“Uma said, ’The illustrious god has asked a question relating to the duties of women.  I desire to answer Sankara after having consulted with you.  I do not see any branch of knowledge on Earth or Heaven that is capable of being mastered by any unaided individual.  Ye rivers that run towards the ocean, it is for this that I seek your opinions!  It was in this way that those foremost of Rivers, all of whom were auspicious and highly sacred, were questioned by Siva’s spouse.  Then the celestial River Ganga, who worshipped the daughter of the prince of mountains in return, was selected for answering the question.  Verily, she of sweet smiles is held as swelling with diverse kinds of understanding and well-conversant with the duties of women.  The sacred goddess, capable of dispelling all fear of sin, possessed of humility in consequence of her intelligence, well acquainted with all duties, and enriched with an intelligence exceedingly comprehensive, sweetly smiling, uttered these, words, ’O goddess, thou art always devoted to the due performance of all duties.  Thou hast favoured me highly by thus questioning me!  O sinless one, thou art honoured by the entire universe, yet thou askest me that am but a river.  That person who, though himself competent (to discourse on a topic) yet asks another, or who pays a graceful tribute to another, certainly deserves, I think, to be regarded as righteous-souled.  Verily, such a person deserves to be called learned and wise.  That person never falls into disgrace who asks such speakers as are endued with knowledge and science and as are well-conversant with premises and inferences.  A proud man, even when enriched with intelligence, by speaking in the midst of an assembly otherwise (that is, by relying upon his own powers alone and without reference to or consultation with others), finds himself uttering only words of weak import.  Thou art possessed of spiritual insight, Thou art the foremost of all denizens in Heaven.  Thou hast taken thy rise accompanied by diverse kinds of excellent merit.  Thou, O goddess, art fully competent to discourse on the duties of women!  In this way, the goddess Uma was worshipped by Ganga and honoured with the ascription of many high merits.  The beautiful, goddess, thus praised, then began to discourse upon all the duties of women in full.’

“Uma said, ’I shall, according to the ordinance, discourse on the subject of women’s duties as far as they are known to me.  Do ye all listen with concentrated attention!  The duties of women arise as created at the outset by kinsmen in the rites of wedding.  Indeed, a woman becomes, in the presence of the nuptial fire, the associate of her lord in the performance of all righteous deeds.[581] Possessed of a good disposition, endued with sweet speech, sweet conduct, and sweet features, and always looking at the face of her husband and deriving as much joy from it as she does from looking at the face of her child, that chaste woman who regulates her