#Why is a wife called Vamangi?
In the scriptures, a wife is called Vamangi, which means one who has the right to the left limb. Therefore, the left side of a man's body is considered to belong to the woman.
The reason for this is that woman originated from the left limb of Lord Shiva, symbolized by Shiva's Ardhanarishvara form. This is why some books on palmistry state that a man's right hand should be examined for the position of the man and the left hand for that of the woman.
The scriptures say that a woman is the Vamangi of a man, and therefore while sleeping and in an assembly, during the giving of sindoor, the second arrival, receiving blessings, and at mealtimes, the woman should remain to the husband's left. This brings auspicious results.
Despite being Vamangi, the scriptures state that in some activities a woman should remain on the right. The scriptures say that during Kanyadan, marriage, yajna rituals, Jatakarma, Namkaran, and Annaprashan, the wife should sit to the husband's right.
The reasoning behind this belief regarding whether a wife should sit to her husband's right or left is that in worldly activities, the wife sits to the husband's left. Because these activities are considered woman-oriented.
Yajna, Kanyadan, and marriage are all considered transcendental activities and are regarded as male-oriented. Therefore, there are rules for the wife to sit to the husband's right during these activities.
In Sanatan Dharma, a wife is called the Vamangi of her husband, meaning the left side of the husband's body, and besides this, a wife is also called Ardhangini, which means that the wife is half of the husband's body, the essence of both words being the same, according to which a husband is incomplete without his wife.
The wife is the one who completes her husband's life, brings him prosperity, takes care of his family, and provides him with all the happiness he deserves, and the relationship between husband and wife is described as extremely important throughout the world, regardless of what society is like or how modern people may become, the nature of the husband-wife relationship remains the same, built on love and mutual understanding.
The famous Hindu scripture Mahabharata also says a great deal about the important relationship between husband and wife, Bhishma Pitamah had said that a wife should always be kept happy, because the growth of the lineage comes from her, she is the Lakshmi of the household, and only if Lakshmi is pleased will happiness come into the home, besides this, many other religious scriptures have also described the qualities of a wife in detail.
We will briefly explain some of the qualities of a wife mentioned in the Garuda Purana, which is popularly called the Purana for the welfare of householders, according to the qualities of a wife described in the Garuda Purana, a person whose wife possesses these qualities should consider himself fortunate, it is said that in matters of marital happiness, King Indra was extremely fortunate, which is why the facts of the Garuda Purana say so.
सा भार्या या गृहे दक्षा सा भार्या या प्रियंवदा।
सा भार्या या पतिप्राणा सा भार्या या पतिव्रता।।
A verse explaining the qualities of a wife is found in the Garuda Purana, meaning that the wife who is skilled in household duties, who speaks pleasantly, whose husband is her very life, and who is devoted to her husband, is truly a wife, being skilled in household duties means a wife who manages the household chores, respects the members of the household, and takes care of everyone from the elders to the younger ones.
A wife who performs all household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, decorating the house, and cleaning clothes and utensils is called a virtuous wife, besides this, a wife who properly fulfills the responsibility of children, honors guests who come to the home, and manages the household well even with limited resources is considered virtuous according to the Garuda Purana, such a wife is always dear to her husband.
Priyavadini means a wife who speaks sweetly, in today's age there are also wives who are independent-minded and sharp-tongued, who do not know how to speak to whom and at what time, therefore, according to the instructions given in the Garuda Purana, a wife who always speaks to her husband in restrained language, and speaks gently and lovingly, is considered a virtuous wife.
When a wife speaks in this manner, the husband also listens to her carefully and tries to fulfill her wishes, but not only the husband, a woman who speaks with restraint to all other members of the household or everyone connected with the family is also called a virtuous wife, where such a woman lives, conflict and misfortune never come.
Patiparayana, meaning a wife who follows every righteous instruction of her husband, is also considered a virtuous wife according to the Garuda Purana, a wife who considers her husband to be everything, regards him as a deity, and never thinks badly of her husband is virtuous, after marriage, a woman does not enter a new home merely as the wife of a man, rather, she is also called the daughter-in-law of that new home, and she develops a deep relationship with the people and traditions of that household.
Therefore, after marriage, it is the woman's responsibility to accept the customs and traditions associated with the new people, besides this, a wife also has to follow a particular kind of dharma, after marriage her foremost duty is to think of the welfare of her husband and family, and not do anything that would harm her husband or family.
