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. 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.