Question
Describe Brahmanical prescriptions about marriage, were the rules universal as proclaimed by the brahmanas.
Solution
The marriage had its own rules and regulations. And we find that these regulations were prescribed by the Brahmanas in the Dharmasutras and the dharmashastras. We find that the rules differed for men and women.
We find that a women in a gotra had to follow some distinct rules, they are not suppose to marry within the same gotra and secondly women have to change her gotras name from her fathers to her husbands. In the men we find that such was not the case, he kept the name of his gotra even after marriage.
However we find that there are some common rules for both men and women, that were, not marrying outside the one's caste and outside one's gotra.
However when we look at the evidences in the ancient text we find that the claims made by the Brahmanas that their rules were universal were not so. For example Satavahanas, though they claimed to brahmanas, we find that they had married outside their own caste, that is from brahmanas to Kshatriya and we also finds instances where they have married inside their own gotra.
There are also instances of Polyandry in Mahabharata, which seems to be frown upon as we find that Draupadi's marriage to Five Pandavas are legitimised by giving some background story.
We find that a women in a gotra had to follow some distinct rules, they are not suppose to marry within the same gotra and secondly women have to change her gotras name from her fathers to her husbands. In the men we find that such was not the case, he kept the name of his gotra even after marriage.
However we find that there are some common rules for both men and women, that were, not marrying outside the one's caste and outside one's gotra.
However when we look at the evidences in the ancient text we find that the claims made by the Brahmanas that their rules were universal were not so. For example Satavahanas, though they claimed to brahmanas, we find that they had married outside their own caste, that is from brahmanas to Kshatriya and we also finds instances where they have married inside their own gotra.
There are also instances of Polyandry in Mahabharata, which seems to be frown upon as we find that Draupadi's marriage to Five Pandavas are legitimised by giving some background story.
