Sunday, January 26, 2020

Widows


Widows 

Compiled by
P.R.Ramachander



I was   translating a prayer.

I n one place it has been told
If a widow   chants it, she will die quickly!

In another  place it has been told
If a widow   chants it,
In her  next birth   she will not become a widow

I was shocked.My mind went back to my   childhood.


When I think of  my child hood I remember some young ladies  with head shaved  completely  . After  growing up I came to know  that they were widows , I also remember a common word of abuse  among Brahmins  , which I much latter knew that it means “Widow”.Over time when I came to know  about of the plight  of those  fourth class  citizens of the community, I felt sad.When I was young my father told me that  they are not elegible for properties of their husband  or father.
   My uncle told me a Sanskrit sloka , which said, one widow  will destroy a family, two the street, three  the country
   Later  I read about  Easwar Chandra Vidhya Sagar of Bengal   who fought against society  for permitting them to get  married again,

    When I was a boy I came to know that  ladies of Brahmin families  considered  them as  ill omen.I also came to know that if they do not shave their head( ie give away  their beauty) they were kept  outside the society.I heard about  Matas of Hindus where such  widows are not permitted to enter

I then read my translation of Vamiki Rammayana  to see whether  the  widows of Dasaratha  lived a normal life.  In the chapter on Rama Pattabisheka the following  a verse occurs

Afterwards the  very joyful Kausalya   who loved her sons   made  auspicious decoration of  the wives of all monkeys  with   great effort.                                                                                                          128.18

Which clearly indicated that Kausalya  was alive when Rama returned  and had a honourable position.

    WE all know   About the role Kunti the widow of Pandu played in making her sons great.


Things have changed a lot  .I personally know  few widows in a family  known to me, who  had remarried and leading a happy  married life.

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