Page 103 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 14: Mate Selection in India and West

How and when Gotra Exogamy was started? Nothing can be said definitely in this regard. The Notes
view of Kapadia is that in Vedic period, marrying in a gotra was not prohibited because in that
period Gandharva Marriage and Swayamvar customs were popular in which maintenance of
prohibition regarding gotra was not possible. In religious scripts it is said to Dvijas to refrain
from Sagotra Marriage in Kaliyuga. It means that Sagotra marriage was not prohibited in that
period. Aryans came to India from Iran and in Iran there were no rule of Gotra Exogamy. The
view of Dr Altekar is that in 600B.C. there was no ban on Sagotra Marriage. Manu had also not
considered a sin to Sagotra Marriage. First of all, Sagotra Marriage was prohibited in Grihsutra
Sahitya. In Baudhayan Dharmasutra, it is said that if Marriage with a sagotra girl is done by
mistake then she should be treated as mother. Scriptures had legislated many punishments,
remorse and caste ousting for the people doing Sagotra Marriage. Such persons were termed
“Chandaal”.
The view of Vigyaneshwar is that real gotra is found in Brahmins only, the gotra of Kshatriyas
and Vaishyas are on the basis of the gotra of their priests. No gotra of shudra is found, but in
modern period all castes have gotra and they follow the rules of gotra exogamy. By Hindu Mar-
riage Act, presently ban from Sagotra Marriage is removed but it is still practiced in practical.

B. Sapravar Exogamy
Related to ‘Gotra’ a word is ‘Pravar’, literal meaning of which according to Vedic Index is In-
vocation or Summon. According to Karvey, “the meaning of ‘Pravar’ in Kshatriyas is just like
ancestor or forefather”. The meaning of ‘Pravar’ is ‘great-one’. Brahmins at the time of Havana,
Yajna etc. pronounce the name of gotra vanshkar. In this meaning the sense from ‘Pravar’ was
‘The excellent one’. The view of ‘Prabhu’ is that in ancient period fire worship and Havana were
popular and at the time of lighting the flame of fire for Havana, priests pronounce the name of
their famous ancestor sages. In this way, the persons pronouncing the names of same ances-
tors and same sages were believed to be of same ‘Pravar’. The people of one ‘Pravar’ consider
themselves related to the common sage ancestors in spiritual and cultural manner, thus they
don’t marry among themselves. Kapadia writes, “Pravar indicates to a community of a culture
or knowledge to which a person is related”. ‘Pravar’ indicates to group of related persons with
spiritual view but not towards blood relatives.
Earlier ‘Pravar’ was for Brahmins only, but later on it was adopted by Kshatriya and Vaishyas
also. No ‘pravar’ was there for Shudras. It is believed that at the time of Dharmasutra period and
at the time of Manu, there was no strict control on Sapravar Marriage. The view of P.B. Kanrey
is that the prohibition of Sapravar marriage was started in third century and in ninth it form
became rigid by advancing till ninth century. In modern time, due to decline of the importance
and popularity of Yajnas, no institution like ‘Pravar’ is there. By Hindu Marriage Act the bans
related Sapravar Marriage is abolished.

C. Sapinda Exogamy

Rules of ‘Sapravar’ and ‘Sagotra’ exogamy prohibits the marriage with the paternal relatives.
The rules of ‘Sapinda’ Exogamy prohibits to marry among some generations of paternal and
maternal relatives. Karvey tells the meaning of being ‘Sapinda’ i.e. together +ball of rice, a body,
means the who commonly donate ‘Pind’ to a deceased person or related to his blood particle.
In Smriti, ‘Sapind’ means (i) All persons are ‘Sapindi’ who donate one ‘pind’. (ii) According
to Mitakshara, all which had taken birth from one body are called ‘Sapindi’. According to
Vigyaneshwar, persons keeping one ‘pind’ or body, due to having components of one body,
there is a relation of ‘Sapinda’. Father and son are ‘Sapindi’ because the component of the
body of father comes in the son. In this way, mother and children, grandfather-grandmother
and grandson etc. are ‘Sapindi’. ‘Sapind’ marriage has also been prohibited. In Ramayana and
Mahabharata period, the rules of ‘Sapinda’ were applicable to the paternal people living at one

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