Introduction
THIS modest work, the only one hitherto that has dealt with this subject and therefore been exposed to the terrible glare of publicity, was not intended to appear as a single volume, but as the key to an extended series embracing the role of woman throughout the entire period of Eastern antiquity. To ascertain woman's position in primitive society from the ever-inspired record of the Chosen People and of the disciples of Christ; from the poetry of the Arabs still burning with desert fire; from the witness in stone of Egyptian and Assyrian monuments; from the classical books, the annals and odes of China; from the mysterious and famed masterpieces of India; from the sacred texts, history, and legends of the Persia of Zoroaster; from the Christian literature of Armenia; and from all the productions of ancient Eastern genius, explained by the genius of the modern West: such was our object and so it is still. Numerous materials had already been collected for this task, but on investigating the Indian contribution, we were suddenly stopped short, struck down by the unexpected spectacle displayed before our eyes. In a sister nation, older than the Grecian yet retaining in a evely degree the first impressions and typical ideas of our Indo-Germanic race, we discovered literary riches whose existence, prior to Hellenic antiquity, had never been surmised. First, echoes of a prehistoric age were found in hymns, admirably expressing the needs of the human soul; next, monuments of heroic ages in laws, embodying beautiful verses and eternal principles of justice and virtue, gigantic epics like the Iliad and Odyssey, abounding with moving and tragic episodes, covering vast ranges of philosophy and religious thought, with pure and touching sentiments, coming from honest and believing hearts, splendid descriptions of tropical nature; lastly, the productions of an age contemporary with that of Augustus, showing the influences of a civilized and refined court, namely, dramas of powerful influence, and elegiacs which might have been uttered by Tibullus sich were the marvels displayed before our eyes. And Woman! It is she who inspires the greater part of these masterpieces expressing the highest point of moral beauty, and who illustrates by her conjugal love, both heroic and pure, a theme embellished by Hindus in such variety that the fundamental idea is often overlaid by the multiplicity of varying circumstances. To-day, thanks to scholars like Jones, Wilson, Colebrooke, Max Müller, Bopp, Lassen, Weber, and many others, Sanskrit literature has become nearly classical in England and Germany. In France, the works of our learned writers on Indian subjects, Eugène Burnouf, Langlois, Ad. Regnier, Foucaux, Pavie, Fauche, and the strong impulse given, in the Académie de Stanislas, by Baron Dumast, and by Émile Burnouf and Leupol, are preparing for popular reading the masterpieces evolved on the banks of the Indus and the Ganges. Is it not, then, a favourable moment for calling attention to a literature eminently moralistic? Greece and Rome, hitherto acknowledged the only sources of classical perfection, have dried up. Some writers, doubtless, faithful to the principles of truth, beauty, and goodness, will immortalize the France of the nineteenth century, notwith-standing the fact that a suspicion to the contrary has been making itself felt. It was believed that everything grand and good in the human soul had already found expression, and what one might venture to call realism meant painting mankind in his most unworthy colours. In picturing his infirmities and causing him to see his image reflected in impure waters, will mankind thus be strengthened, benefited and elevated for his struggles? No! It is far better to offer him even the standard of a chimerical ideal! For the endeavour to attain the Divine standard means less deception than the relegation to that of the brute creation 1 Has not the time arrived, we repeat, to refresh ourselves from more life-giving and generous sources? And only India has the honour of affording such sources. There, a sense of duty dominating all affections, a feeling of respect for the family life, a love for one's neighbour, a charity, including even animals in its tender effusion, a spirit of sacrifice.
About The Book
Women in Ancient India: A Literary Study" by Clarisse Bader examines the diverse roles and representations of women in ancient Indian society. Through an analysis of literary texts, historical documents, and moral philosophies, Bader sheds light on the social, cultural, and religious contexts that influenced women's lives. She addresses themes such as marriage, education, and spirituality, highlighting both the challenges and contributions of women throughout history. By critically exploring these elements, the book aims to deepen understanding of women's significance in ancient India and challenge prevailing stereotypes in the discourse on gender and cultural heritage.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
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