Part 6: Satī System

We find few cases of satī system (i.e., immolation of the widow in her husband’s funeral pyre) in the 7^th century A.D. For example, the case of Yośamatī, the wife of king Prabhākaravardhana. In her case, we see, his son Harṣavardhana tried to dissuade her from her resolve.^[1] But she remained unmoved by his arguments,^[2] and finally died in her husband’s funeral pyre in anticipation of her husband’s imminent death.^[3] She also thought that if she continued to live after the king’s death that would be a great sin.^[4]

According to P. V. Kane—

“She (Yaśomatī) wanted to avidhavāmaraṇa. It means she was going to die like a suvāsinī with all her decorations, with tāmbula in her mouth and so on.”^[5]

In this context, it should be mentioned that, the author gives the symbol of avidhavā, such as-her lips are red with tāmbūla^[6] and she always put-up a raktakaṇṭhasūtra.^[7] But by the side of these cases of satī, there are ample evidences of widows surviving after their husband’s death. For example, Harṣa’s widowed sister Rājyaśrī was about to climb the pyre but was rescued by her brother.^[8] This proved that the custom of satī was not obligatory at all.

According to Bāṇa in his Kādambarī,^[9] satī system brings no good in whatever ways to the deceased.

M. R. Kale explains it thus—

“In the first place it is neither a remedy to bring him back to life, nor is it a means of adding to the stock of his religious merit, nor the cause of securing of world of bliss for him, nor a remedy against his falling in hell, nor the way to see him, nor the cause of mutual union. This (the dead man) being helpless is taken to a quite a different place that is laid in store for him by the ripening of the fruits of his own actions; while the other (the person giving up life) is simply united to (incurs) the sin of suicide…… But living….he can do much good for the dead man and himself by the offering of water and the like; but dying after, to neither.”^[10]

Thus Bāṇa has opposed the practice of satī system.^[11]

At that time, it was believed that the life of a woman, who did not have a husband or a child, was meaningless.^[12] The importance of husband and son in a women’s life is remarked by Manu^[13] also. We find information of the life of widow in the Harṣacarita, through the character of princess Rājyaśrī. From the version of Patralatā, the betel-bearer of princess Rājyaśrī, it is found that the widow’s sorrow was unbearable and very miserable; they could not wish to live after the death of their husbands.^[14] Therefore, Rājyaśrī had wanted to take kāṣāya^[15] (i.e., assume the red robe as an ascetic). Regular marriage for a widow in the 7^th century A.D. is not found in the Harṣacarita.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid.,V.p.84-86

[2]:

api ca jīvantīmapi māṃ narapatimaraṇāvadhiraṇamahāpātakinīṃ na spraksanti putra putrarājyasukhāni, Ibid.,V.p.86

[3]:

devyapi yaśomatī pariṣvajya ……sarasvatītīraṃ yayau…tatra…bhānumantamiva …citrabhānuṃ prāviśat, Ibid.

[4]:

…api ca jīvantīmapi māṃ narapatimaraṇāvadhīraṇamahāpātakinīṃ na sprakṣyanti, putra putrarājyasukhāni, Ibid.

[5]:

Ibid.,p.467

[6]:

tāmbūladigdharāgā…vidhavāmaraṇacihnam…, Ibid.,V.p.84

[7]:

raktakaṇṭhasūtreṇa kucāntarāvalambinā…, Ibid.

[8]:

dadarśa ca muhyantīmagnipraveśāyodyatāṃ rājā rājyaśriyam….atha tena bhrātuḥ….hastasaṃśparśena ….samunmimīla rājyaśrīḥ, Ibid.,VIII.p.135

[9]:

yadetadaṇumaraṇaṃ nāma tadatiniṣphalam, aviddhajjanacarita eṣaḥ mārgaḥ... ……… …..mṛtastu nobhayasyāpi, Kādambarī,pp.264-65

[10]:

Ibid.,p.227

[11]:

Ibid.,pp.264-65

[12]:

abalānāṃ hi patirapatyaṃ vāvalambanam. ubhayavikalānāṃ tu duḥkhānalendhanāyamānaṃ prāṇitamaśālīnatvameva kevalam, Ibid.,VIII.p.138

[13]:

….pitā rakṣati kaumāre, bhrartā rakṣati yauvane, rakṣanti sthavire putrā…, Manusaṃhitā,IX.3

[14]:

[a] iyaṃ hi śucāmasahyatā vyāpārayantī hatadaivadattādeśā śithilayati vinayam, Harṣacarita,VIII.p.138 [b] āryāgamanena ca kṛto’pi pratihato maraṇaprayatnaḥ, Ibid.,VIII.p.138-139

[15]:

ataḥ kāṣayagrahaṇābhyanujñayānugṛhyatāmayamapuṇyabhājanaṃ janaḥ, Ibid.,p.139