Hindu Administrative Institutions c6.s4.40

c6.s4.40

The *gṛhastha* is said to be the key-stone of the social arch and the housewife (गृहिणी) as the main-stay of *dharma*, the life and soul of *sat-karma* and *sadāchāra*. The house-holder enjoys wealth (*artha*) and desire (*kāma*), and adopts life (*pravṛttimārga*) not with the fever of ambition to scramble for gold, but with a good conception of duty (*dharma*) and ultimate release (*mokṣa*) as the ideal. He has to look upon wealth as a trust. He keeps an open door for the guests. He performs daily the five sacrifices *pañcha-mahā-yajña* to redeem himself from the debts he owes to his ancestors, sages and the gods. There are prohibitory injunctions for dressing, sleeping, marrying and living. He is to observe the various purifying ceremonies (*saṃskāras*) enjoined on him by the *Śāstras*. Women are the very queens of the household and are to be duly honoured; without honouring them, says Manu, one could not increase the prosperity of the family. If women grieve under any difficulty the family itself perishes.¹ This is proof positive to show how it is a mistake to regard that women in ancient India held a low position in the social scale. To call it slavery is, an illusion, born of prejudice rather than of ignorance.