Pandita Ramabai is related to which language?
VerifiedAnswer: Sanskrit
Explanation:
Pandita Ramabai Saraswati (1858-1922) was a remarkable Indian social reformer, educationalist, and women's rights activist who earned the title "Pandita" due to her exceptional mastery of Sanskrit. This title was particularly significant because she was one of the few women of her time to achieve such scholarly recognition in the ancient language.
Born into a Brahmin family in Maharashtra, Ramabai received an unconventional education from her progressive father, Anant Shastri Dongre, who believed in educating women. Under his guidance, she developed an extraordinary command over Sanskrit literature, scriptures, and texts. Her deep understanding of Sanskrit enabled her to engage in theological discussions and debates with learned scholars of her time.
What made Ramabai's association with Sanskrit truly revolutionary was how she used her knowledge of the language to challenge gender discrimination within Hindu scriptures and society. She carefully studied Sanskrit texts and used her expertise to argue for women's rights and education, pointing out inconsistencies in the interpretation of religious texts that were used to suppress women.
Her most famous work, "Stri Dharma Neeti" (The Morals for Women), was written in Sanskrit and later translated into other languages. In this work, she used her Sanskrit scholarship to advocate for widow remarriage, women's education, and gender equality. She demonstrated that many practices that oppressed women were not actually supported by authentic Sanskrit scriptures but were later additions or misinterpretations.
The scholarly community of Calcutta (now Kolkata) formally recognized her Sanskrit expertise by awarding her the titles "Pandita" and "Saraswati" in 1878. This recognition was historically significant as it marked one of the first instances where a woman received such prestigious academic honors in Sanskrit scholarship. The title "Pandita" specifically denotes a learned person well-versed in Sanskrit literature and Hindu philosophy.
