Sati, the Blessing and the Curse: The Burning of Wives in India

Several years ago in Rajasthan, an 18-year-old woman was burned on her husband's funeral pyre & thus became sati. Before ascending the pyre, she was expected to deliver both blessings & curses: blessings to guard her family & clan for many generations, & curses to prevent anyone from thwarting her desire to die. Sati also means blessing & curse in a broader sense. To those who revere it, sati symbolizes ultimate loyalty & 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, & 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 & the West; in literature, art, & opera; in religion, psychology, economics, & politics.