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Sati: Historical and Phenomenological Essays
It covers the historical evolution and discusses the Indo-Western encounter. The major topics it discusses include A Study in Western Reactions, The Tradition of Indigenous Protest against Sati, An Analysis of Reaction of Hindus and Non-Hindus to Sati, The Scriptural Sanction for Sati in Hindusim, Raja Rammohun Roy and Bal Gangadhar A comparsion based on Roy's attitude towards Sati, The Bhagavad Its Role in the Abolition of Sati, Windowhood and Yoga.
- GenresIndia
130 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Arvind Sharma
188 books17 followersArvind Sharma, Ph.D. (Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University, 1978; M.A. Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity Schookl, 1974; M.A. Economics, Syracuse University, 1970; B.A. History, Economics, & Sanskrit, Allahadad University, 1958), was appointed Associate Professor in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 1987, where he is now the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion. Previously he has been associated with the Universities of Sydney and Queensland (Brisbane) in Australia and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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September 10, 2023
This is a short book of essays which throw light on the phenomenon of Sati (Suttee), the burning of windows on their husbands’ funeral pyre.
Most of the essays deal with the history of Sati and the reaction of non-Hindus to this rite which seems to have been a mixture of admiration for the courage and devotion of the women and horror at the awfulness of their deaths. The Greeks commented on it, Akbar, Jehangir and Aurangzeb tried to dissuade widows from performing it, missionaries and the British East India Company wanted to abolish it. The practice was finally banned by Governor General Lord William Bentinck in 1829.
Over the centuries, justification for or condemnation of Sati was looked for in the Vedas as well as the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. Apparently, at the beginning Sati was mainly practised in Bengal and Rajasthan by the Kshatrya caste while Brahmins later changed from not condoning to recommending it. The first half of the 19th century saw a huge increase of Sati.
The last essay tries to be as objective and prejudice-free as possible in presenting the Hindu view of marriage, widowhood and Sati. Nothing was more inauspicious than being a widow, as the wife was always the one responsible for the husband’s death, an “ogress”, shunned and detested by her own family and Hindu society. The greatest shame of course was to turn back from self-sacrifice at the last moment. A widow could choose to live in abject poverty and isolation, doing penance for her sins but even then she was despised. Sati was believed to be the most auspicious solution for everyone, including the widow, the former model wife who had deified her husband, her fiery death the symbol of the transcendence of marriage and proof of her ardent desire of reunification in the next world. She could also look forward to being revered as a goddess.
It will come as no surprise that there was nothing inauspicious about being a widower, in fact he was encouraged to marry again as soon as possible. A man was never responsible for his wife's death, he was not required to be faithful to her, deify his wife during her lifetime, commit suicide or hide himself away in an Ashram doing penance.
Other ways of explaining Sati are much more banal, e.g. men wanted to be in complete control of their wives’ sexuality by marrying a child bride, forcing her into a life of strict chastity and having her kill herself after his death. Sati also provided additional benefits as a husband could be sure not to be poisoned by his wife. If he had lived a dissolute life, his widow’s Sati would raise him to heaven from a bad place. Relatives did not have a widow on their hands to feed and clothe for the rest of her life. Before climbing onto the pyre, over time the women's gold and jewellery usually ended up in the hands of the Brahmins.
Apparently the last known (voluntary ?) Sati was 18-year-old Roop Kanwar of Rajasthan who was burned on her husband’s pyre after less than a year of marriage.
Most of the essays deal with the history of Sati and the reaction of non-Hindus to this rite which seems to have been a mixture of admiration for the courage and devotion of the women and horror at the awfulness of their deaths. The Greeks commented on it, Akbar, Jehangir and Aurangzeb tried to dissuade widows from performing it, missionaries and the British East India Company wanted to abolish it. The practice was finally banned by Governor General Lord William Bentinck in 1829.
Over the centuries, justification for or condemnation of Sati was looked for in the Vedas as well as the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. Apparently, at the beginning Sati was mainly practised in Bengal and Rajasthan by the Kshatrya caste while Brahmins later changed from not condoning to recommending it. The first half of the 19th century saw a huge increase of Sati.
The last essay tries to be as objective and prejudice-free as possible in presenting the Hindu view of marriage, widowhood and Sati. Nothing was more inauspicious than being a widow, as the wife was always the one responsible for the husband’s death, an “ogress”, shunned and detested by her own family and Hindu society. The greatest shame of course was to turn back from self-sacrifice at the last moment. A widow could choose to live in abject poverty and isolation, doing penance for her sins but even then she was despised. Sati was believed to be the most auspicious solution for everyone, including the widow, the former model wife who had deified her husband, her fiery death the symbol of the transcendence of marriage and proof of her ardent desire of reunification in the next world. She could also look forward to being revered as a goddess.
It will come as no surprise that there was nothing inauspicious about being a widower, in fact he was encouraged to marry again as soon as possible. A man was never responsible for his wife's death, he was not required to be faithful to her, deify his wife during her lifetime, commit suicide or hide himself away in an Ashram doing penance.
Other ways of explaining Sati are much more banal, e.g. men wanted to be in complete control of their wives’ sexuality by marrying a child bride, forcing her into a life of strict chastity and having her kill herself after his death. Sati also provided additional benefits as a husband could be sure not to be poisoned by his wife. If he had lived a dissolute life, his widow’s Sati would raise him to heaven from a bad place. Relatives did not have a widow on their hands to feed and clothe for the rest of her life. Before climbing onto the pyre, over time the women's gold and jewellery usually ended up in the hands of the Brahmins.
Apparently the last known (voluntary ?) Sati was 18-year-old Roop Kanwar of Rajasthan who was burned on her husband’s pyre after less than a year of marriage.
Displaying 1 of 1 review