El model de comportament interactiu

marriage was not prevalent and girls were getting married after reaching puberty. This becomes evident through the frequent reference made to unmarried girls. During this period, marriage between brothers and sisters were prohibited. The girls had considerable freedom to choose their life partners. Bride price and dowry practices were tabooed. The woman was respected not only in her parental house but in her in-laws place and wielded some authority in her husband’s family. She was taken as a part and parcel of the religious practices and her active participation in the sacrificial offerings was solicited. During this period, the practice of sati did not exist, remarriage of widows was permitted, and women enjoyed considerable freedom in economic activities like agriculture and manufacture of bows. Women moved around freely and attended public feasts and dances. These references are available from the works of Grammarians such as Katyayana and Patanjali.

According to different studies on position of women during the Rig Vedic period, it becomes apparent that women enjoyed considerable degree of freedom right from their childhood. This indicates that the Ridvedic period valued the women equally with the men. They were given absolute freedom to select their own husbands. So, it seems that the Rig-Vedic period valued women’s choice, freedom and opinion.

Marriage did not put an end to the freedom enjoyed by the women.

Rather, according to the Rigvedic hymn, the status of daughter –in –law was equally an elevated one in her in- laws place. As per the text, she was treated as either an empress or a Samrajni and was given equal importance among the members of the husband’s family including father-in-law, husband and brother-in-law. So, the male female discrimination in position, power and prestige did not figure during this period.

The Rig Veda, considered the girl as auspicious. There was no gender consideration. So, the girl child was equally welcomed to the family.

Girls were allowed to enjoy equal rights with the boys. The family had the responsibility to give her “Sanskaras” to make her a refined member of the society.

Educating the girl child was obligatory for parents. Girl’s education was considered essential for her effective role performance not only in the family, but in the larger society. The girls were to attain education till

they attained the age of twenty five years which indicate the high value attached to women and their education.

In Rigveda, the importance of “Bhramhacharya” was quite significant.

There were no gender biases in principle and practice. The girl child was allowed to participate in her father’s funeral procession which was later on banned for her.

Girls were supposed to wear “Upanayana”, the sacred thread that enabled them to acknowledge the divine knowledge and consciousness present within them. They had the privilege to perform religious rights under the guidance of their Guru.

The women were given the prerogative to choose their life partners.

This system was known as ‘Swayamvar’. No trace of girl-child marriage is available in the Vedic texts. The freedom accorded to the adult girls for selecting their life partners was to enable and empower them to lead a healthy family life. From this it is induced that the Rigvedic society was more or less a gender neutral society where there was no evidence of a “Patriarchal” culture.

Enough care was given when daughters were supposed to get married.

Through mantras women were empowered equally as men do. To quote a verse from the Rigveda,

“O women these mantras are given to you equally as to men May your thoughts, too be harmonious. May your assemblies be open to all without discrimination.” I (the Rishi) give you these mantras equally as to men and give you all equal powers to absorb (the full powers) of these mantras. (Rigveda, 10,191-3) The parental preference hovered around selecting a learned groom. As Vedas prescribed an educated girl should be married to an equally educated man. Uneducated daughters should also prefer men of learning to fill up the vacuum they suffer from.

After the marriage the bride took up the role of a ‘Pathni’ of her husband. The pathni was expected to lead her husband life long as a Dharmapathni .The Vedas provided a high position to the women in married life. According to the Vedas, the married woman becomes the virtual manager of the family and the society. In Rigveda, there is the mention of the concept of a Pati Vrata Pathni (devoted wife). A Pati Vrata Pathni (devoted wife) had a high esteem in the society. The Rigveda compared her with the dazzling and glowing “Fire-God”. It is

said that when a woman enters in to the institutions of marriage and family, the process is compared with the river entering into the sea. It is indicative of the surrendering and the dedicated nature of the wife who after marriage loses self identity and gets recognition through her husband. But, it was not as matter of imposition, but spontaneous expression.

The married woman was considered as an integral part of the husband in the performance of the Dharma. Without her, the five Mahayagnas were disallowed for the man. She was taken as the core performer of the “Yagna” along with her husband. According to ancient Hindu Scriptures, no religious rite can be performed with perfection by a man without the participation of his wife. Married men along with their wives were allowed to perform sacred rites on the occasion of various important festivals. Wives were thus befittingly called “Ardhangani”

(better half). They were given not only important but equal position with men, but were treated as complementary to the men. Mention of it are available in the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda, the Artharva veda. The Chhands Period, the MantraPeriod, the Bhraman Period and the Sutra Period too carried the same view of women so far as the religious activities were concerned. So, during the Vedic period, when the social structure was dominated by religious values and culture, women were given a high value by the society being treated as the chief or core partners of the performance of religious rites along with the men. This bears the clear testimony of the high status given to the women in the society. In the case of widows, Vedas never prescribed for their burning after the death of their husbands. The widows are given equal rights of inheritance as the recognised heir of their husbands’ property and treasures. The practice of Sati is nowhere mentioned in the Rig-Veda. Dowry system was there. But it was not a social evil, was just a symbolic practice. During this period, a great honour was accorded to the women.