Sati: the "Good Women" in Hinduism

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Sati is defined as “a Hindu practice whereby a widow immolates herself on the pyre of her husband” (Dictonary.com). Sati also means righteous, women throughout the Hindu myths were willing to do anything for the man that they loved. This symbolized the perfect Indian wife to any man. Imagine being a married couple in the Hindu religion, as the wife you have to prove yourself to your husband. According to About.com it goes into brief detail of the idea of marriage in the Hindu religion; “after marriage the Hindu women lead the men by keeping the lustful propensities under control. While married, thought of any other man does not enter the mind of a Hindu lady until she loses her faith in her husband due to his consistent misbehavior and 'don't care' attitude” (Rajhans). Basically in this commitment women must keep the male under control and keep the loving relationship alive and well. Suddenly, during your marriage your husband suddenly dies and you are now left as a widow. How would you feel? Would you mope around and have sorrow for the months to come? Or would you go to the extent of suicide to be with your husband once again. Some say sati is a voluntary act chosen by the newly widowed woman to end her life by being burnt to death at her husband’s pyre. But there are moments in history that Sati was forced upon these women, some ever were dragged to their burning death (Daniel). “The custom of burning the widow on her dead husband's pyre probably did not evolve from religious background but from social background” (Daniels). This paper will explore the horrible act of Sati and how it was practiced throughout history.
In Hinduism there is a figure by the name of Sati in this religion; she however did not burn herself to death at...

... middle of paper ...

... to end for all eternity.

Works Cited

“Sati.” Def. 1. Dictionary.com, Dictionary n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014
Daniel, Aharon. "Sati-Burning of the Widow." India History. Tripod, 2000. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Heaphy, Linda. "Life in India: the Practice of Sati or Widow Burning." Life for the modern nomad. Kashgar, 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Parrilla, Vanessa. "Sati:Vitrous Women Through Self-Sacrifice." The Practice of Sati in India. csuchico.edu, 1999. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Rajhans, Gyan. "Ideas of Hindu Marriage: Why the Hindu Marriage is Sacrosanct." About.com Hinduismn.pag. About.com. Web. 20 Mar 2014. .

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