International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(5)

Sep-Oct 2020 |Available online: https://ijels.com/

Patriarchal Values of Indian womanhood and Its

Research Assistant (ICSSR), Department of English, Mahishadal Raj College, Vidyasagar, University, India

Abstract— Over the course of centuries Indian great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
continueto exert its pronounced impact upon shaping philosophic approach to Indian life on
religious,cultural and social levels. The innovative andImmortal creation of theiconic figures like Rama
and Krishna imparts strikingreligious and social stance to consolidate an enduring sense of moral
consciousness.The present paper on the contrary seeks to explore how classical Indian philosophyinsists
on defining Indian women as historically mute and socially oppressed subalternsubject under the
patriarchal supervision. Therefore, the paper shades light on identifying the stereotype Indian women with
Shakuntala whose womanhood is marked bycoyness,submissiveness and susceptibility. The prejudiced and
paralytic patriarchal legacy left behind by post Vedic period perpetuates its ideologically galvanised
exploitative encounter on thewomen.Though, neutralized in the wake of the globalization some extent the
partial centralization of patriarchal power and authority does not allow the voiceless a valid and vast
space to think independently of men in independent India.
Keywords— classical philosophy, womanhood, patriarchy and legacy.

Myth plays a critical role in shaping social, cultural and of king Dushyanta and his beloved Shakuntala, derived
religious ethics of a country .Mythicalrepresentation of from the Mahabharata. The patriarchal social order set in
ideal female characters like Sita, savitri and Shakuntala post Vedic period is extensively projected in Shakuntala.
attribute their social value and ideology to the The female protagonist Shakuntala including priyambada
perpetuation of hegemonic encounter upon the women of and Anusuya fall an innocent prey to the masculine
every subsequent centuries. Myth within and beyond India oppression in the play.
is generally held accountable for shaping socio-cultural Stereotype Indian women over centuries in Indian society
landscape of any country. Classical literary aesthetics are convey a close resemblance to the protagonist Shakuntala
enduringly contributory towards assigning the core whose ideal womanhood is traditionally marked by
constructional foundation to the cultural ethics. Mythical timidity and loyalty. With respect to this social value of
themes and ideal characters are instrumental effectively in women king Dushyanta says
operating the flawless intergenerational transmission of
“Hermit girls are by their very nature timid”. (Act-2)
conventionally set socio-cultural specifics. Key to the
perpetuation of mythical legacy correlates to valuing the Another commonplace female attributes of coyness and
myth as living embodiments of ideal, ideology and cultural politeness are conventionally set as imperative traits of
values. women. It becomes enduringly explicit in the words of the
king –
Kalidas is designated as most critically acclaimed classical
dramatist in Indian literary scenario. His magnum opus “when I was near,she could not look at me". (Act-2)
“Shakuntala” is an ever relevant and dynamic creation From classical period onwards female socializationrobs the
transcending the spatio-temporal specificity. The women of their economic autonomy. They look
character portrayal of Shakuntala adds to the play a rare compellingly dependant on men for their protection and
degree of literary exclusivity. The thematic essence advocacy. Themarriage of a woman is determined by the
revolving around the classical approach to Indian approval and disapproval of the patriarchal authority. In
Womanhood and patriarchal economy calls a critical response to the suggestion of Clown to marry Shakuntala,
attention. Shakuntala bykalidasa is a retelling on the story king, Dushyantaspells out –

ISSN: 2456-7620
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.55.17 1444
International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(5)
Sep-Oct 2020 |Available online: https://ijels.com/

“She is dependent on her father”. (Act-2) “Although some progress has been made, the basic
The root of this historical assumption about the treatment attitude of Indian society towards women has not changed”
of women is possibly tradeable back to the Mahabharata (2013:468).
wherein Gandhari's strict obedience to her father's Human life is subject to heterosexuality. The distinction of
prescriptive instruction paralysed her self -conscious sexual identity is not confined merely to the particularity of
assertion to deny the marriage with Dhritrasthra. human life. Nature inescapably invests all creatures with
Convetionaly a woman is exclusive of self-referentiality this physical attributes. So the inevitability of this sexual
because she is not free of husband in marital life and the plurality can hardly be contested by either of us. No one is
son during the physical infirmity. In A Vindication of the born male or female. Society regularises an ideological
Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft made a remark that bias to to define a female as not male right from the birth
patriarchy leads a woman to “a state of perpetual onwards. Concerning it ground-breaking feminist,Simon de
childhood. Insteada woman feels obliged to live up to the Beauvoir made a pronouncement:
restrictive moral confines. They have a steely “one is not born but becomes a woman “
determination to be a dutiful, caring, submissive and
Men and women are inseparably important units of a
devoted daughter and wife. The women traditionally
societycontributing correspondingly to the solidification of
devote their entire life to the service of their husbands and
a nation's backbone. But Indian women share a common
children. In A Roof of One's Own, Virginia Woolf argues
history of patriarchal oppression. Society on the common
“women have served all these centuries as looking ground of myth insists on defining Indian women as
glasses..... historically mute and socially oppressed subaltern subject
Reflecting the figure of man at twice its under the patriarchal supervision. Social and cultural
natural size” (1945:5). prejudices are still valued as a healthy moral framework
The degree of female merginalisation under the patriarchal within which ideal womanhood is evaluated. So the root of
supervision turns more prominent as Sharnagarava claims: this social hierarchy is so deeply embedded in our social
set up that the deprived and oppressed hardly afford to
“she is your wife
define the meaning of life beyond this prolonged and on
Husbands have power for good or ill going ideology. Regarding this prejudiced attitude towards
Over woman’s life”(Act-5). the women, I agree with de Beauvoir’s assertion that
women lack a “positive definition “. In The Second Sex
King Dushyanta’s denial to recognize Shakuntala as his
she claims:
wife anticipates the synonymous oppression of Rani in the
hand of her husband Alanna in Girish Kornad's “Humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself
Nagamandala.The critical patriarchal attitude towards but as relative to him......he is the subject;he is the Absolute
mythical characters like Sita and Shakuntala looks closely – she is the other “. (1988:16)
identical with the 20thcentury literary representation of But it is erroneous to some extent to hold the patriarchy as
stereotype Indian women Savitri in R K Narayana’s The completely accountable for perpetuation of the hegemonic
Dark Room (1938), Sarojini in Kamala Markandaya's A masculinity. They, in default of an enduring courage to
Silence of Desire (1963),Maya in Anita Desai's Cry the cope with,feel terribly scared and ashamed of exceeding
Peacock (1963), Saru in Sashi Despande's The Dark the boundaries of conventionally accepted socio-cultural
Holds No Terror. specifics. A strict moral obligation to confirm with a set of
The women over centuries areMaryWollstonecraft argues, ideologically embraced socio-cultural confines appears as
‘formed in a mould of folly and deprived of being a an obstacle to the constitution of homogenous female
rational creature “. Concerning it Indian great stance. According to Wollstonecraft, the overarching
philosopher Swami Vivekananda asserted that a woman drawback to the expression of self- reflectivity is the lack
“is the fox,but when she is no longer oppressed, she will of access to the education. The men tactfully attribute their
become a lion. The penetration of global economy into the ideology to systematic enslaving to uphold the masculine
remote areas of India has brought about a dramatic supremacy and deny their direct accountability. It is the
change to the social value of women in post-independence positive consent of women that allows the patriarchy to
Indian society. But regarding the partial rootedness of exert its authoritative subjectivity upon them.
patriarchal legacy,social scientist, Nadeem Hasnain The female rebellious response to the oppression
remarks: is as old as the patriarchy is.But they are devoid of justice
and equality for they look double-voiced and it splits the

ISSN: 2456-7620
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.55.17 1445
International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(5)
Sep-Oct 2020 |Available online: https://ijels.com/

uniformity of protest. The collective and unidirectional

CONCLUSION
Their active participation in multiple cultural,economic and
political interaction can elevate their indispensibility to an
exemplary height. They,even in the wake of globalization
can not respond to the hardly conquerable challenges of
escaping the legacy of epics after an epic struggle over
centuries. From 1947 onwards,the British raj is over but the
raj of Bankimchandra’s Rajmohan is not yet over in india.
The partial centralization of patriarchal power and
authority does not allow the voiceless a valid and vast
space to think independently of men in independent India.
The presence of ‘he’ within ‘she’, ‘male’ within ‘female’
and ‘man’ within ‘woman ‘ is well reflexive of symbolic
interdependence between the river and the rain. The men
and women are to be correspondingly engaged to
accelerate the economic competitiveness of a nation.

REFERENCES
[1] Chew, Shirley, A Concise Companion to Postcolonial
Literature, Wiley-Blackwell 2010
[2] De Beauvoir, Simon,The Second Sex, London, Jonathan
Cape 1953
[3] Hasnain, Nadeem, Indian Society and culture, JPD,New
Delhi 2013
[4] Ryan,Michael, The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural
Theory,Wiley-Blackwell 2011
[5] Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Vindication of the Rights of
Woman,London,Penguin 1992
[6] W.Ryder, Arthur, Shakuntala (originally byKalidas)
Cambridge, Ontario 1999

ISSN: 2456-7620
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.55.17 1446