Contrary to the Flawed Beliefs Around Hinduism

Too often, girls are denied their basic rights for religious purposes. Hinduism is the major religion of India and many argue on the basis of flawed beliefs concerning Hinduism that girls should not be educated. In reality, this is contrary to the very principals of Hinduism.

 The Hindu deity of knowledge, wisdom, speech and the arts is a woman. She is widely worshipped as Saraswati. The one who bestows knowledge upon every one and is considered the source of all wisdom is a woman but females are not allowed to seek higher education as people may consider it  contradictory to Hinduism. 

The women widely acclaimed in Hindu religious text were educated. The incarnation of Goddess Laxmi was said to have born as a human and named Vedavati as she was born with the knowledge of the Vedas ( Religious Texts). The female sage Ma Gargi  was noted in the Ramayana to have been widely respected for her knowledge of religion and dharma. In fact, a learned woman was referred to as a Panditeya or Bhramacharini and accorded great respect.

Woman are shown to hold positions of political and military power in Hindu Mythology. In the Mahabharata (one of the two Hindu epics), following the death of the king respectively the Queen mothers Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika manage the affairs of the kingdom till their children reach of age. It illustrated in Hindu text that women were considered equal to men in terms of warfare as well. It was a woman in the Mahabharata that dared to first challenge the warrior Bhisma who was blessed to die at his own free will. The princess Amba vowed to kill Bhishma and avenge her humiliation at a time when no warrior would dare go against him. Later on, the Pandavas ( the heroes of the Mahabharata) relied on her to defeat Bhishma which enabled them to achieve victory over the Kauravs (their cousins).  Goddesses are frequently depicted as to carry weapons and are referred to as the slayer of enemies. The Hindu diety Ram worshipped the Goddess Durga before he proceeded to attack the Demon King Ravan.

Women were accorded the utmost respect in Hinduism. They were considered the pride and honor of their family. Entire clans and dynasties were destroyed because a woman was insulted in their. Lord Krishna, ( An Hindu diety) requested the aid of his wife Satyabhama to slay the demon Narakasura who had enslaved 16,000 women. This event is celebrated during Diwali, the festival of lights. According to Hinduism, without the female the male is incomplete. Women are considered to be the vassals of Shakti or power. 

However, due the restrictions imposed by society girl are denied their basic right to an education. If a woman is the Shakti of her family than why is she to be not educated. 

Would we rather have avidya(ignorant) Shakti or vidya (knowledgeable) Shakti?

Vocabulary:

Ramayana: is an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.

Mahabharat: is an ancient Indian epic poem that narrates the history of the Bharata Dynasty and the power struggle between the Pandavas and Kauravas.

Shakti: Power, specifically feminine.

Krishna: A Hindu deity worshiped as the human incarnation of the protector of the universe.

Vedas: Ancient text that forms the basis of Hinduism.