This is historically true. Akbar had banned Sati but all his rajput nobles revolted against his decision and he did not want to piss them off!

again as I said subbiah voluntary sati comes within the purview of occult.

The page of the Akbarnama depicts the 'jauhar', or burning, of the Rajput women following the fall of the fortress of Chitor in 1568. The women preferred to perish rather than be captured by the enemy, means Akbhar and his mughal force, and it is thought that as many women died in the event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Burning_of_the_Rajput_women,_during_the_siege_of_Chitor.jpg

The burning of a beautiful life form alive is horrifically criminal whether the act is the result of circumstances forced upon the individual(s) or the conditioning of the traditions, on the name of religion. The logical thinking of Akbar and Raja Ram Mohan Rai certainly played a role in ultimately getting rid of the most inhuman ritual, by the strict efforts of the British colonialist. Hindus should be ashamed that foreigners acted far more responsibly and reasonably in this matter at least !

quite a detailed pic... but i think. what waste of life..if i was there i would have never let happen

In life what we do not understand we cannot appreciate. I wish there were more countrymen who could attempt to understand Indian customs and traditions from the Indian perspective and not from western tinted glasses. Just what kind of queen would choose to bear the extreme heat of being burnt alive when inspite of being widowed she always had a choice of living the rest of her life in the lap of luxury ? (howsoever brain washed she may have been as the popular misconception would have us believe ?). There was an additional disgrace (in those times it was a terrible violation of the tradition of purdah) of exposing herself in public when she commited sati as she would ascend the funeral pyre in full public gaze dressed in her wedding finery. A sati is considered a permanent suhagan (married) alongwith a widow of a soldier who sacrifices his life for the sake of his motherland Pls be mindful of the fact that maharanis (and also premier nobility) owned lands and orchards which they came into inheritance from both their distaff side by marriage as well as from their father which afforded them a handsome annual income. Most of which was spent on philanthropy as is evident from the numerous step wells, artificial lakes which dot the erstwhile kingdoms’ landscape and which were commissioned by them.. These acts are celebrated in our folk lore to this day. As for a life of seclusion after widow-hood it was no different even when they had a husband as segregation was a way of life. The maharanis could hunt on horseback, swim, play polo and engage in sundry other activities like smoking and drinking but all within the strict confines of purdah. There are numerous miniatures as well as literature which is a testimony to this which dates from the medieval period. If this was a practice there certainly would have been no rajmatas and maa ji sbs (queen mothers) in the zenana. In fact the royal harems teemed with widowed women who earned a handsome stipend from the kingdoms as the maharaja was supposed to provide generously for his father and grandfather's widows and concubines. In fact in Jaipur the last of the lot of the ‘pad dayat’ (mistress who was allowed a Rs 5000 a year income) was paid a monthly stipend by the govt of Rajasthan once they occupied the zenani deorhi (royal seraglio) Voluntary sati was a rarity even in medieval times in Rajasthan, united and central provinces and Gujarat and I would rather it is not clubbed with forced sati which was a horrid custom. But I do agree that apparently it is a blood curdling event to picture in our minds today.

How is Akbar a 'foriegner'? He was born right here!!!

@Rashmi Gajare, unlike the Aryans who came from outside ;)

Digvijay Singh Kushwaha is making excuses for ritualized murder. And eight people think it is a good idea. People embarrassing themselves by making silly excuses for the crimes of their ancestors. They will never learn from the mistakes of their ancestors who they always seek to glorify, so they will not be able to improve themselves.

Abilash Nambiar, I would think you should think through what others are saying rather than responding immediately in that sort of tone. **What if ** I were to characterize your outburst as "ignorant hate speech of a brainwashed little mind" You wouldn't quite like it, would you. Similarly do be careful in how you characterize others views. DSK for all his faults (and they are many right Digvijay :-P ) has given a meaningful background to the topic. I would recommend that you think deeply on this rather than coming to judgement quickly.

On the contrary...I think Digvijay Singh Kushwaha has taken great pains to explain the nuances and lesser known cultural backgrounds of the royalty in such detail that we get a better perspective and gain greater understanding of the period and this custom. Of course this was an atrocious event...and that is an obvious fact. No prizes for realizing that. Thats why the British banned it 183 years ago. What we now need to learn are the reasons for such customs to have been practiced and the circumstances under which they were practiced. No where has DSK glorified or justified this practice or mentioned that it might be appropriate in today's time. And all the people who have 'liked' his comment have only indicated their maturity, intellectual curiosity and dispassionate understanding...by doing so. To make cultural and moral judgements of the past from value systems of the present...is pointlessly silly. All we can do is only learn more about it. How stupid is war, fiat currency, drugs and smoking?...and imagine what the future generations would speak of us??

Satyakam, thinking is a luxury for those that are living. Those that are burnt alive are dead and no longer having the capacity to think. Consider that next time you criticize someone who criticizes ritual murder. Digvijay Singh Kushwaha is not trying to promote a mature understanding. He is trying to gloss over a barbaric ritual. Something that has been done for centuries, except his excuse is more tuned for an English speaking audience. Sati is all about systematizing murder to maintain caste purity. Dr. Ambedkar a real intellect understood this and propounded an explanation in his paper, "Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development". It is despicable in more ways than one.

Aryans nvr came from outside ever .. its A MYTH delibrately Created by the British in acc. wd their policy of DIVIDE N RULE .. Digvijay Singh Kushwaha.. kudos to you .. u hv expained it so well :)

Would you condem Juliet for killing herself? If the english kill themselves because the lov they hav is so intense they can not bear to liv with out the one they lov. I bet my life the english were behind the forced burnings.my mother is full blood english and having a father who knows every nook and cranny of politics.so do I. The english divide,conquer and colonize. They cut the thumbs of Indian women to control the cotton,cloth industry,burnd rice crops and brought famine,starvation and poverty to India where it never before existed. Srila Prabhupada said churchill was worse than hitler 4 what he did to India. They stole the diamonds out of places of worship and til this day do not return them. Creatd genocidal holocaust between moslems and hindus when separating India and inciting hatred so they could escape peacefully and you still trust any thing they write or believe? You hav been colônizd by them still. They hav taught you well to loathe your culture and great history. Women walked into the fire because they wanted to. They too were highly evolvd beings as the great sages. They were in meditative trance and felt no pain. Indian culture is the highest level of spiritual understanding . American scientists in the late eighteenth century were taught by a great Indian about energy and fröm there discoûrces,the telephone,electricity,television and technology came about. Vanda has written extensively in her notes about Vedic science. Try to read the Vedas with an open mind and look at the corrupt ,colonized povertystricken world and who creatd this mess? The english and american war môngers exploiting the earth,sky and humans for thier miserly smelly one bath a wéek selves

right u are Roberta :)

Re: " Would you condem Juliet for killing herself? If the english kill themselves because the lov they hav is so intense they can not bear to liv with out the one they lov." Juliet was : (a) Italian (b) Fictional

Fictional or not everyone thinks how romantic it was and brave for lovers to kill thier bodies so thier souls can be together. Il tel you about growing up in a nation with NO culture. Many women are alone without husband. There are no parents to find proper arranged vedic astrologically chartéd courtship and marriage. We are not chaperoned on our dates. We have no idea where prospective partners have learnd about raising a child to serve humanity. It all comes down to chemistry or might.good looks ,education and money. Èven the hogs and dogs can mate using thier might and chemistry. But if you havnt noticed we are humans,a bit more intellect than a bird whom sometimes mate 4 life. Why is mating sooo important? Good podgeny,peaceful familys and society. If you study Vedic civilization you will seè clearly how good kings ruled being guided by poor brahmins who had deep spiritual insight. The farmers and business men were wealthy and all had plenty even the artisians,craftsmen and laborers. Do you like the american caste system? If you are dark skinnd raisicm puts you as low caste. Doctors are often mistaken 4 kitcheñ or janitor workers, Indians both moslem and hindu if they are of a darker shade are also considerd low caste. If you have money whether you can read,write,teach,counsel,lead you are given positions of great respect. The almighty dollar is the warmonger societys god. So if you think young people should be allowed to have illicet sex and get intoxicated and dress like 2legged animals. Follow the american and english. Half of americans are addictéd to food,actually two thirds of americans die from the food they eat. Many are addicted to prescription drugs or street drugs. There is over 50percent rate of divorce. It is a fact India hàs a very low rate of divorce and extremely bright children with very warm households filld with plenty of love,food and cleanliness. These women could not bear living without there husbands. Just as in the autobiography the father refused even a housekeeper entrance to his hom

In the auto biography of a yogi Yoganandas father was devasted by his wifes death and never would let another serve him. The sacred marriage,love,children.Indians hav chastity and respect for elders woven into your great culture. It would be an honor to go into samadhi and burn with my guru husband. Many couples die within days of each other frôm heartbreak. These women pleaded to be allowd they were not forced. Indian marriagés are obviously well known for thier well cared for children who are some of the brïghtest students on earth. The lov that is lavishd by both parents. Healthy food,warm and pure homes comes from that deep sense of chaste devotion that the great Vedas expound over and over. The great sages and sanskirt scholars have great ability to explain

What we do not understand we do not possess There is stuff that I can tell about a convent educated girl committing sati in the 20th century. Also about what became of those who forced another woman from Not committing sati and how today the hapless police is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea when news reaches them of a lady’s desire to commit sati. But if I do it shall be tantamount to glorifying it and our constitution now explicitly condemns the glorification of sati. Many thanks Subbiah, Vandana Khanna, Satyakam . And also you Abhilash I hope maybe you’ll at least attempt to go deeper on this subject which apparently evokes extreme reactions in everybody’s mind and understandably so. Roberta: The pace of californication of oriental cultures has anything but only been accelerating on account of the cultural invasion through airwaves which are getting beamed right into our living-rooms today. The likes of me have a choice :either to accept it silently as our lot or attempt to educate our progeny against what is good and what is bad that comes from the west. What I find frustrating is tacit acceptance.I do not want to sound clichéd but it is better to light a candle than curse the surrounding darkness. The Vedic way of life is well nigh impractical today with bread-winning and single mothers , the glass ceiling getting shattered and humans inhabiting skyscrapers. It is balance that is required and that is what I feel we must aspire for.

Living simply on the farms and protection of cows and production of grains,fruits,vegetables is still allowd in India. As well as classes given publically to the masses on the Vedas. Artisians abound it your beautiful poetic India. Prabhupada said in kali yuga there is no more Brahman or kstrhya class. So vaisha and sudra classes we are. Teach us with great patience the beauty and intelligence of the ancient ways. You are brahmin kstriya. Lead and teach

So you are an ISKONite. Jai Shri Krishna.

Very shocking! why nobody stand up against

Great Irony! Woman and ancient India! Thinking of Vedic period.