The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c12.46

c12.46

The prohibition of *upanayana* amounted to spiritual disenfranchisement of women and produced a disastrous effect upon their general position in society. It reduced them to the status of Śūdras. We have seen how in the earlier age women could, if necessary, perform sacrifices all by themselves. But now Manu came forward to declare that a pious Brahmana should not attend a sacrifice, which is performed by women (IV, 205). There were many Śruti texts which clearly declared that the husband and the wife were to perform the Vedic sacrifices jointly. When the *upanayana* of women became a mere formality at about 200 B. C., there arose a school which advocated that wives should not be associated with their husbands even formally in the performance of Vedic sacrifices. It argued quite seriously that the references in sacred texts to the sacrificers in the dual number did not refer to the husband and the wife, but to the sacrificer and the priest (*P. M.*, VI, 1, 2, 2) !