The Sanatan Faith — Page 9
NIYOG 9 to Niyog; rather, I fear that, if insisted upon, a woman might swal- low poison to give up her life. "* O gentlemen! Leave everything else aside and swiftly abolish this affliction from your religion and do not baselessly attrib- ute it to the Vedas. Do not expect honourable Āryah men and women to subscribe to this tenet. It seems to me that the tradi- tion of mutabannā² has found its way into Hinduism because of Niyog. When respectable men and women noticed this impure tradition, they initiated the tradition of mutabannā instead. The dignity of a man would not permit him to compel his wife to take part in the shameful practice of Niyog, so they preferred to accept mutabannā. Although mutabannā is an innovation, it is a thou- sand times better than this shameless and filthy practice. It is such a foul custom that even the lowest of the low would be ready to shed blood instead of adopting this practice for his wife. So why should we not feel sorry for Āryas, who blindly accepted the views of Dayanand? After all, the followers of the Sanatan creed are their brothers in faith. Have they not been stud- ying the Vedas for a long time? Why then do they not accept this shameful custom? Sadly, Āryas rage when they are kind-heartedly advised to abolish this tradition and not make their wives enter into such a foul custom. Their state is truly bizarre for they do not feel any shame in such practices. A few days ago, I invited several Āryas to my residence. They 1. Aryah women have such close ties with their husbands that they burn themselves with the corpse of their deceased husbands. Thus, how can a woman who beds with strangers while her husband is still alive have such a loving relationship with her husband?-Author 2. Mutabanna refers to the custom of adopting a son. [Publisher]