Gargi Vachaknavi (Sans: गार्गी वाचक्नवी (Devanagari); Gārgī Vācaknavī (IAST)) was an ancient Hindu sage andphilosopher. InVedic literature, she is honoured as a greatnatural philosopher,[1][2] renowned expounder of the Vedas,[3] and known asBrahmavadini, a person with knowledge of Brahma Vidya.[4] In the Sixth and the eighthBrahmana ofBrihadaranyaka Upanishad, her name is prominent as she participates in thebrahmayajna, a philosophic debate organized byKing Janaka ofVideha, during which she challenges the sageYajnavalkya with perplexing questions on the issue ofatman (soul).[1][5] She remained celibate all her life and was venerated byHindus.[6][7]
Gargi, the daughter of the sageVachaknu from the lineage of the sageGarga (c. 800-500 BCE), was named after her father Gargi Vachaknavi. From a young age, she evinced a keen interest in Vedic scriptures and became very proficient in fields ofphilosophy. She became highly knowledgeable in theVedas and Upanishads in the Vedic times and held intellectual debates with other philosophers.
Gargi was the daughter of the sage Vachaknu from the lineage of the sage Garga (c. 800-500 BCE), and was hence named after her father.[2][8] From a young age, Vachaknavi was very intellectual, acquiring knowledge of theVedas andscriptures.
Gargi, alongsideVadava Pratitheyi andSulabha Maitreyi, was one of the most prominent women of theUpanishads.[9] She was as knowledgeable inVedas and Upanishads as men of the Vedic times and could very well contest the male-philosophers in debates.[10] Her name appears in the Grihya Sutras of Asvalayana.[11] She was a leading scholar who also made rich contributions to propagate education.[8]
According to theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad, King Janaka of Videha Kingdom held aRajasuya Yagna and invited all the sages, kings, and princes of India to participate. The yagna lasted for many days, and large quantities ofsandalwood,ghee (clarified butter) andbarley (cereal grain) were offered to theYagna fire to create an atmosphere of spiritual sanctity and aroma. Janaka, himself a scholar, was impressed with the large gathering of sages, and wanted to find the scholar among them who had the most knowledge ofBrahman. He stated that he would give a prize of 1,000 cows, each carrying 10 grams of gold, to this scholar. Among the scholars present wereYajnavalkya and Gargi Vachaknavi.[8] Yajnavalkya believed he was the most advanced of those present due to his mastery ofKundalini Yoga, and ordered his disciple Samsrava to lead the cow herd to his house. Before he could do so, eight sages including Vachaknavi challenged him to a debate. Shyam Ranganathan notes that Gargi was the only interlocutor to challengeYajnavalkya twice during the dialogue.[12]
Sages likeAsvala, Janaka's priest,Artabhaga,Bhujyu,Ushasta, andUddalaka debated with and lost to Yajnavalkya. It was then the turn of Gargi to take up the challenge.[1] Gargi then questioned Yajnavalkya on his claim of superiority among the scholars, and they began debating him.[13][1] Gargi and Yajnavalkya's exchange centred on the ultimate "warp" of reality ("warp" means "the basic foundation or material of a structure or entity).[14] Her initial dialogue with Yajnavalkya addressed metaphysical questions such as the unending status of the soul. She then asked him, "since this whole world is woven back and forth on water, on what then is it woven back and forth", a question addressing the commonly known cosmological metaphor that expressed the essential interconnectedness of the world. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.6), she asks Yajnavalkya a series of questions that are answered thus:[15]
On air, Gargi.
On What, then, is air woven back and forth? On the intermediate regions, Gargi.
On what, then, are the worlds of the intermediate regions woven back and forth?
On the worlds of theGandharvas, Gargi
She continued with further questions, such as what was the universe of thesuns, what were themoon, thestars, the gods,Indra, andPrajapati. Gargi then urged Yajnavalkya to enlighten her on the weave of reality and asked:[14]
That, O Yajnavalkya, which is above the sky, that which is beneath the earth, that which is between these two, sky and earth, that which people call the past and the present and the future - across what is woven, warp and woof?"
Yagnavalakaya answered "Space"
Gargi, unsatisfied, posed the next question:[14]
Across what then pray, is space woven, warp and woof?
Yajnavalkya answered: Verily, O Gargi, if one performs sacrifices and worship and undergoes austerity in this world for many thousands of years, but without knowing that Imperishable, limited indeed is that [work] of his. Across this Imperishable is the unseen, O Gargi, is space woven, warp and woof.
Then she asked a final question, asking whatBrahman (world of the imperishable) was. Yagnavalakya then ended the debate by telling Gargi not to proceed further, lest she lose her mental balance. This ended their debate,[1][15] and she conceded to Yajnavalkya's superior knowledge, stating: "venerable Brahmins, you may consider it a great thing if you get off bowing before him. No one, I believe, will defeat him in any argument concerning Brahman."[13]
Her philosophical views were also mentioned in theChandogya Upanishad.[1] Gargi was honoured as one of theNavaratnas (nine gems) in the court of King Janaka ofMithila.[1]
Gargi and Yajnavalkya also appear in theYoga Yajnavalkya, a classical text on Yoga written much later than theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad.[16] In this text however, Gargi is portrayed asYajnavalkya's wife rather than as one of his interlocutors.[12] Whilst she still questionsYajnavalkya in theYoga Yajnavalkya, her questions are far less challenging and according to Indian philosophy scholar, Shyam Ranganathan, simply prompts to garner a 'lecture' fromYajnavalkya.[12] The content of theYoga Yajnavalkya and theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad are also distinct. Whilst theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad focuses on the nature ofBrahman, theYoga Yajnavalkya focuses on the eight limbs ofYoga. For these reasons, Shyam Ranganathan theorises that the Gargi of theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad and the Gargi of theYoga Yajnavalkya are likely two different people.[12]
ActressRicha Soni portrayed the character of Gargi Vachaknavi in an Indian Television SitcomSiya Ke Ram which aired onStar Plus in the years 2015-16. The series is currently available onDisney+ Hotstar. Actress Meenakshi Sethi portrayed the role inSwastik production's showShrimad Ramayan.[17]