It Was Too Late To Go To The Caves, And, Besides, We Had Had Enough
Sights For One Day.
So we sat down to rest, and to listen to the
words of wisdom falling from the lips of
The "God's warrior." In
my humble opinion, he was right in more than one thing; in his
most imaginative moments Satan himself could not have invented
anything more unjust and more refinedly cruel than what was invented
by these "twice-born" egotists in their relation to the weaker sex.
An unconditioned civil death awaits her in case of widowhood - even
if this sad fate befalls her when she is two or three years old.
It is of no importance for the Brahmans if the marriage never
actually took place; the goat sacrifice, at which the personal
presence of the little girl is not even required - she being
represented by the wretched victim - is considered binding for her.
As for the man, not only is he permitted to have several lawful
wives at a time, but he is even required by the law to marry again
if his wife dies. Not to be unjust, I must mention that, with the
exception of some vicious and depraved Rajas, we never heard of a
Hindu availing himself of this privilege, and having more than
one wife.
At the present time, the whole of orthodox India is shaken by the
struggle in favor of the remarriage of widows. This agitation
was begun in Bombay, by a few reformers, and opponents of Brahmans.
It is already ten years since Mulji-Taker-Sing and others raised
this question; but we know only of three or four men who have
dared as yet to marry widows.
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