younger wife towards the elder.
A widow in poor circumstances, or of a weak nature, and who allies
herself again to a man, is called a widow re-married.
The followers of Babhravya say that a virgin widow should not marry a
person whom she may be obliged to leave on account of his bad character,
or of his being destitute of the excellent qualities of a man, she thus
being obliged to have recourse to another person. Gonardya is of opinion
that as the cause of a widow's marrying again is her desire for
happiness, and as happiness is secured by the possession of excellent
qualities in her husband, joined to love of enjoyment, it is better
therefore to secure a person endowed with such qualities in the first
instance. Vatsyayana however thinks that a widow may marry any person
that she likes, and that she thinks will suit her.
At the time of her marriage the widow should obtain from her husband the
money to pay the cost of drinking parties, and picnics with her
relations, and of giving them and her friends kindly gifts and presents;
or she may do these things at her own cost if she likes. In the same way
she may wear either her husband's ornaments or her own. As to the
presents of affection mutually exchanged between the husband and herself
there is no fixed rule about them. If she leaves her husband after
marriage of her own accord, she should restore to him whatever he may
have given her, with the exception of the mutual presents. If however
she is driven out of the house by her husband she should not return
anything to him.
After her marriage she should live in the house of her husband like one
of the chief members of the family, but should treat the other ladies of
the family with kindness, the servants with generosity, and all the
friends of the house with familiarity and good temper. She should show
that she is better acquainted with the sixty-four arts than the other
ladies of the house, and in any quarrels with her husband she should not
rebuke him severely, but in private do everything that he wishes, and
make use of the sixty-four ways of enjoyment. She should be obliging to
the other wives of her husband, and to their children she should give
presents, behave as their mistress, and make ornaments and play things
for their use. In the friends and servants of her husband she should
confide more than in his other wives, and finally she should have a
liking for drinking parties, going to picnics, attending fai
|