Sita and Draupadi – Epitome of feminism and womanhood

Indian mythology is a set of unique stories of heroes and superheroes, of demons and kings, of prince and princess, of Lords and Gods. An interesting point to muse about is that the greatest epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata actually revolve around two powerful women – Sita and Draupadi respectively. Everyone knows these battles of the good versus bad occurred centring to these two powerful women divas in their respective epics. I call them divas because history has it that both of them were extremely beautiful and powerful in their own ways!

With the upcoming trend of blogs, every other article on the social media is women centric. So, why not learn some lessons from these epitome of feminism and womanhood? Quite distinctly, both of them are unique in their mannerisms. Both of them have undergone immense humiliation and struggles, the reaction and confrontation to the humiliation is however different.

An important part of this underlying discussion, I feel, is the realisation that both these princesses had to suffer humiliation, protests and struggles which is so resonate with all of us. Each one of us has a story to tell and each of us is unique. Life is certainly not a bed of roses – it was not then; it is not now for modern women and probably it never will be. So, instead of focusing on the issues, more and more focus should be on the problem solving and self –introspection.

The Sita Approach: Humbleness, patience and tolerance is what Sita embodies. Her silence and tolerance is often mistaken for weakness. However, a detailed introspect into the scheme of things would make you appreciate her inner strength. Her complete and whole hearted devotion to Shri Rama is inspiring. It definitely needs courage to step out of one’s comfort zone and devote one’s fourteen years of life to someone.

Nothing could shatter her faith in Shri Rama not even the atrocities of the Demon King. Furthermore, she showed signs of undeniable courage when she accepted to give ‘agni-pariksha’ to prove her innocence. Furthermore she pledged that she would go back to Mother Earth (where she had come from) post that. This is by far an important lesson that we as women need – to be able to voice our own opinions and stand affirmatively. Furthermore, Sita is one of the very first and few mentions of a single mother who raised her children.

Being Polite does not rule out the possibility of being FIRM. My take from her – Persistence, Belief and Self-Confidence.

The Draupadi Approach: Draupadi on the other hand has been pictured as a strong lady – always on a revolting mode. If you delve deeper into her life, you may read that she barely had any childhood. Her father Drupada, king of Panchala, created her with the sole purpose of destroying the Kuru household. She was fierce and strong. She revolted when things were unfair and had a mind of her own. While there are a lot of controversies around her, she definitely teaches us to have the courage to speak out. Her devotion to Lord Krishna and purity at heart won her Lord Krishna’s confidence that proved to be a saviour during crisis.

Being firm and having one’s mind is important. Furthermore, we should at all times be wise in using the words that we use.

In my opinion both these women are strong personalities. Although they are strikingly different, the common string underlying is the firmness and patience. Once should introspect and identify one’s characteristics. Some people are born humble and polite while others may be born leaders and stern personalities. Having a mind of one’s own and reacting as per personality traits is important. To me it is not Sita versus Draupadi. Rather, it is all about understanding oneself and reacting accordingly. Controversies surround both of them and we may at length talk about the pros and cons of these power packed women. What is really helpful is to pick up the positivity and get inspired! Be Bold, be strong, do not shy away from speaking your mind.