Dharmashastras
Parashar 4.28 - 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.
Brihaspati 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.
Vishnu 25.14 - After the death of her husband, to preserve her chastity, or to ascend the pile after him.
Atri 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.
Daksha 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.
Itihasas
Ramayan 2.66.12 - Kaushalya: "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."
Mahabharat 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.
Mahabharat 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.
Mahabharat 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.
Mahabharat 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.
Puranas
Devi Bhagavatam 6.25.35 - 50 - Once Madri, full of
youth and beauty, was staying alone in a solitary place and Pandu seeing
her embraced her and due to the curse, died. When the funeral pyre was
ablaze, the chaste Madri entered into the fire and died a Sati.
Devi Bhagavatam 2.6.53 - 71 - Then those Munis,
practising great vows, knew that Pandu was dead and performed duly, on
the banks of the Ganges, the ceremony of burning the dead. At that time
Madri gave over to Kunti the charge of her two sons and followed the
Sati practice along with her husband to go to Satyaloka.
Agni Purana 222.19 - 23 - The widow who practices
self-control and austerities after the death of her husband, goes to
heaven…the widow who burns herself on the same funeral pire wth her
husband also goes to heaven.
Kurma Purana 2.34.108 - 109 - A woman who enters the
funeral pyre along with her husband, shall uplift him even if is a
Brahmana-slayer, an ungrateful fellow or one defiled by great sins.
learned men know this to be the greatest expiation for women.
Vishnu Purana 5.38.1 - 11 - The 8 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.
Shiva Purana, KotiRudra Samhita 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.
Srimad 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.
Srimad Bhagavatam 9.9.36 - After this way cursing
Mitrasaha [‘indulgent toward friends’ or Saudâsa] she, being devoted to
be with her husband, found her destination by stepping into the fire
that burned the bones of her husband.
Srimad 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Garuda Purana 10.48 - The Woman who ascends the
funeral pyre, when her husband is dead, becomes equal to Arundhati, and
attains the heaven. [50] She who goes with her husband purifies three
families her mother’s, her father’s, and that into which she was given.
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. [77] 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.
Brahmanda Purana 2.3.30.39 - By entering this
burning pyre, I will be slightly after a long time, the dear guest of my
husband in the world of the Pitrs (Manes)[41] After saying these words
with firm decision, Renuka decided to follow her husband by entering the
fire.
Vamana Purana 46.4 - 22 - A king died childless, and
his wife wept bitterly and embraced his corpse until a bird told her
that she would have seven sons if she mounted her husband’s funeral
pyre. She obeyed, and as she entered the fire the king arose and flew
into the sky with her, by his power of yoga. When the queen entered her
fertile period the king felt it his duty not to neglect her. He made
love to her in the air, and his seed fell down from the sky. Then he
went with her to the world of Brahma to dwell eternally. But the wives
of the Seven Sages saw the cloud like seed falling from the sky into a
flower, and they thought it was Soma. Wishing to be young forever, they
bathed ritually, honoured their own husbands, and drank the king’s seed.
The moment that they drank it [having thus unconsciously violated their
chastity] they lost their holy lustre, and all their husbands abandoned
them immediately as sinners. They gave birth to the seven Maruts (Storm
Gods).
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).”[65-68] 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.
Padma Purana 6.252.89 - 90 - Rukmaputri with Pradyumna, Usa with Aniruddha and all Yadava ladies honoured the bodies of their husbands and entered fire.
Skanda Purana 3.1.12.115 - 116 - Ere long
thereafter, King Manojava abandoned his body and went to the world of
Siva, due to the power of that Tirtha. O Brahmanas, his wife Sumitra
embraced his body then and ascended his funeral pyre. She too attained
the same world.
Skanda Purana 5.1.53.38 - 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.
Skanda Purana 3.2.7.53 - 56 - 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shiva Purana, Satarudra Samhita 3, Chapter 26, verses 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.
