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SOCIAL CONDITIONS
355
yshem his
uty w
The wife is further called Baņaiņi=Praņayini (15.76). It indicates the duty of the wife that she should love and keep her husband happy. There are various references to love sports and husbands rejoicing in the company of their wives (10.34-35; 70.48-57). Whenever the husband was away the wife used to await his return with enthusiasm and on his return she happily celebrated the occasion (74.32-33). It was a day of great anxiety for a wife when her husband went out for fighting in a battle. The soldier's duty demanded his departure from home. Therefore his wife's duty was to encourage him. Temporarily she may feel desperate but the ultimate national duty was before her. Hence a soldier's wife considered his departure as a work of nobility and bravery. She encouraged her husband to fight with full life and vigour and considered it better for him to die in the battle than to retreat (56.14-12), In times of difficulty a wife helped her husband. When Simhendu was bitten by a snake in the jungle, his wife carried him on her back and got him cured with the help of a monk (77.92). Lakşmaņa's eight Vidyadhara wives, out of their deep affection for him presented themselves at the battlefield to share the fate of Lakşmapa (72.10). The true affectionate bonds of oneness demanded that the wife should be faithful to her husband. Thus the PCV reveals that Sita despite her persecutions did not like to marry Rāvana. She was ready to die for Rama (46.43) but was not willing at all to accept Rāvana as her husband. In separation from her husband she gave up food (46.14) and even various royal allurements could not seduce her (69.25-28). Añjana was abandoned by Pavanañjaya immediately after marriage on account of some misunderstanding on the part of Pavanañjaya but she never forgot her husband. Ultimately Pavanañjaya realised the mistake and accepted her. Suddenly another misfortune befell Añjana. She was exiled by her mother-in-law when her husband was away. She suffered a lot but here also she remained devoted to her husband and the day came when she got united with him again. On account of this affectionate bond a wife was duly respected and admired by her husband, therefore she is addressed as Devi (29.13) and Sundarī (29.14). Further she is considered to be like a gem (mahila-rayanam 44.62). Here lies the honour of the wife. She enjoyed the special privilege of immunity from being killed by her husband (35.15). It was considered to be a great sin to kill one's wife (candakammakārī 14.14). Not only the wife but the woman-class in general was granted this privilege? (15.75). Thus some sanctity was associated with the wife and the woman-class.
1. Bahudosāna vi dhirā, mahilāņa imam na vähinti.
