Relocating Gender in Dharmasastras

Text is written in a particular socio-cultural context and thus derives its meaning from it. Any attempt to study the text out of the context leads to several misconceptions. Though any text can be subjected to such misinterpretations but the texts written in great antiquity are highly vulnerable to such non-contextual study. The study on dharmastras which are treated as one of the major sources of Hindu law is an important example of such non-contextual study. Unfortunately, most of the researchers in the field of dharma?stric studies apply the method of selective study. These I?stric texts have been used by different groups (viz. orthodox, reformers, colonialists, nationalists and feminists) for diverse purposes. What is significant to note is that the nationalists, reformists, traditionalists, colonialist and feminists have derived not only different but opposite meanings from the same I?stric texts. On the one hand, we have extollers of I?stras, on the other depreciators. But uncritical eulogisation as well as depreciation is not indicative of scholarly temperament.The Present work emphasises the need of holistic study of I?stric texts and women's position therein. It tries to establish that both the critics and extollers of dharma?stric tradition lack in an honest portrayal of reality, which perhaps was situated in between the two extremes and was placed in the socio-historical milieu of the times. The present work strongly proposes that one would not be able to do justice with the study of I?stras as long as one applies the modern notions of atomic individual, liberty, unconditional rights and equality to evaluate these texts.