Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 388

RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL
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ugliness of the children of the other.
They must live on
good terms, and must avoid addressing unpleasant and
offensive remarks to each other.
In the presence of her husband, a wife must not look
about her, but must keep her eyes fixed on him, in readi-
ness to receive his orders.
When he speaks, she must not
interrupt him, nor speak to anybody else
when he calls
her, she must leave everything and run to him.
If he sing, she must be in ecstasy
if he dance, she
must look at him with delight if he speak of learned
things, she must listen to him with admiration.
In his
presence indeed she ought always to be cheerful, and never
show signs of sadness or discontent.
Let her carefully avoid creating domestic squabbles on
the subject of her parents, or on account of another woman
whom her husband may wish to keep, or on account of
any unpleasant remark which may have been addressed
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To
leave the house for reasons such as these
ridicule, and would give cause
for much evil speaking.
If her husband flies into a passion, threatens her, abuses
her grossly, even beats her unjustly, she shall answer him
meekly, shall lay hold of his hands, kiss them, and beg his
pardon, instead of uttering loud cries and running away
from the house.
She must not say to her husband " Thou hast hurt
me, thou hast beaten me unjustly I will no more speak
to thee
hereafter the relations between ourselves will be
no other than those between a father and his daughter, or
a brother and his sister. I shall no more have anything
to do with thy affairs
I will no longer have anything in
common with thee." Such words ought never to fall from
her lips.
'
If any of her relatives or friends invite her to their
house on the occasion of some feast or ceremony, she shall
not go there without the permission of her husband, and
unless accompanied by some elderly woman.
She shall
remain there for as short a time as possible, and on her return
she shall render a faithful account to her husband of all that
she has seen or heard
she shall then resume her domestic
to her.
would expose her to public
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duties.