Classical Understanding of Gender in Indian Texts

Gender is understood through practice and traditional understanding of classical texts. Amba’s journey depicted in the Mahabharata brings forward a fresh understanding of gender. Abducted by Bhishma from her own self-choice (svayamvara) ceremony, subsequently rejected by her previously chosen partner, her life turned upside down. Amba vowed to dedicate her life to vanquishing Bhishma. Burning with anger she vows to take revenge on Bhishma in her next life; she is reborn as Shikhandi finally killing him in the Mahabharata war. Her journey into isolation, asceticism, and forest as well as rebirth and gender change help ascertain the uniqueness of feminine heroics in ancient India. Gender is entangled in a web of social, political, and economic relationships rather than individual preference, which is generally steered on the basis of hegemony.