Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Sati or suttee has nothing to do with Hinduism
Sati or suttee is the most horrendous act of widows killing themselves jumping into the funeral pyre of their dead husbands, sometimes willfully and sometimes forcefully by others.
Believe it or not Sati has nothing to do with Hinduism. To say, Sati is a part of Hinduism is exactly like saying “Salem witch hunt” and Spanish killing of Mayas have something to do with the immortal teachings of the Jesus Christ.
There is not even one scriptural statement in Vedas or Upanishads or two epics concerning SATI.
How does the name Sati originate?
The name Sati originated from the name of Sati, the last daughter of Daksha Prajapathi, who was born from the thumb of Lord Brahma. King Daksha had 100 daughters all of them except Sati married other Prajapathis, who are also the sons of Lord Brahma. Sati, against the wishes and command of her father king Daksha married Lord Siva.
King Daksha once conducted a very grand Yajna [prayer & sacrifice] to which almost all the relatives and dignitaries were invited, except Sati and her husband Lord Siva. Sati went to the Yajna [prayer & sacrifice] uninvited, against the wishes of her husband Lord Siva. King Daksha did not even recognize his daughter Sati when she appeared at his palace gate. Sati felt insulted beyond her wildest imagination. Struck by profound sorrow, Sati killed herself by self-immolation. This suicidal act of act of Sati or Dashayani [daughter of Daksha ] has nothing to do with her husband Lord Siva. She did that since she could not take the humiliation.
MANU SMRITI or the Code of Manu:
Sage Manu was India’s code giver and in his book Manusmriti has dealt with almost everything one can think of. There is no mention of Sati any where in Manusmriti.
RIG VEDA:
Some argue Rig Veda sanctions Sati based on a verse 10.18.7. This verse is part of the funeral in Hinduism. Text only state that widow should sleep next to the body of the dead husband as an act of last saha saya [sleeping together]. The texts continuing to this text never mention any act of Sati. So according to the funeral hymns in RIGVEDA, the ceremony is widow sleeping next to the corpse of the dead husband and then being allowed to marry anyone she pleases.
RAMAYANA:
In Ramayana, after Lord Rama's father king Dasaratha died, none of his three wives practiced Sati.
In Ramayana, when the monkey-king Bali died, his wife Tara did not commit Sati. Instead she married his brother Sugreeva.
When the demon king Ravana got killed, his wife Mandodhari did not kill herself.
MAHABHARATA:
Kaurava princesses:
There is not even one act of Sati in the whole epic poem of Mahabharata where thousands of men got killed. Even though one hundred Kaurava Princes including Duryodhana were killed, not even one Kaurava princess committed Sati. I The acts of Lord Krishna killing themselves after the demise of Krishna have nothing to do with SUTTEE.
Lord Krishna’s wives:
All those wives of Lord Krishna were Apsaras, [celestial beings who were born on earth to help Krishna to kill all demons. Once Krishna left, there were no need for them stay on earth. That is the reason why they killed themselves after Krishna went back to Vaikunda, the abode of Lord Vishnu.
Queen Madri:
Queen Madri, the wife of King Pandu jumped into the funeral pyre of the fallen husband and killed herself. But her suicide has nothing to do with Sati. She felt she was responsible for the death of her husband who had been cursed by a dieing saint to die, if he ever had an intercourse. What happened to King Pandu was not Madri’s fault, still Madri killed herself out of remorse. Madri begged her husband to control himself but of no avail. King Pandu had another wife Kunthi and she did not kill herself. That clearly shows Madri’s suicide has nothing to do with Sati.
Savitri, the legendry heroine of Hinduism
When Savitri's husband Satyavan died, the god of death Yama came to take the soul of Satyavan. Savitri engaged Lord Yama in a debate and Yama was forced to let go Satyan. During this episode there was absolutely no mention of Savitri committing Sati. That thought never occurred in her mind. Instead Savitri tricked Yama in bestowing life to his fallen husband.
Then from where did Sati came from?
Suttee had its roots in Greece. Pyre services similar to Suttee were prevalent among Germans, Slavs and other races besides Greeks. The practice of SUTTEE came to India through KUSHANS in 1 A.D.
Who Practiced Sati in India?
It was RAJPUTS a warrior tribe who were descendants of KUSHANS and who were very fanatic Hindus and who were extremely monogamous who practiced SUTTEE.
Why did they practice Sati?
Rajputs were in constant wars within themselves and were also war with Moslems. So there were thousands of young widows and they feared that it is dangerous to have thousands of young, extremely beautiful widows running around and they went were the extreme measure of eliminating them. Moslems were also in the same plight and they took care of the problem of young widows by each man having four wives.
What happened to Sati?
In 1829, British government in India, outlawed SUTTEE as a criminal offense. Suttee was never ever practiced in South India. Copycats appear now and then, but believe me vast majority of people have nothing to do with SUTTEE.
If Sati was part of Hinduism, thousands of widows should have been killed all over India. That never ever happened. We have no history to prove other wise.
Labels: Culture, Hindu, Hinduism, India, Newage, Spirituality
