ABSTRACT
By narrating the stories of the Purāṇas, the Brāhmaṇas tried to teach people the way of life, what they thought to be moral. We find stories wherein not only men but women too are listening (a woman called Citrā in a story is shown listening to the Purāṇas when the Brāhmaṇas were reading them). Making amendments and changes in the stories as the situation/time demanded, the Brāhmaṇas tried to maintain their control over society. It is interesting to see how the interpolations and thus the social changes affected the concept of chastity. The chapter discusses how chastity was conceptualised and what duties were prescribed for a pativratā, and analyses the condition under which a woman deviated and not chastity.
