The headscarf in the Rig Veda

In fact, the concept of the headscarf was part of the cultural heritage of India centuries before the advent of Islam. Can those who firmly believe in Hinduism and the Sanatana Dharma that is part of it ignore the lesson about the headscarf that came from the fundamental source of Hinduism, the Vedas and related literature? Those who think that wearing a headscarf is only an Islamic ritual are ignoring the teachings of the Sanatana Dharma in the Hindu scriptures.

The main teachings on the dress of women proclaiming the Sanatana Dharma begin with the Vedas themselves. In the eighth verse of the Rig Veda, it is jokingly said, "Whoever covers himself like a bride covered with a robe of yajnas about you, the horses will make him happy with good fortune and make him prosperous riches" (Rigveda 8:26:13). In that verse it is mentioned that the bride wears a head covering. In other words, it is clear from this verse that Indian women in Vedic times wore headscarves. It also teaches that the man performing the yajna should also cover his head in that manner. 

In that case, the Rig Veda says that the horses (goddesses in the form of horses) will bring him auspicious wealth. In the Vedas' According to the Sayan version of the expression 'Adhivastra Vadhu', OMC means 'like a bride covered with a dress'. Translated by Narayanan Namboodiripad. The Rig Veda uses the Sanskrit word 'adhivastra' to mean a head covering. From this it can be seen that the concept of dress covering the whole body was present in the teaching of the Vedas. Why did the female voice of the bride come up with the concept of dress covering the whole body? Nor is it a question of how a concept of dress similar to the 'hijab', which is controversial today, has found its way into Hindu teachings. Does the Rig Veda require women to wear clothes similar to the hijab? Translated by Narayanan Namboodiripad. 

The Rig Veda uses the Sanskrit word 'adhivastra' to mean a head covering. From this it can be seen that the concept of dress covering the whole body was present in the teaching of the Vedas. Why did the female voice of the bride come up with the concept of dress covering the whole body? Nor is it a question of how a concept of dress similar to the 'hijab', which is controversial today, has found its way into Hindu teachings. Does the Rig Veda require women to wear clothes similar to the hijab? Translated by Narayanan Namboodiripad. The Rig Veda uses the Sanskrit word 'adhivastra' to mean a head covering. From this it can be seen that the concept of dress covering the whole body was present in the teaching of the Vedas. Why did the female voice of the bride come up with the concept of dress covering the whole body? Nor is it a question of how a concept of dress similar to the 'hijab', which is controversial today, has found its way into Hindu teachings. 

Does the Rig Veda require women to wear clothes similar to the hijab? It can be seen that the concept of dress covering the whole body was present in the teaching of the Vedas. Why did the female voice of the bride come up with the concept of dress covering the whole body? Nor is it a question of how a concept of dress similar to the 'hijab', which is controversial today, has found its way into Hindu teachings. Does the Rig Veda require women to wear clothes similar to the hijab? It can be seen that the concept of dress covering the whole body was present in the teaching of the Vedas. Why did the female voice of the bride come up with the concept of dress covering the whole body? Nor is it a question of how a concept of dress similar to the 'hijab', which is controversial today, has found its way into Hindu teachings. Does the Rig Veda require women to wear clothes similar to the hijab?  

The Vedas dictated that even a headscarf should be worn at a time when clothes were scarce compared to the present time in which we live. There was no scientific and technical clothing then as there is today. In the Vedas, images of women covering their entire bodies can be seen, even though clothes were scarce. In Yaskamuni's commentary on that verse, it is recorded that women walked from head to toe covered with clothes (p. 251). From this it can be seen that the concept of headscarf is very important in Hinduism. The core of this statement is that the teaching that women should hide all their body parts from other men has existed in India since Vedic times, compared to the contemporary hijab controversy.

The Vedas encouraged decent dress and a disciplined life. There are also verses in the Rig Veda which refer to it: 'No, Plyoge, you who have become a woman, look down and do not look up. Keep the legs together. Let not men see your knees and your ankles (clothe yourselves) (Rigveda 8:33:19). OMC Narayanan Namboodiripad's explanation of that verse reminds us of the need to be careful in dress. This verse is also an indication that the Vedas encouraged decent dress and a disciplined way of life. In his advice to a woman named Plyoga, Indra pointed out the etiquette and dress code that women should follow in social life. The Vedas have given so much importance and consideration to the way women dress and behave. The two Rigvedic verses mentioned above are interpretive or complementary to each other. 

Elsewhere in the Rig Veda, three types of women's clothing are introduced. One of them is the headscarf. Scholars have interpreted the verse (Rig Veda 10:85:35) as saying that the bride's dress has changed into three forms. In the following presentation, OMC Narayanan Namboodiripad, a Vedic scholar and commentator, clarified the three types of clothing. (1) The laundry worn by the bride at the beginning of her wedding day. (2) New clothing worn thereafter. (3) He noted that the three garments may have been the head covering (headscarf). Perhaps, as OMC Narayanan Namboodiripad mentions, those three garments are the same as the Rig Veda. Or one or more garments covering the head from head to toe. From the Rig Veda verses quoted at the beginning and from the commentary of the sage Yasaka, it is clear that wearing one or more garments that cover from head to toe. As mentioned in the verse of Rig Veda (10:85:35), the three garments that cling to the body can be understood as three different garments, namely the headscarf, the robe and the sari. No matter how they are evaluated, the headscarf is indicated in all of them. 

Niruktam is a dictionary that illuminates the inner soul of the Vedas. The most famous of these is the commentary Niruktopakramam by Yaska Muni. An interpretation of the Vedic references to women's dress in that work, written in the eighth century BC, indicates that a similar dress code existed in India during the Vedic period. In the Rig Veda itself, the word 'Guha Charanti Manusho na Yosha' (Rig Veda 1: 167: 3) is interpreted by the sage Yaska as 'like a mysterious (wrapped) walking fiber'. Or in Vedic times, women who interacted with the public wore clothes that covered their entire body. It says, 'Yosha (human woman) looks like a mere cloth, clothed and wrapped from head to toe'. Adjective of Yaskamuni (p. 251). When Sage Yaska depicts women of the Vedic period who were dressed according to the scriptures, why does it look like modern-day headscarves and hijab wearers? Could there be an unknown antecedent to the distant past of divine visions? 

Historians have attested to the fact that the Rig Veda and Nirukta introduced the dress code of ancient India. Megasthenes (350-290 BC) was the Greek ambassador to the palace of the Mauryan king Chandragupta Mauryan at Pataliputra. In his description of India, the dress code of the Indians of the day was as follows: According to Prof. Megasthenes, they wore a cotton sari that reached halfway down the knee and a scarf (like a blanket) wrapped around the head and around the shoulders. Romila Thapar points out (p. 159). Moreover, the eminent historian RC Majumdar also mentions that men and women alike wore turbans. The living examples of it all are still very much in vogue in our country. 19th century Hindu reformers like Rajaram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswati and Swami Vivekananda wore turbans. Even today, there are many people in different parts of India who wear headscarves.

The Gujjars of northern India are the chief among them. The hijab is also similar to the headdresses traditionally worn by Indian women, such as the gonghat (avijavama) and dupatta. All of them are still popular among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in northern India. So the propaganda that clothes like hijab and hijab are not Indian and anti-national is completely baseless. Swami Vivekananda and others wore turbans. Even today, there are many people in different parts of India who wear headscarves. The Gujjars of northern India are the chief among them. The hijab is also similar to the headdresses traditionally worn by Indian women, such as the gonghat (avijavama) and dupatta. All of them are still popular among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in northern India. So the propaganda that clothes like hijab and hijab are not Indian and anti-national is completely baseless. Swami Vivekananda and others wore turbans. Even today, there are many people in different parts of India who wear headscarves. 

The Gujjars of northern India are the chief among them. The hijab is also similar to the headdresses traditionally worn by Indian women, such as the gonghat (avijavama) and dupatta. All of them are still popular among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in northern India. So the propaganda that clothes like hijab and hijab are not Indian and anti-national is completely baseless. Head coverings such as dupatta also resemble hijab. All of them are still popular among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in northern India. So the propaganda that clothes like hijab and hijab are not Indian and anti-national is completely baseless. Head coverings such as dupatta also resemble hijab. All of them are still popular among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in northern India. So the propaganda that clothes like hijab and hijab are not Indian and anti-national is completely baseless. 

Source

1. OMC Narayanan Namboodiripad - Rig Veda (Language Interpretation) 

2.Vedabandhu . Yaska Muni's Niruktopakrama

3. Romila Thapar - Early lndia