Gargi Vachaknavi of the Ancient Mithila University

By Santosh Chaudhary, M.Sc (Physics)

Nalanda Open University 


Bing AI generated Symbolic image of Gargi Vachaknavi


Gargi Vachaknavi, also known as Gārgī Vāchaknavī, was an ancient Indian sage and philosopher at the Ancient Mithila University. She is honored as a great natural philosopher and renowned expounder of the Vedas. In the Vedic literature, she is referred to as Brahmavadini, a person with knowledge of Brahma Vidya. Gargi Vachaknavi was the daughter of sage Vachaknu in the lineage of sage Garga. She was named after her father as Gargi Vachaknavi. From a young age, she displayed a keen interest in Vedic scriptures and became proficient in fields of philosophy. She was highly knowledgeable in the Vedas and Upanishads and held intellectual debates with other philosophers.


The symbol of the earliest scholar feminism 


Gargi Vachaknavi participated in the Brahmayajna, a philosophic debate organized by King Janaka of Videha. In this debate, she challenged the sage Yajnavalkya with perplexing questions on the issue of Atman (soul). Her name appears prominently in the Sixth and Eighth Brahmana of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. She is also said to have written many hymns in the Rigveda.


Gargi Vachaknavi remained celibate all her life and was held in veneration by conventional Hindus. She is considered one of the Navaratnas (nine gems) in the court of King Janaka of Mithila.


Gargi is also called as Brahmavadini


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