.
Dear Max,
Thanks for your comment.
However, you should please note that the Manu Smriti and other texts we have
available today were translated by Max Muller and other VERY BIASED Christian
scholars under the “Macaulay campaign” to destroy Hinduism.
I can supply evidence.
The problem of social evils and injustice could be attributed to the Vedic
system if the original Vedic civilization actually endorsed them. The Muslim
invasions started in 700 CE, and before that India was a very peaceful, rich and
happy country.
There is much more on the subject, I will elaborate further later on.

PKD



On Tue, 31 May 2005 Max Dashu wrote :
>>On the other hand, it was Muslims and Christians who brought
>>casteism and mistreatment of women into India.
>I'm not one to rush to the defense of Christians and Muslims, to put
>it mildly, but really, just read the Manusmrti. As for Puranas, a
>number of them enjoin women to incinerate themselves on their
>husband's funeral pyres.
>All the social evils can't be attributed to outsiders, and it's
>possible (and desirable) to fully acknowledge the evils of
>colonialism while still seeing that injustice was also. present
>before the Muslim and Christian invasions.
>Max
>--
>Max Dashu
>Suppressed Histories Archives
>Global Women's History
>http://www.suppressedhistories.net
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

..
> The problem of social evils and injustice could be attributed to
the Vedic system if the original Vedic civilization actually endorsed
them. The Muslim invasions started in 700 CE, and before that India
was a very peaceful, rich and happy country.

It is not helpful to always look at outside influences. No matter
where or why it originated, woman and especially widows and lower
caste woman are severly mistreated in India.
Without a shadow of a doubt there have been mass burnings of brahmin
widows also in the history of India. Widows have never been
mistreated in Islam.

http://www.infochangeindia.org/WomenIbp.jsp

I append a link that contains intersting material on the present
situation and also includes the adresses of many Organistaions that
try to help and empower mistreated woman.

http://www.infochangeindia.org/WomenIstory.jsp?
section_idv=1&storyofchangev=WomenIstory.jsp

For Max Dashu: This link is on witch hunt and contains an adress of
an organisation The Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC), based in the new
state of Jharkhand, first got involved in the case of Mani Kui of
Karandih, Jamshedpur, who had been attacked and badly wounded by a
group of people wh! o accused her of witchcraft. The mob also killed
her husband and son. FLAC decided to investigate the case, and
initiated a widespread discussion of the practice.
The NGO now runs a campaign against witch-hunting. It also provides
support to women accused of being witches, and their children.

http://www.infochangeindia.org/WomenIstory.jsp?
recordno=74&section_idv=1

--- In Shakti_Sadhana (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "mahahradanatha"
<mahahradanatha@y...> wrote:

> It is not helpful to always look at outside influences. No matter
> where or why it originated, woman and especially widows and lower
> caste woman are severly mistreated in India.
> Without a shadow of a doubt there have been mass burnings of brahmin
> widows also in the history of India.

Mass burning of brahmin widows? No, that never happened in India.

Please cite your sources.

There existed Brahmin widows in 15 th century who were great shrIvidya
upAsaki-s.

>
brahmin widows?

Sorry i noticed i wrote brahmin- that should be kshatriya woman.