How the Depiction of Hindu Women in the Holy Vedas affects Societys View of Them - Essay Example

The above statement is probably tied to the depiction in the Hindu Holy Scriptures as dependents on men and beasts of burden. Both Abdul Khasem and Col Gurnam Singh have written articles pointing out some parts of Hindu scriptures that disparage women. Moreover, they appear to have different motives for writing these articles. Col Gurnam Singh writes seeks to provide actual proof from the Vedas on how Indian women were exposed to cultural, social, and economic problems right from the Vedic age and down through the centuries.

Abdul Khasem, however, seeks to address Hindu fundamentalists and show that Islam is not the only religion that has reason to draw concerns over its depiction of women and their role in society. THEMES AND CONFLICTS IN BOTH ARTICLES Singh first addresses common issues that are mostly experienced by women in Hindu society such as female infanticide, sati, dowry burning, and other types of social suppressions. Singh contends that when such disturbing incidences, which the Indian government keeps alleging have been wiped out, keep taking place, it is not because of the excuses commonly offered by Indian politicians.

According to Singh, in the recent past, every excuse from corruption, social degeneration, and even ‘evil’ influence by Muslim and Christian factors has been used to explain why women are often mistreated in shocking ways within Hindu society. Singh then moves on to describe special sects such as “the Digambara sect of Jainism and its deeply held belief that no woman can enter into a state of Moksha- which essentially describes a type of ‘oneness’ with god” (Singh). Singh further uses the words of revered Hindu saints such as Sankra Deva, who allegedly lived in the fourteenth century and was recognized as a Hindu saint, Yogi Gorakh Nath, and Sant Tulsidas to depict how misogyny is actually an accepted part of the Hindu religion.

These three Hindu holy men all disparaged womankind and made slanderous statements about the role of women in the degeneration of humankind as a whole. The theme of Abdul Khasem’s article is also based on the disparagement of womanhood in the Hindu scriptures; moreover, Khasem uses actual verses from the Vedas to prove is claims. Whereas Singh addresses the issue of the Hindu religion’s belief that women have filthy souls and so can actually contaminate men and cause them to lose their focus on the path to righteousness, Khasem addresses how through the discussion of practices such as sati, the unintelligent nature of women, and unnatural acts of bestiality forced upon female figures in the Vedas, the supposedly holy Hindu scriptures appear to want to inspire in the reader a feeling a kin to revulsion at the existence of all women.

Khasem also addresses the fact that Indian gods (such as Indra) have asserted “that woman has very little intelligence” (Khasem). Such statements, naturally, will be used to consign women to drudgery with the excuse that they would cause unnecessary problems if they were allowed to exercise their minds in performing more intelligent tasks. In Hindu society, motherhood is the most glorified status a woman can aspire to, according to the Veda. In modern society, most Hindu women, particularly successful business women or women who have careers outside the home, appear to be uncomfortable about challenging this belief.

It is not uncommon for women to become mothers and resign from high paying jobs at the peaks of their careers. In spite of the fact that such women claim to be modernized, they are uncomfortable about speaking on the choice to resign from lucrative positions to be stay at home mothers. This is an indication that they have been indoctrinated to accept the belief that if they cannot be mothers and the primary