Rig Veda

[sarahlee4]

I know this is sort of a last quarter thing...I think? But what do you guys think of the Burial Hymn in Rig Veda? I didnt get how the wife would ceremonially die with the husband..Then what are they known as after they die? Ghosts?? I thiught this was really interesting how women had to die along with their husbands. Why cant they just live on?

How do you guys feel about this??

[cesar]

It was more of a ceremonial death from what I understood. I think it maybe its to sort of keep the bond between husband and wife alive until that last second. Buuut im not too really sure about it, its just what I think.

[edward08]

there are few other cultures i herd that when the husband die the wife has to die with him. and here in Rig Veda i think that they say that death and life are two seperate lives and death was looked upon as a negative aspects

[elijahlee]

At first, the original text the death was only ceremonial, as cesar mentioned. But, i think over time this idea gradually evolved and the people made the death a literal happening. I think the point of the woman dying with the husband signifies the inferior nature of the relationship of the woman to the man. Women were also considered almost property, and men should have died with all their property.

[yerin0727]

I also dont really get why wives get to die with the husbands ceremonially. Of course in the early days, women had less rights and were always thought to be lower than men. However, I dont think that that means women even have to die with them. I believe that they should gain freedom after their husband dies.

[RegXD]

i think it was a funeral for the husband so the wife just attend the funeral and there was a priest that pray or do something with the husband body. so i guess the husband is dead and maybe his soul is wandering around or watching his wife crying for him.

[jessicak016]

In my point of view, this is very unfair for the women. Especially most of the women had to marry at a very young age with men, who are way older than them. And if their husband died, the women had to die along with them at a very young age, too.
In Rig Veda, the "death" of the wives in burials of their husbands meant to be metaphorically and was only for the ceremonies. But as the time passed, some people just thought "Why not let women die along their husbands, since it says there in the Rig Veda. So it must be right." So, I think that is how it came to be.

[sujeonggg]

As it says from the 7th stanza to the end, I think women only had to ceremonially die and they should rise up again and stop wasting time mourning. But I still don't really understand the point of 'ceremonial death'. I know it's part of their culture, but I think it is unnecessary to pretend to be dead. And also, I don't get why only women had to do that for men; why don't the husbands do the same things for women? It kinda made me sad to admit how women always being considered as lower figures than men.

[sang]

I think that it's a cultural thing. Obviously, the region has its own indigenous culture... That's why it may seem very absurd to us. Generally, I guess the culture kinda derived from the religious aspect.. So maybe that's why it seems so odd to us. To behonest about it, Im not 100% sure. But that's my opinion.

[jessicashim2013]

Like some of you guys mentioned, I think it was just a ceremony, not really dying with their husband..But if its true that women had to die with their husband, thats scary because its killing someone who is alive. As a women, I think its unfair and I would rather run away than mourn for my husband.
They are doing this because women did not have any rights. They were properties kept by men so women had to die if their husband died.

[julielu]

I wonder if the wife dies first, does the husband need to die, too? I think it's selfish. Even the wife dies with her husband, the husband doesn't know that because he's dead. Life is precious. Kid needs a parent.

[delmanykkfs]

Rig Veda well I'm not sure what it is but I searched on Internet and it says that's a Hindu poem that include of hymns to various deities.

www.thefreedictionary.com/Rig-Veda

[sarahlee2]

I don't think that they physically died with their husbands. They died ceremoniously. So after the ceremony, they joined the living. The Burial Hymn mentioned that they did. And even if they had died with their husbands physically, I guess it would be part of their culture to do so.

[ginayang]

Women ceremonially dying with their husband is obviously a part of the culture. Therefore, it shows that men were dominant and women had to follow their husband. Women can't just live on because they have to remain subservient to their husband. I don't think the widows were like ghosts but they were people who were loyal and respectful to a dead person.

[seongrae]

I think it is just a ceremonial; they do not die with their husband. It is their culture that women had to die with man, when man dies because women are considered as property and man should die with all of their property. If it is real, then it might be very crucial practice. Therefore, I think it is just a ceremonial and not real as the culture consider women as a property.