POSITIONS OF WOMENS
Historical practicesTraditions such as sati, jauhar, and devadasi have been banned and are largely defunct. However, some cases of these practices are still found in remote parts of India. The purdah is still practiced by many Indian women, and child marriage remains prevalent.
Sati Sati is an old, largely defunct custom, in which the widow was immolated alive on her husband's funeral pyre. Although the act was supposed to be a voluntary on the widow's part, it is believed to have been sometimes forced on the widow. It was abolished by the British in 1829. There have been around forty reported cases of sati since independence. In 1987, the Roop Kanwar case of Rajasthan led to The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act.
Jauhar Jauhar refers to the practice of the voluntary immolation of all the wives and daughters of defeated warriors, in order to avoid capture and consequent molestation by the enemy. The practice was followed by the wives of defeated Rajput rulers, who are known to place a high premium on honour.
Purdah Purdah is the practice of requiring women to cover their bodies so as to cover their skin and conceal their form. It imposes restrictions on the mobility of women, it curtails their right to interact freely and it is a symbol of the subordination of women. It does not reflect the religious teachings of either Hinduism or Islam, contrary to common belief, although misconception has occurred due to the ignorance and prejudices of religious leaders of both faiths.
Devadasis Devadasi is a religious practice in some parts of southern India, in which women are "married" to a deity or temple. The ritual was well established by the 10th century A.D.In the later period, the illegitimate sexual exploitation of the devadasis became a norm in some parts of India.
MarriageThe most sacred part of the wedding ceremony involves circumambulating the sacred fire in seven steps to a Vedic mantra where the groom addresses his wife.In the Manu Smriti, on the other hand, 8 types of marriage are specified; two involve bedecking the bride with costly garments and ornaments before giving her away, two involve the groom's family giving a gift to the bride's and the other four do not involve an exchange of gifts.The Manusmriti enjoins 'Let mutual fidelity continue until death,' this may be considered as the summary of the highest law for husband and wife. Rigvedic verses suggest that the women married at a mature age and were probably free to select their husband. The wedding hymn in the Rigveda (RV 10.85.37-38) speaks of "husbands" (plural) for a single wife, but this may have a mythological character.Dowry
The practice of dowry is not endorsed by orthodox Hinduism and "may be a perversion of Sanskritic marriage prescriptions". Dowry is linked to caste status: among higher castes a dowry is expected from the girl's family, among lower ones the dowry is paid to the girl's family. As a result the prevalence of dowry increases with the process known as "Sanskritisation" and urbanization; abuse of the system has thus increased in recent years.
Divorce Hinduism in general is abhorrent to divorce. A divorced women has, in a typical hindu society, been forced to live as a widow. However in theological areas both Manusamhita and Arthashastra say that, if the husband is impotent, a traitor, evil-liver, has become an ascetic or an outcast or is missing for a prescribed number of years, then the wife can leave him without blame and marry again. Arthashastra also declares that in other circumstances, divorce can take place only by mutual consent.
Manu discusses situations where the wife wishes to return to her first husband whether she has simply deserted him or had married another.Widowhood and remarriage In traditional families, widows were, and in some cases are, required to wear white sarees, and give up their ornaments, including the bindi, which signified auspiciousness; their presence at religious rites was considered inauspicious, and they were supposed to devote their lives to an austere pursuit of religion.
These restrictions were traditionally strongest in the highest castes, in which the head was frequently shaved as well, and which had the severest restrictions on remarriage. These restrictions are now strictly observed only by a small minority of widows, though some degree of ritual inauspiciousness remains.In NAsmR 12.45-48, there are three types of punarbhu, or remarried widow: The virgin widow, the woman who abandons her husband to take up with another man and then returns to her husband, and the woman who has no brothers-in-law who can give her offspring. Although this list is not exhaustive, it makes it clear that a punarbhu was not just any widow, she may not have been a widow at all (the second case). In the other two cases, she is a childless widow, which is an important distinction that should not be ignored. It is important to mention that although many texts do seem to admit to the existence of the remarriage of widows and sometimes allow it, it is not considered an ideal situation. A punarbhu would not be given the same rights as a woman who was married only once. āI think you must also mention that the son of a punarbhu, a punarbhava, is often listed as one who is unfit to invite to a sacrifice, as is the husband of a remarried woman. The punarbhava also did not inherit as would a 'natural son'.As of 2007, 3 per cent of the population of India consist of widows. Most of the widows are left to survive on charity, many are reduced to begging on the streets. Some surveys show that steeped in their religious beliefs and fearful of violating social customs they were brought up to believe in, many widows themselves do not want to remarry.
Sati
"A Hindu Suttee"Sati (as verb) is an act of immolation of a woman on her husband's funeral pyre. Sati (as noun) is one who immolated either self-willingly or by societal inducement and compulsion.(Sati was practiced by the Scythians and also the ancient peoples of Scythia, Egypt, Scandinavia and China) Sati was performed ideally as an act of immortal love and was believed to purge the couple of all accumulated sin.Though no scripture mandates it, the Puranas, part of the Hindu Smriti, mention sati as highly meritorious in several instances. A few instances of sati are recorded in the Hindu epics, which are otherwise replete with influential widows. Some examples from the Mahabharata include:• several of Vasudeva's wives (Rohini, Devaki, Bhadraa and Madira) • Madri, second wife of Pandu, who held herself responsible for his death, performed sati. His first wife Kunti did not commit sati. Moreover, Kunti in the Mahabharata, even had a son before marriage (albeit by accident or through her naivete) but went on to become a queen by marrying another man (king Pandu).
It shows that the society used to value women more for their overall qualities of intelligence, determination, loyalty and leadership etc. rather than some personal and private issue such as the pre-marital virginity. Needless to say, Kunti, in spite of her pre-marital indiscretion, not only married a king but also remained highly respected and loved by all (family and others) throughout her entire and long life and did not choose to commit sati at the time of her husband's death.
