The Wrath of an Innocent Woman Wronged

Of Powerful Women.

Photo by Kartik Iyer on Unsplash

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned." William Congreve's 'The Mourning Bride' (1697)

You have no doubt heard of the more frequently quoted saying that is derived from the above original.

The British Library blog uses effectively uses ancient visuals to explore a similar theme in an ancient Japanese story.

Today, I wish to share my take on the wrath of a woman - virtuous, and innocent - that can bring down kingdoms.

Ancient India is replete with stories of pious and virtuous women. They possess immense spiritual power accumulated through the dedicated performance of daily duties, especially in serving their loved ones.

In ancient lore, a virtuous woman is recognized as someone who practices monogamy. Through the dedication to such monogamous relationships¹, she accumulates profound spiritual power, which can be harnessed to protect her loved ones or seek retribution for herself. It's important to note that the focus here is solely on those who willingly choose this way of life and are not compelled by societal pressures.

But spiritual power is not limited to such women alone. In effect, any woman who is true to her path, in mythological lore, accumulates immense power, as recounted in this story about the power of this legendary woman who decimated a dynasty.

There are other stories as well, but for now, let’s focus on a story from an era when several kingdoms came into existence across India with local rulers overseeing their regions.

Within one such region of India in the South, lived a man married to a woman named Kannagi, possibly the daughter of a local merchant.

While their lives were happy, the material demands of the world required constant attention, a challenge they couldn't easily overcome. So, one day, the wife decided to change this situation.

She unlocked one of her thick golden anklets, filled with precious jewels, and instructed her husband to sell it in the city, expecting a better price.

He leaned on his wife for worldly wisdom and took note of her advice on securing a good price in the bazaar of their kingdom's capital city. After bidding goodbye, he set off.

After many shops failed to meet his expectations of a price, he visited the largest shop in the bazaar and sought their price for his wife’s anklet. The shopkeeper, observing the man’s traveling clothes and unkempt form, became suspicious.

The Queen had recently lost a similar piece of jewelry, and in those times, thieves were dealt with strictly in most lands. Hoping for a reward, the shopkeeper sent word to the King, that a man was in his shop with an anklet resembling the Queen’s.

Then, the King’s guards came and took Kannagi’s husband to Court.

The husband stood innocently puzzled, a stranger in this town. Overwhelmed by the questioning and fearing the King, he did his best to explain how he came to possess the anklet. Despite his efforts, the King refused to believe that a replica of the same jewelry the Queen had lost could exist. Without further investigation, the King ordered the jewelry returned to the Queen and immediately sentenced the man to death.

Back home, Kannagi waited patiently for her husband’s return. Months passed. She became concerned and ventured to town to search for her husband. She learned from people in the town, that a man had been put to death by the King for stealing an anklet.

Enraged beyond measure, she went to Court and challenged the King to confirm whether it was true. The King affirmed that the thief had been punished.

Brimming with fire in her eyes, anger on her face, her entire body reflecting rage, she pulled off the other anklet from her foot and showed the King the second of the pair she owned. Breaking it open, she revealed it was filled with rubies, while the Queen’s anklet was filled with pearls.

The King stood aghast at the injustice he had committed.

Unassuaged, Kannagi cursed the King for punishing an innocent man, and not doing his Kingly duty and investigating the incident thoroughly before delivering judgment.

No person, she asserted, who sits in the seat of justice should ever deliver judgment against an innocent man without thoroughly determining the roots of the issue, especially not sentencing him to such a cruel fate as death.

There, she stood, resembling the Goddess of Justice, tears streaming down her face, determined to avenge her innocent husband. She thundered, her voice echoing loudly in the stunned Court,

“I, Kannagi, curse this King and his entire Kingdom, who knew not how to judge the deeds of other men. These judges, who refused to investigate the truth of the matter before pronouncing judgment and sentencing an innocent man to die, are unworthy of this throne, and this kingdom.

I, Kannagi, by the power of my virtue and piety, and faith, and devotion to my innocent husband, call upon the Gods to witness my suffering. Let this kingdom be burned to ashes, sparing only those who are innocent - the children, the women, and the elderly.

Never again shall a man deprive a woman of her rights as a wife, and a citizen through unjust and unfair accusations, without any opportunity for redress. In so doing, condemning them to a lifetime of distress, and untold suffering. Such reckless use of power cannot go unchecked, so innocent women should not weep as I weep today.”

Fair use image of Kannagi.

The King and many in the Kingdom perished in the raging fire. The entire city² was on the brink of being consumed by the intense blaze that seemingly arose out of nothing, devouring buildings, homes, and people—except those spared. Kannagi's anger was only cooled when the Goddess of the city appeared before her, promising a reunion with her husband in Heaven.

The power of a woman emanates from deep within her soul, nurtured by the righteous path she treads and her forbearance in the face of society’s wrongs. But when her wrath is aroused by unjust acts that cross the line between right and wrong beyond her tolerance, it is then that the world comes to witness the formidable power of an innocent woman wronged.

This was true in the days of the ancients and holds as long as truth reigns in the Universe. So say the ancients.

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I hope you enjoyed this retelling of an ancient legend.

1. Read this modern takedown of the idea of chastity referenced for ancient women, and in this view, the legend is merely a creation of a male literary author.

2. The city of Madurai, which nearly burned down, is believed to have been saved by the intervention of the famous temple’s Goddess Meenakshi. It is worth a visit if you are in the South of India. Kannagi is revered by some in the state of Tamil Nadu. You can also find her statute on the Marina beach, Chennai.