The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c12.s1.10

c12.s1.10

gions. Such, for instance, was the case of Guttā, Anopamā and Sumedhā, who eventually became very famous preachers (*Therīgāthā*, 54, 56, 73). Jayantī, a daughter of king Sahasrānīka of Kauśāmbī, doffed her royal robe and became a devout nun, the moment her questions about the nature of the individual soul, the ideal of life, etc., were satisfactorily answered by Mahāvīra. Some ladies like Abhirūpā Nandā and Sumaṅgalā no doubt joined the Church as a welcome escape from household tyranny, but their number does not seem to have been large.