Sati Pratha In Hinduism

1. Sati Pratha in the Hindu Scriptures

📚Agni Purana 222.19-23📚
The woman (widow) who enters the (funeral) fire along with the (dead) husband would also reach heaven.”  (source)

📚Kurma Purana 2.34.108b-109📚
A woman who enters the funeral pyre along with her husband, shall uplift him even if he is a Brahmana-slayer, an ungrateful fellow or one defiled by great sins. Learned men know this to be the greatest expiation for women.”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 1.107.29📚
A wife who dies in the company of her husband shall remain in heaven as many years as there are hairs on his person.”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 2.4.88-97📚
A woman who has been chaste and faithful to her husband should mount on the pyre after bowing to her (deceased) husband before the funeral rites start. One who gets away from the pyre due to fainting should observe the vow named prajapatya. One who ascends the pyre and follows up her husband stays in heaven for a period equal to the number of hair on the body, three and a half crore. Just as the snake-charmer takes out the snake from the hole so also she takes out her husband from hell and enjoys with him in paradise. She who ascends the pyre goes to heaven. She is praised by the celestial nymphs and enjoys with her husband so long as the fourteen Indras rule in heaven successively. Even if the man has killed a brahmana or a friend or any other person of noble conduct he is purified of sins by his wife who ascends his pyre. A woman who enters fire after the death of her husband prospers in the heaven like Arundhati. Until and unless the woman burns herself after her husband’s death she is never released from the bond of her sex. A woman who follows her husband purifies the three families on her mother’s side, the three families on her father’s side and the three families on her husband’s side.”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 2.40📚
Not knowing my duty I did not serve my husband, nor after his death enter the fire. Having become widowed I performed no austerities;–O Dweller in the Body, make reparation for whatever you have done!”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 10.42📚
When a woman burns her body with her husband’s, the fire burns her limbs only, but does not afflict her soul”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 10.45-46📚
Likewise she who has joined her husband is never burnt. her inner soul becomes unified with that of her husband, by death. The woman who does not burn herself in the fire, on her husband’s death, is certainly never released from feminine bodies”  (source)

📚Garuda Purana 10.48-50📚
The Woman who ascends the funeral pyre, when her husband is dead, becomes equal to Arundhati, and attains the heaven. She who goes with her husband purifies three families her mother’s, her father’s, and that into which she was given.”  (source)

📚Brahma Purana Gautami Mahatmya 10.75📚
Dying immediately after the husband is the greatest duty of women. This is the path laid down in the Vedas. It is honoured in the world. Just as the snake-charmer forcibly takes out the snake from its hole, so also the woman who is accompanied by her husband shall go to heaven. The woman who follows her husband shall stay in heaven for as many years as there are hairs in a man’s body, viz. three and a half crores of years.”  (source)

📚Skanda Purana 3.2.7.53-58📚
A chaste woman who follows her husband from the house to the cremation ground for self-immolation undoubtedly attains the merit of a horse-sacrifice at every step. Just as a snake-catcher forcibly retrieves a snake from its hole, so also a chaste woman retrieves her husband from the messengers of Yama and goes to heave. On seeing a chaste woman the messengers of Yama flee. On seeing the splendour of a chaste woman even the sun feels burning sensation, even the fire gets burnt and all other luminaries begin to tremble. A chaste woman sportingly enjoys heavenly pleasures along with her husband for as many crores and ten thousand years as there are hairs on her body.”  (source)

📚Narada Purana Uttarabhaga 30.87📚
With a great deal of merits the woman goes to the region of Visnu alongwith her husband if her body is cremated alongwith him. But a woman greedy of wealth and of her body (?) attains Yama’s torture and the affliction of being born in base wombs of lower species.”  (source)

📚Parashar Smriti 4.28📚
(source) A widow, who immolates herself on the same funeral pile with her deceased husband, resides in heaven for ten millions of years, which is the number of hairs on the human body.”  (source)

📚Brihaspati Smriti 24.11📚
A wife is considered half the body (of her husband), equally sharing the result of his good or wicked deeds; whether she ascends the pile after him, or chooses to survive him leading a virtuous life, she promotes the welfare of her husband.”  (source)

📚Vishnu Smriti 25.14📚
After the death of her husband, to preserve her chastity, or to ascend the pile after him.”  (source)

📚Atri Samhita 1.209📚
The woman, who falls down from the funeral pyre, [of her husband], or who gets no menses on account of a disease, becomes purified by a Prajapatya and feeding ten Brahmanas.”  (source)

📚Usana Smriti 3.119📚
The anniversary day of the death of the lady,, devoted to her husband, who ascends the same funeral pyre with him, arriving, two separate funeral balls (pindas) should be made. ”  (source)

📚Daksha Samhita 4.19📚
A woman, who, after the demise of her husband, ascends the funeral pyre, becomes of good conduct and lives gloriously in the celestial region.”  (source)

2. Examples of women dying as a Sati in the Hindu Scriptures

📚Mahabharata 1.125.33📚
Vaisampayana continued, ‘Having said this, the daughter of the king of Madras, the wedded wife of Pandu, ascended the funeral pyre of her lord, that bull among men.”  (source)

📚Mahabharata 1.126.30📚
His wife Madri, beholding him placed in the funeral pyre and about to be consumed, herself ascended the same pyre, and sacrificing her life thus, hath gone with her lord to the region reserved for chaste wives.”  (source)

📚Mahabharata 1.95.63-64📚
And (one day) Pandu, beholding Madri decked with ornaments, had his desire kindled. And, as soon as he touched her, he died. Madri ascended the funeral pyre with her lord.”  (source)

📚Mahabharata 16.7.24-26📚
The four wives of that heroic son of Sura ascended the funeral pyre and were consumed with the body of their lord. All of them attained to those regions of felicity which were his. The son of Pandu burnt the body of his uncle together with those four wives of his, using diverse kinds of scents and perfumed wood. As the funeral pyre blazed up, a loud sound was heard of the burning wood and other combustible materials, along with the clear chant of Samans and the wailing of the citizens and others who witnessed the rite.”  (source)

📚Valmiki Ramayana 2.66.12📚
Today itself, I too in devotion to my husband, will meet my appointed end. I shall enter the fire, duly embracing this body of my husband.”  (source)

📚Devi Bhagavatam Purana 6.25.35-50📚
Once Mādrī, full of youth and beauty, was staying alone in a solitary place and Pāṇḍu seeing her embraced her and due to the curse, died When the funeral pyre was ablaze, the chaste Mādrī entered into the fire and died a Satī…”  (source)

📚Devi Bhagavatam Purana 2.6.53-71📚
Then those Munis, practising great vows, knew that Pànḍu was dead and performed duly, on the banks of the Ganges, the ceremony of burning the dead. At that time Mādri gave over to Kunti the charge of her two sons and followed the Satī practice along with her husband to go to Satyaloka.”  (source)

📚Vishnu Purana 5.38.1-11📚
The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named, with Rukmini at their head, embraced the body of Hari, and entered the funeral fire. Revati also embracing the corpse of Rama, entered the blazing pile, which was cool to her, happy in contact with her lord. Hearing these events, Ugrasena and Anakadundubhi, with Devaki and Rohini, committed themselves to the flames…”  (source)

📚Shiva Purana 4.10.23-24📚
The Brahmin lady desirous of entering the pyre in order to follow her husband cursed the Raksasa king. The chaste lady entered fire…”  (source)

📚Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.28.50📚
She then prepared a blazing fire with firewood and placed the dead body of her husband upon it. When this was finished, she lamented severely and prepared herself to perish in the fire with her husband.”  (source)

📚Shrimad Bhagavatam 9.9.36📚
Thus the wife of the brāhmaṇa cursed King Saudāsa, known as Mitrasaha. Then, being inclined to go with her husband, she set fire to her husband’s bones, fell into the fire herself, and went with him to the same destination.”  (source)

📚Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.31.19-20📚
Tormented by separation from the Lord, His parents gave up their lives at that very spot. My dear Parīkṣit, the wives of the Yādavas then climbed onto the funeral pyres, embracing their dead husbands. The wives of Lord Balarāma also entered the fire and embraced His body, and Vasudeva’s wives entered his fire and embraced his body. The daughters-in-law of Lord Hari entered the funeral fires of their respective husbands, headed by Pradyumna. And Rukmiṇī and the other wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa — whose hearts were completely absorbed in Him–entered His fire.”  (source)

📚Brahmanda Purana 3.30.38-41📚
Hence, I shall follow my beloved husband so that I shall proceed along with him without interruption for ever in the other world. By entering this burning pyre, I will be slightly after a long time, the dear guest of my husband in the world of the Pitṛs (Manes). If you wish to do what is pleasing to me, dear sons, nothing else should be expressed by you by taking a united stand against me, except your concurrence and support in this act of my self-immolation to fire. After saying these words with firm decision, Reṇukā decided to follow her husband by entering the fire.”  (source)

📚Padma Purana 5.106.60📚
Having raised her, Narada said to the pure one about her dead (husband): ”O innocent one of large eyes, please go to your husband. O you of large eyes, your husband, abandoned by his kinsmen, is dead. O auspicious one, you should not weep. Enter fire (i.e. funeral pyre of your husband).”If you will go to (i.e. desire to enter) fire there, then do not weep . O daughter, if you have committed a sin like enjoying another man (than your husband) then make an expiation to purify that. On entering into the fire your minor sins will perish.”  (source)

📚Padma Purana 6.252.89-90📚
In the same way Rukmaputrī with Pradyumna, Uṣā with Aniruddha and all Yādava ladies honoured the bodies of their husbands and entered fire.”  (source)

📚Skanda Purana 5.1.53b.38-41📚
The beautiful woman gathered fuel and twigs together and kindled the funeral pyre which she ascended along with her husband. She was mentally pleased in doing so…”  (source)

📚Narada Purana Uttarabhaga 16.85-89📚
She sold off her bangle and brought a great deal of fuel. She prepared the funeral pyre. After placing her dead husband on it, she poured ghee over the pyre (fuel). She too climbed on the funeral pyre joining her face to his face, her heart near his heart and O gentle lady, her buttocks near his buttocks. With her foot she dragged the fire. The auspicious lady of charming limbs set fire to the ailing body of the husband along with her body. As the fire blazed brightly, she cast off her body and went to the world of the Devas taking her husband with her after annihilating many of his sins by means of her holy rites very difficult to be performed.”  (source)

📚Vamana Purana 46.51-53📚
Then after a long time that beloved slender-bodied queen of the king had pregnancy from that best of kings. During the pregnancy of the wife the king died. She, loyal to her husband, while desiring to get upon (the funeral pyre of) her husband, was prevented by the ministers, but could not be stopped.”  (source)

📚Vishnu Purana 3.18.51-55📚
It is related that there was formerly a king named Śatadhanu, whose wife Śaivyá was a woman of great virtue. She was devoted to her husband, benevolent, sincere, pure, adorned with every female excellence, with humility, and discretion…After a time the Rájá, triumphant over his enemies, died; and the princess ascended the funeral pile of her husband.”  (source)

📚Narada Purana 1.7.52📚
O blessed princess! The following (ladies) do not ascend funeral pyre, viz. those with infant children (depending on them), pregnant women, those whose monthly course has not yet started and women in the menses.”  (source)

📚Shiva Purana 3.26.38-51📚
O my beloved, when the phallic image is smashed and burnt I do not desire to live. I am telling you the truth. There is no doubt in this. O gentle lady, prepare a pyre for me immediately through your servants. With my mind fixed in Śiva, I shall enter the fire… Then the merchant who was only Śiva himself went round the blazing fire. Desirous of knowing her intentions he entered the fire firmly… Taking the gemset bangle I had taken the pledge that I shall be the avowed wife of this merchant for three days… As she was going to jump in the fire with her mind fixed in his feet, Śiva, the soul of the universe, appeared in front and stopped her.”  (source)

3. Cases of Sati Pratha in Independent India

• 16/1/2019: In Shahbazpur UP, kin and locals stop woman from performing ‘Sati’.  (source)
• 21/11/2018: On way to perform ‘sati’, woman Laungshree Devi resident of Angautha village dragged from pyre.  (source)
• 1/4/2015: Maharashtra: Woman’s burnt body found on her husband’s pyre.  (source)
• 15/12/2014: In Bihar, a 65-year-old woman jumps into her husband’s funeral pyre.  (source)
• 9/9/2009: Indian women still commit ritual suicides.  (source)
• 14/10/2008: Relatives arrested after widow burns to her death on funeral pyre.  (source)
• 22/9/2006: Brothers arrested for throwing 95-year-old mother on funeral pyre.  (source)
• 22/8/2006: Indian wife dies on her husband’s pyre.  (source)