Cremation.

An well known authoress and columnist  , bollywood specialist,has very recently opined in a journal that it was scandalous that women are still prevented or even worse that they themselves choose not to witness the cremation of their near and dear ones.

At the pain of being branded retrograde and conservative i am compelled to state my view  that what our Shastra's have laid down in this matter is very relevant and need to be observed , that is of a woman at the eventuality of a death in her house should stop at her doorway itself and not proceed to the cremation grounds , more so if she is menstruating when her hormones that define femininity with the characteristics of shyness and timidity is at its peak.

Witnessing the cremation of a very close relative or to the one who is very attached to , is a horrendous sight.
A mud bowl of burning cinders , lit symbolically by the person performing the final ritual ,is placed on the chest of the body of the loved and cherished person resting in the dim interiors of an altar  and then  transferred and pushed into the slanting plank of the nearby furnace,head first.

One has to be really strong emotionally or absolutely hard hearted to come out unscathed from such an harsh sight.This dreadful scene is bound to haunt even the strongest of men for days to come.

However cremating by heaping logs of wood , looks less brutal , more humane and bearable.

Many of the rules laid down by our ancients are the sum total of keen observation of human nature and its frailties coupled with personal experiences , spanning over several generations.
It is a wise person who respects the widely followed practises emanating from shastras and thus escape the nightmares that are in store for those who are either ignorant or adamant in overlooking or overturning them .

Ask me an, confirmed feminist and i'll tell you that i learnt this in the hard way.