The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c6.8

c6.8

The available evidence shows that in India too in early times the daughter was not as welcome as the son. The latter was preferred to the former even in the Indo-Iranian age¹. The same was the case in the Vedic period. The Atharvaveda contains charms and rituals to ensure the birth of a son in preference to that of a daughter (III, 23 ; VI, 11). The latter's birth, however, was not a source of consternation to the family in the Vedic and Upanishadic ages. Nay, we find one of the early Upanishads recommending a certain ritual to a householder for ensuring the birth of a scholarly daughter (*Brih. Up.*, VI, 4, 27). It is true that this ritual did not become as popular as the Puṁsavana one, prescribed for procuring the birth of a son ; but it clearly shows that cultured parents were often as anxious for daughters as they were for sons. Some thinkers have even pointed out that a talented and well behaved daughter may be better than a son (*Saṁ. Nik.*, III, 2, 6). In cultured circles such a daughter was regarded as the pride of the family². In lower sections of society where the custom of the brideprice prevailed, the birth of a daughter must have been a welcome event; we have, however, no literature preserved reflecting their views.