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Changing Ideology of Hindu Society
Same gotra marriages were declared legal as long back as 1945 by the Bombay High Court. After going over several court rulings on the evidence to prove a custom,the bench had concluded that the marriage in question between a husband and wife belonging to same gotra was valid.This argument could,however,be turned around by the khaps of Haryana to say that it is customary for Jats not to marry within the same gotra.
But,the court anticipated this sort of an argument and garnered textual proof for intra-gotra marriage.German scholar Max Mueller had defined gotras as descending from eight sages and then branching out to several families.The court,however,referred to eminent scholar P V Kane,author of the History of Dharmashastra,who had said: The mass of material on gotra and pravara in the sutras,the puranas and digests is so vast and full of contradictions that it is almost an impossible task to reduce it to order and coherence.
On this ground,the court concluded that it was impossible to accept the suggestion that in reference to the Brahmin families of today,their gotras and pravaras represent anything like an unbroken line of descent from the common ancestors indicated by the names of their respective gotras and pravaras.After consulting the texts of Manu and Yajnavalkya,the court observed that the requirements on gotra were recommendatory,rather than mandatory.
But,the court anticipated this sort of an argument and garnered textual proof for intra-gotra marriage.German scholar Max Mueller had defined gotras as descending from eight sages and then branching out to several families.The court,however,referred to eminent scholar P V Kane,author of the History of Dharmashastra,who had said: The mass of material on gotra and pravara in the sutras,the puranas and digests is so vast and full of contradictions that it is almost an impossible task to reduce it to order and coherence.
On this ground,the court concluded that it was impossible to accept the suggestion that in reference to the Brahmin families of today,their gotras and pravaras represent anything like an unbroken line of descent from the common ancestors indicated by the names of their respective gotras and pravaras.After consulting the texts of Manu and Yajnavalkya,the court observed that the requirements on gotra were recommendatory,rather than mandatory.
Finally,the court stressed on the need of Hindu society and law to keep up with the times. It said, Courts have to construe the texts of Hindu law in the light of the explanations given by recognised commentators.But it must always be remembered that since the said commentaries were written,several centuries have passed by and during this long period the Hindu mode of life has not remained still or static.Notions of good social behaviour and the general ideology of the Hindu society have been changing.
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