印度的童寡
本译文由人工智能辅助工具生成，可能存在不准确之处。如需查阅权威文本，请参考英文原文。
AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
印度的童年寡妇
（《每日鹰报》，一八九五年二月二十七日）
印度教僧侣斯瓦米·辨喜，周一晚上在布鲁克林伦理协会的主持下，于历史学会大厅就"印度对世界的贡献"发表演讲。当斯瓦米走上讲台时，大厅里约有两百五十人。由于布鲁克林罗摩拜圆圈（该圆圈关注印度的基督教工作）主席詹姆斯·麦基恩夫人对这位演讲者的一项陈述提出了否认——即印度的童年寡妇不受保护[受到虐待]之说，此事引起了众多关注。在演讲的任何部分，他都未提及这项否认，但在演讲结束后，一位听众询问他对此番陈述有何解释。斯瓦米·辨喜说，所谓童年寡妇遭受虐待或恶待纯属不实之词。他补充道：
"某些印度教徒确实在极为年幼时便已成婚，这是事实。也有人在年纪相当大时才结婚，还有些人根本不结婚。我的祖父结婚时还是个孩子。我的父亲结婚时才十四岁，而我今年三十岁，至今尚未成婚。丈夫去世后，其全部财产归于遗孀。若寡妇贫困，她的处境与任何其他国家的贫苦寡妇并无二致。老年男性有时会娶年幼女孩，但若丈夫富裕，那么他越早离世，对遗孀越有利。我走遍印度各地，却未曾目睹所说的那种虐待情形。昔日曾有一些宗教狂热者——皆为寡妇——在丈夫去世时跳入烈火，葬身火海。印度教徒并不认同此举，但也不加阻止，直到英国人控制印度之后，这种行为才最终被明令禁止。这些女性被视为圣人，许多地方还为她们竖立了纪念碑。"
English
CHILD WIDOWS OF INDIA
(Daily Eagle, February 27, 1895)
Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu monk, lectured in Historical hall Monday night under the auspices of the Brooklyn Ethical association, on "India's Gift to the World". There were about two hundred and fifty people in the hall when the Swami stepped on the platform. Much interest was manifested on account of the denial by Mrs. James McKeen, president of the Brooklyn Ramabai circle, which is interested in Christian work in India, of the statement attributed to the lecture that the child widows of India were not protected [ill-treated]. In no part of his lecture was reference made to this denial, but after he had concluded, one of the audience asked the lecturer what explanation he had to make to the statement. Swami Vivekananda said that it was untrue that child widows were abused or ill treated in any way. He added:
"It is a fact that some Hindus marry very young. Others marry when they have attained a fair age and some do not marry at all. My grandfather was married when quite a child. My father when he was 14 years old and I am 30 years old and am not yet married. When a husband dies all his possessions go to his widow. If a widow is poor she is the same as poor widows in any other country. Old men sometimes marry children, but if the husband was wealthy it was all the better for the widow the sooner he died. I have traveled all over India, but failed to see a case of the ill treatment mentioned. At one time there were religious fanatics, widows, who threw themselves into a fire and were consumed by the flames at the death of their husbands. The Hindus did not believe in this, but did not prevent it, and it was not until the British obtained control of India that it was finally prohibited. These women were considered saints and in many instances monuments were erected to their memory."
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。