Arunima Singh wrote:In Mahabharta while one wife of Pandu went for Sati, other one called Kunti lived a life of dignity. Mahabharata is a classic book which has all shades and nuances and a whole gamut of human sides..Nothing comes in black and white and there is a shade of grey.
I totally agree with Usha that Hinduism has been one of the most progressive religion and has undergone a lot of reforms.
Why do you ignore the part Usha wrote about the dignity of a woman which came only with the Raj?. The Mahabharata talks of sati, even one case is bad and is murder. That is the law. All have to accept that Sati was in vogue in India and it was NOT STOPPED for 2500 years particularly in North and East India. I will quote below "European travelers in the Mughal empire noted the practice, with Ralph Fitch noting in 1591:[107]
When the husbande dieth his wife is burned with him, if shee be alive, if she will not, her head is shaven, and then is never any account made of her after.
François Bernier gave the following description:
"At Lahor I saw a most beautiful young widow sacrificed, who could not, I think, have been more than twelve years of age. The poor little creature appeared more dead than alive when she approached the dreadful pit: the agony of her mind cannot be described; she trembled and wept bitterly; but three or four of the Brahmens, assisted by an old woman who held her under the arm, forced the unwilling victim toward the fatal spot, seated her on the wood, tied her hands and feet, lest she should run away, and in that situation the innocent creature was burnt alive.
Who can support this must be mad? It was only in 1829 that Lord Canning equated Sati with murder and many were hanged for it.