Womens Role in Hinduism free essay sample

The Manusmriti directly translated is â€Å"Laws of Manu,† or â€Å"Institutions of Manu,† is regarded as the foundational work of Hindu Law and ancient Indian society. The Manusmriti, is particularly harsh against women and speaks of them with mistrust and disrespect. This being a main writing of Hinduism may skew society into believing that Hindu women are mistreated and abused. Yet, there is no evidence to believe that the writings of the book were followed by all divisions of society. According to Hinduism, a woman is a form of energy known as â€Å"shaktiswarupini† or an aspect of Shakti. As a child, the woman is known as kanya, the goddess Durga, and is supposed to remain under the care of her parents. Once married, she becomes patni and saha dharma charini, a partner to her husband in his religious duties. She becomes property of her husband and he is ultimately responsible for her. We will write a custom essay sample on Womens Role in Hinduism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Her duties to her husband are to perform four roles; as his servant known as dasi, as his minister in decision making known as mantra, as a mother to his children (mata), and as a lover in bed (rambha). As a mother she is worthy of worship, which translated in Hindu is matrudevobhava. When the husband of a women passed a way, in early times, the wife was either suppose to commit sati on his funeral pyre or retire to a life of social damnation, religious study and solitude. Sati is now outlawed and an abomination, a widow now can remain active and become an active part of the work force. Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India. The word â€Å"Hindu,† comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. It originally referred to the people living in that particular region of the world, regardless of their faith. Hinduism has no original founder and is one of the world’s largest religions following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents. Hinduism is henotheistic, which is the devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of other gods. Their god is present in everything, and they believe that their soul repeatedly goes through a cycle of being born into a body, dying, and then becoming reborn into another body, whether it is human, animal or spirit. Hindu’s also strongly believe in karma, which is a force that determines the quality of each life, depending on how well one behaved in a past life. Hindu’s do not separate religion from other aspects of their life. Hinduism in India dictates Hindu’s lives in that it involves a caste system which controls their position in society, assists them in earning a living, helps manage how they raise their a family and controls their diets. Hindu’s believe that freedom or liberation is the true goal in life. True freedom is the freedom from all external conditioning influences, whether of body or mind. This is the freedom of Self-realization, complete independence of time, space and causation. Hinduism preaches both freedom and responsibility, which is the cornerstone of their religion. All Hindu’s follow these principles, including the women, so for women’s right activists to speak out against how women are treated and viewed in society is somewhat flawed. In this changing world, Hindu society is trying to redefine the role of women in the institution of family and society. Politically Hindu women today enjoy an equal status with men and wider opportunities than their counterparts in many western countries. Although some still feel they should be provided with some new civil liberties and privileges including inheritance rights. Much still needs to be done in on the social and economic front, because women in Hindu society still suffer from gender bias and a number of other problems such as inheritance, dowry, domestic abuse, harassment and rape. Works Cited Coward, Harold. â€Å"The Hindu tradition. † Wesport, Conneticut. Praeger, 2006. EBSCO. McQuade Library, North Andover. 20 Feb. 2008. Keyword: women in Hinduism. Haker,Hille. Islamic Womens voices in world religions. (Glen Rock, N. J. ) ; 2006/3. EBSCO. McQuade Library, North Andover. 23 Jan. 2008. Keyword: woman and Hinduism Mitra, Kana. â€Å"Women in Hinduism† Journal of Ecumenical Studies. EBSCO. McQuade Library, North Andover. 15 Jan. 2008. Keyword: women in Hinduism Shastri, J. I. â€Å"Manusmriti with Kullukabhatta Commentary† Motilal Banarsidass,India. Kinsley, David R. Hinduism: A Cultural Perspective. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice Hall, 1993. Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.