The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c8.53

c8.53

Motherhood therefore has been the cherished ideal of every Hindu woman. The birth of a son immediately heightens her status. Kisā Gautamī was not well treated for some time after her marriage ; things changed for the better the moment a son was born to her (*Thg.*, 63 and comm.). Devout prayer is offered in the marriage ritual that the couple may be blessed with sons and grandsons (X, 85, 42). Childlessness was regarded as a great misfortune¹, and every effort was made to overcome it. What a childless woman looks on, gods do not accept. India then needed more and more men and women to develop the country, and so the ideal was of a large family. The Vedic father was anxious for ten sons ; the number was reduced to eight in the Smṛiti period.