Female Seers (Rishikas) of the RigVeda

The lawbook of the Hindu religious system, called Manusmriti, often prevents females (9.18 and 5.155) from participating in rituals and reciting mantras. The contradiction exists in the RigVeda, which has many women seers who contributed to the hymns that male priests recite to date. I have captured some of them.

Lopamudra: Lopamudra of the Rigveda was a Vedic sage, philosopher, and a female seer (Rishiki) who contributed hymns to the Rigveda, particularly the Rigvedic hymn 1.179, and was the wife of the sage Agastya. She is known for her wisdom, her role in the Shakta tradition through the Panchadasi mantra, and for a significant dialogue in the Rigveda where she expresses her desire for her husband’s affection and company, which was becoming neglected due to his austerities.

Ghosha: Ghosha, Granddaughter of sage Dirghatamas and daughter of Rishi Kakshivan, composed two hymns in the tenth Mandala (Book) of the Rig Veda (10.39 and 10.40). Suffering from a disfiguring skin ailment, she prayed fervently to the Ashvin twins, the divine physicians, who restored her health and beauty. Ghosha expresses her deep desire for married life and love after being cured by the Ashvins. This subsequent hymn is a unique expression of a woman’s feelings and desires within the Vedic texts

Apala: Apala, the daughter of the sage Atri, suffered from a severe skin disease that led her husband to abandon her. Her intense devotion and offering of Soma juice led the god Indra to cure her. She composed a hymn in the eighth Mandala (8.91) that describes this incident and praises Indra.

Vishvavara: Vishvavara (or Viśvavāra) was a female sage (rishika) from the Atri family. She is known for authoring a hymn in the Rigveda, specifically Rigveda 5.28. Her hymn is a testament to women’s contributions to spiritual knowledge during the Vedic period. She is also described as a married woman who performed rituals at dawn, offering oblations to the gods and praying for love and happiness in her married life.

Vak: Vak, the daughter of Rishi Ambhrina, is the seer of the powerful Devi Suktam in the tenth Mandala (10.125). In this hymn, she identifies herself with the goddess of speech and asserts the potent, pervasive nature of the feminine divine

Indrani: Indrani, Queen of the gods and consort of Indra, is the seer of hymns in the tenth Mandala (10.86, 10.159).

Romasha: Romasha, the wife of King Bhavayavya, composed a hymn found in the first Mandala (1.126).

Savitri: Surya Savitri, daughter of the Sun god, is the seer of the wedding hymn (10.85), which is still recited at Hindu weddings today.

Shahvati: Shashvati, wife of King Asanga, composed a hymn (8.1) after her husband’s youth and virility were restored.

Yami: Yami, sister of Yama, composed a famous dialogue with her twin brother in the tenth Mandala (10.10).

Conclusion: The divergence between the Vedas and the Manusmriti can be traced to the profound social transformations of the post-Vedic period. While the Vedas, as Shruti texts, are considered divinely revealed, the Manusmriti, as a Smriti text, is a human-authored legal and social code based on tradition. This shift in textual authority highlights a changing society, integrating new populations and customs into the pre-existing Vedic framework.