Marriage Prohibitions

As in other cultures, Hindus have welldefined rules and prohibitions regarding whom one should and should not
marry—marriages should be endogamous, that is, between members of the
same social subgroup (in this case, the
jati). Within this larger community, it is
generally accepted that the bride and
groom should not come from the same
gotra or the same pravara—both mythic
lineages detailing relationships with
ancient sages. The other strong prohibition was on marrying those with whom
one had a sapinda relationship—common ancestry. According to one wellknown code of law, the Mitakshara, the
sapinda relationship ceases after the
seventh generation on the father’s
side, and the fifth generation on the
mother’s. People with common
ancestors beyond those boundaries may
contract a valid marriage.
This sapinda formula was routinely
ignored, particularly in parts of
southern India, where marrying one’s
maternal uncle’s daughter was not
only permitted, but considered commendable. While some of the texts in
the dharma literature condemn the
practice as an abomination, others
note that this is a practice peculiar to
the south, where it is permitted only
as part of the family’s customary
practice (kulachara).
There is a long history for crosscousin marriage in southern India; it is a
common practice even today. Among
southern Indian brahmins, there is
some speculation that their relatively
small population—about four percent
of the total—made it impossible to find
brahmin spouses under the strict criteria. Given the competing imperatives to
marry other brahmins and to observe
the lineage restrictions, this custom was
deemed less important.