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Some great women, due to the strength of their purity or
Pathivrathatva have been able to defy the laws of nature. For the uninitiated, here are some stories of the greatest of pathivratas.
Sathi Anasuya Devi: The wife of Maharishi Atri, one of the saptarishis, was able to transform the scheming trinity, i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva into infants, to serve them food in the nude. Anasuya is quoted in the Ramayana to have presented Sita Devi with the robe that will never tear or get dirtied, she was said to have done severe penance thereby making the River Mandakini flow to assuage a great famine that hit the world (India).
Sathi Savithri: The wife of Sathyavan, who was destined to die very young, is extolled for her great virtue and penance so much as to defy death or Lord Yama thereby resurrecting him.
Sathi Arundathi Devi: The wife of the sage Vashishta, one of the seven sages who are identified with the Ursa Major. She is identified with the star Alcor which forms a double star system with Mizar (identified as Vashishta Maharishi) in Ursa Major. Arundhathi, though the wife of Rishi Vashishta, is accorded the same status as the seven seers and is worshiped with them as such. It is an important ritual in most south Indian marriages for the bride to be shown the Arundhathi Nakshatram by her husband soon after mangalyadharanam. It has been found that the stars Alcor (Arundhathi) and Mizar (Vashishta) revolve around each other the ideal for way for husband and wife to be.
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Sathi Sita Devi: Wife of Rama, The Godhead, abducted by Ravana the Asura King. It is said that she moved the Shiva Dhanush with her left hand as a 10 year old. She could have easily killed Ravana with a single blow. But she preferred to wait for her husband Ram to free her. To protect her husband’s honor she walked through fire and yet was banished in the jungle for no fault of hers. This learned and brave maiden walked through fire unharmed. The earth opened up to swallow her on her command was it because she was the consort of Lord Vishnu? Or was she the ultimate pathivrata.
Sathi Panchaali: Born from the sacrificial altar, Yagnaseni, the wife of the Pandavas. The myth goes that she was married to 5 brothers, was still accorded the status of a Sathi, i.e. the pure one. It is said In the Mahabharatha that when she was dis robed in the Kaurava Mahasabha, her robe kept increasing in length, thereby rendering her safe from lustful eyes. The story goes that Krishna performed the feat of protecting a pure and devoted Souls’ dignity. She was the owner of a vessel that would never empty of food cooked in it with which she fed the Pandavas and several other forest dwellers from. Draupadi is said to have pioneered schools in the jungles for the children of the forest dwellers. In no way do these incidents sound like the deeds of a helpless woman in exile.
These great women were as pious and able as the Rishis of the yore, yet we know them for being the devoted wife and not an intelligent and erudite individual. They absolutely grasped the actuality of existence on earth. Could the Sathi have been a step ahead of being just a devoted wife, who followed the footstep of their husbands till the end? If that were the case the big question is where are the pathivratas in this day and time as we know it.
Rise on Mahasathis, time has come for the people of this country to do away with the moral vacuum that is prevalent in the current days. Let us march in search of our lost ancient knowledge.
I appeal to all my fellow countrymen to look at a woman in all her glory.
Some great women, due to the strength of their purity or
Pathivrathatva have been able to defy the laws of nature. For the uninitiated, here are some stories of the greatest of pathivratas.
Sathi Savithri: The wife of Sathyavan, who was destined to die very young, is extolled for her great virtue and penance so much as to defy death or Lord Yama thereby resurrecting him..jpg/220px-Ramabhadracharya_Works_-_Painting_in_Arundhati_(1994).jpg)
Sathi Arundathi Devi: The wife of the sage Vashishta, one of the seven sages who are identified with the Ursa Major. She is identified with the star Alcor which forms a double star system with Mizar (identified as Vashishta Maharishi) in Ursa Major. Arundhathi, though the wife of Rishi Vashishta, is accorded the same status as the seven seers and is worshiped with them as such. It is an important ritual in most south Indian marriages for the bride to be shown the Arundhathi Nakshatram by her husband soon after mangalyadharanam. It has been found that the stars Alcor (Arundhathi) and Mizar (Vashishta) revolve around each other the ideal for way for husband and wife to be..
Sathi Sita Devi: Wife of Rama, The Godhead, abducted by Ravana the Asura King. It is said that she moved the Shiva Dhanush with her left hand as a 10 year old. She could have easily killed Ravana with a single blow. But she preferred to wait for her husband Ram to free her. To protect her husband’s honor she walked through fire and yet was banished in the jungle for no fault of hers. This learned and brave maiden walked through fire unharmed. The earth opened up to swallow her on her command was it because she was the consort of Lord Vishnu? Or was she the ultimate pathivrata.
Sathi Panchaali: Born from the sacrificial altar, Yagnaseni, the wife of the Pandavas. The myth goes that she was married to 5 brothers, was still accorded the status of a Sathi, i.e. the pure one. It is said In the Mahabharatha that when she was dis robed in the Kaurava Mahasabha, her robe kept increasing in length, thereby rendering her safe from lustful eyes. The story goes that Krishna performed the feat of protecting a pure and devoted Souls’ dignity. She was the owner of a vessel that would never empty of food cooked in it with which she fed the Pandavas and several other forest dwellers from. Draupadi is said to have pioneered schools in the jungles for the children of the forest dwellers. In no way do these incidents sound like the deeds of a helpless woman in exile.These great women were as pious and able as the Rishis of the yore, yet we know them for being the devoted wife and not an intelligent and erudite individual. They absolutely grasped the actuality of existence on earth. Could the Sathi have been a step ahead of being just a devoted wife, who followed the footstep of their husbands till the end? If that were the case the big question is where are the pathivratas in this day and time as we know it.
It remains then to conclude that women today are not devoted to their husbands and don’t love them as much as the mythical Sathi. Are all the women today of tainted character, who have no comprehension of the pathivrata dharma. The truth remains that even in this modern day, of “chat shaadi phat talaq”, most women have deep rooted sensibilities and sense of right and wrong that they can actually pass off for “Pathivrathas of the Kaliyug”.
It makes us wonder as to how one gets to become a pathivrata. A half of the female population in India would be proud “Masters in Pathivrathatva” degree holders from the Indian Institute of pathivrathatva, with anxious parents thronging colleges that offer such a diploma had that been the case.
We as a society do not give much importance to the power of the human mind. Anything beyond the dull routine has to be a miracle and what more, Godly or divine. It has to be based on the purity of the person typically so in the case of a woman. If one were to look closely at all the instances in our mythology, these great women were not in any way lesser to their male counterparts and in many cases the rishis were emancipated and exalted because of their respective wives. Then, the distinction between the male and female scholars pales out.
When one understands that the soul is formless and has no boundaries, we are beyond the physical realm thereby making the whole idea of bodily limitations null and void. It is easy then to see that the so called pathivrathatva is a by-product of great wisdom and not vice versa.
Now for those who are wondering as to the whole point of this blog, I can only say that the time has come for us to realize the lost potential of this great country. We must look beyond confines of orthodoxy and begin to live like Mahasathis and Maharishis of our country.
It makes us wonder as to how one gets to become a pathivrata. A half of the female population in India would be proud “Masters in Pathivrathatva” degree holders from the Indian Institute of pathivrathatva, with anxious parents thronging colleges that offer such a diploma had that been the case.When one understands that the soul is formless and has no boundaries, we are beyond the physical realm thereby making the whole idea of bodily limitations null and void. It is easy then to see that the so called pathivrathatva is a by-product of great wisdom and not vice versa.
Now for those who are wondering as to the whole point of this blog, I can only say that the time has come for us to realize the lost potential of this great country. We must look beyond confines of orthodoxy and begin to live like Mahasathis and Maharishis of our country.
It is plain to see that the Mahasathis were all great scientists of their times. What the masses call "Alchemy", was nothing but advanced science beyond our comprehension. Covering it under the the veil of pathivrathatva has only achieved the loss of such wisdom. Head back to the days when diseases were unheard of and herbs, shrubs, and sometimes even mud and water could cure illnesses, if need be.
Rise on Mahasathis, time has come for the people of this country to do away with the moral vacuum that is prevalent in the current days. Let us march in search of our lost ancient knowledge.
I appeal to all my fellow countrymen to look at a woman in all her glory.
- As the all pervading mother
- The ever understanding sister;
- The loving spouse
- The trusting daughter
