94
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 7, Ch. 2]
allowed to die with her husband. This system of  saha-māraṇa  continued in India even until the time of British rule, but later it was discouraged, since the attitude of wives gradually changed with the advancement of Kali-yuga. Thus the system of  saha-māraṇa  has practically been abolished. Nevertheless, within the past fifty years I have seen the wife of a medical practitioner voluntarily accept death immediately when her husband died. Both the husband and wife were taken in procession in the mourning cart. Such intense love of a chaste wife for her husband is a special case.
TEXT 35
एवं विलपतीनां वै परिगृह्य मृतं पतिम् । अनिच्छतीनां निर्हारमर्कोऽस्तं संन्यवर्तत ॥३५॥
evam vilapatīnām vai parigṛhya mṛtam patim anicchatīnām nirhāram arko 'stam sannyavartata
evam —thus;  vilapatīnām —of the lamenting queens;  vai —indeed;  parigṛhya —taking on their laps;  mṛtam —the dead;  patim —husband;  anicchatīnām —not desiring;  nirhāram —the carrying out of the body for the funeral ceremony;  arkaḥ —the sun;  astam —the setting position;  sannyavartata —passed away.
TRANSLATION
The time was appropriate for the body to be burned, but the queens, not allowing it to be taken away, continued lamenting for the dead body, which they kept on their laps. In the meantime, the sun completed its movements for setting in the west.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic system, if a person dies during the daytime it is customary for his funeral ceremony to be performed before the sun sets, regardless of whether he is burned or buried, and if he dies at night the funeral must be completed before the next sunrise. Apparently the