Arya Samaj

Shishya

Indian Wife Dies On Husband's Pyre
by
BBC

Police in India say a woman has burned to death on her husband's funeral pyre, committing the outlawed Hindu practice of "sati".

The incident took place on Monday in Tuslipar village in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Sati, or the practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre, is believed to have originated 700 years ago. The rare practice mostly happens in parts of northern and central India.

Senior Madhya Pradesh police official Shahid Absar told the BBC that the woman, Janakrani, burnt to death on the funeral pyre of her husband Prem Narayan in Sagar district. One report said she was in her 40s. Mr Absar said Janakrani had jumped into the fire when her husband's body was being cremated according to Hindu rites. The police said early investigations had revealed Janakrani had not been forced or prompted by anybody to commit the act.

Cases Rare

Villagers say Prem Narayan died on Monday morning. His body was set alight by his family and villagers, after which people left for home. They say Janakrani left her house after returning from the cremation telling people she had to attend to some work. When villagers went looking for her they found her dead on the pyre, they said.

Cases of sati are very rare in India. The last incident, involving a 65-year-old woman, took place in Madhya Pradesh in 2002.

Famous Case

The most high-profile sati incident was in Rajasthan in 1987 when 18-year-old Roop Kanwar was burned to death. The case sparked national and international outrage. Police charged Roop Kanwar's father-in-law and brother-in-law with forcing her to sit on the pyre with her husband's body, but the two men were acquitted by an Indian court in October 1996.

Sati is believed to have originated some 700 years ago among the ruling class or Rajputs in India. The Rajput women burnt themselves after their men were defeated in battles to avoid being taken by the victors. But it came to be seen as a measure of wifely devotion in later years. The custom was outlawed by India's British rulers in 1829 following demands by Indian reformers.

(Source)

Shyena · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:06 pm Post subject:

Was she forced or was it voluntary?

Shishya · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:16 pm Post subject:

Namaste PD,

Shyena · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:45 pm Post subject:

That is not a controversial thing for me then. If she was so attached to her husband its not something we should bother or be publicised all across the web either...

Shishya · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:26 pm Post subject:

Namaste PD,

Actually, I found the article rather good for several reasons.

For one, it isn't the usual slag we see being published against Hindus. Case in point: It supports the notion that the "rare practice" of sati began ca. 700 years ago as a reaction to the brutality and barbarism displayed by invaders. That should disgruntle more than a few Muslims and Christians who have been claiming sati is sanctioned in the Vedas and was always a part of Aryan Culture.

Also, it more or less correctly portrays the events leading up to the banning of sati. Rather that trying to imply that this was at the behest of Christians or the British Raj, it admits that it was Indian reformers themselves which initiated the reforms.

I didn't publish the article here to provoke controversy. I thought it could provide impetus towards a discussion of, among other things, the effectiveness of Swamiji's campaign against sati...
_________________
Namaste,

Shishya
ॐ

ॐ सह नावतु । सह तौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
"Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another."
-Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads

Shyena · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:34 pm Post subject:

Right now am sleepy, will reply later....
As for sanctioning support to sati, the article in wikipedia says that this is what vedas say:
"One shall not die before the span of one's life is run out"

Sunita · Arya Ladies Forum Moderator Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 567

This make me sick.

Its sucide....can't see it as tradition.
_________________
Namaste!

(1) If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. William Arthur Ward

(2) The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.John Dewey:

(3) Andre Gide: Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.

Deepan Abisuriya · Junior Member Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 66

Namaste,

I agree that Vedas don't teach sati, it teaches monogamy and a true lover will carry forward the family of her husband, in rememberance of him.

This is suicide ...true madam,..correct..it is suicide and this is not vedic dharm.

All aryan should take this news as a advantage to spread that the most ancient dharma (before the Abrahamic religions), is always human and true without faults , unfortunately these are seen in the hindu samaj, but not validated in our dharma.

This would awake the hindus to the light of vedas and keep them far from those who project hinduism to be a religion of supersitious practices and their religions to be holy.

Namaste
Deepan.