Home | Biographies

A-J | K-M | N-S | T-Z | Others

There are two Maitreyee -
(1) Rishikaa Sulabhaa Maitreyee
Rishikaa Sulabhaa Maitreyee was a Kshatriya woman who promulgated the Saulabhaa Shaakhaa of the Rig Ved. She is counted among the revered teachers of Rig Ved to whom respects are offered in texts like the Kaushitakee Braahman. The Saulabha Braahman is now lost but is mentioned in the Kashikaa - a commentary on the grammatical text named Ashtaadhyaayee.

A dialog of Rishikaa Sulabhaa with King Janak of Videh kingdom on spirituality is recorded in the Shaanti Parv (12th book) of the Mahaabhaarat.

(2) Maitreyee
Maitreyee was the wife sage of Yaagyavalkya. Yaagyavalkya Jee had two wives - Kaatyaayanee and Maitreyee. Kaatyaayanee was the daughter of Bharadwaaj and was an ordinary woman, while Maitreyee was well versed in the Hindu scriptures and was a "Brahm-vaadinee". According to a legend, Maitreyee really did not want to marry Yaagyavalkya, but she wanted to live with him as his disciple and a spiritual companion to do Saadhanaa or spiritual development. She went to Yaagyavalkya's wife, Kaatyaayanee and expressed her desire to live with her husband, and with Katyaayanee's consent, she became his companion and a member of their household.

The Rig Ved contains about 1,000 hymns, of which about 10 are accredited to Maitreyee, the woman seer and philosopher. She has contributed towards the enhancement of her sage-husband Yaagyavalkya's personality and the flowering of his spiritual thoughts.

One day the sage decided to make a settlement of his worldly possessions between his two wives and renounce the world by taking up ascetic vows. He asked his wives their wishes. The learned Maitreyee asked her husband if all the wealth in the world would make her immortal. The sage replied that wealth could only make one rich, nothing else. She then asked for the wealth of immortality. Yaagyavalkya was happy to hear this, and imparted Maitreyee the doctrine of the soul and his knowledge of attaining immortality. This is found in the Part 2, Chapter 4 and Part 4, Chapter 5 of the Brihadaranyak Upanishad. Read this story here and here too.