Sati is an obsolete Hindu funeral custom by which widows throw themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres. This custom was banned in India in 1861. The practice is somewhat subverted in Hayavadana because Padmini performs sati not for one man, but two, reinforcing the abnormality and incompleteness of the characters’ relationships.
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Sati Term Timeline in Hayavadana
The timeline below shows where the term Sati appears in Hayavadana. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2
...Kapila both, but acknowledges that they could not have lived together. She decides to perform sati and burn herself on their funeral pyre. She tells the Bhagavata to take her son...
(full context)
