विदुषी मैत्रेयी

Maitreyi college, a constituent college of the University of Delhi, was founded in 1967 by the Delhi administration. The college community is proud to bear the name of Maitreyi, who was an eminent scholar of the Vedic period and the wife of sage Yajnavalakya. She had keen interest in philosophical knowledge and cultivated a thirst for theological truths since early days. She was interested in gaining knowledge of the Vedas, Upanishads and Shastras. Maitreyi chose knowledge over worldly possessions, when asked by her husband to make a choice between the two. The great Maitreyi Upanishad is a contribution to the world of theology which explains with many analogies and metaphors the concept of Self, atman, as the ultimate reality, emphasizing the value of renunciation. The dialogue between Maitreyi and Yajnavalakya in Brihadaraankya Upanishad shows her as an empowered woman, determined to attain self-realization through knowledge. It has been our objective to weave these values into the fabric of our education system which is a blend of the best of tradition and modernity.