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256
Lord Mahavira and His Times
men, treasurers, and others are mentioned as solemnising marriages with the members of their respective castes of equal family status. The Jaina and Buddhist accounts are supported by the Dharmaśāstras which prescribe that the bride should be of the same caste. Generally, endogamy was in practice, and restrictions were imposed on the intermixture of castes.
During the Vedic period, Gotra denoted a cow-pen, but it came to be used in the sense of lineage or ancestry at this time. When king Prasenajit asked the Gotra of Angulimāla's parents, the latter replied that his father was of the Gargya Gotra, and his mother of the Maitrāyani.1 Opinions are divided about the consideration of Gotra in settling marriages. Some of the lawgivers (e.g., Gautama and Baudhāyana) are silent on this point, but some of them prohibit Sagotra marriages. A verse in the Kachchhapa Jātaka suggests that generally, parties united in wedlock belonged to different Gotras.2 .
There are during this period a few examples of brothers marrying their own sisters. Buddhist literature speaks of the Śākyas marrying their sisters for the sake of continuing their family line.3 Incestuous marriages were also prevalent among the Lichchhavis. Marriage with one's own cousin was also in vogue. Bambhadatta married his maternal uncle's daughter.5 The Jataka stories refer to the marriages of Kāśi and Sivi princes with their maternal uncle's daughters. The sister of the Košala king Prasenajit was married to Bimbisāra, and his daughter Vājirā was wedded to Ajātaśatru, the son of Bimbisāra." The marriage of Jyeshțhā to Nandivardhana, the elder brother of Mahāvīra, also belongs to this category. Such marriages were not confined to the royal families, but were prevalent also among the common folk as is evident from several popular stories. Some Dharmasūtras refer to the custom of marrying one's maternal uncle's daughter, but this practice was confined to the South.8 1. Majjh, 11. 102,
7., 11. 360. 3. Dia, 11-115; Jā, V. 413 (No. 536). 4. IHQ, II, p. 563. 5. Uttara, ȚI, p. 189, 6. Ja, I. 457; Jā, II. 327 and Jā, VI. 486.
Ibid, II, 237, 403-4; IV. 342-43. 8. Bau. Dh.S I. I. 19-26.
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