An Examination of Sahagamana in the Vivādabhaṅgārṇava: Scriptural Hermeneutics and Conclusions

Abstract

This paper analyses the deliberation on Sahagamana (the practice of Sati) within the 18th-century Dharmaśāstra text Vivādabhaṅgārṇava, compiled by Mahāmahopādhyāya Jagannātha Tarkapañcānana under the aegis of Sir William Jones. Applying Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā hermeneutical principles, the study highlights how Jagannātha categorizes Sahagamana not as an obligatory daily duty (nitya-karma), but as a voluntary, goal-directed rite (kāmya-karma) requiring explicit individual volition (icchā). The text delineates the distinctions between Sahagamana and Anugamana while establishing clear eligibility exclusions that barred pregnant women, mothers of infants, and menstruating women from the pyre. Crucially, Jagannātha posits lifelong brahmacarya (ascetic celibacy) as a spiritually superior alternative, contrasting the impermanent, desire-driven rewards of heaven (svarga) with the eternal spiritual liberation (mokṣa) achieved through self-restraint and knowledge. By framing Sahagamana as an āpaddharma (exceptional practice) and explicitly condemning deaths driven by fear or societal pressure (mohatyāga), the Vivādabhaṅgārṇava set structural boundaries around the practice. This nuanced synthesis provided foundational scriptural precedents subsequently utilized in British colonial jurisprudence and by 19th-century social reformers, most notably Raja Ram Mohan Roy, to challenge the mandatory authority of Sati.

Keywords- Sahagamana, Jagannātha Tarkapañcānana, Dharmaśāstra, Anugamana, Vivādabhaṅgārṇava