Every morning, Hindus recite the names of five women to wash away great sin — but do we know who they were and why? Dr. Sudha Seshayyan opens her Shakti Kumbh 2024 talk with the numerological significance of five in Vedic thought — power and perfection — before turning to the Panchakanya: Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara, and Mandodari, whose daily remembrance is prescribed in the shloka Panchakanya Smarennityam Mahapadavinashinih.
She makes a striking conceptual argument: the Panchakanya embodied the seemingly contradictory qualities of patience and grit simultaneously — qualities that most traditions place in opposition. They were repositories of strength and forbearance; Kunti could command Krishna but chose humility instead. This paradox is the key to why they are revered rather than pitied.
The most important insight is cultural: Indian civilisation never looked down upon women whose circumstances were forced upon them. Ahalya was welcomed back by both her son and husband with full dignity. Draupadi’s polyandry was never weaponised against her honour — her courage in the Kuru Sabha defined her instead. The message for modern times is explicit: circumstances do not define a woman; character does — and Indian tradition has always known this.

About the speaker:
Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, Former Vice Chancellor, The TN Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai & Director, Sastra University Chennai Campus. She is a prolific writer and an inspirational speaker –on radio and tv and at public platforms –on spiritual, scientific and social topics.