There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It

is not possible for a bird to fly on – Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda and the Women’s Question

IRIN MUSTAFA MANDAL,

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY,

K.C.COLLEGE, HETAMPUR, BIRBHUM.

E – MAIL : irinmandal@gmail.com.

Among the modern Indian reformers and leaders, who stood for

complete equality of men and women, the most outstanding was

Swami Vivekananda. He was highly sympathetic towards the oppressed

position of Indian women and insisted on their regeneration and

argued for gender equality. His theory towards that equality was of

gender interdependence so that both genders can live peacefully in the

society. This was based on the Vedic notion of spiritual sex equality in

the highest reality of parabrah man. His attitude towards femininity

was markedly condenscending. Since post – independence India still

has problems of women which are to be solved in a meaningful way, in

the Indian feminist literature; his position has much scope of using to a

feminist deconstruction towards a paradigm shift in the Indian society.

To this end following is an attempt to analyze and examine this

concept of womanhood, the ideas he stood for on women’s equality

and education. As a renaissance personality Vivekananda contributed

to the making of the nation with dichotomies on man – woman

relationship, his thinking was always based on the Hindutvavada.

Fore words

It is the Hindu culture and Vedanta philosophy on which

Vivekananda’s position on women is based. According to Vedanta

philosophy, men and women and all beings are divine in their essential

nature. Men and women have been endowed by nature with the

organic capacity to enquire into and realize this great truth. Men and

women have equal access to education. Hindu culture Views all social

evolutions as the process to truth into the texture of human

relationships. This view of Hindu culture provides the values of

freedom, equality and dignity and the sacredness of the human

personality. As per the Vedic philosophy, men and women are

essentially the ever pure, ever free, ever illuminated Atman, the sexless

self. Associated with body and mind this Atman becomes conditioned

as male and female. In this realisation of manhood of man by man and

the womanhood of woman by woman, in the context of the equality of

the marriage relationship, Hindu culture recognizes a significant

experience of spiritual education. It points out that there is no real

independence in this sphere for either man or woman: here

interdependence is the law , it alone leads to happiness and fulfilment

for both. But true interdependence cannot come if man is free and

woman is unfree . To elaborate this in the words of Gandhi “ woman

has as much right to shape her own destiny as man has to shape his and

rules of social conduct must be framed by mutual co – operation and

consultation (Sharma, 1981:PP-49) towards realising the true

interdependence."1

In the modern times, the history of women shows that they have

come across many changing statuses. The Vedic period is said to be of

complete equality for women. There came the feudal period, foreign

invasions which took away women’s freedom, and the national

movement against foreign domination, which also took women rights

and sexual equality as important with other issues. But now gone are

those days and women of post independent India encounter many new

problems which urge them to rise to the highest level of self

development, self –expression and self- esteem. In this millennium

equal access to education for both men and women is an important

step towards greater gender equality and empowerment of women. In

post independent India even though there has been perceptible rise in

the activities directed towards women’s emancipation for social,

economic and political justice, most of the women in the rural areas are

illiterate and trapped in a Vicious circle of poverty and deprivation. It is

therefore realized that the women have to be provided with the vital

educational inputs. If they are to become a powerful force in the

society and participate in the developmental and decision making

process. Through education the gender inequality( created through the

erotization of dominance and submission as feminists argue) is to be

rectified. Since the man- woman difference and dominance /submission

define each other it is necessary to identify the socio-cultural factors

that influence the formation of female identity. Contemporary

feminists argue that gender rules are culturally determined and

inequality between the sexes results from socially constructed power

relationships. Even though women have gained many rights, their gains

have not eradicated sexism or revolutionised the gender relations.

Therefore, post modern feminists argue for identifying the fundamental

difference between men and women for the purpose of emancipation

and equality. That is women must seek an identity of their own and not

just “disappear” into the mirror image of men as happened in the past.

This aims to construct women’s specific, unique subjectivity and which

women’s subjectivity would remain hidden . Swamiji’s ideals on

womanhood premised upon Vedanta can be suggested as the guiding

principles for women to identify themselves regarding their status -

ethical, ontological, religious and social. In today's context, his ideas

have vital strength to be used for a critique of modern thinking or a

change in perspective. It is for helping such a necessity that the visions

and views of Vivekananda are important in the modern or post -

modern context.

COCNCEPT OF WOMANHOOD:

Vivekananda concentrates and believes in the ideals that Vedanta

Says on the women’s position. He glorifies the ideals contained in the

rich Indian heritage and Vedic Scriptures. It is in the background of

Vivekananda’s understanding of the causes of the degeneration of

women in the modern age that he evolved his ideal of “Indian

Womanhood”.

Vivekananda saw that there is no distinction of sex in the highest

reality of parabrahman. He observes, “The more the mind becomes

introspective ,the more the idea of difference vanishes. Ultimately

when the mind is wholly merged in the homogeneous and

undifferentiated Brahman, such ideas that this is a man or that a

woman do no remain at all....... Therefore, though outwardly there may

be difference between men and women in their nature, there is none.

Hence , if a man can be a knower of Brahman, why cannot a woman

attain the same knowledge ? He said, “The idea that one..... is born

superior to another has no meaning in the Vedanta , that between two

nations, one is superior and the other one is inferior has no meaning

what so ever. Put them in the same circumstances and see whether the

same intelligence comes out or not”.(Bose, 1998:PP-285-86).2

According to this position of men and women are also given same level

of development. He said, “We should not think that we are men and

women, but only that we are human beings born to cherish and help

one another. There were times when Vivekananda’s mind was dwelling

in a transcendental realm and those times gave rise to expressions like

these : “There is neither man or woman (in Vedanta) for the soul is

sexless......It is a lie to say I am a man or a woman or I belong to this

country or that. All the world is my country, because I have clothed

myself with as my body.”(cw. vol.2, pp- 14) Such was his sense of

identity at that moment .He never tried brushing off the well meaning

concerns of men who would ask him about women’s problems. “Hands

off”, he exclaimed, “women will solve their own problems. Men had no

business attempting to solve them for them."(CW. VOL.6, PP-23)Always

Swamiji’s call had been that women have to develop their own

personality and try to know themselves and their problems.

In the Vedic and Upanishadic age Maitrei, Gargi and other ladies

of revered memory had taken the places of Rishis through their skill in

discussing about Brahman. When such women were entitled to spiritual

knowledge, Swamiji asks, then why shall not the women have the same

privilege now? What has happened once can certainly happen again.

History repeats itself (CW,VOL.7:PP-215). He felt that it was much

against the ancient ideal of India that women were not given enough

opportunities for self – development. It is the spiritual ideal of Sita or

Savitri that Indian women have been following through the ages. It is

necessary to intensify the ideal of womanhood in the Indian women so

that they may feel the necessity of coming up along with men. Indian

women should try to attain greatness and strength that Sita had shown.

On Indian womanhood he said,” The highest of all feminine type

in India is mother, higher than wife. Wife and children may desert a

man, but his mother never.Mother is the same or loves her child

perhaps a little more. Mother represents colourless love that knows no

barter, love that never dies. Who can have such love? – only mother;

nor son, nor daughter, nor wife.”(CW.VOL.6:PP-149). He saw their love

as eternal. He pointed out the universality of Hindu worship of

motherhood in other religions also. He asserted that” In the religion

Jehova, Jesus and Trinity are secondary; there the worship for the

mother – She the Mother with child Jesus on her arms.The emperor

cries - Mother, the beggar in the streets cries Mother!A million voices in

a million ways, from a million places- from the pallace, from the

cottage, from the church cry Mother, Mother,Mother !Everywhere is

the cry Ave Maria,Ave Maria."(CW.VOL.5:PP-506).

Swamiji was critical of Radha – prema, the divine love which

Radha had towards Shri Krishna. He opined, through the preaching of

that love broadcast, the whole nation has become effeminate – a race

of women!The whole of Orissa has been turned into a land of cowards;

and Bengal running after the Radha prema,these past four hundred

years has almost lost all sense of manliness!The people are good only at

crying and weeping;that has become their notional trait.Look at their

literature, the sure index of a nation's thought and ideas.Why the

refrain of the Bengali literature for those four hundred years is strung

to that same tune of moaning and crying.It has failed to give birth to

any poetry which breathes a true heroic spirit.(CW,VOL.5:PP-345). In his

opinion sex love can never be the property of the masses. The

preaching of the Vaishnava Gurus about sex – love rather than

renunciation was beyond the comprehension of the common

people.Failure to grasp and assimilate that high ideal of divine

love,naturally made at it the worst form of love between man and

women. These notions suggest that Vivekananda identified two

concepts of women 1. Woman, the mother, de – eroticised(maternal)

and 2.woman, the fallen, the sexual being (carnal). The former is pure

and latter is with negative quality of effeminacy i.e lethargy, cowardice,

immaturity etc. Robert Goldman observes ,”In many texts women are

idealized as pure, spiritual and nurturant when they are de – erotised

and placed in purely defined and sexually tabooed blood relationships

such as those of mother, sister or daughter. In other words, when

emphasis is placed on their sexuality, they are often vilified for this

aspect of their nature and condemned as temptress, seductress or

whore.”(GOLDMAN.1993.PP-375 -76).3

Vivekananda studied about the history of the Indian women and

women of other places and compared those with that of the Vedic

concept of women of the Aryan race." Aryan and semitic ideals of

women,"he said," have always been diametrically opposed. among the

Semites the presence of women is considered dangerous to devotion,

and she may not perform any religious function even such as the killing

of a bird for food; according to the Aryan a man cannot perform a

religious action without a wife (CW.VOL.5,1997:PP-229).To him, "The

ideal womanhood centres in the Aryan race of India." The same held

true in ancient Rome and Greece."Then he shows how the position of

women degenerated,i.e. in the feminist point of view the origin of the

patriarchal ordering of the society.

Swamiji found that the advent of various priest class, change in

the system of marriage, rise of the Vedic idea of personal purity,

development of monasticism etc as the reasons responsible for the

degeneration of women in the later periods.Swamiji observed that the

development of all monasticism,whether it is Buddhist or

Christian,always contributed to the degeneration of women. According

to him,under monasticism,”All the blame was cast on to women, and

even the proverbs warned against them.”What is the gate to hell?” Was

one of them to which the answer was “woman”. Another one "Who is

the blindest of the blind? he,who is deceived by women.Even though

Buddha was one of the greatest of men,Swamiji said,he introduced for

the first time the community life of the religious houses and thereby

necessarily made women inferior to men.Therefore by learning from

the defects of monastic ideals he evolved a different conception of

womenhood.In the West he found this ideal in the wife and in the East

in the mother. In Buddhist monasteries also ,he opined that the

abbesses could not take any important step without the advice of

certain abbots. Therefore they enjoyed an inferior position to men.

Swamiji saw the chastity as the most important virtue of the women.

When he was in America he denied the incidence of widow –burning in

India. He explained this old custom on the ground that the wives loved

their husbands so much that they could not live without them.They

were one in marriage and must be one in death. Lastly Swamiji agreed

that widow - burning is occuring in India. This Swamiji might have

deliberately done for the political reason that was used by the

colonialists to justify their domination by depicting the inferior position

of women so that needs outside help to get them emancipated.

Feminists are critical of the Indian cultural symbols which glorifies

the women's role as mother-goddess. She is projected as the

productivity and the welfare, spreading happiness and nullifying both

wrongs and the perpetrator.This notion of motherhood has served as

an institutionalised form of oppression for the subjugation of women.4

Swamiji seems to have explained the bad condition of women in

India on the ground that Hindu men had such respect for women that it

was thought best not to allow the women out. The Hindu women were

held in such high esteem that they were kept in seclusion. He saw their

seclusion as a part of protecting the chastity of women, which keeps

the society pure.(CW.VOL.7:PP-292). He also favoured the outcasting of

unchaste women on account of keeping the society pure.He explains

how women's biology affect their position which is similar to the

feminist argument of "biological determinism" as the cause of the

subordination of women.He saw that the women's chastity is

influenced by Nature and said ,"The tendency of Nature is to multiply

the population, and the chastity of women helps that

tendency.Therefore, being more anxious about the purity of women,

than of men, every society is only assisting Nature in the fulfilment of

her purpose."(CW.VOL.5:PP-214).Almost all nations of the world,

therefore, tried to preserve the chastity of women and this lowered

their position.But this argument is challanged by the feminists, given

the changing role of women in the modern society and development in

reproductive technology.

Vivekananda compared the position of Indian women with those

of the West. In this comparison he found no reason for the inferior

position of Indian women.He mentioned "Nowhere in the world are

women like those of this country."Then he said about the Indian

women,"Look at our girls becoming mothers below their teens!.......I

now see it all."He understood the paradox of Manu's dictum,"The gods

are pleased when the women are held high in esteem" and seeing the

reality of women's position says ,"We are horrible sinners and our

degradation is due to our calling women "Despicable worms,gateways

to hell and so forth."(CW.VOL.6,PP45-46).He was aware of their

subordinate position.He was not satisfied with the condition of women

during his days.

Swamiji had seen the misery of his own younger sister,

Yogendrabala, who committed suicide, and it had deeply affected his

thinking, "If women cannot act , neither can men suffer," he responded.

The tragic death by suicide of Vivekananda's sister as well as his

experiance with western women had made him conscious of the

degradation of Indian women. According to him the principal reason

why India has degenerated is that there is no respect of women. Even

today despite the constitutional guarantee of gender equality, woman's

position has not improved for the better.

Swamiji came to the conclusion that,” Asia laid the germs of

civilization, Europe developed men, America is developing women and

masses.”

EDUCATION FOR WOMEN

Swamiji found education as the best and only device to solve all

problems of women and thereby emancipate them. According to

him,for women problems can be many but none that cannot be solved

by that magic word “education”. He conceived of an education by

which character is formed,strength of mind is increased, intellect is

expanded and by which one can stand on one’s feet.

He said that in ancient times when......religion first began, women

of the present day had degenerated. They thought of nothing but

eating and drinking, gossip and scandal. Therefore he prescribed an

education that would create great, fearless women – women worthy to

continue the traditions of Sanghamitra, Lila, Ahalyabai and Mirabai –

women fit to be the mothers of heroes (CW.VOL1,PP-5). Hence his

message to the Indians was “Forget not that the ideal of thy

womanhood is Sita, Savitri, Damayanti.”(CW.VOL.4,PP-479-80). For him

“development of true ideal of womanhood was the primary goal of

education.” He said, “ In the period of degradation when the priests

made the other castes incompetent for the study of the Vedas, they

deprived the women also of all their rights. All nations have attained

greatness by paying proper respect to the women.That country and

that nation which do not respect women have never become great, nor

will ever be in future. The principal reason why your race has so much

degenerated is that you have no respect for these living images of

Shakti”(CW.VOL.7,PP-215). His view reflects that of Marx’s in whose

theory social progress can be precisely measured by the social status of

their fair sex(women).5 He put the blame of the low status of Indian

women partly on the barbarous invaders and partly on the people of

India themselves. They have all time been trained in

helplessness,......(VOL.5:PP-342). His great heroine was the Rani

Luxmibai of Jhansi, who led her troops in person at the time of the

Indian mutiny.

To make a begining in women’s education, his argument centred

on chastity, because it is the heritage of Hindu women. Firstly

,“intensify that ideal within them above everything else, so that they

may develop a strong character by the force of which, in every stage of

their life, whether married or single, if they prefer to remain so,they

will not be in the least afraid even to give up their lives rather than

flinch an inch from their chastity”(VOL.5,PP-542).

Therefore he advised, ”Educate your women first and leave them

to themselves; then they will tell you what reforms are necessary for

them. In matters concerning them who are you? Liberty is the first

condition of growth.” He advised the Indian women to believe in India

and Indian faith.”Be strong and hopeful and unashamed, and

remember that with something to take, Hindus have immeasurably

more to give than any other people in the world.” Swamiji suggested

such an education with which women will solve their own problems.

However he disapproved of their modern education. He warns that,

“Getting by heart the thoughts of others in foreign languages and

stuffing.......brain with them and taking some University degrees you

consider yourself educated?......education which does not bring out the

strength of character, a spirit of philanthrophy and the courage of a lion

is not worth being called education.”

Swamiji supported the indigenous system of education in which

the history and culture of one’s own nation would be taught. For this he

insisted on the old system of education for females also. He

emphasized women studying religion, science, arts, housekeeping,

cooking, sewing, hygiene etc. Along with these japa, worship and

meditation formed an indispensable part of teaching. He desired that

schools for girls be opened in every village. For imparting education he

finds it necessary to train bramhacharinis who would go to the villages

and other places and do hard work, without any hesitation. For this he

planned to build up Matha which he could not materialise during his

lifetime.

In his view, educated women would inculcate virtues and values

amongst the children and thus prepare the new generation of people

who could distinguish themselves in virtues and values .The

development agenda of the 21st century also acknowledge education as

the key to women’s empowerment for the same reasons as Swamiji

foresaw in the 19th century.

Swamiji prescribed the secular education for the masses, that is an

education which brings all the ideals slowly down among the masses

and raises them to equality. He prefers to impart this secular

knowledge through religion that is through the Vedas. The 81 Report of

the Committee of value – based education in the year 1999 did

highlight the need to inculcate the principles of truth, righteous

conduct, peace, love and non – violence ; which are the religious values

propagated by Swamiji. This shows that the modern India also has to

accept the virtue of religion as Swamiji reiterated in the 19th century.6

ON WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Vivekananda strongly believes that there is a huge difference in the

attitude of Indian men and their western counterparts.Indian men

believe that the women are born to please them.The real shakti-

worshipper is he who knows that the God is the omnipotent force in

the universe, and sees in the women the manifestation of that force.In

America men look upon their women in this light and treat their

women as well as can be desired.Hence , they are so prosperous, so

learned, so free and so energetic.7

A feminist can argue that in India, little boys are told that they are

often stronger than girls.This is why he often takes a dominating

attitude towards their female counterparts.It is the value learnt at

home that affect through subtle messages parents often indicate that

the girl will be going to another household, while the boy will earn and

would inherit the family's wealth. Naturally, they grow up believing that

they are superior to women and may mistreat their partners later.Why

can't we just tell little boys to be more sensitive towards girls rather

than feeding their brains about such lame notion."There is no chance

for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is

improved".....Swami Vivekananda said," It is very difficult to understand

why in this country so much difference is made between men and

women,whereas the Vedanta declares that one and the same conscious

self is present in all beings. you always criticise the women,but what

have you done for their enlistment?"

Vivekananda glorified Indian women of the past for their great

achievements as leader in various walks of life. He proudly stated that,"

Women in statemanship, managing territories, governing countries,

even making war, have proved themselves equal to men, if not

superior,In India. I have no doubt of that. Whenever they have had the

opportunity , they have proved that they have as much ability as

men,with this advantage - that they seldom degenerate.They keep to

the moral standard, which is innate in their nature.And thus as

governors and rulers of their state, they prove at least in India far

superior to men.John Stuart Mill mentions this fact."(CW. VOL. 5 PP-

27-28 ).

Swami Vivekananda rightly observed that the condition of women

in the Mughal - ruled and Britush - ruled India was deplorable.The mid -

nineteenth century India saw women ,the great mother - power

,shackled and degenerated to mere"child producing machine" as

Vivekananda saw it.In the period of degradation, when the priests

made the other castes incompetent to study the Vedas, they deprived

the women also of all their rights.You will find in the Vedic and

Upanishadic age Maitrei , Gargi and other ladies of revered memory

have taken the place of Rishis.In an assembly of thousand Brahmanas

who were all erudite in the Vedas, Gargi boldly challenged Yajnavalkya

in a discussion about Brahman.

Swami Vivekananda was of firm opinion that women should be

put in a positions of power to solve their own problems in their own

way. The welfare of the world is dependent on the improvement of the

condition of the women.When people are discussing as to what man

and woman can do,always the same mistake is made.They think that

they show man at his best because he can fight, for instance and

undergo tremendous physical exertion,and this is pitted against the

physical weakness and non - combatting quality of women.This is

unjust . Woman is as courageous as man. Each is equally good in his or

her way.What man can bring up a child with such patience, endurance

and love as the women can?The one has developed the power of doing;

the other, the power of suffering.If women can not act, neither can

man suffer.The whole universe is one of perfect balance.(CW.VOL.2:PP-

25 - 26).

He emphasized that the women must be educated, for he

believed that it is the women who mould the next generation, and

hence, the destiny of the country.In Vivekananda's educational scheme

for India, the uplift of women and the masses recieved the highest

priority.The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence.8It is

the strong belief of Vivekananda that if the women are raised, their

children will by their noble actions glorify the name of the country;

then will culture , knowledge , power and devotion awake in the

country. He further opined that "With five hundred men, the conquest

of India might take fifty years; with as many women not more than a

few weeks."

CONCLUSION

We can conclude that Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts on women

were dichotomous. He emphasized on the Vedic education, side by side

he admitted the utility of modern and secular education in many ways.

Above all his sole emphasis on Hindutvavada made him less popular

among the Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and other races in

India. Modern feminists also discard him as he overlooked the

patriarchal, exploitative traits behind the Vedic notions of women. But

the honour he showed to the women of India and the efforts he made

to uplift their positions in and outside India are highly praiseworthy. His

thinking was always obscured with the colonial background, crippled

partly by the notion of Hindutva which was the problem with some of

the “renaissance personalities” of that age, such as Bankim Chandra

Chattopadhyay, Nabagopal Mitra, Aurobinda Ghosh – to name a few . I

would rather appreciate his contributions to nation – building process

of our country even in this 21st century.

REFERENCES:

1.BASU SANKARI PRASAD AND SUNIL BIHARI GHOSH ED.,VIVEKANANDA IN INDIAN

NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS , CALCUTTA ,BOOKLAND AND MODERN BOOK AGENCY

, 1969:PP 49 - 52.

2. BOSE NEMAI SADHAN , SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND CHALLENGE TO

FUNDAMENTALISM IN WILLIAM RADICE ED.SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND

MODERNISATION OF HINDUISM, DELHI ,OUP,1998:PP 285 - 286.

3.GOLDMAN ROBERT . P “TRANSEXUALISM, GENDER AND ANXEITY IN TRADITIONAL

INDIA," JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY , CX111.3.1993 , PP 10 - 48.

4.MACKINNON CATHERINE ,A FEMINISM, MARXISM METHOD AND THE STATE, NEW

DELHI , SAGE PUBLICATION S ,1993, PP - 201.

5.NAIR SUKUMARAN, SWAMI VIVEKANANDA , THE EDUCATOR ,NEW DELHI ,OUP. 1999 ,

PP 275 - 76.

6.ibid , PP -284 - 86.

7.NIVEDITA SISTER 1999. THE MASTER AS I SAW HIM. 9TH ED., 12TH

PRINTING.CALCUTTA , UDBODHAN OFFICE, PP 134 - 36.

8.SENGUPTA S. C. 1984, SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND INDIAN NATIONALISM.CALCUTTA:

SHISHU SAHITYA SAMSAD,PP 125-27.

ABSTRACT: Swami Vivekananda propagated Hinduism when

India was under colonial rule. As a nation - builder ,he emphasized

on the role of the mass and the women in the process of the

making of the nation. His area of thrust was the Hindu women,

without their empowerment ,he thought that the nation - building

process would remain incomplete.He put emphasis on women's

education, their empowerment and purity.His ideal women were

Sita,Savitri,Damayanti of the Vedic age. He believed that there is

no difference between men and women.They both are the

embodiment of the ParamBramhan. But the feminists criticise him

as his ides are obscured with patriarchal notions.In this article, I

try to analyse his stands on women's question as well as the

feminist's view regarding his thoughts.

keywords: Vivekananda, woman, education,womanhood,

empowerment, feminists, Hindutva, renaissance.