renuka
Well-known member
Sri. Mahakavi, Greetings.
From what I heard, in the initial days mangalya dharanam was not part of the ceremony. It was added in the later days. Yes, initially, husband's name was written and it hung around her neck. The girl did not have any right to deny that. Well, if she denied one ownership, someone else would be dragging her anyway. So, what is the use? Even now the thali is an indication of ownership; it indicates to what community that woman belong to. We have specific thali for specific community.. then she says who her husband is. But husbands don't wear thali, nothing taken away when he becomes a widower.
Cheers!
Dear Raghy,
I agree with what you have written.
Once I read a book written by a famous Swamiji where he was proudly acclaiming that Hindu women of the upper caste DO NOT remarry when their husband is dead unlike women of the west.
I was pleasantly surprised to read that cos I was wondering as a Swamiji why he was still seeing the difference between Upper Caste woman of India and woman of the west.
And since he didn't include lower caste women in his statement that means he leaves it open to interpretation.
I was wondering "how to feel proud when a woman could be suffering silently as a widow? are people so sadistic that for the sake of pride women should not remarry?"
Sometimes I also wonder what some swamiji's actually try to convey.
That was the only thing about that swamiji I was surprised about..otherwise he was a shining example of a true brave Hindu.