Jain Journal 1978 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 46

The Jainas and the Practice of Sati
SUSHIL SAHA
Many ancient peoples buried or burnt a man's widows, horses and other cherished possessions with the corpse in the belief that he might have all he loved and needed in the next world. Such practices can be seen in ancient China and Babylonia. In India, the custom takes us back to the days of the Rg Veda. The earliest datable notice of the self-immolation of the Sati occurs in the accounts of the Greeks who accompanied Alexander to India. The first memorial of a Sati is found at Eran in Madya Pradesh. This horrid custom became very common in the subsequent centuries as it is evident from the numerous Sati-stones all over India. The scriptures not only approved but also laid down rules for self-immolation of the widow on the pyre of the husband. The result was tragic. Every year hundreds of women met with a cruel death in the name of religion. In fact, this was a kind of human sacrifice practised and tolerated in a highly civilised country like India.?
It is gratifying to note that voices of protest rose against the evil custom from some corners. The poet Bana condemned the practice as early as the 7th century A.D.8 The Tantric sects also denounced it strongly. The enlightened Mughal emperors like Akbar even took some effective steps to suppress the obnoxious practice.10 But it was legally prohibited as late as 1829.11
1 The Wonder that was India, A. L. Basham, p. 187. 2 An Advanced History of India, p. 822. 3 Ibid. 4 The Wonder that was India, p. 187. 3 Ibid. p. 188. • An Advanced History of India, p. 823. 7 Ibid. 8 The Wonder that was India, p. 188. 9 Ibid. 10 An Advanced History of India, p. 823. 11 Ibid.