Book Review: Ahalya - Restoring women's voices in Hindu Mythology, and otherwise
A Book Reflection on the first of five in Koral Dasgupta's Sati Series where she retells our ancient stories as they should, from a woman's perspective.
Before I sat to pen down this book reflection, I happened to be rotting in bed, scrolling on Instagram, procrastinating. It was then that I came across a reel in which a doctor was admonishing a famous Bollywood actress for choosing to have a child at the age of 38.
He asked his audience, “Is it right for her to have a child at this age?”
He then proceeded to state that it is infact, not okay. His reasons for this statement, are purely medical, he argued with several women in the comments. It is a big risk for the mom and baby. It was as though we poor women did not already know that having a child, at any age could be risky and we needed a man with a fancy degree to enlighten us, all while passing his judgement on when we should be making the life altering decision.
Several women had the same problems I did. They felt that medical professionals should caution, not threaten and reassure them that medical care is advanced enough to ensure their health whenever they choose to give birth. Some of them were downright enraged, and I don’t blame them.
But whenever women try to logically explain our emotions or opinions, we are always faced with the same responses from our male counterparts and elders. On this post, men were calling women crazy for objecting a doctor because his opinion did not match our “feminist agenda”. The doctor himself responded with very disrespectful language, rebuking the opinion of female gynaecologists in the comments.
Another case came to mind. In West Bengal, a woman was beaten with a bat in the middle of the street for “allegedly” cheating on her husband. Mind you, this claim was unproven. But a mob of men watched silently, as one of them, mercilessly beat her. I chose to leave a comment, reminding people of the unproven claim, stating that it is for the court to deliver justice and not the public.
The outcome?
I got called a whore, ofcourse, by an anonymous man.
At least the protagonist of this book, got turned into a stone, for much larger allegations. Looking at all that we have to deal with on the daily, I would rather be turned into one too.
About Ahalya
Koral Dasgupta’s Ahalya, is the first instalment in her five part Sati Series. She uses this series to retell the stories of the Panch Kanyas of Hindu Mythology, namely Ahalya, Kunti, Draupadi, Mandodari and Tara. There are also the Panch Satis of Hindu Mythology, namely Sita, Sati, Savitri, Damyanti and Arundati. Some texts merge the two and the distinctions only arose due to popular beliefs and translations during different eras.
A school of thought defines ‘Sati’ as women’s unconditional devotion and dependence on their men. These women are known as loyal followers, strongly supporting the vision of their men and selflessly helping them overcome social and emotional challenges. They are known as sacrificing, yet invincible in their pursuits, holding positions of power and supremacy.
Ahalya, the first Kanya, is the daughter of the Hindu God of Creation, Bramha.
The story goes that he created her to be without the genetic influence of a mothers’s womb, and therefore, to be a father’s vision. After she was born, he sent her to Earth to live with Maharishi Gautam as her guardian. Gautam was a devoted sage, talented in the art of healing and known for his knowledge of human anatomy. When Ahalya came of age, Bramha directed her to marry Gautam, the same man who had been her guardian for years. She was, like us all, shocked, but eventually gave in to the God’s ruling.
Guided by the forces, Gautam and Ahalya built a pleasant conjugal life together after getting past the initial strife. One evening, Lord Indra, infatuated by Ahalya since her inception, takes over Gautam’s consciousness and spends the night with her. Gautam wakes up distraught, curses Lord Indra and blames Ahalya for letting desire ruin his life’s mission. She could not fathom that her midnight partner was anyone but Gautam. Without listening to or grasping her reasoning, he turns her into a stone, to wither away, until her penance is delivered by Lord Rama, hero of the Ramayana, a thousand years hence. She is revered till date as a model Hindu wife.
The Reflection
When I read stories arising from Hindu mythology, I often take them with a grain of salt. I don’t relate to them. Maybe this is because most of our epics are written by men. In them, men are depicted as heroes with complex narratives and challenges. The women are either their selfless supporters, enchantresses or scorned into hatred. Only the supporters are given their due respect and afforded some power in these stories.
But then what is so shocking? Hasn’t power always made its best attempts to uproot voices?
There are many women authors who have beautifully taken up the task of giving a voice to the female characters in these epics. They talk about the woman’s mindset and what complex emotions they may have been going through. Did they want what their men had wanted or were they just trying to make the best of the cards they were dealt with? Was the support and sacrifice really unconditional or a result of conditioning?
Ahalya is not born from mortal parents, she is hence, devoid of any consciousness or teachings that may arise from such a birth. Put simply, her will is free.
She is reminded several times of her free will, by Bramha himself and the natural elements she is able to communicate with. They tell her how she has a larger purpose than an existence mingled with earthly suffering, what that purpose is though, they do not specify.
Having given her a sense of freedom, they then bind this powerful woman crafted by the God of Creation into marriage. Marriage to a sage no less, who believes that he personifies the opposite of desire. And so, another woman is blindsided into the duties of running a home and limited in her movements to that of her husband.
As a woman, I could see the impact of these stories from our epics on to our society and how they still dictate the lives of women today. Ever since the feminist movement has come into play, women have started demanding more rights. In India, as like the rest of the world though, this just means added responsibility. She has to bring in an income while solely running the household and being a primary caretaker for any elders or children. South East Asian women are often more qualified or skilled than their male counterparts but our culture forces them to uproot their lives and move in with the families of their partners post marriage.
Our society raises independent, fierce women, only to use “culture” to bind us, just like Ahalya was to Gautam’s hermitage. Not unlike Ahalya, many of us also do not have the freedom to choose our partners or are manipulated to choose partners that will benefit our family’s social standing and status. This is mostly rooted in male and caste ego. Bramha could not bear that his creation, a woman, could invoke and sway Lord Indra.
The manipulation extends to other aspects of our lives. Society seems to be obsessed, as mentioned before, with how we choose to live our lives and when we have kids. The judgement and manipulation presents itself clearly in the book, as evidently as it presents itself in our lives.
When Ahalya visits a village with Gautam, the villagers judge her for leaving her marital home and traversing with her husband to aide him in his work. The truth as written by Koral is, she finds no purpose in rotting at home, choosing to be of help to society and her husband, if nothing else. It is only after days of work and healing them that their perceptions shift.
In the same village, Ahalya is shown kindness by a pregnant woman. Ahalya places her thoughts to the woman. Her marriage is devoid of both love and desire, her husband treats her like a chore and has SA-d her when she had no knowledge of what it meant.
The woman gave her answer, a classic that the older generation of our society uses to calm us down in the face of adversity or injustice.
The woman forgives. The ones that cause them pain, the ones that wreck their peace, the ones who are harsh and merciless, those who suppress their voices forcefully are all belittled by the woman’s power to pardon.
We are supposed to be above judgement, yet forgive anyone who hurts us and walk away calmly. It is power, but at what cost? In many instances, it is at the cost of women’s self worth and health.
What everyone preaches though, Ahalya practices.
Koral’s protagonist shows us that the best course of actions is closing your ears and diligently doing the work you want to do. Perceptions will change when you realise your own worth. Not listening to anyone may be viewed as rebellion, but if your ears are closed, you will never hear what they call you anyways.
Women need to hear and be a part of reconstructing their side of history and the epics. It is only then that we will know how to counter the cards we are dealt with true strength and agency. It is upto us to break the conditioning of generations and not allow these archaic stereotypes to shape the narratives of our lives.
We are so much more than selfless supporters, enchantresses or hated beasts.
In the end, Ahalya could clearly see her strength and her husband’s ego. Her perceptions and clarity in life were far greater than the man who is remembered as one of the SaptaRishis or Seven Great Sages in Hindu Mythology.
She is the only alleged adulteress, who is respected as an ideal Indian woman, all because she held her ground. I know she was a stone and had no choice, yes, but still. And maybe we should too.
Or be turned into stones, I still feel that is the most viable (and comfortable) option.
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I am Sim, an Indian writer, poet and artist who ruminates and rumbles over everything I consume. I have claimed this corner of the internet to give a voice to my thoughts and have engaging conversations about a variety of subjects like books, films, pop culture, culture and movements. If you like my writing, do consider signing up to my newsletter (blog!). I post every Tuesday, and my pieces are currently free to read!
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