Women In Epics of India

Satyavati:

She was the adopted daughter of a Fisherman, rejected by her King's father. She dreamed of running the kingdom because she was born a princess and refused her rights. She was the mother to the extremely talented Krishna Daipayan, whom she rejected as he came on the path of her dreams. She mesmerised the emperor with her beauty. She made Devabrata into Bheeshma. The king died soon. Her arrogance led to the fall of her spoiled sons, and yet she desired more. She brought up her grandchildren with desires that later led to Adharma. She was Satyavati, Princess of Matsya, Queen of Hastinapur.

Draupadi

Yajnaseni:

She was born to be used as a tool of revenge; she knew it and had no say. Her Swayambhar was a flaw, as only he could win the archery contest. She was his winner's prize. He shared her with his brothers because his mother said so. She was the direct reason behind the greatest Dharma Yudh. She was disrespected for her polyandry and insulted time and again with perverted offers from her brothers-in-law and their allies. She never got to see her children grow, none of her husbands was truly hers, and she saw her own children die in war, but outside it. Her brother and father also died for her husband's throne. The husband for whom she wanted this war gambled her away, and even after her death, he blamed her for being partial towards his younger brother. She was Yagyaseni Panchali Draupadi, Queen of Hastinapur, Princess of Panchal.

Gandhari:

She was beautiful and received a boon to have a hundred children. She was her father's only daughter. She was forced to marry the blind, arrogant prince who refused to love her. He took away her only friend and made love to her, giving her a child. Her boon became her curse as all her children took the path of Adharma taught to them by her own brother. The brother who claimed to love her. She had to bear the pain of the murder of all her children. She was Gandhari, Princess of Gandhar, Queen of Hastinapura.

Kunti

Kunti:

She was the adopted daughter of her father. She got the boon of getting children from the gods. In her childish attempt at trying the boon, she made the biggest mistake of her life and the greatest of warriors was born. She had to give him up in the hopes of a good future. Her husband loved his other wife. She became the mother to his children. She found her lost child as his brother's enemy. She helplessly saw them fight, and her firstborn was killed. She saw her grandchildren die, and her mistake made her Daughter-in-law a shared wife. She was Preetha, Princess of Kuntibhoja, Mother to the Pandavas, and to Karna.

Uttara

Uttara:

She was married at a young age to a warrior prince. He died six months later, leaving her pregnant with an heir to the throne. All she wanted was a family and happiness. All she got was loneliness and anxiety. Her marriage was short-lived. He left her with an unfulfilled promise. She led a life full of duties and responsibilities. She was Uttara, Princess of Biratnagar, Matysadesh and Queen Mother of Hastinapur.

These five generations of women were the backbone of the family that led the greatest war in the history of Aryavarta. Where cousins fought and desire ruled, these women stood tall fighting with the world, regretting their mistakes and trying to be justified and Dharmi. They fulfilled their responsibilities towards the throne and people dutifully, but never got any personal happiness. They were all wrong somewhere, but so are all humans, yet these women stood united in grief when the whole of Hastinapur fell apart. The epics show women being abused, kidnapped, and humiliated time and again. They have no voice, yet they are the backbones of the system. Some say Draupadi caused the war, but why? Because the men gambled with her. Took away her dignity.

Sita (Marriage scene)

Sita:

She was won by him by breaking a bow. She was taken to his palace with promises of being the future Queen, but instead, fate led her to the forests, where she was kidnapped and taken hostage. After rescuing her, the question that haunted everyone was her Character, if she had given herself to her kidnapper. She was made to give the Agnipariksha. She stayed away from his palace in hermitage with her sons and committed suicide even when she met him after a long time and was again asked to give the Agnipariksha. She never once questioned him. She was Sita, Princess of Mithila, Wife of Rama.

The Lord says whoever insults women or however, women are humiliated he will come to their rescue, so he does in the epic. The words of the Lord are a promise. The men of Kaliyug are to learn from this. Whenever they have tried to forcefully take women or tried to humiliate them, these women had become their Yama, their Death and Destruction. He had said :

Whenever Righteous values are destroyed in Bharata,
I manifest myself in a form and return to destroy evil.

Krishna as Viswarupa

These women made the epics, and women in your life make yours. Epics are nothing but life lessons. The sooner people realise this and take the essence of these tales as moral values sooner there will be relief from this KaliYug. If we help ourselves, God may help us. Start with respecting the women in your life, your mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and friends. Maybe it will be a good start towards the prevention of a darker future. Every day, women being abused and raped are in the news media. This is Kal Yug, where women get abused every day. Our epics remain a reminder in history for those people who do this Adharma. They are filling the world with darkness, and one day, a Kalki will come to destroy all that is evil and alive, to prove again that people who do not respect women shall be cursed and killed.

YADA YADA HI DHARMASYA
GLANIRVA BHABATI BHARATA
ABYUTHANAM ADHARMASYA
TADATMANAM SRIJAMI AHAM|

Rakhi Tales

The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long and time, of great essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even Raj Singh-Aurangzeb, yet ...

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“Outrage in Calcutta; Terrorist Raid, British Officer Murdered” Read the headlines of The Times on Tuesday, 9 th of December, 1930. 1930: A significant year 1930 was a very significant year in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. The Indian National Congress went ahead to declare the 26 th of January as India’s Independence Day, celebrating it nationwide; the Civil Disobedience Movement was officially started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested for participating in the same. On 18 th April, Surya Sen, better known as MasterDa, had done the unthinkable, raiding the British Armoury with his students and fellow teachers at Chittagong. He was still on the loose, yet to be found. In this year of growing protests against the colonisers, an incident emerged that shook the British at their old capital. The Bengal Volunteers Corps was a group of volunteers organised in the 1928 Calcutta sessi...

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Journey to Bijolia: Lost Kingdoms and Timeless Temples of Mewar Bijoliya translates to a stop between two cities. Nestled in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Bijolia sits 55km from Bundi and 105km from Chittorgarh on the well-travelled Bundi-Chittorgarh road. Once part of Mewar, this seemingly sleepy town guards a rich and layered past: it was ruled from the 11th to the 13th century by the Punwars (or Parmar Rajputs) before falling under the Chauhan dynasty, who shifted the region’s capital to Bhilwara and constructed the imposing fort there. After a brief Chauhan rule, Bijolia was reclaimed by Rana Kumbha and became an integral part of the Mewar kingdom, with the Parmars serving as local Raos, representatives and stewards of the royal house. Despite its history and the famed Bijolia inscriptions (a treasure for historians), Bijolia has never found a seat on Rajasthan’s primary tourist circuit, especially if you’re venturing out by public transport or private car. While a handful of...

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The Hidden One

In the grand fort of Daulatabad, a princess was born in 1638 to Emperor Aurangzeb and his cherished consort, Dilras Banu Begum. She was christened Zeb Un Nisa, her very name meaning “ornament of womankind.” The youngest of her sisters, Zeb Un Nisa, grew up surrounded by the opulence of the Mughal harem at the Red Fort, under the spiritual guidance of her Sufi uncle Dara Shikoh and her wise aunt Jahanara Begum. From her earliest days, she was captivated by poetry, spending hours immersed in literature, her mind dancing among the verses of Persian and Urdu poets. As she blossomed into adulthood, Zeb Un Nisa cultivated her own literary voice and gathered the greatest poets of the Mughal Empire in her private council. Adopting the pen name “Makhfi”, the Concealed One, she wove magic with her words, always returning to one intoxicating theme: Love. Her father, Emperor Aurangzeb, was the most powerful man in India, unyielding in his faith and rule, yet also deeply affectionate towards his ...

The Emperor's First Wife

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore, she was fifteen. At the mere age ...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja. Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 2 5 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga. Saj...

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