Why, in Hindus and other affiliated religions, men born are a good omen and women bad? Earlier it was a belief that boys carry on the family name, and since they are married, they remain with their parents as a tradition. Though in India’s eastern and southern parts, the boys are married off, and girls stay with their parents. This issue is slightly easy for parents having one child but quite tricky for parents who may have two or more than two daughters or one boy and one daughter.

Supreme Court Judgment on 11th Aug-2020:

Supreme Court had given a ruling that daughters have an equal right in the parental property. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said daughters have equal rights irrespective of whether a girl’s father was alive or not. The apex court’s clarification is significant since it sets aside the clutches of previous decisions by the top court that she would have the coparcenary right only if both the father and the daughter were alive as on September 9, 2005, when the amendment was notified to the Hindu Succession Act.

“Daughters must be given equal rights as sons.”

Important observations which the court delivered were:

1. The daughter remains a loving daughter throughout life.
2. The daughter shall remain a coparcener throughout life, irrespective of whether her father is alive or not.

The SC’s judgment came on a batch of appeals that raised a legal issue whether the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, which gave equal rights to daughter in ancestral property, has a retrospective effect.

History of Rights Not Appropriately Administered

The History has always been His-story or Patriarchal only and never clearly mentions Her-story. How many people know that Lord Rama also had a sister –Shanta, who had given many sacrifices in her life. However, they are omitted, and only very few know her real story.

Lord Rama Sister- Shanta, is an essential character in the Ramayana. She was the daughter of King Dashratha and his wife Kaushalaya. There are two crucial aspects where it can be said that her role is pivotal in the birth of Lord Rama, and her sacrifices are never mentioned at all.

First Sacrifice:

1. King Dashratha had two problems to worry: One, there were no rains in the city, and second, he wanted a son to carry on his legacy. Out of his desperation and helplessness, he abandoned his daughter Shanta. King Romapada of Anga Pradesh adopted her. He requested his daughter to bring Sage Rishyasring, who could perform yagna to have a son for the King. She followed her father’s order, and despite Queen Kausalya’s plea to stay back, Shanta gave up princely life and went to live with Rishyasringa.
2. King Dashratha asked Sage Rishyasringa to perform the Putrakameshti Yagya, after which all three Queens- Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi, were given Rishi Prasad. Consumption of which bore them sons:
   a) Kausalya-Rama,
   b) Sumitra-Laxman and Shatrughan, and
   c) Kaikeyi-Bharat

We can say that Shanta left home and Kingdom so that Lord Rama could be born as per her father’s desires, and she left the kingdom also to stay with sage as well. That was a huge sacrifice, and probably it’s not noticed, and she is not worshiped like the rest of her family.

Second Big Sacrifice:

Shanta had nursed Dasharatha during his death bed, and it was not his sons who helped him.

Conclusion:

So while we may worship Lord Rama and continue to do so, it may also be right to mention that people like Shanta do a lot, and being a woman, mostly gets unnoticed, and hence the history was for his only. Hopefully, the future may be for her.