Vedic Veils: Women In Hindu Scriptures

Women in India have been suffering for ages. Hindu scriptures treat women as commodities and often equate them to animals. Even a Brahmin woman is considered equivalent to a Shudra, according to these scriptures. Hinduism deprives women of their basic rights. For instance, during Karva Chauth, only the wife is required to fast-never the husband. The wife has to wear a mangalsutra and apply sindoor to signify that she is the "property of someone," much like how a board is placed on a piece of land to indicate ownership. However, the husband is not required to wear any such symbol.

If a girl is born in an "inauspicious" month, she is labeled as Manglik. Due to this superstition, it is believed that her husband will die early, and as a remedy, she is sometimes married off to a peepul tree or even a dog. According to Hindu scriptures, a wife must either live a life of celibacy after her husband's death or mount his funeral pyre (sati), while there is no such obligation for a husband. A man is free to marry another woman after the death of his wife, and in many cases, even while his wife is still alive.

Only a son is allowed to light the funeral pyre of his parents; daughters are barred from performing this final rite. Hindu culture is male-dominated-men are portrayed as assertive and powerful, while women are expected to remain submissive.