Women in Sikhism - History, Purdah and Sati

History, Purdah and Sati

Women who were used to having the same privileges as men in Vedic India, "Hindu women enjoyed equal status with men in many ways in the Vedic period, (from about 1500 BCE) when upanayana, the rite of initiation was open to them," were reduced to a position of subordination during the time of the Lawgivers. Sikhism was a liberating force for women in Indian society. Affirmation of the dignity of humans, both men and women, was central to Guru Nanak's teaching. He said that all creatures were equal before God, so to make distinctions among them on the grounds of birth or sex was sinful. He was also bold, at least for his time, in his praise of women. In the Asa di Var, a long composition sung in sangat in the morning service, he expresses extreme respect and admiration for women, "of whom great men are born".

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