NCERT book cites Manusmriti to highlight respect for women in Vedic period

NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has, in its newly introduced Class IX Social Science textbook, quoted a verse from the Manusmriti to illustrate that women were accorded respect in the Vedic period, while also emphasising that their position “fluctuated, even declined” over time.

The chapter, ‘State and Society up to 1000 CE’, says the Vedic period is “often described as a period during which women held a high and respectful position in society”. It notes that women participated in scholarly learning, performed rituals alongside men in certain contexts, attended public gatherings, and that several hymns of the Rig Veda are traditionally attributed to women sages, including Apala, Visvavara, Ghosha and Lopamudra.

The textbook further states, “The tradition of respect for women is evident in texts composed after the Vedic period, too. For instance, Manu-smriti mentions — it then reproduces Manu-smriti 3.56: “Where women, verily, are honoured, there gods rejoice; where, however, they are not honoured, there all sacred rites prove fruitless.”

#WATCH | Noida, Uttar Pradesh: On Manusmriti enters NCERT class 9 textbooks, Former NCERT Director, JS Rajput says, “… I don’t agree with calling Manusmriti a controversial book. Many texts across the world contain ideas that societies today no longer accept, yet they are not… pic.twitter.com/OT9XFtTa4m

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 26, 2026

The Manusmriti, an ancient Sanskrit text laying down social and legal norms, has long been at the centre of debates over its provisions on caste and gender. However, immediately after quoting the verse, the textbook adds that women’s status did not remain unchanged.

“Over time, the position and roles of women fluctuated, even declined, as social and political conditions changed. However, there are many examples of women continuing to contribute to household management, agriculture, crafts, and religious practices”.

The chapter goes on to cite examples from later periods, saying literary works of the Gupta-Vakataka period depict educated women skilled in the arts, while historical records mention queens who played important roles in governance and religious patronage. It refers to Prabhavati Gupta, who ruled as regent of the Vakataka kingdom, and also highlights women mentioned in Sangam literature as active participants in society and the economy.

The same chapter also revisits the concepts of varna and jati, stating that social identity in early Vedic society was not determined solely by birth. “Early Vedic texts do not indicate any fixed social status fixed based on birth. Instead, it is generally agreed that social identity was shaped by several complex and overlapping factors including ethnicity, subgroup, region, village affiliation, language, occupation and especially cultural relationships.”

The book says evidence from the Rig Veda points to occupational diversity even within the same family, quoting a hymn: “I am a poet; my father is a physician; my mother is a grinder of corn.”

Explaining the evolution of the social order, the textbook says the four varnas gradually came to be associated with specific roles, but adds that these categories were originally conceived as functional rather than rigid. “Thus, the concept of varna was based on a system of values in which knowledge was given the highest status, followed by political power and wealth.”

It also cites the Buddhist Sutta Nipata to underline that status depended on deeds rather than birth. “No outcaste is such by birth but only by his deeds. A brahmana is such by his deeds.”

The chapter says that over time, a distinct social structure called jati emerged due to intermarriage among communities, endogamy and territorial differences. “While the number of varnas was fixed at four, there was no restriction on the number of jatis. As new social groups and occupations developed, the number of jatis continued to grow.”

The textbook also notes that varna and jati “were not always rigid social categories” and cites examples of rulers from diverse social backgrounds and evidence of occupational mobility in inscriptions from later periods. (ANI)