95 - Teachings of Yajnavalkya

Yajnavalkya said: 

1-3. Osages, listen to the various duties of the house holder. After giving fees to the preceptor and taking the ritualistic bath with his permission and concluding his student stage he shall marry a girl endowed with good characteristics She shall be a virgin, younger in age, not sickly, having brothers not of the same rushi, lineage or Gotra1, beyond the fifth remove on the mother's side, and the seventh remove on the father's and hence asapinda (unrelated).

1. Generally the Hindus trace their descent to a common male ancestor. Such a descent is called gotra. The prominent gotras were eight but they multiplied later on, "Gotra occurs several times in the Rugveda in the account of the mythic exploits of Indra. Roth interprets the word as 'cowstall", while Geldner thinks that 'herd' is meant. The latter sense seems to explain best the employment which the term shows in the later literature as denoting the 'family' or 'clan', and which is found in the Chandogya Upanishad. In the Gruhya Sutras stress is laid on the prohibition of marriage within a Gotra, or with a Sapinda of the mother of the bridegroom-that is to say, roughly, with agnates and cognates." (VINS, p. 235-6).

4. A brahmin bridegroom must belong to the reputed ninety families of great Vedic Scholars or their own relation, a scholar without defects. 

5. I do not approve of a brahmin's marriage with a Shudra girl, for virtually he is born again of her (when he begets a son). 

6. A brahmin can marry a girl belonging to any of the first three castes; a kshatriya can marry a girl belonging to two castes and a vaishya only one, a shudra girl shall never be married by any of these. 

7. There are many types of marriages among them; the Brahma type is that in which the bridegroom is invited and a girl bedecked according to capacity is given in marriage. A son born of that girl sanctifies twenty-one generations on either side. 

8. The Daiva type of marriage is that in which the Rutvik in a sacrifice is chosen as the bridegroom. A son born of that wedlock sanctifies fourteen generations. If two cows are taken along with the bride the type of marriage is Arsha, the son born of that wedlock sanctifies six generations. 

9. A marriage in which the advice, "both of you carry on your sacred duties together" is given, is called Sakama (with love) marriage. A son born of that wedlock sanctifies six generations including himself. 

10. In the Asura form of marriage, money is taken; in the Gandharva marriage, mutual love and consent is the criterion; in the Rakshasa marriage, the bride is taken forcibly after a fight and in the Paishacha marriage, the girl is duped and married. 

11. The first four types of marriage are recommended for brahmins; the Gandharva and the Rakshasa type for kings; the Asura type for vaishyas and the despicable last type for the shudras. 

12. If a brahmin marries a brahmin girl, the hands are clasped together; if a kshatriya girl, she catches hold of an arrow the other end of which is held by the bridegroom; the vaishya girl holds a goad. 

13. The father, the grandfather, brother, a kinsman or the mother gives away the girl in marriage; the latter in case the former is not available. 

14. A father not giving a daughter in marriage, incurs the sin of Bhrunahatya (murder of the foetus) at every menstrual period. If no one gives her away in marriage, the girl is at liberty to choose her own lover, 

15. A girl can be given in marriage only once; a person who abducts a girl should be punished like a thief; if an unsullied girl is forsaken, he should be punished. A fallen girl should be forsaken at once. 

16-17. For producing a son and a heir in the family the brother-in-law or a cousin or a person of the same clan can have intercourse with an issueless widow till she conceives. If he touches her after that he becomes degraded. The son born thus is the legitimate son of the deceased husband. 

18. A wife found guilty of adultery shall be compelled to wear dirty garments, shall be given only a single morsel daily, shall be rebuked and forced to lie on the bare ground. 

19. The moon god has blessed women with purity; Gandharva has blessed them with sweet speech. Fire is always pure and women are always pure. 

20. If a woman subjects herself to abortion, except in the case of adultery and for purposes of expiation, she becomes guilty of two great sins the murder of the foetus and the murder of her husband. 

21. A wise addicted to wine, suffering from incurable discases or inimically inclined can be forsaken. A wife of sweet speech should be maintained. Otherwise, Osages, great sin will result. 

22-23. If there is no discord or dispute between the husband and wife, virtue, love and wealth flourish there. If the wife survives the husband but remains unmarried, she is praised in the world. After death she becomes delighted with goddess Uma. If a man divorces a chaste virtuous woman, he shall give her a third of her ornaments back. 

24-26. The highest duty of a woman is to carry out the behests of her husband. Sixteen nights subsequent to the monthly menstrual flow are the nights of rut for women. The husband shall restrain himself during the parvan (full moon new moon days) when the stars magha and Mula are ascendant and on the first four nights. Thereafter, on even nights, he can have intercourse with her. Thereby, he will be able to beget a healthy son of auspicious traits. If the woman is in a mood to receive him on any night, he should satisfy her remembering that lust in women is terrible. 

27-28. The husband should be loyal to his wife. Since women are to be well protected the husband, his brothers, father, mother or kinsmen should honour her with ornaments, raiments and foodstuffs. The wife should be able to maintain the household with a modicum of requisite things. She should be skilful, pleased with the minimum and reluctant to spend lavishly. 

29-31. She should pay respects to her mother-in-law and father-in-law by touching their feet. A woman whose husband is away shall forsake sports, decoration of the body, attending festivities, boisterous laughter, visits to other people's house. During childhood the father shall protect the girl: during her youth the husband shall do so and during old age the son. If these are not available, kinsmen shall protect her. Whether during day or during night, a woman shall not stay outside her house without her husband. 

32-33. Only the senior wife is entitled to take part in religious rites not the junior ones. If the wife had been of good conduct, she should be cremated duly by the husband with Agnihotra rites. He can remarry duly for the preservation of Agnihotra. A woman who had been dutiful shall earn good name here and repair to heaven after death.