Gārgī Vācaknavī, the Eloquent Philosopher

A woman philosopher in Ancient India, and the art of debate

Nine female deities performing a yagna, a fire sacrifice, an old Vedic ritual where offerings are made to the god of fire, Agni. Gouache painting by an Indian artist, 19th century. Public Domain via Wellcome Collection.

Philosophical Swagger, and the Nature of Reality

The philosopher Gārgī Vācaknavī appears in the Bṛhadāraṅyaka Upaniṣad, a philosophical compilation that dates to around the seventh or the sixth century BCE, although it contains strains of…