Gargi
Also called: Gargi Vachaknavi · Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 7 "India's Cultural Roots"
Meaning
Gārgī Vāchaknavī was a woman philosopher (rishika, female seer) of the Upanishadic period. She appears in the Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣhad. At the court of King Janaka, she asked the famous sage Yājñavalkya sharp questions about the nature of the world and of brahman, the one divine essence behind everything. She is a well-known example of women taking full part in learning and debate in the Vedic age.
Example
In a great debate held by King Janaka of Videha, Gārgī asked Yājñavalkya, again and again, what everything is "woven upon", pressing him to name the deepest base of the world. This scene is in the Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣhad.
Don't confuse with
- Ṛigvedic rishikas (Apālā, Viśhvavārā, Ghoṣhā, Lopāmudrā): Ṛigvedic hymns are linked to them. Gārgī belongs to the later Upanishadic texts and is known for debate, not for hymns.