Courtesy: Sri.Gopalakrishnan
Rigveda (10.40.5.) says,
kuhasviddOshA kuhavastOrashvinA kuhAbhishittvam karatah kuhOshatuhu.
kO vAm shayutrA vidhavEda dEvara maryam na yOshA krNitE saadastha Aa.
As per SayaNa bhaashya a widow can take another husband after her husband's death.
The man who marries a widow is not considered inferior to other men. Widow marriage is not forbidden.
The first mantra of the third sookta of the fourteenth kaanda of Atharva Veda lays down that a woman whose husband dies, should accept another person who can provide food, clothes and shelter and can also give good children.
Manusmriti also provides a few slokas giving the same view.
"yaa patyaavaa parityaktaa vidhavaa vaa svayEchchayaa,
utpaadayEta punarbhootvaa sa sounarbhava uchyatE,
saa chEdakshata yOsaaha syaata gata pattyaagataapi vaa,
pounrbhavEna bhartyaa saa punaha samskaaramarhati."
It means, if the lady is either rejected by her husband or if he is dead, she should marry again.
Kaatyaayana smriti says, "varayitaa tu yah kaschit praNashyEt purushOyadaa.
rutvaagamaam streenateetya kanyaanyam varayEdvaram."
That means the widow should marry three months after her husband's death.
Prajaapati smriti also provides for the remarriage of young widows or for those ladies who are rejected by their husbands.
"yadisaa baalavidhavaa balaata tyaktaathavaa kvachit".
Mahabharata mentions that even when there is a doubt about the existence of the husband, his wife can remarry.
"Aasthhaasyati punarbhymee damayantee svayamvaram,
tatra gachchanti raajaanO raajaputraascha sarvashaha."
-mahabharatha, vanaparva,ch.70, shloka24.
more clearly,
"sooryOdayE dviteeyam saabhartaaram varayishyati,
na hi sa jnaanayitE veerO nalO jeevati vaa na raa".
-mahabharata vanaparva, ch.70. sloka 26.
( Damayanti is going to marry the next morning. The doubt about the powerful Nala's existence is the reason for this decision.).
One can find similar views in Bheeshma parva chapters 90 and 91 also.
A princess who is widowed 20 times marries 21 times as mentioned in Padmapuraana.
Because of the efforts of the great social reformers like Eshvar chandra vidyasagar, Dr. Tejbhahadur saproo and others, it has been accepted legally, the practice is yet take deep roots in India.
Rigveda (10.40.5.) says,
kuhasviddOshA kuhavastOrashvinA kuhAbhishittvam karatah kuhOshatuhu.
kO vAm shayutrA vidhavEda dEvara maryam na yOshA krNitE saadastha Aa.
As per SayaNa bhaashya a widow can take another husband after her husband's death.
The man who marries a widow is not considered inferior to other men. Widow marriage is not forbidden.
The first mantra of the third sookta of the fourteenth kaanda of Atharva Veda lays down that a woman whose husband dies, should accept another person who can provide food, clothes and shelter and can also give good children.
Manusmriti also provides a few slokas giving the same view.
"yaa patyaavaa parityaktaa vidhavaa vaa svayEchchayaa,
utpaadayEta punarbhootvaa sa sounarbhava uchyatE,
saa chEdakshata yOsaaha syaata gata pattyaagataapi vaa,
pounrbhavEna bhartyaa saa punaha samskaaramarhati."
It means, if the lady is either rejected by her husband or if he is dead, she should marry again.
Kaatyaayana smriti says, "varayitaa tu yah kaschit praNashyEt purushOyadaa.
rutvaagamaam streenateetya kanyaanyam varayEdvaram."
That means the widow should marry three months after her husband's death.
Prajaapati smriti also provides for the remarriage of young widows or for those ladies who are rejected by their husbands.
"yadisaa baalavidhavaa balaata tyaktaathavaa kvachit".
Mahabharata mentions that even when there is a doubt about the existence of the husband, his wife can remarry.
"Aasthhaasyati punarbhymee damayantee svayamvaram,
tatra gachchanti raajaanO raajaputraascha sarvashaha."
-mahabharatha, vanaparva,ch.70, shloka24.
more clearly,
"sooryOdayE dviteeyam saabhartaaram varayishyati,
na hi sa jnaanayitE veerO nalO jeevati vaa na raa".
-mahabharata vanaparva, ch.70. sloka 26.
( Damayanti is going to marry the next morning. The doubt about the powerful Nala's existence is the reason for this decision.).
One can find similar views in Bheeshma parva chapters 90 and 91 also.
A princess who is widowed 20 times marries 21 times as mentioned in Padmapuraana.
Because of the efforts of the great social reformers like Eshvar chandra vidyasagar, Dr. Tejbhahadur saproo and others, it has been accepted legally, the practice is yet take deep roots in India.
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