2. Woman as a Wife

The highly exalted position of a woman as a wife, during the days of the Atharvaveda, may be well-assumed from her epithet kulapā, which denotes her chief responsibility in protecting the entire dynasty of her husband by means of her devotion and loyalty to her husband.^[1] In one passage of the Ṛgveda,^[2] a woman herself is called as the home, and Sāyaṇācārya while commenting on the relevant passage, quotes a sentence from the Smṛti literature thus, jāyaiva gṛhaṃ bhavati / na gṛhaṃ gṛhamityāhurgṛhiṇī gṛhamucyate iti smṛteḥ… / This means that a home itself is not the home, if it is without a wife and in the real sense, the wife is the home. She is the most auspicious one.^[3] The different roles, played by a woman, in a family and in a society as being a wife may be well-understood with the derivation of the exact meaning of the words, which were used to denote a wife.

Four such terms, viz. jani, jāyā, patnī and vadhū were used in the Atharvaveda in the sense of a wife. But, each of these terms differs from one another in meaning and suggests different aspects of a woman as a wife.

The term jani occurs in different contexts for several times in the Atharvaveda. Explaining the word, Sāyaṇācārya states, jāyantesyām apatyānīti janirjāyā, i.e. as a wife is capable of begetting offspring, hence, she is called jani.^[4] He also gives an alternate meaning of the same word thus, putreṇotpattirjaniḥ, i.e. the birth of a son is called jani, and hence, a wife was expected always to give birth to sons only, which is interpreted to the term jani.^[5] The term, which is used in most of the cases, to denote a wife is jāyā. It appears for almost twenty-nine times in the Atharvaveda.^[6] Like jani, jāyā also hints at the generative aspect of a woman. The word, as derived by Sāyaṇācārya,^[7] has the root jan as its origin and a wife is called jāyā, as she gives birth to her husband in the form of a child. The Aitareyabrāhmaṇa^[8] also gives a similar derivation of the word.

In the Manusmṛti,^[9] the word is derived thus,

patirbhāryāṃ saṃpraviśya garbho bhūtveha jāyate /
jāyāyāstaddhi jāyātvaṃ yadasyāṃ jāyate punaḥ //

This means that one’s husband enters into the womb of his wife and he himself is, again, given birth to by her, and this is because a wife is called jāyā.

The association of a wife to her husband in religious observances is expressed by the term patnī. Because of her being a co-partner to her husband in religious duties, she is called as a dharmapatnī^[10] also. As the term bears relation to rituals, hence, its derivation is fully discussed in the context of rituals, in the fifth chapter.

Vadhū is also used to denote a wife. Though this term is used in the sense of a wife in general and the commentator^[11] has interpreted it simply as a jāyā, but, it is observed that while referring to a bride or to a recently married woman, preferably, the term vadhū has been used in the Atharvaveda.^[12] As marked by S. Tiwari,^[13] vadhū denotes the meaning that she was brought from one home to another with due honour.

Of these four terms, by the first two terms, i.e. jani and jāyā, the procreative nature of a woman gets expressed. It was the prime expectation from a wife to beget offspring to her husband and the family. Such expectations are beautifully revealed in the welcome address to the freshly married bride, furnished in the marriage hymns of the Atharvaveda, at the time of her entrance to the new home. She is asked to procreate children to her husband’s family.^[14] For her fertile aspect, she is adorned with the epithet urvarā.^[15] Aryaman, Bhaga and the Aśvins are prayed to bless the bride so that she may prosper with progeny.^[16] She is wanted to be a prajāvatī, i.e. possessing children.^[17] By the epithet vīrasū, attributed to one’s wife, the desire of a male child is expressed.^[18] A wife is wished to deliver a male child, specially, for the first issue.^[19] For such expectations of male child, a wife is called as putriṇī, i.e. possessing sons.^[20] In the Ṛgveda, Indra is prayed to bestow ten sons to one’s wife.^[21]

Thus, a woman, as a wife, was paid much importance for her productivity. Indeed, she was basically treated as the source of progeny. A wife, without her power of procreation was given no such importance. As for instance, in the hymn, starting with the mantra, tṛṣṭike…, etc.,^[22] which is applied to cause misfortune to a hated woman, barrenness is desired to the woman and then, the same is equated with Vaśā, the barren cow. It is there stated that as a barren cow has no value before the bull and is worthy to be left out by the same, likewise, the woman may also become an infertile one and thus, to be valueless before a male person.^[23]

Apart from this prime duty of begetting children for the continuation of the lineages, a wife had to maintain some other responsibilities in the family. She is presented as a symbol of peace and prosperity of a family.

One’s wife is asked to be syonā, i.e. pleasant to her father-in-law, her husband, to the home, to the entire clan for their prosperity.^[24] She is called sumaṅgalī, i.e. of excellent omen; prataraṇī gṛhāṇāṃ, i.e. extender of the houses; propitious to her husband; well off her father-in-law and pleasant to her mother-in-law.^[25] These epithets for women clearly advocate that the high regard was bestowed on a woman as a wife. Moreover, her supremacy is also besought over her father-in-law, brother-in-law, sisterin-law and mother-in-law.^[26] She is compared with the rivers, having supremacy over the streams.^[27] Desiring her affection specially to the brother-in-law, she is called devṛkāmā.^[28] In many a context, the Atharvaveda sets the ideal of joint family in fine language where it desires union of hearts and minds and freedom from hate, and wishes the members to love one another as the cows loves the calf, she has borne.

A newly married woman is advised to wake up early at the dawn,^[29] to sit near the fire with her husband^[30] and to worship the fire.^[31] By means of scattering shrivelled grains, she appeals long life for her husband.^[32] This means that the responsibility of familial happiness and the long run of the same were chiefly concerned to the wife. A wife’s association to her husband in sacrificial performance has also been mentioned in the Atharvaveda. A sacrificer is enjoined to offer oblations along with his wife reciting the praiṣa and nivid mantras.^[33] Specially, her assistance in the Brahmaudanasava sacrifice is remarkable. For the performance of the sacrifice, women were assigned to carry water over their heads from certain reservoir.^[34] The wife of the sacrificer was asked to stand up and receive the women, who would arrive the sacrificial ground after collecting water for the sacrificial purpose.^[35]

Nevertheless, a wife was jointly regarded as the owner of the house as it is denoted by the term dampatī.

Sāyaṇācārya,^[36] while explaining a Ṛgvedic passage, interprets the term as:

dampatiṃ gārhapatyādirūpeṇa gṛhasya pālakam / dama iti gṛhanāma… /

The tie of a husband and a wife is likened with that of two Cakravākas and their conjugal success in producing children, in maintaining a good home and in living long lives, is prayed to Indra.^[37] Thus, it is observed that the woman as a wife should be devoted to the pleasure and prosperity of her husband, which would promote the three puruṣārthas, viz. dharma, artha and kāma, and the household is also expected to act according to her desire.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

eṣā te kulapā rājan tāmu te paridadmasi / Atharvaveda, 1.14.3 kulapā pātivratyena kulasya pālayitrī yā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[2]:

jāyedastam maghavantsedu yoniḥ … / Ṛgveda, 3.53.4

[3]:

… kalyāṇīrjāyā surāṇāṃ gṛhe te / Ibid., 3.53.6 kalyāṇaḥ bhadrarūpāḥ … / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 4.58.8

[4]:

Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 6.82.3

[5]:

Ibid.

[6]:

Atharvaveda, 3.4.3; 30.2; 4.37.12; 5.17.5; 6; 6.60.1; 78.1; 3; 82.2; 3; 118.3; 9.5.30; 10.1.3; 11.10.1; 17; 12.3.17; 39; 47; 14.1.25; 2.35; 18.1.53; 2.51 etc.

[7]:

jāyatesyām apatyarūpeṇa patiriti jāyā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 6.78.3

[8]:

tajjāyā jāyā bhavati yadasyāṃ jāyate punaḥ / Aitareya-brāhmaṇa, 7.13

[9]:

Manusmṛti, 9.8

[10]:

cf., Atharvaveda, 14.1.51

[11]:

vadhūḥ jāyā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 1.14.2

[12]:

cf., Atharvaveda, 14.1.58; 63; 2.7; 20; 28; 73

[13]:

Vide, Tiwari, S., Op.cit., p.7

[14]:

sā vaḥ prajāṃ janayad vakṣaṇābhyo bibhratī dugdhamṛṣabhasya retaḥ / ā vāṃ prajāṃ janayatu … / Atharvaveda, 14.2.40

[15]:

ātmanvatyurvarā … / Ibid., 14.2.14

[16]:

tāmaryamā bhago aśvinobhā prajāpatiḥ prajayā vardhayantu / Ibid., 14.2.13

[17]:

Ibid., 14.2.7, 18, 32

[18]:

Ibid., 14.2.17, 18

[19]:

iha prajāṃ janaya patye asmai sujyeṣṭhyo bhavat putrasta eṣaḥ / Ibid., 14.2.24

[20]:

Ibid., 14.1.62

[21]:

imāṃ tvamindra mīḍhvaḥ suputrāṃ subhagāṃ kṛṇu / daśāsyāṃ putrānā dhehi patimekādaśaṃ kṛdhi // Ṛgveda, 10.85.45

[22]:

Atharvaveda, 7.118.1

[23]:

parivṛktā yathāsasyṛṣabhasya vaśeva / Ibid., 7.118.2 iyaṃ yoṣit svapuruṣasya parivṛktā saṃbhogena tyaktā bhavet / tatra dṛṣṭāntaḥ / ṛṣabhasya vaśeveti / yathā puṃgavasya vandhyā gaurbhogyā na bhavati evam iyaṃ puruṣasya bhogyā na syād iti / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[24]:

syonā bhava śvaśurebhyaḥ syonā patye gṛhebhyaḥ / syonāsyai sarvasyai viśe syonā puṣṭāyaiṣāṃ bhava // Atharvaveda, 14.2.27

[25]:

sumaṅgalī prataraṇī gṛhāṇāṃ suśevā patye śvaśurāya śaṃbhūḥ / syonā śvaśrvai pra gṛhān viśemān // Ibid., 14.2.26

[26]:

samrājñyedhi śvaśureṣu samrājñyuta devṛṣu / nanānduḥ samrājñyedhi samrājñyuta śvaśrvāḥ // Ibid., 14.1.44

[27]:

yathā sindhurnadīnāṃ sāmrājyaṃ suṣuve vṛṣā / evā tvaṃ samrājñyedhi patyurastaṃ paretya // Ibid., 14.1.43

[28]:

prajāvatī vīrasūrdevṛkāmā … / Ibid., 14.2.18

[29]:

indrāṇīva subudhā budhyamānā jyotiragrā uṣasaḥ prati jāgarāsi / Ibid., 14.2.31

[30]:

sumaṅgalyupa sīdeyamagniṃ saṃpatnī prati bhūṣeha devān / Ibid., 14.2.25

[31]:

tatropaviśya suprajā imamagniṃ saparyatu / Ibid., 14.2.23

[32]:

iyaṃ nāryupa brute pūlyānyāvapantikā / dīrghāyurastu me patirjīvāti śaradaḥ śatam // Ibid., 14.2.63

[33]:

praiṣā yajñe nividaḥ svāhā śiṣṭāḥ patnībhirvahateha yuktāḥ / Ibid., 5.26.4

[34]:

parehi nāri punarehi kṣipramapāṃ tvā goṣṭhodhyarukṣad bharāya / tāsāṃ gṛhṇītād yatamā yajñiyā asan vibhājya dhīrītarā jahītāt // Ibid., 11.1.13 Vide, Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[35]:

emā aguryoṣitaḥ śubhyamānā uttiṣṭha nāri tavasaṃ rabhasva / supatnī patyā prajayā prajāvatyā tvāgan yajñaḥ prati kumbhaṃ gṛbhāya // Atharvaveda, 11.1.14

[36]:

Sāyaṇa on Ṛgveda, 1.127.8

[37]:

ihemāvindra saṃ nuda cakravākeva daṃpatī / prajayainau svastakau viśvamāyurvyaśnutām // Atharvaveda, 14.2.64