Why did Krishna’s wives perform sati?

[Guest guest]

i don't understand why did krishna's wives commited sati ??? And i think Sati is cruel, did hindusim allow suct act, is there any scriptural evidence to show that sati is not allowed ??

[maadhav 0]

from which exact source you learned that fiction please?

 

[Guest guest]

Sounds like nonsense propaganda from an anti-Hindu. Where are your sources? It's the first time I heard this one.

[Guest guest]

"Thus addressed by Pritha’s son of pure deeds, all of them hastened their preparations with eagerness for achieving their safety. Arjuna passed that night in the mansion of Keshava. He was suddenly overwhelmed with great grief and stupefaction. When morning dawned, Vasudeva of great energy and prowess attained, through the aid of Yoga, to the highest goal. A loud and heart-rending sound of wailing was heard in Vasudeva’s mansion, uttered by the weeping ladies. They were seen with dishevelled hair and divested of ornaments and floral wreaths. Beating their breasts with their hands, they indulged in heart-rending lamentations. Those foremost of women, Devaki and Bhadra and Rohini and Madira threw themselves on the bodies of their lord. Then Partha caused the body of his uncle to be carried out on a costly vehicle borne on the shoulders of men. It was followed by all the citizens of Dwaraka and the people of the provinces, all of whom, deeply afflicted by grief, had been well-affected towards the deceased hero. Before that vehicle were borne the umbrella which had been held over his head at the conclusion of the horse-sacrifice he had achieved while living, and also the blazing fires he had daily worshipped, with the priests that had used to attend to them. The body of the hero was followed by his wives decked in ornaments and surrounded by thousands of women and thousands of their daughters-in-law. The last rites were then performed at that spot which had been agreeable to him while he was alive. The four wives of that heroic son of Sura ascended the funeral pyre and were consumed with the body of their lord. All of them attained to those regions of felicity which were his. The son of Pandu burnt the body of his uncle together with those four wives of his, using diverse kinds of scents and perfumed wood. As the funeral pyre blazed up, a loud sound was heard of the burning wood and other combustible materials, along with the clear chant of Samans and the wailing of the citizens and others who witnessed the rite. After it was all over, the boys of the Vrishni and Andhaka races, headed by Vajra, as also the ladies, offered oblations of water to the high-souled hero.

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16007.htm

 

Its from the Mahabaratha itself.

[bhadramoorthi 0]

"...The four wives of that heroic son of Sura ascended the funeral pyre and were consumed with the body of their lord....."

 

it is clearly given that they ascended the funeral and there was no compulsion.

now, shall i ask how many of the ordinary women could do this?

so please stop worrying about those divine wives of the Lord.

by burning our body in fire, it divides back into the pancha bhutas(five elements) by which it was made of.

the soul is not harmed in any way.

[Guest guest]

not just women, are an aspect of some force or the other, and those who are an amsa or aspect of agni decide to end their lives in that way, sort of going back to their original source. It cannot, however, be attempted in the kali yuga because we do not know the mantras or even our own nature, for that matter.

[Guest guest]

social customs may or may not be ordained by religious practice, but ultimatly, they are still SOCIAL practices before they are RELIGIOUS practices. In a society where sati is accepted by men and women alike as a normal thing to do, it is not abnormal for 4 women to get into the pyre with krishna. it is not up to us to judge. who knows, sati could have been a practice that occured before krishna's time. if so, then the ppl that lived durin the mahabharata, are just products of their environment. thats how all people are. we are all products of our environemnt. our society and surroundings have a profound impact on our actions and beliefs. this is true of EVRYONE at everytime in history, past present future.

 

to judge them based on the beliefs of our time is unfair. if they did it willingly, how can we judge at all?