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SOCIAL CONDITIONS
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when her chastity was proved before the public. It means that a satisfactory proof was required on the part of the
women to prove her purity and on production of such a proof she was accepted by her husband. The chief queen Simhika was dishonoured by her husband merely on the doubt of her character and that doubt had arisen on account of her open fight in a battle
against the enemy-kings when her husband was away from the capital. When her purity was proved she was restored to her original status (22.62,70).
Those who were proved to be unchaste were permanently divorced by their husbands. Brahmaņi Agnila was abandoned by her husband on account of her unchastity (77.74). Similar was the case with the queen Kiranamaṇḍalā who inspite of being warned by her husband did not give up her bad habits (101.60). The Narada Smrti says that a wife who commits adultery should be divorced (12.90,92). Agnila is said to have been later on accepted by king Kararuha as his wife (77.75). It indicates that the infidel wives were divorced and it was just possible that such women could find place in the harems of kings.
This was the lot of the woman-class but the male-class remained unaccused or undivorced for infidelity. May be it, but the maleclass was equally responsible. Varahamihira has equally blamed men for vices. He in his Byhatsamhita (Ch.74) rebukes males for their sexual urges while praises women for their forbearance. He says that men talk of love to their wives while they go astray outside. He further remarks that women have more qualites than men possess.
Consciousness of Self-Respect :-The PCV further reveals that women were not altogether submissive. They were conscious of their self-respect and on occasions they duly exhibited it. It was due to circumstances or the conditions of the society that even married women were kidnapped and they had to become the wives of the kidnappers. Similarly they had to suffer exile, dishonour and abandonment of the slightest doubt on their character and they were unable to oppose such impositions. But it was not true everytime. There were occasions when their self-respect revolted against these severities and they emphasised that they were not merely the commodities of market. Thus the PCV reveals that Candrabha, the wife of a ruler, who was deceitfully separated from her husband and was forcibly made his wife by an overlord Madhu, did not hesitate and feel shy in rebuking Madhu for enjoying another man's wife
