Concept of Stridhana in Ancient India

This painstaking work deals with the rights of women enshrined in the juristic and jurisprudential discourse of the classical Hindu Law. Dr. Bhim Sain Narang has an authentic. access to this discourse, and a sure grasp of deep-seated antinomies, and even contradictions, as regards the conceptions of Stridhana.

The reader stands rewarded with the profound play of her- meneutical approaches which underlie all juristic interpretations; the genius of Jimütvāhana, depicted here (in pages 68-82, but not only) provides, just one example of how original exegesis can transform the texts of tradition into instruments of justice. Indian. lawyers, judges and jurists, who have unfortunately lost over the century, access to the diverse exubrance of Indian hermeneutics- may find this book both stimulating and inspiring.

Overall, if my reading is tenable, the author, undoubtedly deeply committed to the rights of women, wishes to make us alert. against any simple-minded, black and white, denunciation of the classical Hindu jurisprudence as being anti-women. Certainly, the diversity of ‘schools’ on Stridhana, so well overviewed in this. work, is enough to prohibit such a generalization at the threshold,. But the author goes further and locates even the pathbreaking: recent decision by the Supreme Court of India in Pratibha Rani case as reaffirming “the right of a woman to retain nuptial gifts. as enshrined in the ancient concept of Stridhana…first mooted by. the basic vedic sage Manu (p. 269).

In the present day atmosphere of easy polemic against, or fundamentalist dedication for, everything that is rooted or related to religion, it would be only too easy to denounce this work as ‘revivalist’ and ‘obscurantist’ or to hail it as a testament to Hinduisms’ just fidelity to women’s rights