Sati, the Blessing and the Curse : The Burning of Wives in India

Several years ago in Rajasthan, an eighteen-year-old woman was burned on her husband's funeral pyre and thus became sati . Before ascending the pyre, she was expected to deliver both blessings and curses: blessings to guard her family and clan for many generations, and curses to prevent anyone from thwarting her desire to die. Sati also means blessing and curse in a broader sense. To those who revere it, sati symbolizes ultimate loyalty and self-sacrifice. It often figures near the core of a Hindu identity that feels embattled in a modern world. Yet to those who deplore it, sati is a curse, a violation of every woman's womanhood. It is murder mystified, and as such, the symbol of precisely what Hinduism should not be. In this volume a group of leading scholars consider the many meanings of sati : in India and the West; in literature, art, and opera; in religion, psychology, economics, and politics. With contributors who are both Indian and American, this is a genuinely binational, postcolonial discussion. Contributors include Karen Brown, Paul Courtright, Vidya Dehejia, Ainslie Embree, Dorothy Figueira, Lindsey Harlan, John Hawley, Robin Lewis, Ashis Nandy, and Veena Talwar Oldenburg. CONTENTS......Page 10 LANGUAGE AND TRANSLITERATION......Page 12 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 1. The Iconographies of Sati......Page 42 Comment: A Broader Landscape......Page 64 2. Die Flambierte Frau: Sati in European Culture......Page 70 Comment: Sati and the Nineteenth-century British Self......Page 87 3. Perfection and Devotion: Sati Tradition in Rajasthan......Page 94 Comment: Good Mothers and Bad Mothers in the Rituals of Sati......Page 106 4. The Roop Kanwar Case: Feminist Responses......Page 116 5. Sati as Profit Versus Sati as a Spectacle: The Public Debate on Roop Kanwar's Death......Page 146 Comment: Widows as Cultural Symbols......Page 164 Comment: The Continuing Invention of the Sati Tradition......Page 174 Afterword: The Mysteries and Communities of Sati......Page 190 B......Page 202 G......Page 203 M......Page 204 P......Page 205 S......Page 206 Z......Page 208 Bibliography......Page 210 Notes on the Contributors......Page 218 B......Page 220 C......Page 221 F......Page 222 I......Page 223 M......Page 224 O......Page 225 R......Page 226 S......Page 227 T......Page 228 Z......Page 229 CONTENTS 10 LANGUAGE AND TRANSLITERATION 12 ABBREVIATIONS 14 Introduction 18 1. The Iconographies of Sati 42 Comment: A Broader Landscape 64 2. Die Flambierte Frau: Sati in European Culture 70 Comment: Sati and the Nineteenth-century British Self 87 3. Perfection and Devotion: Sati Tradition in Rajasthan 94 Comment: Good Mothers and Bad Mothers in the Rituals of Sati 106 4. The Roop Kanwar Case: Feminist Responses 116 5. Sati as Profit Versus Sati as a Spectacle: The Public Debate on Roop Kanwar's Death 146 Comment: Widows as Cultural Symbols 164 Comment: The Continuing Invention of the Sati Tradition 174 Afterword: The Mysteries and Communities of Sati 190 Select Glossary of Indic Terms 202 A 202 B 202 C 203 D 203 G 203 H 204 J 204 K 204 L 204 M 204 N 205 O 205 P 205 R 206 S 206 T 208 U 208 V 208 Y 208 Z 208 Bibliography 210 Notes on the Contributors 218 Index 220 A 220 B 220 C 221 D 222 E 222 F 222 G 223 H 223 I 223 J 224 K 224 L 224 M 224 N 225 O 225 P 226 Q 226 R 226 S 227 T 228 U 229 V 229 W 229 Y 229 Z 229 Sati Symbolizes Ultimate Loyalty And Self-sacrifice. It Often Figures Near The Core Of A Hindu Identity That Feels Embattled In A Modern World. Yet To Those Who Deplore It, Sati Is A Curse, A Violation Of Every Woman's Womanhood. The Iconographies Of Sati / Paul B. Courtright -- Die Flambierte Frau : Sati In European Culture / Dorothy M. Figueira -- Perfection And Devotion : Sati Tradition In Rajasthan / Lindsey Harlan -- The Roop Kanwar Case / Veena Talwar Oldenburg -- Sati As Profit Versus Sati As Spectable : The Public Debate On Roop Kanwar's Death / Ashis Nandy Edited By John Stratton Hawley. A Project Of The Southern Asian Institute, Columbia University--p. [v]. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 195-202) And Index. This is a collection of essays on the phenomenon of sati (or suttee), the burning of wives in India. The contributors, who include both American and Indian scholars, address basic questions about this controversial phenomenon and the moral issues it involves The word sati conjures up a mental picture of a Hindu wife meeting her violent death amidst the flames of her deceased husband's funeral pyre.