Here is yet another testimony of a perfect ‘Assessment Centre’ being followed in ancient days by the emperors across India. ‘Swayamvaras, ‘ organized in ancient India, is an ideal example of an Assessment Centre organized by emperors to choose a suitable groom for their daughters from a group of prospective grooms.
We all know about the ‘Swayamvara’ organized by King Janak for marrying ‘Sita Ji’ to someone who would lift and string Lord Shiv’s Dhanush (Assessing the competence of the prospective groom). It was only Ram who was strong enough to lift and string the bow. Or, for that matter, King Drupad of Paanchal organized it to marry her daughter Draupadi. The precondition was that she would be married to someone who could hit a rotating fish’s eye with an arrow by looking into its image in a pan filled with oil. It was only Karna and Arjuna who could do it. Since Draupadi rejected Karna and chose Arjuna, she got married to him, a perfect example of women’s empowerment. These are not isolated cases; there are many such incidences recorded in Indian history, e.g. Swayamvara organized for Kunti and Damayanti, etc.
Today, a lot of hue and cry is made about ‘Diversity’. Organizations across the globe are promoting Diversity. HR departments are given targets to maintain balance or give preference to women for joining the workforce. Though this phenomenon started worldwide in the late 1960s, it has always existed in India. There is yet another aspect attached to Swayamvaras. As evident, the word ‘Swayamvara’ is made up of two Sanskrit words, “Swayam’ meaning ‘Self’ and ‘Vara’ meaning groom, which means during ancient days, a girl had the liberty to choose her life partner. As such, in India, women were always given equal status. Lord Shiv’s incarnation as the ‘Ardhnarishwar’ symbolizes that the male and female principles are inseparable. It reconciles and harmonizes the interdependence of Shiv on his power (Shakti) as embodied in Parvati.
Let’s feel proud of our heritage and learn lessons to incorporate them into our day-to-day work and profession.
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