This is not dharma – we should give it some other name. Some religions decree that widows will have to undergo penance and accept certain rules and follow certain abstinences. They are not supposed to eat certain types of food, for example. All these impositions have nothing to do with Parama Puruśa and are definitely not dharmic. So what does common sense tell us? It tells us that each and every human being is a child of Parama Puruśa. The unmarried young girl and the widow are both His children. Do you think Parama Puruśa likes the idea that the widow should wear coarse cloth? Of course He doesn’t. Rather, He is happy when He sees that everyone is well dressed, everyone is happy, everyone is singing, dancing and chatting in a joyful mood. If widows are persecuted, it is a negation of dharma.