India, April 12 -- On April 16, Parliament will discuss and pass a momentous women's reservation Bill. In the words of the Prime Minister, "It is an affirmation of a principle that has long guided our civilisational ethos-that society progresses when women progress." Women in ancient Bharat were central to the intellectual, spiritual, social, and even political spheres, and their potential was consciously recognised as Nari Shakti: the divine feminine energy that sustains and renews the world.

The Rigveda, the oldest known literary text of the Indian subcontinent (roughly circa 1500-1000 BCE), contains unmistakable evidence of women's elevated standing. Composed by rishis (seers), it includes hymns by at least 27 named women rishikas, or...