Panditains - You might be perplexed by the word that I have used as the title of this book. When I searched for an appropriate English word for a female scholar, I did not find any. English language uses a gender neutral word scholar, whereas Sanskrit distinctly identifies her as Vidushi or Pandita. I wonder whether patriarchal views of society are promoted in language as languages are evolved by society only. Having said that, I hope the readers will accept the wordplay and respect my free will to use the word as the title.
The women scholars of the Vedic period being discussed here have left their footprints in ancient Indian history. Along with their intellect, they exhibit extraordinary character traits in their life.
The world’s earliest texts, the Vedas, have recorded the life journeys of these kinds of brave women. This book discusses a few such women in detail. I hope this small effort and my translation give justice to the original idea of the author.