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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
agel prescribed by the Brāhmaṇic law-givers. In the NC. Anamgasena, a rich jeweller from Campā, is mentioned to have married a large number of beautiful young women by giving a high price.2 Bhaçţă, the daughter of a setghi, after being forsaken by her husband, was sold to a Vaidya by the Senapati whom she was unwilling to marry.: References in the literature reveal that marriages by purchase were quite in vogue in certain parts of India, particularly in Gujarat where it turned out to be a regular custom among certain castes, In spite of giving it a legal sanction, this type of marriage has been severely condemned by the Brāhmaṇic law-givers. ,
Marriage by Self-choice (Svayamvara)--Marriage by self-choice or svayamvara was a particular custom amongst the Ksatriyas. in which a husband was chosen by a princess or the daughter of a Kşatriya at a public assembly of suitors.' According to certain contemporary Jaina Puranas, the svayamvara mode of marriage was the sanatana-marga and was considered as the best form of marriage. However, the practice of svayamvara amongst the higher castes had gone out of vogue by these centuries. Strangely enough, the author refers to a typical custom of swayamvara existing among the slave boys of the Tosali Visaya where a fire-vessel (agni-kuņda) was constantly kept burning in the spayamvara-hall (vaggharana-sala) for the purpose of
1. quatre fra GTAGTET: --Nitivā., p. 375. 2. HÌ 4 649 hou Traft I ai đâu [IM 4G LT TENC. 3, p. 140, 3. aur fa Ft Feata Sultan fakta-NC. 3, p. 151. 4. Nāyādhammakahā, 1. 17. 101; Vivāgasuya, 1. 9. 177; Uttarā. Ti. 4.97;
Ultarā. Cū., p. 110. 5. Some castes, especially the Pātidāra caste in Ahmedabad and Kaira
districts and the Anavala Desãi caste in Sürat district are said to pay
bride-price'-Majumdar, op. cit., p. 151. 6. Altekar, A. S., Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, pp. 47-50. 7. SED., p. 1278. 8. Manā purāņa, pp. 44 ff.; sce also--Jain, K. P., 'Marriage in Jaina
Literature', IHQ:, Vol. IV, p. 146. 9. A ltckar, op. cit., pp. 78-80.
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