In Hindu philosophy, Brahmavadini ("women ascetics"), are women who strive for the highest philosophical knowledge of Brahman, that is, those who strive for greater universal consciousness. This is opposed to a Sadyovadhu, who is normally a sage's wife, and dedicated to domesticity and the welfare of her family. The Sanskrit word brahmavadini is the female equivalent of brahmavadi. According to Monier-Williams’s Sanskrit-English Dictionary, "brahmavādín" means ‘discoursing on sacred texts, a defender or expounder of the Veda, one who asserts that all things are to be identified with Brahman’. It doesn't mean "one who speaks like God".