Portrayal of sati-self burning alive with the dead body of the husband-system in The Preta Kalpa of The Garudamahapurana
Bhawani Shankar Adhikari
This research aims to investigate the portrayal of
women in sati system in The Preta Kalpa of The Garudamahapurana
as the reflection of the gender discrimination of the ancient society that has
been mirrored through the ancient scriptures like The Mahabharata and puranas.
Women have been found to be portrayed as the victims in the name of gaining the
heavenly position after the earthly life by following the sati system as guided
by The Garudamahapurana in the society. The condition of the women has
revealed as helpless, pitiable and sympathetic since they have been compelled
to go sati with the death of their husbands and they have been drawn as tools
of liberating all the sins of their husbands by adopting the sati system. The
required stanzas have been adopted from The Preta Kalpa of The
Garudamahapurana as the primary data for analysis of portraying the sati
system and the related articles of various journals and waves have been used as
the secondary data for the research. The theory of patriarchy has become
analogue to reveal the condition of the women in sati system.
Bhawani Shankar Adhikari. Portrayal of sati-self burning alive with the dead body of the husband-system in The Preta Kalpa of The Garudamahapurana. Int J Sanskrit Res 2025;11(3):241-247. DOI: 10.22271/23947519.2025.v11.i3d.2664