The Hindu Ideals of Man and Woman

According to Hindu, “Marriage is not a contract; it is the reunion of two souls.” Many

people, nowadays, still believe that marriage is a big life-time commitment of two people to each

other; it is a responsibility of the given opportunity of love. Connecting it to the Hindu ideals of

man and woman, of course, a woman is wishing to be married to an ideal man and on the other

hand, a man is also wishing to marry to an ideal woman. In Hindu religion, there are these ideal

characteristics for every men and women that are expected for them to show. As we have

discussed in our class and as I’ve read some articles, these ideals characteristics are greatly

shown by the characters of some of the famous stories in India; some of these are the characters

from the two of most great epics of India, Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The Ideal Man

Rama, the main protagonist of the epic, Ramayana, is referred to be as an ideal man. He

is the seventh reincarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. In the epic, it is clearly seen that Rama is

a kind of man who shows excellence in his duties as a prince and as a warrior. Also, he is a very

brave and courageous man who is not afraid to fight demons and evils. He is regarded also as a

selfless man who is very thoughtful and kind. An obedient son that even though his father

father’s wish is against to him, he still obeys it. A very loving man to his family. A devoted and

protected husband to his wife, Sita. A very respectful man and when it comes to physical aspects,

he is a physically fit and strong man.

The Ideal Woman

Sita of Ramayana, some know women of Mahabharata, and Shakuntala are regarded as

the ideal women of Hindu religion.

Sita, being a not materialistic, brave, determined, faithful, devoted, strong-willed, and

physically fit wife of Rama, made her regarded as a Hindu ideal of woman.

I’ve read an article that a Hindu ideal woman knows and should take care of even a little

garden for her to water the plants. Also, she should have love for animals. This instances shows

that a Hindu ideal of woman being close to the nature. In the story of Shakuntala, the main

protagonist, who is an adopted daughter of a hermit, is said to be a nature lover and this

characteristic of her made her an ideal woman. There’s a passage in the story wherein Shakuntala

is about to leave the hermitage and it seems that the plants and trees which she used to water are

in mourn of her departure. Also, the deer fro the hermitage is also seems to be weeping of her

departure. This only shows how a nature lover Shakuntala is. It seems that these non-talking

living creatures are admiring her so dearly and this is what truly makes her an ideal woman.

Savitri from Mahabharata is also regarded as an ideal woman. She’s the woman who

followed and conquered death to bring back her husband. Her braveness and her wit made her as

one of an ideal woman.

As an addition of the characteristics of a Hindu ideal woman shown by some characters

from Hindu epics and story, I’ve read some articles that also talk about many characteristics of

Hindu ideals of woman.

These articles identified that the Hindu ideals of woman being: one who walks in maiden

sweetness with innocence in her mind, and modesty on her cheek; her hands should seek for

employment/work and her foot does not delight in idle wandering abroad; she would be clothed
with neatness; she is fed with temperance and should be humble and meek enough; she should

have the decency in her words; she should walk with prudence and work with virtue; her eyes

should speak softness and love; she should presides in the house and there is peace; and, caring

the family should be her delight.

As an ideal woman became a mother and a wife, she should know her duties: she should

be skillful in household affairs; devoted to her husband; should also view her husband as her first

of friends; also, she should be the root of religion, profit, and desire; root of salvation; can

perform religious acts; can lead domestic lives; she should informs the minds of her children

with wisdom; in adversity, she heals the wounds of fortune with patience; in prosperity, she is

not puffed up; and, should be a responsible one.

Conclusion

Pondering on the characteristics of the given characters from some of the famous epics

and story on India, and list of characteristics given by the various articles about the Hindu ideals

of man and woman, people can say that this kind of ideals, does not only exist in this religion – it

also do exist in the many minds of people. Even non-Hinduist people are also looking for this

kind of men and women. Of course, many women are surely looking for a man like Rama and

many men are probably looking for a woman like Sita, Savitri, or Shakuntala. Another thing also

is that non-Hinduist people have what they called as “standard” in choosing their partner. This

phenomenon of having standard for choosing partner is unavoidable but then, for some instances,

these standards set by them are disobeyed due to some reasons. The difference of Hindu ideals of

man and woman from the standard of non-Hinduist people is that the Hindu ideals are in the

accordance of the Hindu religion and beliefs that shouldn’t be disobeyed because of their belief
in karma and of their belief that the Hindu god of death, Yama, will surely take the souls of those

who would disobeyed from these Hindu ideals.

Connecting this Hindu ideals of man and woman to the sanctity of Hindu marriage, of

course, a Hindu man wouldn’t mind choosing and marrying a woman who isn’t ideal for being a

true Hindu woman because it would bring shame and dirt on his name. A Hindu woman, on the

other side, wouldn’t mind also to be married to a man who cannot support or cannot love and

take care of her in return. These ideals are of much importance and should be obeyed as dictated

by the religion and their belief.

 Afro-Asian Literature
An Occasional Paper on

The Ideal Man and Woman of Hinduism

Submitted By:

Rocillo, Michelle G.
11-14 BSE English

Submitted To:

Prof. Ruth Alido