HOLY LIES: MAN'S RELIGION, WOMAN'S BONDAGE

Across India, debates about women's bodies often surface. In fact, it is striking that public discourse about women is almost always tied to their bodies.

- ACHARYA PRASHANT

A remark by a public figure or religious authority may spark discussion, but beneath the noise lies something far older than any single controversy. At the core of this idea of “the woman as the body” is an old belief that treats women as physical stuff to be owned, utilized, and consumed.

A recent statement put it bluntly: If a woman has no sindoor in her hair, the plot is vacant. It reflects a mindset where a woman is seen as land and the man as her owner, meant to plough, sow, and build. This is not an isolated remark but part of a long tradition that kept women under lifelong guardianship: first with their father, then their husband, and finally their son. History carries the same imprint, with armies rewarded not only with land and wealth but also with women treated as spoils of war.

SEEDS OF ORGANIZED RELIGION AND PATRIARCHY WERE SOWN TOGETHER

As humans left the wilderness and began farming, society changed. Agriculture demanded steady physical energy, and without machines or fuel, strength came from human muscle. Women spent much of their most active years in pregnancy and childcare, often with little gap between births. Without contraception and with high infant mortality, they remained tied to the home, while men could devote their full strength to labour in the fields.

Farming created surplus and property, and with it came the need for rules of ownership. Men, being physically stronger, took charge of both work and governance. Organized religion arose in this climate, carrying these power dynamics into its teachings. At the same time, women were both needed and feared. Their ability to bear children meant more hands for labour, making control over their bodies critical. Their very presence stirred a desire men often did not understand, and what is not understood easily turns into fear. That fear soon became the urge to dominate.

FROM MANUSMRITI TO MEDUSA: STORIES THAT FRAMED WOMEN AS SINFUL