1 1 Military Status of Women As Depicated In Mahabharata *Dr. Yashvir Singh Abstract Gender study is a new trend in social sciences started a few decades ago. Women along with men have contributed a lot in the overall development of society. In patriarchal society the scope of women"s active role in any sphere got marginalized. But as she is the counterpart of man, she plays important role in the development of society. So, it has become essential to study her problems and position. Moreover, the best way to appreciate any civilization and to find its limitations is to study the position of women in it. The position of women in any society is a true index of its development. Hence, the gender studies become very important aspect of social sciences today. In the present paper an attempt has been made to throw light on the military status of women on the basis of the epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is the most valuable product of the entire literature of ancient India. It incorporates rich data regarding religion, mythology, legends, philosophy, customs and practices and social institutions. The importance of the epic is proved by the fact that it is regarded as Kavya, Itihas, Smriti, Dharmasashtra, Arthashastra and kamshastra as well. The epic has influenced our literature, art, social institutions and our behaviour as well by providing moral and social codes. Without entering any debate regarding the date and authorship of the epic, the close examination of the data of epic represents the culture of our country from 400 B.C. to 200 A.D. In ancient India women were not considered capable of war fighting perhaps due to their physio-biological reasons. But we have examples which show that women directly or indirectly participated in war like activities. The Vedic literature Note- Research paper Received in July 2015 and Reviewed in September 2015. *Associate. Professor. in History, J.V.M.G.R.R. College, Charkhi Dadri (Bhiwani), Haryana. 2 Dr. Yashvir Singh Military Status of Women As Depicated..... 3 gives references which prove that women were army leaders,1 they were trained the state apparatus becomes more complex. Following are some reasons which in archery2 and could suppress their apponents.3 Altekar cites example of queens hampered their role and status. Firstly, The increasing trend of child marriage who acted as regents, it implies that some sort of military and administrative training suffered their education specially military training a lot. At first she was religiously was given to the women.4 Similar view is expressed by Vajpai that military training degraded and subsequently her participation in public life decreased. Secondly, was given to women since very early times.5 Mazumdar pointed out that the word no political thinker of time like Manu, Kautilya and Sukra recommended them for Shakttiki (a spear bearer lady) mentioned in Patanjali"s Mahabhasya is an indirect states duty of importance. Manu opined that women divulge secrets of the state evidence that the art of war was taught at least to some ladies.6 and are incapable of offering any sound advice.19 He added that at the time of Indra states that women provided accompany to men into the chases. Further, consolation the idiots, the dumb, the deaf, the blind, aged men and women should he states that some women sat on chariots, some on horses and some even on be removed by the King. 20 Similarly, Kautilya warned the king not confide in his elephants fully equipped with weapons of every kind as they were going on queen greatly and advised him to keep the queen under strict vigil.21 The view campaigns.7 This evidence shows that women were not only trained in the art of recorded in the epic are not much different from those of Manu, Sukra and Kautilya war but also participated in wars. Similarly, Altekar observes that the queen of it is advised that those should no humped backed person, no lame, no dwarft, no Massag was directing the attack against Alexander when her husband was killed women where the king holds the consulation.22 Hence in this way the public opinion in the battle.8 was mobilized against participation of women in state"s business. Thirdly, the In Ramayana, Kaikeyi, the youngest wife of Dasharatha accompanied her physcio-biological reason also minimized their role, because power was deciding husband in an army campaign against the asuras. Furnishing a good common factor on those days. The epic has no reference of any formal military training for sense and knowledge of tact"s of war, she saved the life of her husband. 9 In the women yet some war likes activities of women find mention in the epic. However, Mahabharata some references are found which show that women had some sort they correspond to a very early society. As a whole the part played by women in of training of war and its ancielary sciences. At one place Renu, the wife of sage military activities was limited to some exceptional cases. Jamdangni was helping her husband when he was practicing archery. 10 Gandhari criticized the foul method of war used by Bhima in killing Duryodhana.11 This indicates that Gandhari knew the rules to be followed in war. Subhdra is described References 12 as a skillful chariot driver which is an ancillary art of war. The Mahabharata 1. Atharveda, 1.2.7.4, Shripad Sharma (Ed), Audhnagar, 1938 13 also declares at one place that women can fight in the castles. The verse allows 2. Ibid., 1.27.2 them to fight at least in side the fort if not in an battle field. We have already cited 3. Rig-Veda, 10.159.5, Chokhamba Series, Varansi, 1968, the example of Kartikeya or Sakands who went to fight with asuras with seven 4. Altekar, A.S., The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, Banaras, 1956, P. 21 ganas of mothers.14 Here, Hopkins opines that the mothers stand for adult women 5. A.B. Vajpai, Hindu Rajya Shastra, New Delhi, 1947, p. 286 who could take part in the battle.15 He further added that this evidence of the 6. R.C. Mazumdar (ed.) The Age of Imperial Unity, Bombay, 1951, p. 503 7. Indra, Status of Women in Ancient India, Lahore, 1940, p. 152 Mahabharata represented very primitive society is before division of labour 8 Altekar, A.S., op.cit. p. 187 between men and women, when ganas of women fought in the batile field along 9. Ramayana, 2.9.11-16 those of men. 16 Hopkins seems to be right in his observation because no such 10. Mbh. (GP), 13.95.7 example is found in the epic where women took part in the Great War although 11. Mbh., 11.13.17-19 they were present in the camps attached to the battle field.17 Moreover; Draupadi 12. Mbh. (K), 1.243.12 offered no resistance when she was adducted by Jayadratha. 18 She was helpless 13. Mbh., 2.13.51 14. Mbh., 9.46.29 because she had no such type of training in defense. 15. E.W. Hopkins, The Great Epic of India, New Delhi, 1972, p. 134 Besides, the direct role played by women in military activites their indirect 16. Ibid., p. 135 role in such activities can also be verified from the epic. We find that in the 17. Mbh. 5.49.53 Mahabharata, marriage of Arjuna with Subhadra, Ulupi, Draupadi and Chitrangada 18. Mbh., 2.252.24 helped the Pandavas because the most of the relatives of both the parties in the 19. Manu, Calcutta, 1932, 7.55 Great War fought in favour of their relatives. We also know that Bimbisara 20. Ibid., 7.56 21. Arthashastra, R. Shamashstri (Ed.), Mysore, 1929, 1.16 strengthened his empire by matrimonial alliances with Koshal, Vaisali and Madra. 22. Mbh., 12.73.75 From the above discussion it is quite clear that role of women in military • • • sphere was meagre and gradually it decreased. It became more circumscribed as 4 Puri Kushna Coins 5 the Singhbhum district. In 19124the Collector of Balasore sent 910 copper coins of so-called Puri Kushana type to the authorities of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and they are now preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, In 19235 a hoard of copper coins of Kanishka and Huvishka and a large number of Kushana imitations were found at Bhajakia in the Panchpir sub-divison of the Mayurbhanj district. In 2 his History of Orissa, R.D. Banerji6 refers to a hoard of 282 coins, out of which 170 were of the imitation series and 112 of the Imperial Kushanas, the recently Puri Kushna Coins discovered in the Mayurbhanj district. In 19347 nearly 135 Kushana coins and their imitations were discovered from Sitabhinji. A similar find8 of the Kushana *Dr. Ashok Kumar imitations along with the Imperial Kushana coins was discovered at Viratgarh in Mayurbhanj district. In 19399 105 Kushana imitations were found at Nuagaon near Bhanjakia in the Mayurbhanj district. Another hoard of the Kushana coins Abstract and their imitations, numbering 1261 was discovered from Bhajkia in the The Puri-Kushana coins can be also taken to be belonging to the fourth Mayurbhanj district in 1963.10 B.Nath11 is stated to have discovered a hoard of the century A.D. The Kushana coins although were used in Orissa initially Kushana coins and their limitations near the foot of the Kayema hill in the Jayepore the supply of the same coins gradually decreased. So it was found that sub-division of the Cuttack district.