Sati Practice – Historical facts on

sati sahagamana which we don’t

know

•
This article is about historical facts about sati practice in our ancient
days.

Our Indian culture has given at most value and status to women. For
food we worship Sri Annapurna Devi and for wealth, we worship lord
Laxmi Devi and for education and wisdom we worship lord Saraswathi
Devi and for water, we worship rivers and worshipping earth we
compare with bhoodevi and finally motherland we Indian worship
Bharat Mata.

So here we compare every emotion as a mother (females goddess).

So if we analyze the above great things, Do you think our culture encourages sati
practice or satidaha pratha, like forcing her to enter into the fire of her husband’s pyre.
after her husband’s death.
If we define actually what is sati? means,it is a widow burning herself
to death on husband pyre.

Let us know the authentic historical facts one by one to burst the
myths.

Sati practice – Striking historical facts

Was sati (suttee) practice a religious obligation mentioned in ancient
texts?

Does sati practise have its origin in the Vedas?

No the actual meaning mentioned below from rigveda.

It is important Funeral hymn is from rigveda 10.18.7 . The hymn was

used by critics to propagate that sati was mentioned in our scriptures.
But actually what this hymn says.

It tells the widow to sit next to her husband’s dead body and moisten
your eyes with ghee and get up to resume your place in the world.
The last word agre (earlier) was replaced with word Agni (fire) in this
hymn.

So the Hindu bashers deliberately misinterpreted that sati tradition is a

religious obligation.

But the above scripture is not saying like that.

The experts of dharma Sastra condemned this distortion. That sati

practice is not a religious obligation.

In ancient days remarriage is not there and loyalty towards the

husband. So our culture says the process of converting our sexual
desire, energy into spiritual desires, energy is known as sati. That can
happen only with the fire on inner knowledge and gyan marg

In garuda Purana 4th chapter verses 90 to 98 mention abt sati. They

are some exceptions if the women have children or if she is pregnant
she must avoid this practice.
In Devi Bhagavatham also some scriptures mentioned abt sati
practice.

Scriptures and scholars views on sati sahagamana-

Kautilya Artha sastra did not refer to sati funeral or he never

mentioned any instances.

Orientalists like HH Wilson also never told that sati system was
mentioned in Hindu scriptures.

Dharma sutras or smrithis mentioned the duties of a wife but do not

recommend sati.

manu describes wives as worthy of being worshipped that lamps lit

the households and manu also says the wife is legal heir of the
husband property after his death.

yajnavalkya describes wives were gifts of gods and strict rules for
widow bit, not self-immolation.

vishnu smrithi says a good wife, who perseveres in a chaste life after
the death of her lord, will go to heaven like (perpetual) students, even
though she has no son.

Vyas Smriti, Kalidas, court poet of harsha kadambari he condemns of

sati (banabatta)

some scholars medhatithi compared sati practice as black magic.

late medieval period smrithis till time had carried no instruction on

methods of sati ,rituals.

In the 18th century Thanjavur a book stree dharma paddati written by

triyambaka pandit threat to Hinduism by islam and missionaries
Europeans.He told how to preserve threats he recommended way of
salvation in a troubled scenario to protect their chastity, but the option
of leading aesthetic life is always open

Mahaveer van tantra also condemns sati.

Ancient religion legal texts mentioned austere life for women.

Was sati forced?

Here in india the marriage tradition marriage is a sacrament not a

contract. Generally, our culture says life partner is half of her husband
and she is having equal priority in a family.

If we see images of artha nareeshwar shiva has given his entire half
place to lord Parvathi . It means wife is equal to her husband and she
is the soul of her husband.

The travelers who saw sati saw women while performing sati they
indicate fingers. If suppose if she shows 4 that means she will commit
sati another 3 times. It totals ads up to 7

So in our marriage rituals, the couple circumambulates 7 times around

the fire circle. The circle is 360 degrees. This relation is up to the next
7 rebirths. The only number which cannot divide 360 degrees is 7. So
the couple go around 7 times ensuring that nothing can divide their
relationship. We Indians firmly believe life after death.

Travelers who observed our traditions wrote in their travelogues that

our women are so emotional and love towards her husband and they
were taught to love her husband. so if he dies, then the women with
love and attachment on him she uses to perform sati.

Hindu scriptures which i mentioned they say if we perform sati they

both will go to heaven and next rebirth they will again become wife
and husband. In this way a lot of things mentioned. We Indians firmly
believe life after death.

So now we should not come to the Conclusion that women performed

sati and people also encouraged it. Not at all. In garuda Purana, Devi
Bhagavatam it is mentioned as voluntary not forced.

Here the Rigvedic scripture is distorted and the garuda Purana , etc
mentioned about sati is just a suggestion only not force. Our Hindu
scriptures never mentioned killing innocents and our Hindus never
behaved in a rigid and foolish manner from past to present. May be
few instances but not high.
So sati was never a forced tradition in india. It is a personal choice.

who is sati in india tradition?

The name sati came from sat means chaste, faithful widow sat
goodness or virtue. virtuess women, personal strength.

In Puranas, sati is a reincarnation of lord Adi shakti the wife of lord

shiva. Her father Daksha performs a yagna and in that ritual function,
he insults lord shiva. because of humiliation to her husband,sati
commits self-immolation. This is the story of sati death.

Some great women in history sita, anasuya, savithri got sati name
without self-immolation.

There is no sanskrit word for sati (widow immolation). Some

expressions were used sahagamana,sahamarana,anumarana.These
are not sati .

The Europeans described the widow burning funeral rite as sati .

In ancient days women who performed this self-immolation with her

husband considered as a goddess and people use to worship her by
constructing sati stupas and stones.

Sathi in Ramayana-
There are no instances of sati practice in Ramayana and after the
death of Dasaratha also his 3 wives did not commit sati.

After Ravana’s death, mandodari also did not enter into her husband’s
fire funeral. But his son Megha Nath wife sulochana committed sati

Sati in Mahabharat-
After the death of Pandu raja and one of his wives madri only tried to
dissuade herself because of guilt feeling that her husband died due to
her. Another wife kunti didnt persuade herself and she took care of
the pandavas.
When Lord Krishna Father Vasudev died, then his 4 wives committed
sati .but it was not forcefully.

When lord Krishna died his wives did not commit sati and lived
aesthetic life.

Finally in Mahabharat lakhs of soldiers died and their wives did not
commit sati . Some might have dissuaded themselves but we did not
find any thousands or lakhs of sati instances historically or Veda Vyas
Mahabharat book.

Lets come to facts and figures who, when, where and how many
instances of sati occurred in the medieval, ancient period and regions
like central, south India and other parts of India.

The practice of sati in Ancient India-

There was an impression that sati was a widespread practice in

ancient days and thousands and lakhs of women are immolated
themselves or forced.

We should know the history of sati to burst these myths.

The first recorded instance of sati was recorded in 3rd-century b.c

during the alexander period. He was returning to his country saw one
Indian contingent name Shashi gupt died and his 2 wives are fighting
each other at the dead body who should commit sati.
 sati stone

This is an eye witness and it was recorded by Greek historian

Diodorus.

After another instance happened in 510 A.D. We can found in the

Eran stone inscription pillar in Madhya Pradesh. A famous king Bhanu
gupt soldier goparaja who died in battle and his wife did self-
immolation with her husband.

In the 6th century a Chinese historian hieun Tsang recorded evidence

of sati . His mother also immolated when her husband was ill. He tried
to convince not to do but she committed sati.

But when his sister tried to immolate for her husband’s death but he
persuaded her not to immolate and she accepted after that she
became an advisor to him in the court.
In the 7th century during Rajendra Chola and a soldier wife insisted
her self for sati when he died and her father erected a sati stone in
memory of her.

Up to 1000 A.D, sati incidents are rare in Deccan and exception in

rare south. Up to 900 A.D in Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas kingdoms no
sati cases occurred.

sati stone in museum

Some queens 4-5 women committed in sati and sati was extremely
rare among the common people.

When Chhatrapati Sivaji died in 1680 her one of his wives did sati.

Sati system in India( central and south India)-

In Madhya Pradesh Sagar region during the 15th century to the 18th-
century weavers, barbers, mansion families have few instances of
sati.

In Karnataka inscriptions like epigraphic carnatica during the period of

1000 to 1400 A.D., It says only 11 cases were recorded.
During the period of 1336 A.D to 1646 A.D only 64 cases occurred as
per sati inscriptions.

Here none of the vijaynagaram Queens did sati when their kings died.

From 14th to 16-century sati happened in mostly warrior families.

In Maratha kingdom in village happened but Marathas never

encouraged and his son Rajaram wife also came across this practice.

In Maharastra, Gujarat very few cases and in peshwas 1 case

occurred.

Ahilya Bhai Holkar when her husband died she bravely stood and
ruled the kingdom.

Jhansi Laxmi bhai fought with the British bravely after her husband’s
death and she did not commit sati.

In the book veer, Vinod was written by Shyamal kaviraj and he

mentions only 2% of women committed sati. He says women did with
lot of love and he admires their bravery.

meenakshi jain on sati

Sati in bengal-

Here particularly why I mentioned Bengal because the missionaries

did a lot of propaganda that in west Bengal lot of sati incidents are
happening. So let us see the facts.

How missionaries and British did bad propaganda and their act made
women to commit sati and suicide that I will write a detailed article.

The most important thing is no sati stones or records were found in

Bengal.

In fact the brahmin scholar of the manu samhita does not mention the
practice of sati.

Sati in nepal-
It happened in 464 c.e and king name is Mannar dev father died her
mother expressed a desire to commit sati but it did not happen.

Sati in other civilizations-

Sati is there in other civilizations also. In China and Egypt when the
kings died they use to bury with their number of wives along with him.
In Europe, Before the Christian era self-immolation was there.

Especially we need to mention the samurai female ritual suicide in

japan. It is called as female seppuku.(Jigai)

The wives of samurai use to cut the arteries of the neck with one
stroke with a knife called tanto. It is done to avoid capture by enemies
after the war.

Sati described by foreigners and historians.

Indians from ancient times to present has a lot of travelers, historians

and researchers and students visited and stayed for a long time and
also the invaders.

So what is their view and observation on sati mentioned in their

records, books letters or travelogues, etc from 2nd B.C to 19th
century?

Alberuni who is a court member of Muhammad Ghazni. He refers to

sati in 1000A.D that the wives of kings committed sati but he never
witnessed any incident with his eyes as he spent a lot of years in
India.

Marco polo in the 13th century referred to the custom in Malabar but
he did not witness any sati incident.

Friar Roderic wrote when a man dies they burnt a wife with him but if
she has sons she could live with them.

In the 14th century a Moroccan traveler saw instances in Madhya

Pradesh when 3 women proceeding to immolate themselves because
of husbands died in the battlefield.
William Hawkins a ship captain saw an incident in a kingdom widow
were brought to the king and king dissuade them not to self immolate
and the king offered them gifts and financial support to the widows.

Italin traveller pietro della valle wrote –

“This burning of women upon the death of their husband is at their own choice to do it or not,
and indeed few practice it.”

French Traveller jean Baptiste Tavernier visited India 5 times during

the 16th century says –

“sati committed by women was voluntary and it is very difficult to dissuade the women who have
decided to immolate themselves”.

He saw in Patna a young widow approached dutch governor

requested permission for sati. He witnesses sati for the first time.

John Grose employee of East India company in his book voice to east
indies in 1757-

“Attributes the Hindu women’s affection and veneration for their

husbands to early marriage”.

Nathaniel halhed a noted orientalist in 1779 wrote a letter to England

“From all accounts, i never saw forced immolations and all are voluntary”.
https://lostinblockchain.com/v/UdHgtNL7Y4c/FACTS-OF-SATI-SYSTEM
Like this i can give more statements.

I will mention some more in my next article.

So if we examine the total sati incidents based on epigraphic records

and eye witness accounts from 1900 BCE to 1900 CE hardly 500
incidents occurred that means 1 case every 8 years.

If we go through the entire article we can understand our Hindu

scriptures, culture or our society or administration never encouraged
sati custom and it is voluntary and optional only.

In Fact, many tried to dissuade this sati practice. So many witnesses

say we were astonished by valor, bravery, and love towards their
husband, customs and culture.
So coming to the main part of sati.

Till the 19th century we have accounts of a few instances of sati but in
the 19th century how thousands and lakhs of women immolating
themselves as sati ritual was forced and religious obligation. Such
stories were created and still, we are reading and believing.

They created fake narratives that the women were a victim of relatives
and hungry brahmins and women were drugged and tied with ropes
and forcefully thrown into fire.

Conclusion-

So in my next article what is Jauhar and why, how the British ,

missionaries, who is Raja ram, Mohan Roy? pseudo-intellectuals did
fake propaganda, distorted the facts to make us feel inferior. Also,
Who abolished sati system? When was sati banned?

We bharatiyagnanacharitra.in are trying to make aware of our present

generation about the greatness of our Indian glory.