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Marriage and Position of Woman
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In this connection a descending order of maiden's near relatives is fixed and it is enjoined on them to undertake, in the order given, the responsibility of contracting marriage. The specified order is as follows : The father, the grandfather, the brother, the uncle, a person of the same gotra, the preceptor, the maternal grandfather, and the maternal uncle. It is further made clear that in the absence of all these relatives who are asked to give a maiden in marriage, she may do Svayamvara, i. e.,choose her partner according to her own will; but this can be done only in the case of extreme trouble.33
5. QUALIFICATION OF PARTIĖS TO THE UNION
Various qualifications and disqualifications to be noted in the bride and bridegroom before the marriage is contracted are mentioned at a great length in Jaina books. It is stated that the following nine things should be marked in a bridegroom before giving a daughter to him in marriage, viz., caste, absence of disease, age, character, education, bodily stature, wealth, parents and members of the family. 34. In general the bridegroom should be gentle, healthy, of noble descent, endowed with long life and moral qualities and handsome.35 A person should not be accepted as a bridegroom if he is found wanting in some limbs, impotent, diseased, of bad family, full of vices, always sad and of a very low position.36
As regards the attributes of a bride it has been laid down that one should marry a girl who is of one's own caste, but not of the same gotra and who is endowed with indications of long life, excellent virtues and other accomplishments such as learning etc.37 Along with the caste, gotra and other accomplishments it should be seen that the girl suitable for marriage should be beautiful, younger and smaller than the bridegroom and coming from a family comprising many members.38 A long list of disqualifications pertaining to a girl has been given and it has been enjoined not to marry a maiden possessing all or some of these disqualifications.39 As a guiding principle it is stated that a maiden should be avoided like a tigress if she is sinful, diseased, unchaste, shameless or immodest, and having leucoderma.40
In the accomplishments to be found in the bride and bridegroom, it would be seen that, more prominence has been given to their family position and their individual character, especially
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