I really wonder at the society's interpretation of the words like 'chastity','satitva' and 'patni dharma'...and the way it always focuses on a woman. Where does it say in our God's appearance and 'aacharan' that these words are confined to a woman. If we take a look at our 'tridev-Brahma and Saraswati are connected but exist independently of each other;Vishnu is lying on sheshnag and Lakshmi is sitting at the place where the source of energy is supposed to be present-the' mool chakra'; and Shiv is ardh narieshwar.Both of them equally important and are soul mates,aren't they?So this imbalance is is mainly in our minds,isn't it?
The word 'chasity 'means purity,'satitva' means being true to one's partner and dharm is maryada in its basic sense.Doesn't it relate to men as well?should they also not embody these traits for a greater society?
But the saddest fact of the matter is that we as woman are not completely blameless.If Mandodri, instead of trying to get the immortality for her evil husband,had asked for something to bring him back to the righteous path,wouldn't it have served her better?If Gandhari had to tried to curb Durodhan's nature and guided him to a better path,couldn't she saved her family from such devastation?
When I was watching 'india's daughter' the wife of the main accused states that he could not have done such a thing...there was no sign of remorse for her husband's heinous crime,no apology for a girl's suffering ,...she came across as nothing other than a wronged wife...what a travesty of human values .
Shruthi,the main difference between Sita and Mandodri is their valuation of themselves.When Janak comes with the swayamwar proposal,Sita agrees to it {even though she did have someone in her mind'}.Her conversation with Urmila about this shows her as a person of strong convictions.she scores as a daughter here.When she chooses to accompany Ram in his vanvass,she scores as a wife,At the ashok vatika she scores as woman who is able to survive in hostile conditions and yet manage to keep her self respect intact...When she leaves for the vanvass the second time,she scores as a queen...when she comes back to Ayodhya ...she scores as a mother and ultimately when she chooses to go back to mother earth,she scores as woman.
Mandodri is a step lower in all these aspects.May be that is why Sita is revered while Mandodri is pitied!
Savita
