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RESPECT AND PROTECTION 3
combinedly prosecute the affairs of family life without
impediment. 1
One of the important duties of women was to abide by
scriptures, follow the religious tenets and teach the word of
God to the children. Such pious ladies have been glorified
throughout scriptures. Women were honored as upholders
of moral standards and spiritual practices.
Undeniably, women in traditional cultures were restricted (in
order to offer them proper protection), and were expected
to be reserved and submissive. Nevertheless, in Vedic
culture, dignified womanhood has always been revered as a
manifestation of the divine feminine nature. Pristine Vedic
society recognized that genuine civilization can exist only
where chaste, dutiful women are protected, respected, and
cared for well. Women are to be especially honored for their
irreplaceable contribution as mothers.
In Vedic culture one of the most oft-quoted sayings about
women is mātṛ-devo bhava: “Be one for whom the mother is a
god.” Every woman except one’s own wife should be treated as
2
one’s mother. As Śrīla Prabhupāda often quoted (from Cāṇakya
Paṇḍita), mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: “One should consider another’s
wife to be one’s mother.” 3
Another famous maxim is:
yatra nāryas tu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ
yatraitās tu na pūjyante sarvās tatrāphalāḥ kriyāḥ
1. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.27.2, purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
2. Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.1.20.
3. See e.g. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.9.4, purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda.