Marriage, Family and Position of Women

368
Even though, her husband had no children by her, he did not
marry again, but Saibya also practised severe penance and
obtained a son (15.20).
The Br. P. denotes a whole adhyaya
to describe how the Pativrata is cherished by her husband
(A.80).
Reference should be made to one discordant factor,
viz., the presence of co-wives in the married life of woman.
The Br. P. also states that jealousy among the co-wives was
Diti was very enraged when she saw that the
very common.
149 progeny of her co-wife Aditi was flourishing while that of her
own diminished day by day. 150 Devayani also is depicted as
jealous of Sarmistha on account of that very fact (146.9).
An instance may be added how one of the wives of king Bahu
had given poison to her co-wife Yadavi, when she was pregnant
and as a result she gave birth to a child who was poisonous and
eventually became well-known as Sagara (8.36-40). The relation-
ship of Vinata and Kadru might also be noted in this connection
(A. 159).
Woman as Mother
The mother outlived the wife. The latter reached
the climax of her power and importance when she became a
149 Majumdar R.C., Op.Cit., P. 7.
150 Devapraveso'pi Sukhaya nunam svapne 'pyaveksya
na sapatnalaksmih 1(124.6), 32.25-28.