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352
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
they were educated in the Vedas and other branches of knowledge.鹿
The Kamasutra lays down that the wife of a 'n膩garaka' should
keep accounts of daily house-hold and it also speaks of 64 subsidiary
sciences meant for women and their knowledge in belles letters.2
That the girls were permitted to receive education out side their
home is evidenced in the Uttara-R膩macarita which mentions female
students studying with brother pupils at the residenee of their
teachers.3
The parents took due care in marrying their daughters to proper
persons. The preceding section on 'marriage' reveals the following facts
in this connection parents did their best in selecting a suitable husband
for their daughter. The future happiness and well-being of a girl
depended solely upon the type of the bridegroom to whom she was
wedded. Therefore the parents first considered the family, character,
health and the attainments of the candidate and then married their
daughter to him. Maturity and full youth were the proper qualifications
for a marriage; the wishes of the daughter were respected; and the
guardians readily opposed those who wanted to marry their daughters
forcibly.
The parents are referred to be in anxiety for the marriage of
their daughters (15.36; 35.11). But this anxiety was for selecting
proper candidates and not that they considered the presence of a
daughter to be a misfortune The comparison of a daughter with the
wealth of wicked person, and the disparaging remarks about her at
6 20 really do not undermine her position and abuse the character
of girls but they convey the idea that whatever affection and love one
may bestow on his daughter 5, after all she will become useful and
helpful to some other person. Therefore it is said that to serve some
other family is the very nature of the women. And it is true that one
cannot keep one's daughter with him for ever. One has to marry and
send her to some other house. The R膩k峁�asa and 膧sura type of marriage
speak of the kidnapping of and selling of girls to other persons. These
practices sound indicent on the part of the kidnapper and the seller.
Moreover thay belittle the position of girls in the society. But really
speaking these were the prevailing customs of marriage in those days
1. See Indra, p. 140f,
2. Chakladar, pp. 175-81.
3:
See Indra, p. 134.
4. Sutthu vi rakkhijjanti, thuthukkiya峁� rakkhiy膩 p膩yatte峁嘺峁�/
hohi parasovatth膩, khalaya峁嘺riddhi va varakan膩//鈥�6: 22.
5. Paragehasevana峁� cicya, esa sah膩vo mahiliy膩峁嘺峁� 6, 22