Jaina Community a Social Survey

SR No.: 007019
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Popular Book Depot Bombay
Publication Year: 1980
Total Pages: 484
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 12 MB

Page 181

Marriage and position of Woman .
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Suri converted the Rajputs to Jainism, formed them into one ca of Osavālas and divided them into 18 Gotras. Later on, due to further additions made to Osavālas by conversion, original Gotras were split up and new Gotras were created. Out of these some were named after birds and animals, some after places of residence, some after professions, some after occupations, some after names of persons and some after specific reasons of valour, wisdom, etc. % It shows that creation of Gotras was artificial and that Gotras can be changed from time to time. In the circumstances persons cannot claim any considerable antiquity for a particular Gotra as Gotras are liable to be discarded, changed or newly created. :
The rules of exogamy are devised mainly with the purpose of prohibiting marriages between near relatives. The family constitutes a group of near relatives and it was ordained that members of a family should have marital relations outside the family. The word 'Gotra ' literally means 'an enclosure for cows' but gradually it came to mean a family. That is why Gotra was considered as a limit within which marriage relations were denounced. But later on, Gotra assumed different meanings and new rules cropped up to avoid many Gotras instead of one in contracting marriages. This resulted in effective encroachment on the freedom of choice of mates. By various types of endogamy the field for selection has already been restricted and with increase in the extent of exogamy the field has assumed a small dimension.
As regards marriage with near relatives following instructions have been given :
. सुतां पितृश्वसुश्चैव निजमातुलकन्यकाम् ।
स्वसारं निजभार्यायाः परिणेता न पापभाक् ॥ पुत्री मातृभगिन्याश्च स्वगोत्रजनिताऽपि वा।
श्वभूस्वसा तथैतासां वरीता पातकी स्मृतः ॥% It is stated that he who marries his paternal aunt's daughter, the daughter of his mother's brother, or his wife's sister commits no sin. But if he marries the daughter of his mother's sister, a girl of his own Gotra, or sister of the mother-in-law, he commits sin thereby.97 The fact that marriage with father's sister's daughter or mother's brother's daughter was allowed and that marriage with mother's sister's daughter or father's brother's daughter