Female marginalization in swasthani

Female marginalization in swasthani

meera sigdel

Eastern Devotee worship and commences Sri Swastahani Brata Katha from the full moon day of January upto a month telling the tales and reciting hymn “madan hare” every morning.The oldest or the most respected to the youngest gathers together in the house and bows down in front of the book to listen the mantra prayer in the sacred room, who recites the stories in a rhythmic tone.

Mainly Sri Swasthani Brata Katha is related with the devotion of parbati, the daughter of the Himalayan parbat, and her penance, fasting and prayer to the idol of shiva. Legends have said that only after prabati prayed to Goddess Swasthani she became lord Shiva’s consort. So, Sri Swasthani is regarded as the wish fulfilling mother goddess and all the people who performs its rites,it is said,will be blessed,washed of sins and cleansed of curses.But, rarely can it be seen the female respect in the story of women prayer to have husband “Mahadev”.Most of the cases from beginning to the end of this book, the female identity and prestige has been mockerized apart from the respect to parbati.Females history was made to be impossible and useless without male’s company. Moreover women have been taken as the luxurious instrument for male to enjoy, which in some extent directly or indirectly represented in the text. Dehumanization of female in the book shows the need of male’s company to preserve the property. So, the female are supposed to lack the decisive power even in the case of marriage and financial problems.

Throught the month, the devotees bathed in the holy and auspicious river of the capital, Shali Nadi and across the country with immersed offerings to bring together the parted relations, better conjugal life and improve dismal fortunes. There is one discourse “To have hundreds breads for self, eight for husband ,if not, for son, if also not ,for step son and then if there is no one to give they have offer to river and pray for wish fulfillment “.This discourse shows the better to offer the bread to river rather than to give daughter.

The next, discourse is that there should be a good disciplined a polite wife in every house to decorate, if not it destroys the image and blocks the way of Goddess Laximi. Moreover, there is a stereotypical concept, if women looks at her husband with anger she turns into squint-eyes, if she did not follow the husbands ways she turns into a sinful women, if she threatens husband she may be idiot and if she eats secretly she may be beach. Such low rank given to women, Swasthani Brata Katha does not include any misdeeds of male for female, rather puts her under the feet of submissive discourse.

Swasthani book emphasis upon the Deva’s valor who destroys the chastity of others wife. Story of Devas Bishnu and Jalandar’s intoxication with the charmful beauty of Brinda and prabati and their effort to destroy their chastity is an example of ill-will of male but even it shows their valor in the society. For instance, Jalandar disguises as lord shiva and devas Bishnu disguises sometimes as Jalandhar and sometimes as lord Shiva to destroy the chastity of the husband devotees.They had not been let any punishment against this crime rather they are praised for this trial.

As many discourses all in the story does not show any attention for the female identity and prestige, though the book itself is praiseworthy. Seven years old child Goma has been shown to be married with seventy years old shiva sharma in this book. So, here Swasthani teaches all male to exploit female physically and mentally or there is sexual exploitation of old against child.

There are also so many events to feel humiliation to female. By reading this book which only praises and focuses upon the physical beauty of women that is really a humiliating message for an intellect women who has not supposed to have sun- like charming body,moon-like face,elephant’s trunk-like limbs, foot like of Sabitri, tiger’s like waist, body like of kanchan and sweet sound. Overall, the book emphasis upon the beauty of women but is not matter for males context.

The book also shows the feeling of Mahadev towards his dedicated wife parbati. Once Mahadev was ready to sacrifice his wife to Rawan for feeling happiness with his devotion but parbati worships the deity of Shivaji on the sand ,so, the hords of devotee repeats this line.

Really, the book swasthani is against the domain of female psyche .Even now it focuses the violence and domination upon Nepalese women. The book does not resist against the virtuous death of Brinda with her husband rather it regards “husbands praise is the great religion”. It also focuses upon the tolerance of women ,the submissive, that they should not revolt against whatever violence, in which they are living.

So, it needs to redraw and bycutt some of the fabulous and humiliating message of female in Swasthani Brata Katha, there are not clearance of words in reciting upto now in twenty first century. Females are blindly following the tradition and superstitious notion and unangrily reading and reciting Swasthani book, so, women specialist should divert their attention to change the tradition.

Scientific events representing in the book also seems to be fabulous which is very hard to believe for the modern revolutioners. Give birth to Goddess with dung,cutting his head and give life with elephants head, Dachhaya prajapati’s consort Birani gives birth to thirty three millions daughter, lost Navaraj was found with the power of Swasthani Brata and booned to become a king of Lawanya Des; all of these fabulous events are hardly accepted. Story of Chandrawati, wife of Navaraj and her sufferings due to the disrespect of Goddess Swasthani and how she was again pardoned by the king Goddess after observing a month long fasting is also described in this book. The notion to have wish fulfillment by worshiping the males phallous is to strengthen the legacy of patriarchal society. In this way, this book regards male as superior and female as inferior second sex, so this book is the discriminating religious customs. Basically, this follows the long held ill-culture if it was move by holding its root, so it should be transformed and expand the slogan to bycott the tradition along with females participation.