SATI
Literally: the true one.
In Hinduism, Sati is a Chaste woman; one who is faithful to her husband. there had been a Sati tradition too. The Hindu women used to immolate themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands.
Sati tradition is derived from mythical goddess Sati, who self-immolated because she was unable to bear her father Daksha’s humiliation of her and her husband Shiva. Sources mention the practice of Sati at the time of the Gupta Empire (c. 400 CE).
At the time of the Gurus, it was prevalent in the Punjab too. Guru Amar Das directed the Sikhs not to practise this cruel inhuman practice. After this, Akbar banned it in 1582. The same order was repeated by Aurangzeb in 1663. In spite of this, this practice continued among the Rajputs. Legal ban on Sati was affected by Lord William Bentinck on 4 December 1829. The Hindus of Bengal, Bihar, Orrisa took this case to the Privy Council which decided the petition and upheld the ban in 1832. Later, princely states too banned it. In the twentieth century, such a case came in highlight. On 4 September 1987, Roop Kanwar, a widow from Deorala village (Sikar distt Rajasthan) practiced self-immolation. This created a great uproar; as a result 45 persons who were present at the ceremony were charge-s with murder; but, all of them were acquitted. After this incident, an Ordinance was issued on 1 October 1987 for a stricter ban.
According to Gurbaani, true love and devotion is faithfulness and not the burning on a pyre.
Do not call them satee, who burn themselves along with their husbands’ pyre.
O! Nanak, they alone are known as satee, who die from the shock of separation. (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 787).
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)