Page 142 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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(Above) According to Hindu myth, the
wife of the fictitious deity Rama through
herself into the flames in the wake of his
death, but the fire did not hurt her.
(Side) A monument to women who com-
mitted suttee. Hindus believe that
women who perform this savage tradi-
tion attain a holy state, and make offer-
ings to these shrines.

The second reason cited here is recorded also by the French travel-
er Jean Baptiste Tavernier who visited India 6 times between 1641 and
1667. He was a jeweler who visited India on business, which is why his

observations are considered to be credible and impartial, and his writ-
ings reflect a certain admiration for India. However, like other observers,
he too was shocked by the frequent killings of other caste members by
the Brahmans. He wrote:
The Brahmans accompanying her (the Sati) exhort her to show resolution and

courage, and many Europeans believe that in order to remove the fear of that
death which man naturally abhors, she is given some kind of drink that takes
away her senses and removes all apprehensions which the preparations for her
death might occasion. It is for the interest of the Brahmans that these unhap-
py women maintain the resolution they have taken to burn themselves, for all

Islam And Far Eastern Religions