Adulation, Abandonment and Amputation: Images of Women in Vedic Mythology

Abstract

This chapter offers a range of insights into images of women in Vedic mythology. Here the story-teller is writing from an unusual perspective. This is a story of lives observed and of ancient mythologies. It is woven from the stories heard in childhood. It is also the case that it is written not by a story teller or an ethnographer but by an accountant. Yet, there is some happy coincidence in this. It is in many ways an account. It is an account written in the lived experiences of women. It is not written with a background of theoretical connections, although there are some; it is a story told from life. This is the story of many Indian women. It is the story of my mother.