Women From Mythologies: What Freedom Would Have Meant To Them

India has a rich history of mythological stories. Every child in the country grows up listening to the stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, therefore viewing Ram, Arjun, and Krishna as their idols, i.e., heroes. And of the women of our scriptures, they are portrayed as beautiful damsels who needed saving by their respective kings.

Most heroines, although shown as the reason for the devastating battles of Ramayana and Mahabharata, were shown as they needed saving and were dictated despite having their own powers and strong personalities. When it comes to women of today, we don’t want to follow this path and instead define our own. We don’t need saving, what we need is to have equal access to the freedom everyone else has today.

Though thinking about our ladies from the past, made me think, what if they also wanted nothing more than to breathe free air? What if Sita only wanted to wander in the forest, and enjoy nature without fearing getting kidnapped? Or what if Renuka just wanted to have a full right to her thoughts without any intrusion? Here's presenting our mythical women and what freedom would have meant to them.

Mythical Heroines Freedom

1. Amba

The princess of Kashi, Amba, was the eldest and most beautiful daughter of King Kashya. She was kidnapped by Prince Devratha popularly known as Bhishma of Hastinapur, along with her sisters; Ambika & Ambalika to marry his brother Prince Vichitravirya. Although, she was in love with King Salva.

Princess Amba would have just desired the freedom to love and marry. She would have appreciated the 'Right To Choose' and not get bounded by the societal norms of marriage.

2. Ahalya

The wife of Rishi Gautama, Ahalya, was the most beautiful woman created by Lord Brahma himself. The woman was seduced by Lord Indra in disguise as her husband and was later punished by the latter, with no fault of her own, for engaging in physical relations.

For the priestess, freedom would have meant the 'Right To Speech.' She would have wanted nothing more than to be heard and not get punished for a crime she never committed.

3. Renuka

Rishi Jamadagni's wife Renuka was known for her chastity and devotion to her husband. It was said that her 'Pativrata' gave her the power to create pots and other articles with sand and not wet soil. Though one day it so happened that she got a little distracted when Lord Indra walked into the ashram and the pot she had been working on broke. Her husband cursed her for breaking her 'Pativrata.'

Renuka would have probably just wanted to be recognised for her talent and work and not her loyalty to her husband. She would have wanted to go down in history as a great artist who could create art even from dry sand.

4. Sita

The queen of Ayodhya, the princess of Mithila and the wife of Lord Ram, every child in India is familiar with the story of Lady Sita. Her being kidnapped by the demon king, Ravana, and later being tested through fires to prove her character.

Sita would have probably just wanted safety. She would want to walk freely without the fear of being kidnapped. She would probably also want her husband to stand with her when the whole world was against her once they returned to Ayodhya.

5. Menaka

Even though, Menaka's story is the reflection of the story of every other Apsara in Lord Indra's court, her story still speaks of yearning and lack of rights for a woman. Her story takes us through how a woman is used by a man to accomplish his goals, objectify her in the most indecent manner possible and demands the 'Right To Identity.'

The most beautiful apsara known to mankind would have wanted the right to be comfortable in her own skin, not be the object of desire or, receive lewd comments, and be forced to seduce a sage while being in love with someone else. 

Women throughout history have seen struggles. Though, Hinduism worship women as Goddess and source of all energy, she in the stories passed along the generations and the period of Brahminical patriarchal concept of society has been reduced to a mere 'thing.' Times are changing and probably these ladies would have been better off today. My question though; would they really have been happier? Because nothing has really changed.

Views expressed by the author are their own

Suggested Reading: 76 Years Of Independence: Redefining The Jazba For Freedom