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In Jātaka 13, Buddha condemned female rulers:

Cursed be the dart of love that works men pain! Cursed be the land where women rule supreme! And cursed the fool that bows to woman’s sway!

The Bible also condemns female rulers:

As for My people, their rulers are mockers, and women govern them; O My people! Your leaders lead you astray, and the way of your paths they have destroyed. (Isaiah 3:12)

Al-Bukhari, also too criticised female leaders:

No people who appoint a woman as their leader will ever prosper. (Reported by Al-Bukhari, 13/53)

From the above citations, it's clear that all the Abrahamic religions as well as Buddhism discourages female rulers.

But what do Hindu scriptures say about female rulers?

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    one of the signs of Kali Yug is that women will lord over men. you can see this when a son leaves his home after marriage to please his wife who doesn't want to live with her mother-in-law
    – ram
    Commented Dec 10, 2021 at 2:16
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    Actually, in the Mahāmegha-sūtra appears the term Cakravartinī (“wheel-turning queen”) to indicate the twenty-year reign of a female emperor. She is prophesied to build many Buddhist Stupas.
    – Gabe Hiemstra
    Commented Dec 10, 2021 at 11:22
  • Hey why did you delete the new question on Manusmriti and Machines, it was a wonderful question.
    – user22253
    Commented Dec 14, 2021 at 15:44
  • @MrGreenGold I don't think I framed it properly.
    – user23111
    Commented Dec 14, 2021 at 18:43
  • @Rāmadāsa please re ask it, it was really a good question.
    – user22253
    Commented Dec 15, 2021 at 3:41

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Women can rule! In Valmiki Ramayana (Ayodhya Kanda chapter 37) when Vanavasa was given to Lord Rama, Sage Vasistha says that now Sita should rule Ayodhya:

चीरे गृहीते तु तया समीक्ष्य नृपतेर्गुरुः | निवार्य सीताम् कैकेयीम् वसिष्ठो वाक्यमब्रवीत् || २-३७-२१ अतिप्रवृत्ते दुर्मेधे कैकेयि कुलपांसनि | वञ्यित्वा च राजानम् न प्रमाणेऽवतिष्ठसे || २-३७-२२ न गन्तव्यम् वनम् देव्या सीतया शीलवर्जिते | अनुष्ठास्यति रामस्य सीता प्रकृतमासनम् || २-३७-२३ आत्मा हि दाराः सर्वेषाम् दारसम्ग्रहवर्तिनाम् | आत्मेयमिति रामस्य पालयिष्यति मेदिनीम् || २-३७-२४

Seeing Seetha accepting the piece of bark, Vasistha the king's preceptor prevented her and spoke thus to Kaikeyi. "Oh the evil minded Kaikeyi, who have exceeded your limits, who have brought disgrace to your family! You are not establishing justifiable standard and you misled the king. "Oh, the woman without decorum! Seetha the princess shall not proceed to forest. She will occuply the throne, which was awarded to Rama." "A wife is very self to all, who constantly care for their wives. As Seetha is Rama's self, she can rule the earth."

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    Sita was not a woman. She was and still is a Goddess, I think equivalent to Lakshmi, eternal wife of Lord Vishnu, ie Lord Rama in this particular case. The question was about women, namely human women.
    – brahma jijnasa
    Commented Dec 11, 2021 at 20:29
  • "As Seetha is Rama's self, she can rule the earth." - this verse from valmiki ramayana is a metaphor describing oneness between rama and Sita because it clearly states rule the "earth" instead of rule the "ayodhya". Thus it cannot be taken literally as woman can rule kingdom
    – ekāntika
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 14:42
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A woman cannot be an independent ruler of a kingdom as per lalitopakhyana ch.14 :

14. “Even if he happens to be ignorant and puerile, the person who presides over this city shall excel the worlds, due to the power and influence of this city.

15. A woman alone does not deserve to rule over a kingdom. A man too without a woman (does not so deserve it). The Śruti says that one should crown a man who has the characteristics of a great person, who has an auspicious preceptor and who is united in wedlock to a woman who is agreeable and suitable to him.

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