Women and Marriage

-Jashmita Tanwar

Yatra naaryastu puujyante ramante tatra devataaH |

Yatraitaastu na puujyante sarvaastatraaphalaaH kriyaaH ||

This means that where a woman is respected, the place becomes God’s abode; It becomes a place of divine qualities, good deeds, peace, and harmony. However, if this is not done, then all the actions turn out to be fruitless.

As a teenager, I often get this thought: "What is marriage?" What does it deal with? "WHY DO INDIVIDUALS GET MARRIED?" Well, you will have multiple distinct answers to this, and if possible, you'll drag mythology into this argument, which won't be baseless. According to Google, "marriage is the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship (historically and in some jurisdictions specifically a union between a man and a woman"

But in many remote areas of our country, marriage is a book of restrictions for women, taking the burden off the shoulders of their families. We cannot deny the fact that in the 21st century as well, in many parts of our country, a girl child is considered a burden for the family, whereas a boy child is an embryo of pride. The parents who are bound by the narrow-minded models of community don't even let their daughters get mature and fly high; Unfortunately, they push them to get married so that they can call off from their duties. Sometimes mythology itself supports this approach, conveying in India's oldest law book, called Manusmriti, that "if a father dies without getting his daughter married, he will be cursed by the gods."

It is considered that once a girl gets married, she won't stay responsible for her father but will be dependent on her husband and his family.

But why do women need to depend on a man for their lives?

Because of this perspective, many individuals have gone for the option of child marriage, which is now a crime, but still, we can witness this exercise in classes with less financial strength and a primitive thought process.

While focusing on the facts and figures, 40% of the world’s 60 million child marriages take place in India, according to the National Family Health Survey 2022. India has the 14th highest rate of child marriage in the world, according to the International Center for Research on Women. not only in India but throughout the developing world, including parts of Oceania, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Why? Do these women have lives, or are they just regarded as products to be used and thrown away?

Women are not allowed to leave the house; they are not allowed to get an education; their judgments and choices are not considered, and they are expected to be repeated in this patriarchal society.

Many times, the families are so eager to get away from their daughters that they refuse to communicate with the groom and his family; for them, it's just a pact where they'll offer their offspring and be free from their burdens, as well as from all their relationships with their daughters. And this results in cases of domestic violence, spoiled marriages, marital rapes, and many other crimes that we don't even consider crimes in marriage.

In mythology, women are worshipped as deities or goddesses, but at the same time, we don't admire our daughters, sisters, wives, and other women around us.

Women are the major element that shapes this society. The woman is the operator of this Earth. If there were no women, there would not be a civilization called the human race. If a woman gets the opportunity, she will win the world. The ones who snatched the opportunity from the hands of this cruel world are shining like stars.

Turn on Google and search for the list of successful women in the world; these will be the ones who fought for their rights, freedom, opportunities, and acceptance. A woman is not just burdened with the responsibilities of a daughter, wife, or mother; she can also become Maa Kali when it comes to injustice and crime; she can take the form of Maa Kushmanda when it comes to the creation of the world, and she can turn to Maa Saraswati when it comes to learning and education.