The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day c9.22

c9.22

As against this solitary instance of Satī in the case of Mādrī, in the 11th book of the epic we have the spectacle of hundreds and thousands of dead heroes being burnt along with their costumes, weapons and chariots; in not a single case, however, do we find a widow burning herself along with the remains of her husband (Chaps. 31-33). The *Veṇīsaṃhāra* no doubt refers to the case of a Satī on the Kaurava battlefield (Act IV), but it is quite clear that it is due to the anachronism of its author. The epic itself states that all the widows of the fallen heroes remained behind and offered them funeral oblations⁴.