MANUSMRITI : Eternal Laws on Path of Duty for Husband and Wife

Women are the vital core of any civilization. She is the mother of procreation and continuance of life on earth. It is only when women are responsible and accountable that the generations created, nurtured, and cared by her will grow with values of love, affection, concern, duty, humanity, and virtues of life. It is a common theory throughout the world that if the woman is perverted in any description, then the off-springs she procreates would also be likely to be degenerative in values which would cause havoc in the standard of the civilized society.

Manu Smriti explains about ‘the eternal laws for a husband and his wife who keep to the path of duty.’ Some of the descriptions are as follows:

1. Types of women as wives:

Women as wives, may be broadly of two kinds –

1. the dutiful, virtuous wife, or
   1. the immoral, disloyal, perverted wife.

• Who is a Virtuous wife? What are her qualities and duties?

A virtuous wife is one who is faithful to her husband and knows her duties well. The duties of the wife include her controlled thoughts, speech, and acts. The dutiful wife is called ‘Sadhvi’ (9:29).

Virtuous wife (‘Striyah’) who bears children are blessed. She is worthy of worship. Such women are Goddesses of Fortune (‘Sriyah’) (9:26) (Maha Lakshmi).

It is on the virtuous attitude of the wife that the well-being of the entire family is dependent upon. The bearing and nurturing of the child born, the marital happiness, the daily care-taking of the family, the ‘heavenly bliss of the ancestors’ and the satisfaction of the husband, all depends on his wife (9:27 & 28).

Such virtuous wives are destined to dwell with her husband in Heaven after death (9:29).

• Who are the disloyal/ perverted wives? What are their traits? Why / How they go perverted?

Manu identifies six actions which are the causes of ruin of a woman (9:13). They are –

1. ‘Drinking liquor,’
   1. ‘Separation from husband,’
   1. ‘Connecting with wicked people,’
   1. ‘Rambling abroad,’
   1. ‘Sleeping at unreasonable hours,’ and
   1. ‘Dwelling in other men’s house.’

Despite being guarded, some women may develop the tendency to be disloyal towards their husbands (9:15). Realizing this nature of the wife, the husband needs to tirelessly guard his wife (9:16) so that she does not turn treacherous.

Some women have more sensuous longings, impure desires, love of ornament, and exhibit rage, fury, anger, dishonesty, malevolent behaviour, and bad conduct (9:17).

Such perverted wife who turns disloyal to her husband is condemned in society and is destined to be ‘born in the womb of a jackal and tormented by diseases, the punishment of her sin’ in her next birth (9:30).

No sacramental rites are performed of / for such women (9:18).

Women deviate from the virtuous path of their duty because of two reasons –

1. one, they are destitute of strength, and
2. two, they lack the Vedic knowledge (9:18) which gives the purpose and duties of the wife / woman.

Devoid of the Vedic knowledge, she lags back in mustering her energies to control self, fails to distinguish between the right and the wrong, and therefore deviates away from the path of righteousness.

• What are the duties of father, husband, and son towards a woman?

The duty of the father is to give his daughter in marriage at the proper time. The duty of the husband is to keep his wife satisfied. The duty of the son is to protect his widowed mother (9:3). It is reprehensible if the father, husband, and son fail in their respective duties towards the woman (9:4).

• What is the role of husband in guarding / protecting his wife? And why?

Women must be guarded against bad intentions (9:5). It is the highest duty of the husband belonging to any Varna to guard his wife (9:6). When the wife is guarded, her virtues lead the husband, children, and the entire family to a worthy living (9:7).

• How, according to Manu, women can be guarded? Does he mean oppression of women by force?

Manu does not advocate guarding of women by force (9:10). He is against confining women in the house and guarded by servants (9:12).

Then how can women be guarded?

Woman who understands her limits and acts accordingly is said to be well-guarded (9:12).

On part of the husband, he can give certain responsibilities to his wife (9:11) so that she is occupied in those routines like – cooking, housekeeping, maintaining household and wealth accounts, fulfilling religious duties, etc.  

• What are the other facilities/ considerations given to women in Manu’s code of Dharma?
  • The King’s administration should not collect toll fare at a ferry from a pregnant woman (8:407)
  • Daughters should not be sold in marriage in return of a nuptial fee (9:100).
  • Daughters should not be promised to one man and then later given in marriage to another man (9:99).
  • The woman / daughter’s consent is sought even at circumstance when a man pays nuptial fees for her but he dies before marriage. At such situation, it is only if the woman agrees, that she shall be given in marriage to the brother of the deceased (9:97). Here, no indication of force on women is suggested by Manu. Instead, the will of the woman is given due consideration.
  • The property rights of women include – The 6 kinds of ‘Stridhana’ – exclusive property gifted to daughters by parents and which are the property– given before the nuptial fire, given on bridal procession, given in token of love, given by brother, given by mother, given by father (9:194). Further, after marriage whatever her husband gifts her is her exclusive property which will be inherited by her children only after her death (9:195).
  • The wife should neither be sold nor be released by rejection by the husband (9:46).
  • Loyalty between husband and wife should be mutual (9:102) which should continue till death (9:101).
  • It is ordained in the Veda that religious rites should be performed by husband together with the wife (9:96).
  • etāvāneva puruṣo yatjāyā’tmā prajaiti ha |

viprāḥ prāhustathā caitad yo bhartā sā smṛtāṅganā || 9:45 ||

That is, a perfect man is one who holds himself, his wife and his offsprings united. ‘The husband is declared to be one with the wife’ (9:45).

• devadattāṃ patirbhāryāṃ vindate necchayā’tmanaḥ |

tāṃ sādhvīṃ bibhṛyānnityaṃ devānāṃ priyamācaran || 9:95 ||

It means that when the wife is faithful, the husband must always support her (9:95).

NOTE: Giving guidelines or suggesting ways of duties of women / wife to lead a responsible, family and social life does not amount to oppression of woman in any form.

It is therefore seen that in the eighth and nineth chapters, Manu Smriti talks about the main and central role played by a virtuous and dutiful wife in the building of the family happiness which eventually leads to a good society and in this endeavour of the woman as a wife, the husband must be protective and supportive.

In a nutshell, the roles and responsibilities of husband and wife, the do’s and don’ts in a family life are delineated by Manu which if abided by sincerely will lead to a happy and contended family. Children will also grow with values in them. This is the requirement of a civilized society.

SOURCES:

1. “Manusmriti, The Laws of Manu – Part 2,” www.hinduwebsite.com
2. “Manusmriti,” http://www.hinduonline.co