Sati or suttee is an obsolete funeral custom where a widow immolates herself on her husband’s pyre or takes her own life in another fashion shortly after her husband’s death.
Between 1815 and 1818, the number of sati in Bengal province doubled from 378 to 839. Under sustained campaigning against sati by Christian missionaries such as William Carey and Brahmin Hindu reformers such as Ram Mohan Roy, the provincial government banned sati in 1829. In Nepal, sati was banned in 1920.
VEDIK GYAN
समुद्रमन्थन
The samudra manthana is explained in the Bhagavata Purana, in the Mahabharata and in the Vishnu Purana. The samudra manthana explains the origin of amrita, the nectar of immortality.
During churning of the Ocean of Milk, Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, a nāgarāja who abides on Shiva’s neck, became the churning rope.
Auras & Devas combindly churned it. Things emerged from Samudramadanam are:-
Halahala: the poison swallowed by Shiva
Shankha: Vishnu’s conch
Lakshmi: the Devi of Fortune and Wealth, who accepted Vishnu as Her eternal consort.
Apsaras: Rambha, Menaka, Punjisthala etc., who chose the Gandharvas as their companions.
Varuni: taken by the Asuras.
Kamadhenu: the wish-granting cow, taken by Brahma and given to the sages so that the ghee from her milk could be used for Yajna and similar rituals.
Airavata: and several other elephants, taken by Indra.
Uchhaishravas : the divine seven-headed horse, given to Bali.
Kaustubha : the most valuable ratnam (divine jewel) in the world, worn by Vishnu.
Parijata: the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt, taken to Indraloka by the Devas
Sharanga: a powerful bow, given to Lord Vishnu
Chandra: the moon which adorned Shiva’s head
Kalpavriksha : a divine wish-fulfilling tree
Dhanvantari : the “Vaidya of the Devas” with Amrita, the nectar of immortality
LEARN Sanskrit-अरुणा : reddish glow of the rising Sun
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Ch Narmada Naveen Kumar |
