This does not mean that women are better than men. This means that a woman is given the abilities necessary to fulfill her dharma.

A man does not need such strength of emotions. During the hunt, he can make a fatal mistake due to excitement. Such depth of mind is not needed, then he will constantly doubt.

These traits are very important for a woman in her initial duties. Emotions, depth of feelings, intuition help her raise children, create beauty and coziness in the house, fill the house with harmony, lovingly and passionately love her husband. Deep intelligence helps to find an approach to a man’s heart.

The role and path of women in the Vedic tradition

All the happiness in the world

comes from the desire to bring happiness to others.

 

All the suffering in the world

comes from the desire for happiness for oneself.

Shantideva

The most famous earthly women of ancient India are probably
Sita is the wife of King Rama, Radha is the lover of Krishna. Exemplary wives.

The main thing for them was love for men and service to them. But the role of women was not limited to this.
Women participated in politics, engaged in science and spiritual practices. The main thing is that women had a choice where to use their strength. And their opinion and wishes were taken into account.

In the Vedic tradition, it is possible to distinguish three main ways of the woman’s manifestation.

The first path of a woman included in the wife of a grihastha (householder) is complete self-sacrifice for the good of the family and kind. A woman devotes herself to family duty, as a wife, she dissolves in worries and troubles for the benefit of children, her husband and all her relatives.

We meet a wonderful example of such an ideal worldly woman in the Mahabharata – Kunti. Another example of the manifestation of such a woman is Sita, the servant of her exalted husband Avatar, Rama.

THE PARABLE OF THE Pious WOMAN
Some demon decided to seduce a pious woman. The demon dressed as a sadhu and entered the woman’s hut, sorting through the trinkets. He asked for shelter, but the woman not only invited him and fed him, but asked him to pray with her. The demon decided to fulfill all her requests for success. They began to pray. Then the woman asked to tell her about the lives of the saints, and the demon began to narrate like the best sadhu. The woman entered such an ecstasy that she sprinkled the entire hut with holy water and, of course, watered the demon himself. Then she invited him to perform pranayama with her and gradually gathered such strength that the demon could no longer leave the house and remained to serve the pious woman and learned the best prayers.
A simple woman with her piety forced the demon to glorify together. The Higher Abodes smiled at such cooperation.
You can even make a demon cooperate in prayer.

Let’s move on to examples of the first path of great women in the Vedic tradition.

The story of Draupadi and her five husbands.

Once upon a time, in the forest where hermits lived, there lived a wise man with a great spirit, whose daughter was gifted with all advantages. She was very beautiful herself, with a thin figure, steep hips and delicate eyebrows, but the bad deeds done in her past existence did not allow her to be happy, and she could not find a husband. This greatly upset her, and in order to still find a husband, she began to perform severe ascetic feats. The girl secluded herself in the forest, stopped eating, fortifying herself only with key water. She spent all days without interruption in sincere prayers and meditation, concentrating her thoughts on the request to God for the acquisition of a husband. Her total self-denial pleased Lord Shiva. Being pleased with her piety, the Lord said to the hermit: – Dear humble hermit, I am the maker of blessings and I can grant you the fulfillment of any desire, because I wish you all the best.

Obsessed with the same desire, the girl repeated to the Lord again and again: – I want to have a husband endowed with all the best qualities. – Let it be so! – the eloquent Lord Shiva answered her. – Dear child, you will have five husbands. But the girl answered Lord Shiva: – I would like to have only one husband. But the destroyer of worlds said everything with the calmness and calmness characteristic of him: – You asked five times, five spouses you will receive. It will be in your next birth, and my word is steadfast. But know that your husbands will be the most valiant and pious kings among those who live.

In the next life, this girl was called Draupadi and according to Shiva’s prediction, she became the wife of five valiant men at once – the Pandava brothers. This happened when Arjuna – one of the powerful brothers – won the right to marry Draupadi in a fair competition. Annoyed by the victory, Arjuna brought the girl to his mother: “Here is our spoil!” – he blurted out happily. Pritha, (the mother of the Pandavas) without raising her head and thinking that her son brought alms collected on the streets (the Pandavas then lived in exile and fed only on alms), answered: “Enjoy it, all five of you.” And immediately she saw a beautiful girl and exclaimed: “Woe to me, what I said!” Thus the prophecy of Lord Shiva was fulfilled. And the myth unequivocally speaks of the need to be strict in choosing the goal of one’s ascetic practice.

Maintain self-respect as Draupadi did. When she was about to be humiliated at court, where her husbands were present, who had bet on her and lost her at the dice to the treacherous Kauravas, she was so indignant that she cast a glance at that pack of rascals who had won her and dragged her across the floor by her hair , they would turn into a pile of ashes. Instead, she looked at Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira), the eldest of the men who had bet her, sitting in front of her with downcast eyes. His appearance calmed her a little. And then she uttered a curse that echoed through the earth and sky: “Let the wives of these treacherous scoundrels, who grabbed me by the hair and dragged me here, mourn their widowhood, letting down their hair in inconsolable grief. Until then, I will not braid my hair, which these barbarians have now let loose.” She declared all her ancestry, which entitles her to self-respect, and her determination not to tarnish or degrade it. The glory of the family is like wool that is wound into a ball. One careless movement – and the thread is hopelessly tangled.

Once, during the festival of Sankranti, Draupadi came to Lord Krishna’s palace. Together with Krishna and the queens, they feasted on ripe sugarcane. While cutting the stem, Krishna injured his little finger, and blood flowed from the wound. The queens ran to their rooms and hurriedly rummaged through the wardrobe to find a piece of coarse cloth for dressing. But Draupadi, who was sitting at the Lord’s lotus feet, without a second’s thought, tore a strip from her silk sari and bandaged the wound. Returning with the pieces of cloth, the queens were disappointed to find that Draupadi had already helped Krishna.

Years passed and the day came when Draupadi was humiliated at the court of King Dhritarashtra in Hastinapura. The Kauravas tried to tear off her sari. In front of the whole court, she cried out loudly, begging Krishna to come to her aid and save her honor. And Krishna, who was at that time in Dvoraka, hundreds of miles from Hastinapura, responded to her frantic pleas. He moved His little finger – the same one that was once tied with a rag from Draupadi’s sari, and – oh wonder! – her sari lengthened to infinity and enveloped the hall in waves! So Draupadi’s small sacrifice turned into God’s mercy for her and protected her from the misfortune and disgrace that her husbands – the Pandava heroes – could not withstand.
Queen Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, never deviated from righteous behavior in her life. Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, seized Ashwatthamma, who had killed all the sons of Draupadi, and threw him at the queen’s feet. The Pandavas demanded that Draupadi herself punish him for his merits. But instead, Draupadi approached Ashwatthamma and, giving him signs of respect, said, “You have killed all my young sons, although they have done you no harm. They slept peacefully, defenseless and unarmed. How could you, the great warrior, the son of Dronacharya, decide on such a low act – to cut the throats of sleeping children? Bhima, unable to bear Draupadi’s suffering, rushed at Ashwatthamma to kill him. But the queen stopped him, warning him not to commit an unworthy deed. She said: “It does not befit a true warrior to kill one who is terrified, who hopes for protection and is ready to repent, and who is asleep, drugged with wine, and unarmed, even if they deserve punishment. It is also unacceptable to raise a hand to a woman. Do not forget that Ashwatthamma is the son of your guru. Imagine the grief you will cause his mother if you kill him.” With such patience and self-control, Draupadi treated her enemy, who had harmed all her children.

The second way of a woman
– spiritually practicing yogini, karma sannyasi, tantric practitioner.

On this path, a woman serves a Rishi as a Guru, a hermit, while practicing diligently herself.
This path shows the middle, transitional stage of the manifestation of female nature.

At first, a woman is freed from realization on the first path – she is not interested in dissolving into someone, she already has a taste of liberation, but attachments still remain, there is not enough courage to go only her own way, many fears and desires – patterns, bind a woman to the path of service .
By the method of tanra, women transform themselves into a deity and following the path of continuous practice of the Four Infinite States of Brahma,
a woman transforms the entire space around her with her inner feelings and light.

Tantric visualization of transformation.
Being a yogini is one of the highest spiritual goals of women.
It is a way of reuniting with the Goddess within herself and expressing her externally for the rebirth of the world, which is actually her creation. And yet, a yogini is not created by an external manifestation, but by a state of inner energy and enthusiasm. It cannot be controlled, conditioned or fully known.
Yogis clearly like to be in picturesque places with untouched nature and in such deserted places where no one will disturb their contemplation and rituals.

A woman capable of going to such places alone or even accompanied by others must be strong, fearless and brave. To meet a Divine Guide, high levels of testosterone are not enough… you need to use it wisely.

Cultivating masculine qualities in female nature. The game is level. “Whoever you awaken in me, that’s who you will be,” says the woman. A man can confidently answer: “Whom you will grow in me – he will wake you up.”
Without exception, all the women — the heroines of biographies — are frank and free-spirited. They are clearly not limited by social conditions or psychological closure.
There is not a shadow of worship of male authority or recognition of male superiority. On the contrary, women openly and without hesitation condemn men if they see them making mistakes.

Anasuya’s life story.

Devi Anusuya, wife of Rishi Atri, wanted a child. One day she had a revelatory dream. The beginning informed her that she must perform austerities if she wants to become the mother of a child. She asked her husband for permission to perform austerities in order to propitiate the Tridevs (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

Anusuya wanted not just a child, but a child endowed with the attributes and effulgence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
At the time when Devi Anusuya was performing austerities, many called her Maha Sati.

Sati, the husband of Lord Shiva, is the personification of virtue, chastity, sacrifice, service and austerity.
Trideva’s wives Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati began to object to this title given to a mortal woman, as they believed that only they were Maha Sati. They demanded that this woman do the most severe austerities.
Then Tridev appeared in the Atri Ashram in the guise of a Rishi begging for alms. This happened at a time when Atri himself was absent – he was invited to another ashram to conduct a religious ceremony.

The “Rishis” asked Devi Anusuya to feed them, but she had to serve them naked. Being a married woman, Anusuya refused. However, the Rishis insisted on their point. Through her diva drishta, divine vision, Anusuya realized that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were before her. She swaddled them as babies, then fed them while naked, as they requested. Then the Tridevis, the wives of those gods, were forced to recognize Anusuya as Maha Sati because she had behaved like the mother of their husbands.
Anusuya asked the grateful gods to incarnate as her sons. Brahma incarnated as Soma, Vishnu as Dattatreya, and Shiva or Rudra as Durvasa.

Let’s continue to consider examples of women who are known for their learning and spiritual level;
Lopamudra
She was the wife of Rishi Agastya. In the Rigveda, there are long conversations between Agastya and Lopamudra, which confirm the intelligence and nobility of the latter.
In the “Mahabharata” it is mentioned that Rishi Agastya along with his wife Lopamudra did austerities in Haridwar.
According to legend, Rishi Agastya was once in heaven and saw his ancestors hanging with their heads down. It meant they were going to hell. Agastya asked what was the reason. The ancestors said that since he, their descendant, is unmarried (has renounced the world) and has no son, there is no one to continue the glory of their family and perform rituals for them. That’s why they go to hell. Agastya wanted to fulfill his duty to his ancestors, but he could not find a woman worthy to become the ascetic’s wife. In the end, with the help of his yogic power, Agastya created a girl from the most beautiful parts of the bodies of various animals. Then Agastya secretly placed her in the palace of the king of Vidarbha state. The king raised the girl as his own daughter. He called her Lopamudra. She received the best education at that time. She grew up in luxury. When she grew up, Agastya asked her to be his wife. And although he was an ascetic and took a vow of poverty, Lopamudra agreed to marry him. She left the palace and began to serve Agastya in his ashram. But after some time, she got tired of the fact that her husband devotes all his time to practice and ignores her. Then she wrote a two-stanza hymn in which she asked her husband for love and attention.

After reading this hymn, Agastya realized that he owed a debt to his wife and began to devote more time to her. So his life became truly harmonious. Thanks to this, he reached the peak of his spiritual and physical powers.
Lopamudra and Agastya had a son, Dridhasyu, who became a great poet.

Maitreya

About 10 hymns of the Rigveda are authored by Maitreya, a female Rishi and philosopher. She was the wife of Rishi Yajnyavalkya. It is believed that she greatly influenced the personality of her husband and his spiritual development.
Yajnyavalkya had two wives – Maitreya and Katyayana. Maitreyi knew the scriptures and the concept of Brahman, while Katyayani was an ordinary woman. Once Yajnyavalkya decided to leave the world to devote himself completely to austerities. He had to divide his property between his wives. Yajnyavalkya asked the wives what each wanted to receive. The enlightened Maitreya asked her husband if wealth could make her immortal.

The saint replied that wealth can only make a person rich, nothing else. Then Maitreya asked her husband to give her immortality. Yajnyavalkya imparted to her his philosophy of the soul and the knowledge of how to attain immortality.
Their conversation can be read in the second and fourth chapters of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Gargi
Gargi, a seer and philosopher, was the daughter of Saint Vachaknu. It consisted of several hymns in which the question of the origin of the world is discussed.
When Janaka, the ruler of the state of Videha, organized the ritual of the “Brahma Yajna” – a competition of philosophers around the sacred fire, Gargi also participated in the meeting. She challenged the famous saint Yajnyavalkye. Her questions about him concerned the soul (“atma”) and confused many scientists. Their conversation can be read in the Brihadaranyak Upanishad.

An analogy can be drawn between the Higher Way of a woman and the Higher Yoga, Laya Yoga. The path of the free, independent mature woman, Siddhayogini, Dakini

On this path, a woman’s service is transformed into a path of imparting wisdom.

A woman on this path has already found herself, has already come to know the Self, her highest goal is to help those who are looking for true Liberation, who are looking for the Atman, support in realizing the difference between the Self and the non-Self.

It freely and spontaneously manifests itself on the way for the benefit of all living, sentient beings throughout the world, at all times. Carrying out your mission or leela game. On this path, a woman is no longer a WOMAN as it is commonly believed in society.

She is both Shiva and Shakti, she is Purusha and Prakriti.
She is Sat Chit Ananda.
She is Being, Consciousness, Bliss. She is a Player who unfolds her spontaneous game. She plays on the field by her own rules, by the rules of the universe. Everything in her game is under her control. She is in complete control of all her actions, she is patient and aware.
She is the Guru. She is released. She invests deep meaning in every word and action. Not a single moment is wasted.

Dakinis have the magical ability to cast spells, thus attracting a person to the path of Dharma.

They destroy the usual ideas and patterns, showing the true nature of things.

The consciousness of the Dakini is always on the border between the real and the mystical, and only the Dakini herself can choose the one to whom she will appear in one form or another.
Dakini carries that Knowledge which can only be felt in experiencing and going beyond thoughts and forms we are used to.
It is impossible to know the Dakini, only She can know you, initiating forces in you that destroy the boundaries of ordinary existence and encourage you to make a leap into the unknown.

Dakinis are elusive and have a playful nature, and trying to “fix” them with a neat definition is like trying to grasp the air with your hands. They always ignore intellectual concepts because the basis of their wise game is not like that at all.
The story goes: Shiva once fought the demon Andhaka; every time the blood from the demon’s wounds spilled onto the ground, more and more of his doppelgangers appeared from it.
Then the gods created wonderful maidens – Dakinis, who caught the splashes of the demon’s blood in flight, preventing them from falling to the ground. That’s how they were depicted – with bowls full of blood in their hands.

In Buddhism, the term “dakini” has traditionally been used for eminent female practitioners, the husbands of great masters, and for the enlightened feminine principle of non-duality that transcends gender.

Khandro Rinpoche defines the true Dakini principle as “a very sharp, brilliant mind of wisdom that is uncompromising and, frankly, a little angry.” This, in my opinion, is a very accurate description of the qualities of female teachers.

Despite their softness and humor, they are very direct, with a sharp mind, radical and courageous.

On the secret level, the Dakini is perceived as a manifestation of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and mind. Its power is closely related to the deepest insight of vajrayana – the formless wisdom of the nature of the mind. This is the most important aspect. On the inner, ritual level, she is a meditative deity who has a body, a form. On the external level, it is the energy embodiment of the mind in the form of a network of subtle channels, a crucible and vital breath.

Dakinis are the keys, gatekeepers and guardians of the unconditioned state. If we are not ready to invite the Dakinis into our lives, then we cannot enter these subtle states of mind.
Sometimes Dakinis appear as messengers, sometimes as guides, and sometimes as protectors.

They passed on the experience of Enlightenment and Liberation to their loved ones very carefully, choosing moments of readiness of consciousness to accept and evaluating every spoken word, phrase, expression. The first thing they drew attention to was their incomprehensible actions, words, deeds.
Intrigue – ignites the inner fire of the seeker, restlessness is turned on, the energy of emotion caused by intrigue is transformed into spiritual will.
With the help of Intrigue, the seed of discernment is planted, whether the soul is ready for transformation, whether it is ripe for Liberation to know God. Intrigue is a trigger on the path of knowledge.

A wonderful story from Vasishthi Yoga about a yogin named Chudala who assumed the form of a man to bring about the enlightenment of her husband.
A king named Shikhidwaja sought wisdom. His wife, Chudala, was a wise yogi who was deeply versed in yoga and tantra and even had the ability to change her appearance at will. However, the king was not particularly interested in her words. For him, she was a woman, at best, a beautiful wife, but no more.

Determined to gain wisdom, the king decided to leave his kingdom under the tutelage of the knowledgeable Chudala and go into the forest. Divala did not stop her husband as he had clearly made up his mind. But she intended to bring him back. She followed the man in the form of a man and introduced herself to him as a recluse named Kumbhaka. In the role of Kumbaki, she shared her knowledge with the king: how to remain a sage while living in society. Shikhidaja listened attentively as the words came from the man’s mouth, and he and the perfect Kumbhakoi became good friends.
Kumbhaka once said, “I saw the hot-tempered rishi Durvasa hurrying in the sky and commented that he looked like a woman running to meet her lover. Rishi did not take kindly to this comment and cursed me that every night I would turn into a woman.’

That night Kumbhaka transformed into a woman named Madanika in front of the king. The king allowed Madanika to sleep in his quarters, as he would have allowed Kumbhaka, but he made no attempt to have sex with her, as he intended to maintain celibacy in order to become a true hermit. This comforted Chudala.

Every day the king listened to the wise discourses of Kumbhaki, and every night he slept dispassionately in the company of Madanika. Thus the king was a recluse by day and a recluse by night.

Madanika once said, “Every night, being a woman, I sleep beside you. I seek to know the pleasures known to women. Help me. You will continue to be a recluse because you have overcome your desires and you will dispassionately help me satisfy mine.
Shikhidhwaja gave his consent. After that, all days he listened to the wise words of Kumbhaki, and at night he made love with Madanika. Thus the king was a recluse by day and a layman by night.

One day Chudala decided to test Shchikhidhwaj’s alienation. That night, she used her magical powers to create the illusion of a bed where she, as Madanika, was making passionate love with an attractive stranger. The king, seeing them, left indifferently. “I’m sorry to disturb you. Please continue,” he said.
Satisfied with the king’s indifference to lust and aggression, Madanika assumed the form of Chudala and revealed her essence and purpose. “Now you are truly wise. Wisdom is not about living as a hermit in the forest, it is about overcoming lust and attachment wherever you are.”

Shchikhidaja realized the meaning of his wife’s words. Yes, wisdom has nothing to do with whether a person is a hermit or a layman, living in a palace or a city. He also realized how he had refused to accept wisdom from his wife just because she was a woman. The same knowledge was acceptable to him when she assumed the form of a man. He realized the limitations of his knowledge.

Thus enlightened, he returned to his kingdom with his wife—who was both his Guru Kumbhaka and his mistress Madanika—and ruled with the sage Chudala.