Avyayā

Avyayā was the wife of a brāhmaṇa who spent a hundred years in adultery. She stayed fully devoted to him, a pativratā of the highest kind (a wife wholly devoted to her husband). When he died, she entered his funeral pyre. The ṛshi Nārada helped her in the rite. When she came to the assembly of Yama, Yama himself rose to honour her.

Her devotion

Her husband was a brāhmaṇa who lived for a hundred years in adultery. By the usual rules of society and dharma, this could have given any wife grounds to withdraw her devotion. Avyayā kept her full devotion in thought, word and deed. She was not naive or unaware. Her pātivrata-dharma (the duty of devotion to her husband) was a spiritual practice that did not depend on her husband’s conduct.

Entering the funeral pyre

When her husband died, Avyayā entered his funeral pyre. This act is called satī, and it was the highest expression of her pātivrata-dharma. The ṛshi Nārada was there and helped her in the rite. His presence shows how holy the event was.

Honoured by Yama

Avyayā came to the assembly of Yama and was received with honour. Yama himself, the Dharmarāja, rose in respect before her. This showed that he knew the great worth of her pātivrata-dharma. Her devotion was a complete spiritual act and bore its own fruit.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 106