Sati Savitri

Manu said that a woman's dharma is to be mother, daughter, sister, and wife in service of men, regardless of the caste. In modern times, we call this patriarchy. In the Veda, the need to control and favor hierarchy is an expression of an anxious mind. Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain lore is full of tales where women do not let men define their dharma. In modern times, we call this feminism. In the Veda, the acceptance of a woman's choice is an expression of a wise and secure mind. While in Western myth, patriarchy is traditional and feminism is progressive, in Indian myth, both patriarchy and feminism have always co-existed in eternal tension through endless cycles of rebirth. Liberation, thus, is not a foreign idea. It has always been here. You have heard tales of patriarchy. This book tells you the other tales—the ones they don't tell you.