Rishikas- The Symbols Of Women Empowerment In Ancient India

For instance, of the all the sons of Rishi Kashyap , be it the Devtas, Danavas, Daityas, Nagas, Manushyas etc., none of them had the vision or heard the mantras in their penance and hence, cannot be addressed as Rishis.
Sanatan is said to be one of the most liberal ways of life. When I say, way of life, I do not mean religion as religion tends to be narrow in its approach. Sanatan has its rules but these rules encompass all. They are based on day to day living and framework of doing what should be rightfully done at the right time. And when I say liberal, I mean so. Santan has instances of Gargi , Maitreyi, Lopamudra and many more such ladies of the ancient times who were so well versed in the knowledge of the Vedas and the world that they could call out renowned men in public and challenge them to debates. There have been many Rishikas – The lady seers who saw the Mantras in their deep penance and had special experiences. They held the same status as the male Rishis. The Rishis and Rishikas had special visions or revelations of the Mantras. Here, we can understand that one who is born to a Rishi does not automatically become a Rishi. For instance, of the all the sons of Rishi Kashyap, be it the Devtas, Danavas, Daityas, Nagas, Manushyas etc., none of them had the vision or heard the mantras in their penance and hence, cannot be addressed as Rishis. Two daughters of Rishi Kashyap, however, were visionaries of Mantras and hence were called Rishikas.
There has been a documentation of more than 27 Rishikas in the classics. Lopamudra was one such well known Rishika and the wife of Agastya Rishi. She was created by Agastya Rishi as he was particular about the kind of wife he wanted for himself. He then gave her to the King of Vidarbha to raise her as his daughter. When Lopamudra came to a marriageable age, Agastya Rishi married her. The Rishi went on with his austerities and Lopamudra then composed hymns to remind him of his duties as a husband. Interesting stories about how she got Rishi Agastya to gather wealth for their household are found in many classics. Lopamudra was particularly known for her intelligence and as per Yagurveda, she was the Drusta or visionary for the Mantras of Rati for marital desire and consent. She is also known to be intuiting key mantras in the Shakta tradition, including contributions to the Lalita Sahasranama.
Gargi is said to be the daughter if Rishi Vacaknu and had such an authority over the philosophical subjects that she challenged Yagnavalkya who was said to be one of the most learned men of his times and has written many classics which find application even today. Yagnavalkya was confounded by Gargi’s questions and took some time in answering her. Gargi is said to be a Brahmavadini – one who could hold discourses over the Brahma -but not a Rishika.
Ghosha was the daughter of Rishi Kaksivan and was highly knowledgeable. However, she suffered from a incurable disease, probably leprosy. So, she could not get married. When she reached a ripe old age of 60, she was in despair and did penance to please the Ashwini Kumars and she thus became the Drashta or the visionary of the Mantras of the Ashwini Kumars and wrote an hymn in their honour which please them and she was cured of her disease. Not only that, she also received their blessings and was able to find a loving husband and had a son who became a well known Rishi Suhastya.
Women empowerment is not something new to the Indian society as we do see these Seers and many Queens who ruled their kingdom, treated their subjects as children and protected their boundaries thus attaining glory. The fundamental behind these ladies is the drive for knowledge. In Sanatan, it is said, if you seek knowledge, you are sure to find it, as these exalted ladies did. And that was what empowered society. When women were knowledgeable, they could impart the same to their children and everyone around them. So, again, our society as such was powerful because knowledge knew no gender or barrier. Let us move towards that objective once again.

Authored by: Anuradha Sharda, Vedic Researcher & Astrologer