Nurturing the Divine: Swami Vivekananda's Vision for Women and Womanhood

Swami Vivekananda consistently emphasised that India's decline was largely attributed to its neglect of women.^[1] Throughout history, illustrious figures such as Maitreyi and Gargi, the Brahmavadinis of the Upanishadic era, and women missionaries like Sanghamitra, who carried Buddha's message to Syria and Macedonia, had been relegated to obscurity due to centuries of foreign rule. During the mid-nineteenth century in India, women, who embodied the tremendous power of motherhood, were oppressed and reduced to mere "child-producing machines," as Swamiji observed.^[2] Just as a bird attempting to fly with only one wing inevitably crashes to the ground, India suffered a similar fate by denying women their rightful place and contributions in society.^[3]

The way to save and uplift Indian women, according to Swamiji, was through education.^[4] However, he recognised that the type of education needed for women was unique. It involved the worship of Uma Kumari, the Divine Mother, who represents the embodiment of all power, within the girl students. Swamiji would often spend weeks and months deeply immersed in contemplation, envisioning and refining the splendid image of the Indian woman of the future. He was deeply impressed by the liberty, dynamism, efficiency, and even the purity exhibited by many American women. Simultaneously, he found immense fascination in the timeless historical figures of Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Ahalyabai, Padmini, and Jhansi ki Rani. He pondered whether it would be possible to combine the Western spirit of independence, freedom, and dynamism with the Indian ideals of austerity, purity, and chastity in the lives of women. With unwavering conviction, he believed that such a combination was indeed attainable.

In exploring the wisdom and insights of Swamiji, one cannot overlook his profound reflections on women and womanhood, chastity, marriage, motherhood, Indian womanhood, Sita, and American women. His thoughts on these subjects offer valuable perspectives on the roles, potentials, and challenges faced by women. Swamiji’s words echo a deep understanding of the inherent strength and spirituality that women possess. He emphasised the importance of chastity as a powerful virtue, recognised the sacredness of marriage and motherhood, and pondered the unique qualities of Indian womanhood. Simultaneously, he found inspiration in the undying legacy of Sita and held a deep admiration for the independence and dynamism displayed by the American women. Let us delve into these profound quotes and comments, revealing Swamiji’s timeless wisdom and his vision for the upliftment and empowerment of women in society.

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes on Women and Womanhood

• Can you better the condition of your women? Then there will be hope for your well-being. Otherwise you will remain as backward as you are now.^[5]
• If you do not allow one to become a lion, he will become a fox. Women are a power, only now it is more for evil because man oppresses woman; she is the fox, but when she is not longer oppressed, she will become the lion.^[6]
• Is there any sex-distinction in the Atman (Self)? Out with the differentiation between man and woman—all is Atman!^[7]
• Liberty is the first condition of growth. It is wrong, a thousand times wrong, if any of you dares to say, “I will work out the salvation of this woman or child.” I am asked again and again, what I think of the widow problem and what I think of the woman question. Let me answer once for all — am I a widow that you ask me that nonsense? Am I a woman that you ask me that question again and again? Who are you to solve women’s problems? Are you the Lord God that you should rule over every widow and every woman? Hands off! They will solve their own problems.^[8]
• Our right of interference is limited entirely to giving education. Women must be put in a position to solve their own problems in their own way. No one can or ought to do this for them. And our Indian women are capable of doing it as any in the world.
• The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women. In ancient Greece there was absolutely no difference in the state of man and woman. The idea of perfect equality existed. No Hindu can be a priest until he is married, the idea being that a single man is only half a man, and imperfect. The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence. The central idea of the life of a modern Hindu lady is her chastity. The wife is the centre of a circle, the fixity of which depends upon her chastity. It was the extreme of this idea which caused Hindu widows to be burnt. The Hindu women are very spiritual and very religious, perhaps more so than any other women in the world. If we can preserve these beautiful characteristics and at the same time develop the intellects of our women, the Hindu woman of the future will be the ideal woman of the world.^[9]
• The great Aryans, Buddha among the rest, have always put woman in an equal position with man. For them sex in religion did not exist. In the Vedas and Upanishads, women taught the highest truths and received the same veneration as men.^[10]
• The highest of all feminine types 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, not son, nor daughter, nor wife. “I am the Power that manifests everywhere”, says the Mother — she who is bringing out this universe, and She who is bringing forth the following destruction. No need to say that destruction is only the beginning of creation. The top of a hill is only the beginning of a valley.^[11]
• There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of woman is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.
• There is no hope for that family or country where there is no estimation of women, where they live in sadness. For this reason, they have to be raised first.
• We should not think that we are men and women, but only that we are human beings, born to cherish and to help one another. No sooner are a young man and a young woman left alone than he pays compliments to her, and perhaps before he takes a wife, he has courted two hundred women. Bah! If I belonged to the marrying set, I could find a woman to love without all that!^[12]
• Woman has suffered for eons, and that has given her infinite patience and infinite perseverance.
• Woman is as courageous as man.^[13]
• Women have faith…. Gain independence, gain everything, but do not lose that characteristic of women!^[14]
• Women similarly must go forward or become idiots and soulless tools in the hands of their tyrannical lords.^[15]
• “Women’s moods and man’s luck — the gods themselves do not know.^[16]

Women Will Solve Their Own Problems

• 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?^[17]
• Women will work out their own destinies — much better, too, than men can ever do for them. All the mischief to women has come because men undertook to shape the destiny of women.^[18]

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes on Chastity of Women

From Swami Vivekananda’s book The East and the West^[19]—In all countries good care is taken to preserve the chastity of women. Behind this attempt of every society to preserve the chastity of women is seen the hand of nature. The tendency of nature is to multiply the population, and the chastity of women helps that tendency. Therefore, in being more anxious about the purity of women than of men, every society is only assisting nature in the fulfilment of her purpose.

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes and Comments on Marriage

• In Tibet there is no marriage, and there is no jealousy, yet we know that marriage is a much higher state. The Tibetans have not known the wonderful enjoyment, the blessing of chastity, the happiness of having a chaste, virtuous wife, or a chaste, virtuous husband. These people cannot feel that. And similarly they do not feel the intense jealousy of the chaste wife or husband, or the misery caused by unfaithfulness on either side, with all the heart-burnings and sorrows which believers in chastity experience. On one side, the latter gain happiness, but on the other, they suffer misery too.^[20]
• The natural ambition of woman is through marriage to climb up, leaning upon a man; but those days are gone. You shall be great without the help of any man, just as you are.^[21]

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes on Motherhood

• Every manifestation of power in the universe is “Mother”.^[22]
• . . . In my opinion, a race must first cultivate a great respect for motherhood, through the sanctification and inviolability of marriage, before it can attain to the ideal of perfect chastity.^[23]
• The mother is the ideal of love; she rules the family, she possesses the family.^[24]
• The one thing that fulfils womanhood, that is womanliness in woman, is motherhood.^[25]

To the Women of India

Swami Vivekananda’s suggestions^[26] to the Indian women—to the women of this country… I would say exactly what I say to the men. Believe in India and in our 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.

On Indian Womanhood

• Every girl in India must aspire to be like Savitri, whose love could not be conquered by death, and who through this tremendous love snatched back from even Yama, the soul of her husband.^[27]
• I should very much like our women to have your intellectuality, but not if it must be at the cost of purity.^[28]
• In India there are two great evils. Trampling on the women, and grinding the poor through caste restrictions.^[29]
• In what scriptures do you find statements that women are not competent for knowledge and devotion? 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. Otherwise you will find that in the Vedic or Upanishadic age Maitreyi, Gargi, and others ladies of revered memory have taken the places of rishis through their skill in discussing about Brahman. In an assembly of a thousand Brahmanas who were all erudite in the Vedas, Gargi boldly challenged Yajnabalka in a discussion about Brahman. Since such ideal women were entitled to spiritual knowledge, why shall not the women have the same privilege now? What has happened once can certainly happen again. History repeats itself. All nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to 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. Manu says, “Where women are respected, there the god delight; and where they are not , there all works and efforts come to naught.” There is no hope of rise for that family or country where there is no estimation of women, where they live in sadness. For this reason they have to be raised first.
• 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 criticize women, but say what have you done for their uplift?
• Our women are not so learned, but they are more pure.
• The highest of all feminine types 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, not son, nor daughter, nor wife.
• They (Indian women) have many and grave problems, but, none that are not to be solved by that magic word ‘education’.
• To all women every man save her husband should be as her son. To all men every woman save his own wife should be as his mother.^[30]
• To make a beginning in women’s education: our Hindu women easily understand what chastity means, because it is their heritage. Now, first of all, 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. Is it little heroism to be able to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of one’s ideal, whatever that ideal may be?
• With five hundreds men, the conquest of India might take fifty years: with as many women, not more than a few weeks.
• Without Shakti (power) there is no regeneration for the world. Why is it that our country is the weakest and most backward of all countries? — Because Shakti is held in dishonour here.

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes on Sita

• Sita was chastity herself; she would never touch the body of another man than that of her husband.
• Sita is the name in India for everything that is good, pure, and hold; everything that is woman we call woman. Sita— the patient, all-suffering, ever-faithful, ever-pure wife! Through all the suffering she had, there was not one harsh word against Rama. Sita never returned injury. “Be Sita!”
• Sita— the pure, the pure, the all-suffering!

Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes on American Women

On 19 March 1894, Swamiji wrote a letter to Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi). In that letter he wrote—

Nowhere in the world are women like those of this country. How pure, independent, self-relying, and kindhearted! It is the women who are the life and soul of this country. All learning and culture are centred in them. The saying, ” या श्री: स्वयं सुकृतिनां भवनेषु—Who is the Goddess of Fortune Herself in the families of the meritorious” (Chandi)—holds good in this country, while that other, ” अलक्ष्मीः पापात्मनां—The Goddess of ill luck in the homes of the sinful” (ibid.)—applies to ours. Just think on this. Great God! I am struck dumb with wonderment at seeing the women of America. “त्वं श्रीस्त्वमीश्वरी त्वं ह्रीः etc. — Thou art the Goddess of Fortune, Thou art the supreme Goddess, Thou art Modesty” (ibid.),” “या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता—The Goddess who resides in all beings as Power” (ibid.)—all this holds good here. There are thousands of women here whose minds are as pure and white as the snow of this country. And look at our girls, becoming mothers below their teens!! Good Lord! I now see it all. Brother, “यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः—The gods are pleased where the women are held in esteem”—says the old Manu. We are horrible sinners, and our degradation is due to our calling women “despicable worms”, “gateways to hell”, and so forth. Goodness gracious! There is all the difference between heaven and hell!! “याथातथ्यतोऽर्थान् ब्यदधात्”—He adjudges gifts according to the merits of the case” (Isha, 8). Is the Lord to be hoodwinked by idle talk? The Lord has said, “त्वं स्त्रि त्बं पुमानसि त्वं कुमार उत वा कुमारी—Thou art the woman, Thou art the man, Thou art the boy and the girl as well.” (Shvetâshvatara Upa.)
In his speech on "Women of India" delivered in America, Swamiji prophesied that the new civilization of the future will be created by modern women with Hindu spiritual culture:

"(Aryan) civilization has been three types: the Roman, the Greek, the Hindu. The Roman type is the type of organization, conquest, steadiness but lacking in emotional nature, appreciation of beauty and higher emotions. Its defect is cruelty. The Greek is essentially enthusiastic for the beautiful, but frivolous and has tendency to become immoral. The Hindu type is essentially metaphysical and religious, but lacking in all the elements of organization and work.

The Roman type is now represented by the Anglo-Saxon; the Greek type more by the French than by any other nation; and the old Hindus do not die! Each type has its advantage in this new land of promise, America. They have the Roman's organization, the power of Greek's wonderful love for the beautiful and the Hindu's backbone of religion and love of God. Mix these up together and bring in the new civilization.

“And let me tell you, this should be done by women."

The rise of outstanding women administrators, statesmen, scientists, writers and spiritual teachers all over the world is gradually providing the truth of Swami Vivekananda's prophetic words.

References

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