BRAHMAVADINI (WOMEN SCHOLAR) SERIES: LOPAMUDRA:MARRIAGE FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

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Brahmavadini was the title credited to women scholars, who committed their lives to the quest for information and the investigation of the Vedas. Some were unmarried, living as religious zealots and autonomous of their dads, siblings or male partners. They were paragons of scholarly capability, normal way of thinking and otherworldly illumination. They were Rishikis-female sages by their own doing and were loved as educators, specialists and scholars.

In the early Vedic time of Indian history, around 1500-500 BC, ladies’ schooling was given equivalent need, notwithstanding the predominant inclination of conceiving children in each family. An enormous number of youngsters got both artistic and social schooling.The Sacred Thread function, called Upanayana, Janeau or Poita, was given to the two young ladies and young men of all stations at seven years old. Post this function, youngsters were owned up to Vedic instructive organizations otherwise called Gurukuls. A significant number of these gurukuls rehearsed co-instruction. In any case, with the appearance of ladies instructors, called Upadhyayanis, there were likewise a rising number of instructive establishments devoted to young ladies seeking advanced education.

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The story of one such Brahmavadini is of Lopamudra, the wife of Agastya saint. Their story exemplifies how even the sages had to resort to householder methods towards the final goal of mukti. and this is also how the ridiculed sexual associations which are considered as deterant to one’s spiritual progress is used as a ladder towards liberation. The sexual fulfilment between husband and wife elevates them to higher levels of spiritual progress through transcendence and the joint evolution of both.

Lopamudra was the wife of Rishi Agastya. She was a well known female philosopher. She visualized the “Panchadasi” mantra of the Sakta tradition of Hinduism. Together with her husband, she became a teacher of the Lalitashasranama hymns listing the thousand names of the Divine Mother, Devi Shakti. She wrote a hymn of 6 verses in the Rig Veda, titled Rati Love. The hymn emphasizes the importance of sexual fulfilment in marriage as a means to attaining both immortality and spiritual enlightenment.

Sage Agastya had crossed Vidhya mountains on his excursion to south and he passed by Vidarbha district. He requested the lord of Vidarbha the hand of his little girl to marry her. Since the ruler was childless he answered Agastya that he could not grant his wish. Listening to this, Sage Agastya made a wonderful kid young lady out of timberland plants, birds, and other beings. Since the youngster was made by the loss( lopa) of most lovely components ( mudra) of the birds and beings, she was called Lopamudra

Lopamudra was given to King Vidarbha, she was raised at the ruler’s royal residence where she turned out to be knowledgeable in scriptural information. As Lopamudra grew up, Agastya went to the lord of Vidarbha to request her hand in marriage. Lopamudra concurred and wedded Agastya. The marriage of Lopamudra implied a move from the extravagances (of the royal residence) to the cruel real factors of the isolation. However, Lopamudra couldn’t have cared less about it as she was a loyal spouse who played out her obligations toward her significant other. Notwithstanding, Sage Agastya didn’t give a lot of consideration to her. This was when disheartened Lopamudra made a poem for Agastya helping him to remember his commitments to his significant other. From that point, Agastya became mindful of his disregard of his better half and really focused on her and cherished her.

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In the Mahabharata, composed over a thousand years after the Rig Veda, Lopamudra’s story is elaborated. Here, she is a princess who refuses to give Agastya children until he gives her a house, jewellery and cosmetics and comes to her as a man worthy of her. So, Agastya goes on many adventures to gather wealth for his wife. Here, it is the duty of a man to satisfy all desires of a woman, for she will bear and raise his children. Without her, he cannot have children and so cannot repay debt to his ancestors. To produce happy children, he needs to ensure that she is happy.

Thus, Lopamudra & Agastya’s story reminds us not to make our marriages an obstacle to our spiritual evolution but how the consummated marriage can be a wonderful route to spiritual liberation and mukti if both partners can evolve and grow spiritually together.