Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/307

264 Yuga, it has become extremely difficult for widows to pass their lives in the observance of the Brahmacharyya; and it is for this reason, that the philanthropic Parasar has, in the first instance, prescribed marriage. Be that as it may, what I wish to be clearly understood is—that as Parasar plainly prescribe marriage as one of the duties of women in the Kali Yuga under any one of the five above enumerated calamities, the marriage of widows in the Kali Yuga is consonant to the Sastras."

We are quite ignorant of the Sastras, and we are, therefore, not in a position, to deal with the merits of the case in the true Sastric point of view. So we will confine ourselves to treat of it on general principles, and only give the reasonings and arguments as offered by both parties, without pretending to say which interpretation is right, or which is wrong.

When he thus alighted upon the Sloka, he took it to be the best, unrefutable argument in favour of the remarriage of Hindu widows, and he at once sat down to indite its interpretation. He passed the whole night in this composition, which he afterwards got into print and distributed amongst all classes of people. It is said, that before publishing the pamphlet, he had obtained his parents' permission. One day, he appeared before his father with the manuscript, and said 'Father, I have written this book in favour of remarriage of Hindu widows, and have quoted passages from the