NCERT Class 9 textbook quotes Manusmriti verse on women's status in Vedic period

A verse from Manusmriti has been quoted in a Class IX social science text book of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to explain the topic of the status of women in India during the Vedic period. The textbook stated that while women were respected during the period their status "fluctuated, even declined" in the wake of changing socio-political conditions.

‘Manusmriti’ has been mentioned in the chapter, 'State and Society up to 1000 CE', which deals with the Vedic period stating that it was “often described as a period during which women held a high and respectful position in society". The ancient Sanskrit text which outlined social and legal norms has been a topic of debate over its provisions on caste and gender.

Status of women

Elaborating further, the book stated that in certain situations women took part in scholarly learning and religious rituals along with men. They also attended public gatherings, stated the textbook adding, several hymns of the Rig Veda are traditionally attributed to women sages like Apala, Visvavara, Ghosha and Lopamudra.

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The textbook, to corroborate, the statement, cited Verse 3.56 of the Manusmriti, which states: "Where women, verily, are honoured, there gods rejoice; where, however, they are not honoured, there all sacred rites prove fruitless.”

"Over time, the position and roles of women fluctuated, even declined, as social and political conditions changed. However, there are many examples of women continuing to contribute to household management, agriculture, crafts, and religious practices," stated the textbook as quoted by NDTV.

Examples from history

The chapter also draws on examples from subsequent historical periods to argue that women continued to occupy visible roles in society despite shifts in their status.

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It says literary sources from the Gupta-Vakataka era depict educated women proficient in the arts, while historical accounts refer to queens who exercised authority in administration and supported religious institutions.

Among those cited is Prabhavati Gupta, who served as regent of the Vakataka kingdom. The text also refers to Sangam literature, describing women as active participants in both social and economic life.

Varna and social order

The textbook also examines the ideas of varna and jati, maintaining that social standing in the early Vedic period was not exclusively inherited by birth.

"Early Vedic texts do not indicate fixed social status based on birth. Instead, it is generally agreed that social identity was shaped by several complex and overlapping factors including ethnicity, subgroup, region, village affiliation, language, occupation and especially cultural relationships," the chapter says.

‘Varna was based on a system of values’

It supports the claim with a Rig Veda hymn: "I am a poet; my father is a physician; my mother is a grinder of corn."

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The chapter says the four varnas gradually came to be linked with specific functions and adds, "Thus, the concept of varna was based on a system of values in which knowledge was given the highest status, followed by political power and wealth."

Quoting the Buddhist Sutta Nipata, it further states: "No outcaste is such by birth but only by his deeds. A brahmana is such by his deeds."