Annotated Source #6, Monday February 6, 2012

"What Does Hinduism teach about Women?" Sawaal

In this article, I learned about the different beliefs within the Hindu religion that dictate the dharma of women and what they are to be in this life. The article explained that according to Hinduism, women were considered to be a type of energy (shaktiswarupini) and takes the figure of goddesses in her different developmental periods. For example, in her childhood, she is the goddess Durga, as a wife she is the goddess Patni, and can be a partner in her husband's religious duties and as a mother she is the goddess Matrudevophava, worthy of worship by her children. The article went on to talk about the four basic responsibilities of a Hindu woman to her husband. The first, is to be her husband's property and under his custody, the second is to be one to help her husband with the decision making, the third is to be the mother of his children and raise them rightly, and lastly, to do her duty as a wife with intimacy.
As I read this, I thought about the women in Tamil Nadu that I will be spending time with. What are some of their personal beliefs about their duties as wives in their Hindu devotions? When it comes to being the decision makers, that will be something I will have to be especially observant of when I am around them.

The article also talked about how historically, women have been looked down upon in India. Especially those who follow ancient Hindu texts that downgrade women, like the Manu Smriti. I read that this text was not universally accepted as Hindu scripture, although much of it is. Honestly, it is confusing to read all about the different texts and different aspects of Hinduism that dictate the way of life of many women. However, the article did also mention that women are enjoying more freedom, especially politically speaking.

I think that women in India have different living situations depending on the stage that they are in and where they are located, and their social status of course. I personally think that the self-perceptions of women in Tamil Nadu, who live in the village of Chavadi will be different than a woman who lives in an urban place in New Delhi. However, like this article, I do think that there is something that they will have in common, and it will be that they will be predominantly Hindu. The religion and the "laws" that is lays down will all have an impact on how they see themselves. Do they see themselves as goddesses or as suppressed? Obviously, I can't ask these questions directly, but religion is something that hopefully I will be able to address in questions. I hope that observation will help me even more.