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the cultural meaning of suicide: what does that mean? summary
hinduism and marriage
hinduism and marriage
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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. .
As we studied in class, early Indian culture and society in 300 C.E., the Hindu society was dominated by the caste system, which influenced almost every aspect of life. Each caste had its own particular dharma, carrying with rights, obligations and restrictions. Beyond this was a generalized dharma applicable to all: deference to the Brahmins, devotion to the gods, and reverence for the Ganges and for sacred cattle (Connections, Pg. 58). Procreation too, was considered a sacred duty: large families were seen as blessings from the gods, and any attempt to limit family size was frowned upon (Connections, Pg. 58). Since reproduction was essential to reincarnation, for most people marriage and parenthood were moral obligations.
A few upper caste youths, hiding behind parapet of the building in an opposite auction place, stoned the pot. “C-r-a-ash” a sound Teeha heard. The youths struck Methi’s pot and her whole body became drenched completely. It is her caste that is her flaw. By the time, Teeha moved towards Methi as soon as the pot shattered. Methi’s companions stood at some distance from them. Mathi was wet from head to feet. She stood rooted to the ground. The upper caste youths’ eyes roved over Methi’s breast and navel visible through her wet clothes, because the woman was an untouchable’s community in that village. So the upper caste youths wanted to humiliate her in public place. Look at this caste that became a weak and means of under-estimation. Teeha, a Dalit and an outsider, has openly hit a Patel youth that is a burning issue. But a low-caste girl was assaulted which is considered as sign of upper caste
Fuller, C. J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2004. Print.
Vine Deloria. 2003. Cluster Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto. University of Oklahoma Press: Oklahoma.
A traditional extended family living in Northern India can become acquainted through the viewing of Dadi’s family. Dadi, meaning grandmother in Hindu, lets us explore her family up close and personal as we follow the trials and tribulations the family encounters through a daily basis. The family deals with the span of three generations and their conflicting interpretations of the ideal family life. Dadi lets us look at the family as a whole, but the film opens our eyes particularly on the women and the problems they face. The film inspects the women’s battle to secure their status in their family through dealing with a patriarchal mentality. The women also are seen attempting to exert their power, and through it all we are familiarized to
Hinduism is a vast and very complex religion to comprehend and consists of various different branches of philosophies. Although it is considered that Hinduism does not necessarily have one text that provides the guidelines for the contemporary Hindu devotee, like the Bible does for Christians, but there are a few scriptures that help identify the ultimate goal for the followers of Hinduism. The Upanishads try to exemplify the message of obtaining the righteous path as much as possible with rooting its context to the most ancient Hindu text, the Vedas. Tying both of these scriptures together the main purpose of a practicing Hindu is laid out; which is being able to obtain moksha, or liberation, from samsara, which is the endless cycle of birth and rebirth (Knott 1998: 23). The Upanishads state that the way to achieve this liberation is through renunciation, which in turn leads to living a spiritual life. During the time period in which the Upanishads were allegedly written, the requirements of renunciation described in the Upanishads were both acceptable and reputable in ancient Indian society. However, as time evolved and there was an increased social change in society, there were many challenges in following the Upanishads’ ideologies. In Meena Khadelwal’s book Women in Ochre Robes, we can see that women are being introduced into the whole concept of renunciation and because of the clashes with some of the principal theories of renunciation, which are based off the ancient text of the Upanishads and Vedas, women have tweaked certain aspects derived from the classical methods to help fit their gender role but at the same time legitimizing all the altered practices.
Within the earliest of civilizations of India, pre-pubescent girls were offered to men as wives, which ultimately lead to the destruction of women’s domestic independence. As said in Document 1, “because girls married before they could finish their education, they were not qualified to perform ritual sacrifices. Furthermore, wives’ legal rights eroded.” Likewise, Indian women became politically subordinate to men. However, by modern standards, women’s social
"Early India, the Asian Way of Life." History World International. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .
“Arranging a Marriage in India” by Serena Nanda is a well written, informative article aimed at sharing the view of the Indian culture on arranged marriages and also showing how much effort is put into the process of arranging a marriage. Our own culture has evolved into accepting the fact that we are all independent individuals who could not imagine having someone else make such a significant decision for us. Serena Nanda does an excellent job of using her sources within the society as evidence of the acceptance of the arranged marriage aspect of their culture.
Dharmashastra or the Hindu law book made some provisions for having multiple wives but only under special circumstances not for the carnal pleasures, but only for the continuation of family lineage. Dharmashastra suggests that women are always dependent to the male partner for the protection. Woman’s role was considered to be of a great wife so that the God and Godesses would respond to the couples requests. In the religious rituals, wife was to be present to use for her
Hindus believe in spiritual equality of males and females on an existential level as a representation of enlightenment. This theme of spiritual equality within Hinduism is best
The Western Religious leaders and moralists believe only one spouse for life is the highest form of marriage. Some of the most "primitive" peoples are strictly monogamous in their ideals, while some "highly advanced" cultures have moved away from the stri...
Nanda, S. (1998). Arranging a Marriage in India. In P. DeVita (Ed.), Stumbling toward truth: Anthropologists at work (pp. 196-204). Illinois, U.S: Waveland Press.
...me people believe that sati is wrong, and others believe that it is their choice. Though I’m sure there are many of locals who appreciate reform acts to prevent sati, like the Commission of Sati Act, and the National Commissions for women act, just like any law, there are people who just believe what they believe and will continue to practice sati anyway, even if it is abolished in their country. Also the fact that there is historical proof of when sati came to be and that others believe that the mythology may have played a role in the idea of where self-immolation and forced immolation came from, goes to show that these topics a lone can be explained in greater depth. The controversy about this subject will probably never be settled, but I can say I hope that someday there is peace brought to India, whether this is something they choose to do, or not choose to do.
Pandey, T. N., 2014. Lecture 1/9/14: Culture of India: Aryan and Indigenous Population. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.