Rule of Marriage

RULES OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is not a mere license to live as spouses. It provides the basis of social structure and involves social, mutual and individual obligations. Marriage bonds are, therefore, in every society strictly disciplined by exogamous and endogamous restrictions. Marriage is made possible under the conditions that society deems fit. The restrictions differ from society to society; so also differ from time to time. The conditions have been laid and changed also in the interest of harmony and betterment. Endogamy and exogamy are the two main rules of marriage that condition marital choice.

1. ENDOGAMY OR ENDOGAMOUS MARRIAGE:

Endogamy is the form of marriage in which one must marry within one’s own caste or other group. This rule does not permit marriage of close kin. These endogamous groups specifically refer to tribe, caste, sub-caste, and varna endogamy.

i. Caste Endogamy: 

This form of caste endogamy, prohibits the members of a caste to marry outside their own caste.

ii. Sub-caste endogamy: 

This is the type of endogamy in which choice for marriage is restricted to the sub-caste.

iii. Varna Endogamy: 

Varna endogamy prescribes marriages between the members of the same Varna. Marriage between the members of the same varan was regarded as proper and ideal.

Causes for Endogamy:

i. Due to the fear of the strange and the unknown.

ii. Due to absence of sufficient means of transport and communication, illiteracy and self-sufficient nature of a tribe etc.

iii. To preserve socio-cultural, linguistic and territorial units of their groups

iv. The need to marry within a culturally similar group to avoid adjustment problems and clashes.

2. EXOGAMY OR EXOGAMOUS MARRIAGE:

Exogamy refers to the rule that a man must marry someone outside his own group. It prohibits marrying within groups such as gotra, pravara, sapinda and village.

i. Gotra Exogamy: 

Gotra refers to the clan. Members of a particular gotra or clan are supposed to have close blood relations among themselves. Hence the Hindu practice of one marrying outside one’s own ‘gotra’ is gotra exogamy.

ii. Pravara Exogamy: 

Pravara means siblings. People originating from a common saint are said to belong to a particular Pravara. According to Pravara exogamy, one has to marry outside one’s own pravara. Marriage within pravara is forbidden.

iii. Sapinda Exogamy: 

Sapinda means-lineage. People belonging to five generations from the father side and three or seven generations from the mother side are known as sapindas. They believed to belong to a particular pinda. Hence according to sapinda exogamy marriage within one’s own sapinda is forbidden. They are supposed to marry outside one’s own sapinda.

Causes for Exogamy:

i. The fear of racial degeneration

ii. The cultural factor of widening the area of co-operative cultural contact leading to prohibitions of sexual relations between close relatives

iii. In hunting and food gathering communities women were a burden and this would have led to female infanticide and female scarcity. This would have forced men to marry girls from outside.

iv. Man’s tendency to vary led man to marital alliances with strangers.

There is a greater trend towards exogamous marriage. Since endogamy is said to be conservative, it is widely criticized. Exogamy is appreciated as progressive and more scientific. It also brought peoples of various castes, races, religious groups and tribals together. It can effectively reduce social distance among people and encourage and support social solidarity and communal unity.