “description of the duties of the chaste wife” as found in the Shiva-purana, which, in Hinduism, represents one of the eighteen Mahapuranas.This work eulogizes Lord Shiva as the supreme deity, besides topics such as cosmology and philosophy. Brahmacharya: The Celibate Student . Hindu literture … Yes, in Hinduism a woman is considered to be the god of every house.Hindu religion considers women to be more responsible and that is the reason why you see majority of the Hindu women after marriage be house wife… i. … But, after a few days, he had a change of heart and thought that perhaps he and his wife too could visit Varanasi and get the benefit of the pilgrimage, and then bring his parents back. In Hinduism, the Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifests itself in both male and female form. for those who chose domestic and family life, they were respected in the role of wife and mother. The role of a wife is so crucial that she can either make or break a family. they were able to participate in religious ceremonies, held important positions such as scholars, philosophers and teachers. In India clear expectations towards the behaviour of a woman in society exist. Other scriptural passages glorify responsible family life as the backbone of varnashrama-dharma society. Grihasthashrama means the stage of life when the person is married and has to fulfill all his duties towards his wife, children, father, and mother. A Hindu wedding, known as Vivaha in Sanskrit, is the traditional wedding ceremony for Hindus. Though the provision grants remedy to either spouse and those in favour of such a remedy under law emphasise that the provision is a gender-equal concept, the remedy becomes a bone of contention. Part 0, General (6 chapters) Part 1, Religion In General (7 chapters) Part 2, The Vedic Religion: Introductory (5 chapters) Part 3, The Vedic Religion And Varna Dharma (10 chapters) Part 4, The Sastras And Modern Life (3 chapters) Part 5, The Vedas (43 chapters) Part 6, Siksa (14 chapters) Part 7, Vyakarana (6 chapters) Introduction. by Raman J . During this stage, he has to earn his livelihood by using the skills he learned from his teacher during Brahmacharya Asrama. - The role of women in Hinduism is often disputed, and positions range from equal status with men to restrictive - There often appears to be a dual role for women in ancient thought. THE BASIC NATURE OF WOMEN (ACCORDING TO HINDU DHARMA SHASTRA) II. Woman is known to play a very important role in creating life. He was filled with remorse and guilt for ill-treating his own elderly parents. The bride is invited into the family 'as a river enters the sea' and 'to rule there along with her husband, as a queen, over the other members of the family. some women, called brahmavadinis, even chose to remain unmarried and lives of religious study and ritual. Duties of Wife by Amrta madhavi Devi Dasi - Duration: 9:52. THE BHAGAVAD-GITA'S WARNING AGAINST THE CORRUPT IMMORAL WOMAN AND DEGRADATION OF SOCIETY I. According to Stri Dharma, a wife should regard her husband as a god. Based on Hindu law, Hindu marriage is a sacred tie, and the last ten sacraments that can never break. So, what exactly does a wife do that she is so important to her family? What are the duties of a wife towards her husband? Jainism and Buddhism offered little in the way of improving the lot of Indian women, though the Buddha reluctantly agreed to accept female nuns among his followers. The role model wives in Hinduism. Be it if any religion - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, there are some basis c… Ancient and medieval era Hindu texts present a diverse picture of duties and rights of women in Hinduism. Brahmacharya is a period of formal education lasting until around age 25, during which, the student leaves home to stay with a guru and attain both spiritual and practical knowledge. Many Rigvedic hymns were composed by women. From the Manusmriti in the section titled "Duties of women": Manu 5.147 - She should not seek separation from her father, husband or sons: by separating, the woman would render both families disreputable. I. In Hinduism, a woman or man can get married, but only have one husband or wife respectively. DUTIES OF THE TRUE HINDU WOMAN. She gives her husband the strength to succeed, she nurtures her children to stay healthy and do well in their life, and she has the ability to take care of every minute detail at home. The Bench comprising of Justice P.N. Women were seen as inferior to men, and could not move up in social class. In Comparison... Like Hinduism, Confucian ideas were not very tolerant towards women. Girls were betrothed and married at a very young age. The Hindu home and family is the fortress of the Sanatana Dharma, which the wife and mother is duty-bound to maintain and thus to perpetuate the faith and create fine citizens. She is not a spare rib (Christian) and certainly not someone whom you simply partner with in life (Muslim). The Law of Manu offers one of the clearest statements of dharma as its relates to Hindu women. Even in the performance of religious duties the wife was more of a passive partner and was generally selected from a family, which did not neglect the performance of sacred rites.