From: vivek@ecst.csuchico.edu (Vivek R. Prabhu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Sati sytem because of Islam (Gita's Teachings)
Date: 25 Dec 92 04:55:08 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu

In article <1992Dec24.163915.45897@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> dchatterjee@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
>In article <1992Dec24.181855.27289@news2.cis.umn.edu>, crick@tsp.med.umn.edu 
>>(Ed Crick (CD)) writes:
>> In article <1992Dec23.211702.7490@ann-arbor.applicon.slb.com> 
>>gupta@mailhost.aa.cad.slb.com (Sanjay K. Gupta) writes:
>>>	
>> 
>> I find this Muslim-bashing logic a very peculiar attempt to assign the blame 
>> for an equally peculiar practice.  If the "Islamic hordes" were such 
>> disrespectful Philistines as you claim they are, why did they only mistreat
>> widows, why not married women and especially unmarried, younger women.  It
>> would seem that "hordes" wouldn't  care about a woman's maritial status when
>> abusing her.  It is more logical to assume tthe latter, and then by your 


Well this has indeed happened in many cases. But that does not serve to
reinforce a stereotype of Muslims being debauched. Far from it, it only
serves as an example of the times prevailing then.


>   Sanjay just made an observation. Actually, Sati system, as I know, *was*
> prevalent in the times of Mahabharata. Now, I agree that the system was a
> totally putrid - showing the signs of the rigor-mortis of a corrupt Brahman

Well it wasn't prevalent at the time of the Mahabharata as you have said
but was resorted to by Madri, agaisnt the wishes of Kunti, and others, &
she resorted to it, solely out of guilt,  feeling that she was the cause
of the king Pandu's death.


> society. When all the goodness and moral courage decays, for survival humans
> have resorted to oppress women and the economically deprived sections.


Well, again you are being very subjective here and this has not been the
case. Women have been unfortunately, made victims of by influences, that
attacked at the fabric of Hindu society from outside.  An example is the 
Purdah or Ghunghat system followed in Northern India.  It was introduced
to prevent the invaders from casting eyes upon women, and today has been
used to keep women away from benefits of participation in society.


> Sati was first, again relying on my memory, advocated by Manu. In India,
> if a "Hindu" has to swear by any religious text in a court - as a witness, he
> she will have to do so by the code of Manu or the Bhagvad Gita. The Indian
> judicial system till date "probably" defines a Hindu who follows the code of
> Manu (Manusmriti). This is the text which openly advocates:
>
>  (1) Sati (2) Child marriage (3) Brahmins marrying four women (like Moslems),
>  (4) Brahmanical supremacy and the caste system.   


Again a very subjective statement. Manu never advocated the practice of
Sati. Manu, in fact has been the most misunderstood person in the Hindu
philosophy. Manu has suggested certain codes of conduct for the general 
living of society, and they have been twisted out of context, by latter
day "guardians" of society, so to speak, to subjugate masses of people.
Let me give an example here, the establishment of the Varna system, was
intended for the purpose of people indulging in vocations in which they
were proficient, and nowhere,  has it been mentioned in the Manusmriti, 
that a person from one vocation cannot take up another, and become good 
and proficient at it.  But in latter days,  this  guiding principle was  
used to oppress people and was totally misused. That does not mean that
we condemn the Manusmriti itself.

Secondly, nowhere in the Gita has it ever been mentioned that Sati or a
practice of child marriage, or Brahmanical superiority ever been deemed
to have been regarded as a practice to be followed. In fact it is quite
the opposite, where in almost every chapter, the need for disinterested
actions, without thought to the fruits of the actions been advocated.

>
>             deb chatterjee
>          (a good samaritan)
>

Regards,
Vivek.

-- 
vivek@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu (Vivek R. Prabhu),
Research Assistant, Systems Engineering Lab., Dept. Of Computer Science, 
School Of Engineering, Computer Science And Technology,
California State University, Chico, California.
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