| 词源 |
suttee. Suttee is the old Hindu custom of burning the widow on the funeral pyre of her husband, a custom also found in oth- er cultures around the world. The word suttee derives from the Sanskrit sati, “a virtuous wife.” The practice was practically ob- ligatory by custom for 2,000 years but was outlawed in British India in 1829. Its purpose was purportedly to help the souls of both husband and wife in the next world, but its use is not sup- ported by the Vedic texts that its adherents cited to condone the practice. |