Honor and Decline : The Dual Portrayal of Women in the Atharvaveda/ সম্মান ও অবক্ষয়ের দ্বন্দ্ব: অথর্ববেদে নারীর প্রতিচ্ছবি

Abstract

The Atharvaveda stands as a distinctive Vedic text that presents a vivid portrayal of the social and cultural realities of ancient India, particularly concerning women. Unlike the Ṛgveda, which primarily emphasizes hymns to deities and sacrificial rituals, the Atharvaveda extends its focus to domestic life, health practices, fertility, and ritualized utterances often classified as ‘magic’. This paper critically examines the position of women as represented in the Atharvaveda, highlighting their intellectual, domestic, ritual, and medicinal roles within society.

            The study reveals that in the early Vedic period, women enjoyed a comparatively high status: they were educated, engaged in philosophical debates, and actively participated in household management and ritual life. The concept of ‘dowry of knowledge’ underscores the centrality of education in female empowerment, while extensive references to gynecological, fertility, and pediatric remedies suggest a sophisticated concern for women’s and children’s health. These insights indicate that maternal and reproductive care were vital areas of social attention, often mediated by women themselves.

             At the same time, the text reflects tensions that foreshadow the decline of women’s status in the later Vedic age. The prioritization of male offspring, the rise of child marriage, and restrictions on women’s education and ritual participation reveal the emergence of patriarchal norms. The Atharvaveda’s mention of practices like the Āsuri-kalpa (sorcery rites) further illustrates attempts at controlling or subjugating women through ritual power, exposing the darker underside of social reality.

Thus, the representation of women in the Atharvaveda is neither uniform nor immutable; rather, it reflects a dynamic tension between empowerment and subordination. This ambivalence offers critical insight not only into the historical transformation of gender roles in ancient India but also into broader scholarly debates on gender justice and women’s rights in contemporary contexts.