'Where Women...Are Honoured, There Gods Rejoice': NCERT's New Book Quotes Manusmriti to Illustrate Respect for Women

New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has included a verse from the ancient Manusmriti in its newly introduced Class IX Social Science textbook to underscore the respect accorded to women during the Vedic period, while clarifying that women's status evolved and at times declined in subsequent eras.

The chapter titled "State and Society up to 1000 CE" describes the Vedic period as one where women "held a high and respectful position in society." It highlights their active participation in scholarly pursuits, joint performance of rituals with men, attendance at public assemblies, and notes that several Rig Veda hymns are attributed to women sages such as Apala, Visvavara, Ghosha, and Lopamudra.

To further illustrate this tradition of respect extending beyond the Vedic age, the textbook quotes Manusmriti 3.56: "Where women, verily, are honoured, there gods rejoice; where, however, they are not honoured, there all sacred rites prove fruitless."

The Manusmriti, a key ancient Sanskrit text on social and legal norms, has historically sparked debates regarding its views on caste and gender. The textbook immediately contextualises the quote, noting that women's position was not static. "Over time, the position and roles of women fluctuated, even declined, as social and political conditions changed," it states. Nevertheless, it points to continued contributions by women in household management, agriculture, crafts, and religious practices.

The chapter provides examples from later historical periods, including educated women skilled in the arts during the Gupta-Vakataka era, queens who exercised political influence and religious patronage—such as Prabhavati Gupta, who served as regent of the Vakataka kingdom—and women depicted as active participants in society and the economy in Sangam literature.

In the same section, the textbook addresses the evolution of social structures, emphasising that early Vedic society did not tie social identity solely to birth. It quotes a Rig Veda hymn showing occupational diversity within families: "I am a poet; my father is a physician; my mother is a grinder of corn."

The text explains that the four varnas gradually became linked to specific roles but were originally conceived as functional rather than hereditary or rigid. It prioritises a value system where knowledge held the highest status, followed by political power and wealth. Drawing from the Buddhist Sutta Nipata, it reinforces that status was determined by actions: "No outcaste is such by birth but only by his deeds. A brahmana is such by his deeds."

The chapter further discusses the emergence of jati (sub-castes or communities) alongside varna, driven by factors like intermarriage, endogamy, and regional differences. While varnas remained fixed at four, jatis proliferated with new occupations and social groups. It stresses that these categories "were not always rigid," citing historical evidence of rulers from varied backgrounds and instances of occupational mobility recorded in inscriptions.

The updates form part of NCERT's ongoing efforts to present a nuanced view of ancient Indian society, balancing traditional texts with historical developments and diverse perspectives.

(With inputs from ANI)