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106 A CULTRAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI celibacy, 1 Such celibate life has been termed as dravya-Brahma, i. e. material celibacy, 2 as against bhava-Brahma, i. e, celibacy which was practised due to an inner urge. Widows were to wear simple clothes and were not allowed to wear any ornaments. Usually women would have remained in the same house after the death of their husbands, but in many cases they went back to their maternal homes. Many a woman embraced Jaina or Buddhist monastic order being disgusted with the life due to the death of their loving husbandse or because of the quarrelsome atmosphere in the family. The Jaina Acāryas took an active part in preaching such ladies.' It can be thus stated that the Jaina and Buddhist monastic orders provided a great help in alleviating the miseries of women by giving them the status of nuns and thus saving them from the sorrowful life of the ancient Indian widowhood.
Though remarriages were strictly restricted among the higher castes, i. e. the Brāhmaṇas and Ksatriyas, it was tolerated amongst the lower castes. A story is cited in the NC. wherein Bhațţā, the daughter of a Sreşthin, was proposed for marriage by the Senāpati after she had left her former husband.& Instance has been mentioned of a householder who being enraged in a family dispute ordered his four wives to leave the house; out of them one went to another family, i. e. married another man (para-gharammi gatā). This shows that this course of behaviour was also resorted to by some ladies in
1. NO. 1, p. 1; Manusmrti, 9. 65. 5, 158, 160. 2. G1311 376 377311 Testers Huila Hodie Coaxi--NC. 1, p. 1. 3. Faz Tegitemit Sacrorrait Haifa-NC. 2, p. 11. 4. NC. 2, p. 111. 5. Ibid.; also NC. 3, p. 52. 6. HÀ TIT FUIT OTETTI TIFÈT, HUT TOFT--NC 2, p. 258. 7. HEARTTT À UTETET 79 Permai sifat ata a 56-NC. 2, p. 258; Brh.
VT., pp. 1029-30. 8. NC. 3, p. 151. 9. T raffe for TCE TIT I TOT fer op ais. Para feq371370-NC. 3, p.
52; BỊh. Vs. 5, p. 1518.
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