Sufferings of Widows in different Cultures

[muqawwee123]

Re: Sufferings of Widows in different Cultures

@delhi2lahorekarachi

I know quite a bit about this topic as I have studied religion and have been reading Manushi, a women’s issues journal in India, so i will give you my perspective as women’s issues in India is one of my key areas of interest. Sati/treatment of widows is as religious as witch burning is in Christianity or other cultures/traditions blamed on religion..meaning not religious at all.

But i agree it is 100% culture and not religion. No where in religion is it stated that it is required to burn widows. This was created as mischief by some corrupt brahmins and misused by relatives of the female who died. I have read about Sanskrit and there are verses in the Vedas showing that it is encouraged for a woman to move on and not live with the dead husband.

Rig Veda Richa 18.8 used for sati translates into “Rise woman, and go to the world of living beings; come, this man near whom you sleep is lifeless; you have enjoyed this state of being the wife of your husband, the suitor who took you by the hand.” I think mischievously one of the words (yomiagne instead of yomiagre) is changed to mean it sanctions sati when it does not.

there is no other verse in the Vedas or epics that sanctions Sati.
The epics (Ramayana, Mahabharat, Bhagavad Gita) have examples of women who were widowed and did not burn such as the mothers of the protagonist in Ramayana and in Mahabharat who were very well respected. The epics are stories of the avatars while the Vedas are collections of hymns. There are also examples of swayamvara in epics shows that widow marriage did occur. None of them committed Sati. Interesting to note that according to mythology Sati, the wife of Shiv, who was reason behind this custom..caused Shiv to shed 2 tear drops, one of which fell on Ajmer, a temple was made, and on Khatas raj temple in chakwal, Pakistan. A Documentary on Katas Raj (Shiv Hindu Temple) Part 1 - YouTube

From the knowledge i have i can say that the Vedas and the epics are the main texts of Hindus. They are like the constitution of a country. Other many texts like puranas, smritis and shrutis are commentaries on this constitution and cannot replace the Vedas. Smritis (what is remembered) are secondary to srutis (what is heard). Manusmriti is codified customs of the time but it is mentioned that these customs change with time. Manusmrita contains most of the words used for sati however it is secondary to the Vedas and it is often said that some Brahmins(priests) had meddled with it and limited education to their exclusive group of people to create monopoly on religion. Lot of people do not know sanskrit so this knowledge is exclusive to those who seek it out. Nowadays sati is extinct and slowly with time treatment of widows will improve.

If it was a religious thing why is this not as widespread in Nepal or Bali or Southern India or other places where Hindus exist. This trend is not common in Kerala as far as I know. Kerala has 93% literacy rate. Most Hindus are from India so it is easy to mistake culture with religion so each state and it’s separate culture may be seen as a different country. Unfortunately unlike in many states many Indians are illiterate and uneducated of this and may conflate it with religion when the influence is cultural and societal.

Interesting and informative :k:

What about Sawtri who followed Yamraj for life of her husband? I mean what is the source of this story and why this is in conflict with the verses of Vedas which asks widows not to live with dead husband and move on. Is this another form of exploitation? Also is this story followed in same spirit in all Hindus irrespective of their region?