Ever since I started reading and watching Mahabharata, I was quite fascinated from the fact that women in those times were so strong, powerful, intelligent, opinionated and most importantly someone who stood up for herself. We have all grown up watching fairy tales where a princess always needs a king to protect her from all the evils or even for that matter watching movies where the only purpose of a woman is to be at home and perform all the household work. It has been so many years that women are portrayed as vulnerable, quiet and not standing up or speaking up for themselves. But when I looked back and started reading the epic Mahabharata, I felt inspired by the portrayal of the women characters in the epic. It was a pleasant surprise as women of that time and age were so fearless and in a true sense were the epitome of feminine power. These were the women who were way ahead of their time and were bold enough to put forth their opinions against the male dominating society. So here’s me listing 5 most beautiful and courageous women from the epic.

1. Ganga - One of the most prominent and initial characters of the epic, Ganga. She was King Shantanu's first wife. Her mesmerising beauty allured the king and he proposed Ganga. She accepted the proposal on 3 conditions; first, he would never ask her where she hails from, second, the king would never ask her anything about her actions no matter how good or bad they are and would always be by her side regardless of anything and the last condition was if he eats any of the above two conditions then she would leave him at once. The important life lesson she teaches us is that “marriage is the coming together of equals. Enter the relationship o your own terms.”
2. Satyavati - The ambitious queen, one of my personal favourite women from Mahabharata. She was a fisherman's daughter, second wife of King Shantanu and mother of Ved Vyasa (author of the epic) and grandmother of Dhritrashtra and Pandu. She was a strong-headed woman, who had a way of getting things she wanted. She wanted to yield power and she did that. She was a far-thinker. Had it not been er wish to see her lineage on the throne, Bhishma Pitamah might have been the ruler and there might have been no war. She is also considered as one of the three women who caused the War of Mahabharata or The Dharma Yuddh. The lesson from her personality traits we learn is “never rob others from their rights for our own benefits.”
3. Amba - The most provoking character I found was Amba. An example of a suppressed voice of a strong female, as a woman she lacked the ability to avenge herself. She was the Eldest Princess and the daughter of the king of Kashi who fell in love with Salva, the king of Saubala and during her swayamvar she decided to put varmala in his neck. However, she was kidnapped by Bhishma along with her two younger sisters Ambika and Ambalika to marry them to his half brother, Vichitravirya. She wanted to take revenge from Bhishma for separating her from her lover. No one dared to help her against Bhishma. So, therefore she rebirth as Shikhandi a trans in kshatriya class to fulfil her vow. Her story of revenge teach all of is a very strong lesson “whosoever dare to treat women with disrespect eventually ends up paying a heavy price.”
4. Draupadi :- The women with her own opinion and not one who follows her husbands' authority timidly. The unique relationship between Draupadi and her husbands is what makes her story so exceptional. She was not a conventional wife, She was smart she was bold and would often lead her husbands into action. She challenged the conventional patriarchy. She was a feminist in the true sense of the word. She doesn’t shy away from her duties nor she is powerless no matter what the situation is. She is called a whore by Karna, treated like chattel by her own husbands who places her as a bet, she is ordered to be disrobed in public yet she comes out of it all as a true winner. She from her portrayal and her presentation teaches us so many lessons but one of the primary lesson her story tells is “ pure intentions and being true to one’s duties will help you to attain justice.”
5. Hidimbi:- A very unusual character in the epic. She was a rakshasi, whose brother had sent her to lure Bhima to an area where he could eat him up. However, she fell in love with Bhima. He killed her brother, she married him. Their son, the mighty Gatotkacha, later in the Kurukshetra war wreaked havoc on the Kauravs army. He was stopped only by Karna who used his Vasavi Shakti a boon given to him by Lord Indra that he wanted to use against Arjun but could not, as it can only be used once. Hidimbi is a good example of a woman who goes after what she wants and in all purity of thought regardless of her roots. Lesson from her story We learnt is “ love, lust gets what you want, who you want.”

These are the five women from Mahabharata that have inspired me over the years. Their life stories their personalities and most importantly the lessons they teach all of us.