94 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2

allowed to die with her husband. This system of saha-m4@rana 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-mdarana 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
ud fierdtat 2 afta ad oh |
afrodat Petasise dara 1241!

evam vilapatinadm vai
parigrhya mrtam patim

anicchatinam nirhaéram
arko ’stam sannyavartata

evam—thus; vilapatinam—of the lamenting queens; vai—indeed;
parigrhya—taking on their laps; mrtam—the dead; patim—husband;
anicchatindm—not desiring; nirhéram—the carrying out of the body
for the funeral ceremony; arkah—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
