The Widow-Ascetic under Hindu Law

This article constitutes a fairly comprehensive, largely diachronic analysis of the restrictions placed upon the non-sexual behavior of widows by works of the classical Hindu legal tradition known as Dharmaśāstra. As such, it systematically examines an array of texts belonging to virtually all periods of Dharmaśāstra, beginning with the earliest surviving Dharmaśāstric works and proceeding chronologically forward. This article, therefore, provides a more detailed and reliable account of the rise of widow-asceticism within the orthodox Brahmanical communities that produced these texts than is hitherto available. In this way, it significantly contributes to our broader understanding of how Brahmanical attitudes toward women changed between roughly 300 bce and 1500 ce

Archaeology · Asceticism · Buddhism · Dharma · Genealogy · Hinduism · Political science · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · History · Law · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Philosophy · Religious studies

• Asvatantra

  Madhulika Chebrol•Religions of South Asia•2023

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