The Ferocious Tale Of Gargi

When we talk about the philosophers in India, all we can remember are the famous personalities of Indian mythology including Buddha, Adi Sankara, and Nagarjuna. But seldom do we talk of the ferocious female philosophers who belonged to the ancient Indian era. Gargi Vachaknavi, an Indian sage, and philosopher, known for her ferocious attitude and unlimited knowledge, was the first female scholar in India.

Gargi: When a woman became a scholar; Image Source: Devvrat Yoga Sangha

Gargi in a court of scholars; Image Source: Pinterest

Living in the millennial era, it is hard not to have been affected by the feminist movement at some point in your life. Though this concept was not quite popular during the days of yore, some females represented the entire concept of feminism quite aptly. One such female emerging from the depths of mythology was Rishika Gargi.

Though we all know about the existence of Rishis in the Vedic ages, seldom do we realize that female sages and philosophers, too, existed during those days. A fascinating fact about Rishikas was that though they were not present in huge numbers, their popularity was much more as compared to their male counterparts. Unfortunately, the remarkable growth seen during the Old Vedic Age faded into the restricted bounds of orthodoxy in the Later Vedic Period.

The tale of Gargi started with sage Vachaknu. He belonged to the lineage of sage Garga, and thus, named his daughter Gargi Vachaknavi. From quite a young age, she had impeccable intelligence and knowledge of almost everything that existed on the earth. She also learned the Vedas and Upanishads and was famous for debating with philosophers, twice her age. Not only Gargi but there were several other female philosophers including Vadava Pratitheyi and Sulabha Maitreyi who were also masters in learning Upanishads.

However, Gargi was more intelligent than other female philosophers. She was as informed about the Vedas and Upanishads as males of the Vedic era and could easily argue with the male thinkers. Her character appears in the Grihya Sutras of Asvalayana. She was a prominent scholar who also made significant contributions to the spread of education. She is even honored in Vedic literature as not just an enthusiastic promoter of the Vedas, but also as a natural philosopher, and was bestowed with the title of Brahmavadini, which means "one who has understanding Brahma Vidya.”

One of the most famous incidents during Gargi’s lifetime was her competition with one of the most learned men of her time, Yajnavalkya. Long long ago, King Janaka of Videha kingdom, held a Rajasuya Yajna. He decided to invite all the scholars from far and wide areas. The yajna was conducted in a very grand manner, with a lot of money being spent on the arrangements and other stuff. Large quantities of barley, clarified butter, and sandalwood was offered to the pious fire, creating a spiritual aura.

Janaka though himself was quite a learned man, he was impressed to see scholars from all around the world attending the yajna. He thought of arranging a debate between scholars who had exceptional knowledge about Brahman. He also planned to offer 1,000 cows where each cow’s horns dangled with 10 grams of solid gold.

Out of these scholars, the two famous scholars Yajnavalkya and Gargi, too, were involved in the debate. Yajnavalkya was so sure of his intelligence that he ordered one of his disciples to take the cow herd to his home. However, this attitude of his angered other scholars present in the court.

Though the sages questioned their knowledge; nevertheless, eight of them asked him for a debate, in which Gargi was one of them and possibly the only woman among the gathering of learned intellectuals.

Gargi initially asked about his claim of being superior to all the other scholars, but later on, she drifted towards more specific topics on the surrounding environment and the world. The dispute is described in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad as follows:

“On air, Gargi.

On What, then, is air woven back and forth? In the intermediate regions, Gargi.

On what, then, are the worlds of the intermediate regions woven back and forth?

In the worlds of the Gandharvas, Gargi”

Though it isn’t clear who won the debate, it is said that Yajnavalkya put an end to the arguments by saying that Gargi would lose her mental balance if she continued asking him more questions. While some sources say that the ultimate winner of this debate was Yajnavalkya, this entire situation might have been manipulated while narrating the story.

Gargi was honored as one of the Navratnas in the court of Mithila's King Janaka. Her intellectual opinions are referenced in the Chandoga Upanishads, and she made substantial contributions to the Rig Veda's creation.