प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

IX] FEMALE EDUCATION 205 sacrifices enjoined in it down to about 200 B. C. This need not surprise us, for some of the hymns of the Ṛigveda are the compositions of poetesses. Even the orthodox tradition admits that the Ṛigvedic collection contains hymns composed by twenty different poetesses. Viśvavārā, Sikatā Nivāvarī, Ghoshā, Romaśā, Lopāmudrā, Apālā and Urvaśī are the names of some of them. Man could perform the Vedic sacrifices only if he had his wife by his side ;¹ both had to undergo a special initiation² on the occasion and take equally active part in its procedure.³ Down to the end of the Mauryan period, the housewife was expected to offer oblations in the household (grihya) fire unaided by the husband, normally in the evening and sometimes in the morning also.⁴ In the srastarārohaṇa ritual of the Agrahāyaṇa ceremony, the wife used to recite a number of Vedic hymns⁵ and the harvest sacrifices could be performed by women alone, 'because such was the long standing custom'.⁶ From the Rāmāyaṇa we learn that Kauśalyā was by herself alone performing a sacrifice on the morning of her son's proposed installation as an heir-apparent ;⁷ 1 अयज्ञियो वा एष योऽपत्नीकः । S. Br., V. 1. 6-10 2 T. Br. III. 3. 3 3 या दंपती सुमनसा सुनुत आ च धावतः । देवासो नित्ययाशिरा । R. V., VIII. 31 4 Go. Gr. S., 1. 3. The term patnī denotes the special connec- tion of the wife with her husband's sacrifices ; cf. पत्युर्नो यज्ञसंयोगे । Paṇini, IV. 1. 33 5 P. G. S., III. 2. See the commentary of Harihara also. 6 स्त्रियश्चोपयजेरन्नाचरितत्वात् । P. G. S., II. 20. 7 सा क्षौमवसना हृष्टा नित्यं व्रतपरायणा । अग्निं जुहोति स्म तदा मंत्रवित्कृतमंगला ॥ II. 20. 15.