Practice Of Sati In India

In India, the practice of Sati has been continuously performed over the years, nonetheless of the consequences that are discovered of the practice. Sati is the representation of the woman herself, who is the Goddess of marital bliss and longevity. Sati is also a Hindu practice of a widow burning herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. The practice of Sati looks at wives being loyal, pure, and chaste to her late husband, however, the practice of Sati is a downfall in a woman’s life. Sati negatively impacts women in India by linking it to a mythology which glorifies the death of women, posing as a legitimate alternative for widows and by celebrating modern cases such as Roop Kanwar.

An issue of Sati is the misunderstanding of how the link

Those who interfered with Godavari were soon cursed by her. A witness of the ritual examines Godavari “overflowing with sat, goodness (Hawley 231)”. After Godavari became a sati she expressed that anyone who sleeps the pyre she was burned on for seven nights will be permitted blessings. This mythology of Godavari gives widows hope that although her husband and she are deceased, blessings can be fulfilled to those who she loves. The name for the practice is derived from the meaning of Sati which means “a good woman”, which signifies being a “chaste woman and virtuous wife (Hawley 50)”, as Sati did prove she was such for standing against her father’s opinions on Shiva. This meaning of Sati glorifies how the practice of Sati is perceived with practices today. The dominant point of the mythology of Sati is about the union of marriage between deities so that creations can continue and prosper. To keep a woman’s status of being a “chaste woman and virtuous wife”, it is determined by your choice of when you become a widow, as being a loyal wife will have to continue on even after her husband has died. Women in India are devoted to being a servant to their husband, which is considered a

Western values are different as women fight for equality, stand up for themselves and are independent. Compared to lives in India, values are different as women are expected to be a pativrata as explained earlier in the essay. Woman are not independent as their lives revolve around men; either their father, husband or sons. In marriage, women are responsible for the lives of their husband. The wives are to make sure their husband has everything they need such as food cooked, his clothes clean and the kids are taken care of before the wife gets what she needs. As women in marriage are responsible for their husbands’ lives, it is frowned upon if their husband dies before the wife dies. This experience is seen as though the wife did not take good enough care of their husbands. Women who experience their husbands dying are called widows, and widows in the Western world and widows in India are perceived differently. Widows in India are treated poorly, they are disowned by their families, humiliated and mistreated. Widows are common to abuse, verbal and physical, from in-laws and the denial to her dead husband’s property and assets. As a Sati, these acts upon the widow is not allowed. A soon to be Sati is granted the power to curse anyone who dares to stop the ritual from occurring, after the Sati has made the vow to become a Sati. Widows in India lose