Why do women in ancient times abondon children?

[prasad1]

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Sita:
In Valmiki's Ramayana and Kamban's Tamil epic Ramavataram, Sita is said to have been discovered in a furrow in a ploughed field, and for that reason is regarded as a daughter of Bhūmi Devi[SUP][/SUP] (the goddess earth). She was discovered, adopted and brought up by Janaka, king of Mithila, and his wife Sunayana.
[h=2]Jain Version[/h] Main article: Rama in Jainism
Sita is said to be the daughter of Ravana's queen Mandodari.[SUP][/SUP] It was predicted that the first child of Mandodari would bring annihilation to the family. Hence, Ravana deserted the child when she was born.[SUP][/SUP] The minister who was responsible for this took her in a pearl-box, placed her near a plough and told Janaka of Mithila that the girl is born from the trench. Janaka's queen Dharini became Sita's foster mother.

Karna:
As a young woman Kunti, the princess of the Kunti Kingdom, had been granted a boon by sage Durvasa to be able to invoke any deity to give her a child. Eager to test the power, while still unmarried, she called upon the solar deity Surya and was handed a son Karna . She abandons him

Andal:
She was adopted by the Alvar saint, Periyalvar, who found her as a baby lying under a tulasi plant in the temple garden of Srivilliputhur. He named her "Kodhai" or "gift of Mother Earth." The Srivilliputhur Temple is dedicated to her and marks her birthplace.

Why was this practice not condemned? There also is a common trait, they all are in Visnu Bhaktas only?

 

[renuka]

Well Shakuntala too was eventually abandoned by Vishwamitra and Menaka.

But Ravan and wife were not Vishnu Bhaktas.

But Seeta being daughter of Ravan as far as I know its not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan.


Janaka only says this:


When I was ploughing the ritual field, my daughter was raised by the plough and thus is renowned as Sita. She emerged from the earth and thus her birth was non-uterine. Nevertheless, I have accepted her as my own soul-born daughter and will give her in marriage to a man who can assure me of his bravery."

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Prasad Sir,

Unwed mothers abandon the children now a days also! You must have heard about 'thottil kuzhandhai' (cradle baby) in Tamil Nadu,

where the abandoned child is placed in a cradle kept in front of an orphanage! Till now it is a stigma to get a child before the wedding.

But who knows? The liberated women will soon fight to bring a law to allow them to rear the child whether married or unmarried!!

Omens play a role in abandoning a child. Baby Duryodhana was advised to be killed, since there were lot of bad omens when he was born!

P.S: It is a trend in Tamil movies to show the Hero as a 'kuppaith thottik kuzhandhai'! :dizzy:

 

[renuka]

That way we should honour Jabala the mother of Sathyakama..she was unwed and had no idea who was the father of Sathyakama.

She did not abandon him and finally he grew up to be a great person.

 

[yesmohan]

Why do women abandon children?
Just because astrologers predicted that the child would bring annihilation to the family was the reason ?
or dispose of illegitimate child?

 

[krish44]

These days many women abandon husband to stay with son or daughter.

I know quite a few . They find their husbands unbearable after their retirement and leave them to be with their son or daughter,

 

[yesmohan]

These days many women abandon husband to stay with son or daughter.

Aayaa work is more enjoyable than the company of lol making husbands !!

 

[CHANDRU1849]

Andal:
She was adopted by the Alvar saint, Periyalvar, who found her as a baby lying under a tulasi plant in the temple garden of Srivilliputhur. He named her "Kodhai" or "gift of Mother Earth." The Srivilliputhur Temple is dedicated to her and marks her birthplace.

There is definitely a story related to this event. What do the Bhagavathas say? She might have come from Vishnu's place.