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CHAPTER XII.
MARRIAGE LAWS AND CUSTOMS.
The institution of marriage is the next important
factor of the social structure of the Hindus. The
Dharmasutras, Smrtis and epics mention eight forms of
marriage. There are three laws regulating marriage, viz.
(1) endogamy, or marriage in one's own caste, (2)
gotra-exogamy or marriage outside direct paternal line, and
(3) sapinda-exogamy or marriage outside certain specified
degrees of blood relations (sapindas)-paternal as well as
maternal. Anuloma marriage or hypergamy, though not
approved, was yet regarded as valid, and the issue born of
such marriage was placed in an intermediate caste between
that of its parents. There was no question of contravening
the rules as to exogamy in the Anuloma marriage, as the
other party was certainly beyond the prohibited
relationship, being of a different caste altogether; but
these marriages obviously broke the rule of endogamy.
Pratiloma marriages have been strictly prohibited since
ancient times and were looked down upon as invalid and
illegal. The issues born of Pratiloma marriage were
styled as Can岣嵞乴as or Ni峁Ｄ乨as and they were not included
in the four castes.
At the time of the Rgveda there do not appear to
have been any rules prohibiting intermarriages. On the
contrary, we come across many marriages of the R峁�is with
the Ksatriyas and vice versa. The only restriction seems
to have been against marriages with the An膩ryas, D膩sas
or Dasyus. There was no religious obligation that every
girl must be married; allusions are to be met with in the
Rgveda to unmarried girls staying with their fathers and