Women in the Field of Education

Education for women is shown from the Vedic times. But due to child marriages and lack of interest in education among the women, their education remained incomplete. Some references of educated ladies have been found in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. In the context of describing creation of the Rudras sage Mārkaṇḍeya mentions the name of two educated ladies, namely, Menā and Dhāriṇī by name who are Brahmavādinīs.^[1]

Some vidyās are imparted to some women as referred to in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. These are:

1. padminīvidyā,
2. sarvabhūtarutavidyā,
3. astragrāmahṛdayavidy and
4. svekchācāravidyā etc.

By the power of padminīvidyā one can achieve wealth according to his desire. In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa this vidyā is found to be imparted by Bhagavatī Parvatī to Kalāvatī. Through this vidyā Kalāvatī became able to be the wife of Svārocis and all the Nidhis gave her welth according to her desire.^[2] By the sarvabhūtarutavidyā one can understand the sound of different animals.^[3]

In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa vivabhavarī, the daughter of Mandāra has given it to Svārocis.^[4] Astragrāmahṛdayavidyā is applied for defeating the enemies. The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa provids one example of this vidyā incase of Manorama, a vidyādhari who offers this vidyā to Svārocis for her peotection from the Rakṣasas.^[5] Next vidyā is svekchācāravidyā. By the power of this vidyā one can assume the desiring form. In this Purāṇa it is stated that after the killing Kaṅka, his brother Kandhara killed Vidyutrūpa. Then his wife, Madanikā, capable of assuming different forms, on reaching the house of Kandhara took a form of Garuḍa stayed at his house.^[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 49.31

[2]:

Ibid., 62.14-16

[3]:

Shri Krishnamani Tripathi, Puranaparyalochanam, p. 286

[4]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 61.3

[5]:

Ibid., 60.23 b-24 a

[6]:

Ibid., 2.30